The Dark Fairy
by TheBobcat18
Summary: Joshua is a young boy with a mysterious past and incredible abilities. He is rescued by Natsu, Erza, and Lucy after a terrible accident and is brought to Fairy Tail. He barely remembers his past and what memories remain are dark and menacing. On top of that, he can't really control his powers. Now in the safety of Fairy Tail he searches for the answer to his one question, who am I?
1. Chapter 1: Rescue

**Hey everyone! It's the Bobcat with a new story! My writer's block has had a major break so I'm flooded with ideas right now and I got to get them down on paper. Game of Fairies is still my priority but this idea sounded like fun (Kinda going through a big Star Wars faze right now). The Fairy's Shadow was a sort of test run for this story although I've scrapped that one because I made a lot of adjustments to it. Anyways, I've stalled enough, without further ado I present The Dark Fairy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 1

The mountains jutted out of the earth like teeth into the gray skies above. It was a dark day outside. The clouds blotted out all sources of light from the sun and the occasional rumble of thunder was heard. The boy trekking through these mountains trembled a little as he heard the thunder's menacing rumblings that caused some pebbles to shake around him. The kid with brown hair and hazel eyes gritted his teeth and pushed onward. He was not scared. Not of a little thunder. That was not scary at all. Not compared to other things he had seen in his short 9 years. More rumbling followed by a loud clap of thunder caused the boy to jump and cling to the mountainside, his whole body trembling.

"Stupid Thunder…" he muttered under his breath. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

 _Calm down Joshua. It's not like it's gonna rain._

*Drip* *Drop* *Drip* *Drop*

The boy named Joshua felt the wet plop of rain on his short, spiky brown hair. He stared up at the gray clouds above and felt a raindrop pelt him in the eye. He growled and rubbed his eye.

 _Well, that's just my luck isn't it?_

The rain had started. It started off as a soft drizzle. Nothing that could deter him. But as he traveled through the mountain pass the rain steadily increased until it became a full force thunderstorm with enough rain to block out the boy's vision. He wrapped the black cloak he had wrapped around his shoulders tightly and shook some water off the dark hood he now had over his head that sheltered him from the cold rain. His right hand clasped the rocks and mud that made up the mountainside as he cautiously continued his trek forward through the pass. This was starting to get a little dangerous.

Lightning raced across the dark sky in massive branches. The boy stared up at the sky and then clung to the mountainside after the loudest peal of thunder his ears had ever heard erupted above him. He needed to get out of these damn mountains. And fast, not telling what a lightning strike on some loose mud and stone would do this high up. His soggy brown boots sloshed forward through the muddy trail. More rain dribbled over his hood as the weather grew more intense. After several more minutes of hiking the mountains began to thin out in front of him. The hills and plains that he had been moving towards finally came into view. Well, as much a view as he could get through the haze of raindrops that clouded his vision.

He could see a forest down below the mountains. The forest stretched out and straddle a large river that flowed towards a town off in the distance. His heart leapt at the sight of the town miles away. It was his salvation at this point. A chance for a roof over his young head and a hot meal in his aching stomach. Bread and salted meat was starting to lose it's taste to him. He smiled widely. It was all downhill from here. He took another step forward then he felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

A lightning bolt raced down towards the mountainside and exploded against the ground next to the boy. The force of the explosion sent the boy flying through the air and off of the trail. He slid down rocky mountainside flailing his arms for a handhold. Finally his fingers gripped an outstretched rock. His body's momentum stopped abruptly and the boy felt his shoulder pop out of place in the arm that was clinging desperately to the handhold. He cried out in pain and his cry echoed off of the mountain's mighty walls. He gritted his teeth and looked up at his hand. Ignoring the tremendous amount of pain in his left shoulder he heaved his right arm forward and grabbed the small rocky handhold with both hands. His knuckles were white from the amount of strain on his small hands. The boy breathed a small sigh of relief. He could hang like this and figure out how to get back up. But sadly, no such luxury was available to him.

He heard the rumbling before he fully realized what it was. The boy snapped his head back up to the mountain peaks and saw it falling fast down the tall mountainside, a mudslide. His eyes widened and his heart began to race. The boy thought quickly. He released his iron grip on the handhold and let himself roll down the mountainside. He spurred himself forward, enduring the bruises, scratches, and fractures that were punishing his small body. He had to stay ahead of the mudslide. The wall of dirt and rock was fast approaching him. Soon it was bearing down on his small form. It was only feet behind him. Stray specks of mud were raining down on his pale face and dark, torn, cloak. The boy then felt a large bump hit him in the right leg and then he heard a sickening crack. He cried out once again and looked down to see his right leg snapped clean at the shin and hanging limply. Now the mud was at his back. He could feel it accelerating his broken body down the cliff and towards the ground.

 _OH SHIT! HOW AM I GOING TO STOP!_

The mud was soon starting to swallow him. He kept his face as much out of the suffocating dirt as he could, gasping for the precious air above him.

 _No choice! Gotta try to use it!_

He closed his eyes and concentrated. An energy in his small body began to bubble to the surface. His hazel eyes glowed orange for half a second. The mud was forced away in a wide circle around the boy as if by some sort of invisible hand. The boy then began to focus on slowing his fast descent. The mud flowed around the boy's invisible barrier while he concentrated on slowing himself down. It wasn't easy. His body and power was being pushed to it's absolute limits. He didn't have much power to begin with. The mud finally passed completely by him and settled down on the ground that was now just yards away. He let out a defiant cry and pushed out the last of his power to slow himself down before colliding with the muddy surface below.

….

"Oh come on Lucy! The rain isn't that bad. It feels kinda nice actually." smiled a pink haired teen at the blonde girl walking beside him.

"Says you! You don't care about how you look!" replied an annoyed blonde as she crossed her arms across her large chest and let out a frustrated sigh, "My hair is gonna look terrible when we get back." she grumbled.

"Natsu is right Lucy. You need to just relax." said a red haired woman wearing armor and a blue skirt. She turned her face back to look the two, "It's just water after all. It's nothing to get super upset about."

"Yeah!" cried a blue cat that was flying beside the blonde, "Besides Lucy, you can't get any uglier than you already are!"

The blond sent the cat a death glare, "What did you say you damn furball!?" All the while the pink haired boy named Natsu laughed aloud, his loud chuckles echoing off of the canyon walls around them. "That's not funny, Natsu!"

The red haired woman leading the way abruptly stopped and Natsu bumped into her back with a clank. He rubbed his nose and glared at the woman in front of him.

"Hey Erza! What did you do that for!" he roared as he rubbed his face.

"Shhh!" hissed Erza, "Do you hear that?"

Natsu squinted his eyes, "Not really."

"You can't hear it if you don't be quiet you idiot." snarled Erza.

Natsu then heard it in his ears. It sounded like an avalanche and it was coming from a few miles ahead of them. The storm must be really bad higher up in the mountains. Then he heard something else mixed in with the rumblings of the ground. A small cry of pain.

"Sounds like an avalanche to me." stated Lucy.

"Yeah. We need to be careful as we go forward through the canyon." replied Erza.

Natsu completely ignored her. He raced past her and sprinted forward through the canyon.

"Natsu where are you going!" called Lucy while Erza glared annoyed at the pink haired boy.

"Damn him." she growled before chasing after him.

"H-hey!" stammered Lucy as Erza chased after Natsu, "Don't leave me alone here!" Above her raced Happy as the flying cat flew at full speed to catch up to his pink haired friend.

Eventually he caught up to his sprinting friend and floated beside him.

"Hey Natsu what's up?" The cat asked.

"I heard someone. It sounded like they were hurt, and it came from the avalanche."

Happy's eyes widened. "Then how about I give you a boost then." he gripped Natsu's back and pushed his small magic to the max. The two flew at an incredible speed along the canyon floor until they came across the source of the avalanche.

A large pile of mud and rocks blocked the pathway back to their home. Happy screeched to a halt in front of the large obstacle and let Natsu fall to his feet back onto solid ground. The teen began to sniff the humid air around him, ignoring the raindrops that sometime rushed up his nose as he sniffed. There was definitely a strange smell here. And that strange smell was similar to a human. Natsu's eyes widened.

"Happy start digging! Someone is buried in this thing!"

"Aye sir!" replied the blue cat who began to use his small paws to burrow into the mudslide. The two were digging for several minutes when Natsu heard their two other companions race up behind him.

"Natsu!" roared Erza.

Natsu's eyes widened and he twirled around, "Erza wait-" a metal fist collided with his face and sent him flying up to the top of the mud pile. She then huffed and stared daggers at Happy. Happy held his hands defensively out in front of him.

"Th-there is someone buried in here! Natsu heard them I think." stammered Happy as he stared terrified at the red haired knight.

Erza's eyes widened, "Someone is buried!" She looked over to the blonde on her right, "Lucy, do you have a spirit that can-"

"Already on it." The blond grabbed a golden key chain at her waist and held out a specific key into the air in front of her, "Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"

A loud doorbell sound was heard and a golden glow enveloped the air in front of Lucy. The glow then formed into a young, pink haired woman in a maid's outfit with broken chains on her wrist.

"You called Miss Lucy?" stated the woman that suddenly appeared from the key.

"Yeah! There is somewhere buried in that pile of dirt." She pointed at the large mud pile, "Can you get them out of there?"

"I will do my best." saluted the maid before quickly tunneling into the thick mud.

On top of the pile, Natsu groaned and woke up after being KO'd by a furious Erza. He rubbed a large bump on his forehead and winced.

"That hurt." he groaned. He looked back and forth atop the mud pile and saw a hand sticking up out of the mud. "Oh crap! Don't worry I'll save you!"

He clambered across the mud pile and gripped the limp, pale hand. Natsu began to pull, and pull, and pull. But the hand wouldn't budge. "C'mon you stupid hand! Move!" Move it did. In the wrong direction. Natsu yelled out in a panic as the hand was sucked down into the mud and began to take him with it. "Oh no! NO! This way!" Natsu continued to tug until he felt his feet slipped on the slick mud and he was sucked into the mass of mud with the hand.

Lucy waited patiently for Virgo. After a brief few minutes the maid returned from the tunnel she dug and was pulling hard at a pale arm. The pink haired girl gave one final pull before a young boy's head peaked out of the mud. It was soon followed by the rest of his body… and Natsu who was desperately holding onto the boy's other hand. Erza and Lucy blinked at the sight of a mud covered Natsu hold onto the other hand while Happy just laughed at his best friend. Virgo held the boy aloft in the air along with Natsu with inhuman strength.

"I retrieved the buried person princess. And it appears your comrade was buried in there as well."

"I wasn't buried you crazy maid!" roared Natsu with fire in his mouth as he dangled from the right hand of the boy. He let go and landed on his feet.

"Thank you Virgo. Set him down and then you can go." ordered Lucy.

"Yes princess." the maid set the young boy down on the ground before disappearing in a flash of yellow light.

The Natsu bent over the unconscious boy and stared at him. He sniffed the air and nodded.

"Yup he's the one I smelled." A metal fist smacked him in the back of his head.

"Give the kid some space Natsu!" ordered Erza before she decided to invade the boy's personal space and investigate.

She placed two fingers on the boy's pale neck trying to feel for a pulse. She felt a slight throbbing on the boy's neck. He was alive, but barely. She then looked down to see that his right leg was snapped and bent in an unnatural way. She closed her eyes and then looked up above at the mountainside.

"He must of fallen from the cliffs above and taken away by this mudslide." she muttered to herself. "Happy!"

The blue cat floated up to Erza.

"You will carry him back to the guild with us. Make sure that leg doesn't touch the ground." ordered the red head.

The flying blue furball saluted her, "Aye sir!" then he gripped the boy by the back and hovered above the ground just enough so that his dangling legs wouldn't touch the ground below. Erza looked back to her other two traveling companions.

"We need to get back to the guild fast. The boy is alive, but barely. He needs a doctor."

"Right." replied Lucy and Natsu in unison.

"Let's move."

The group began climbed over the pile of mud and ran through the rest of the canyon and towards the town off in the distance.

….

Joshua felt like he had been sent through a meat grinder. I guess being swallowed alive by a raging avalanche of mud and rocks could qualify as a meat grinder. His whole body seemed to be in some form of pain. Whether it ached or was a sharp stabbing pain, his body felt terrible. But something was weird. First of all, he was alive. He knew that by the amount of pain he was in. Dead people don't exactly feel pain. Secondly, he wasn't resting in a giant mountain of mud. He ran his hands along what he though was the ground and felt soft sheets beneath him and his head resting atop a soft pillow.

 _Wierd…_

He slowly let his heavy eyelid flutter open. It was bright in the place he was in. He squeezed his eyes shut as the bright light made him recoil. He then took a deep breath before letting them open slowly once again. This time the light didn't hurt his eyes. He was able to open his eyes fully and saw that he was in a bright clean room, it looked to be some sort of infirmary. To his left was a large window with bright beams of sunlight streaming through white curtains and glass. He groaned and tried to sit up before feeling a metal plated hand gently push him back down into the bed's soft embrace.

"Don't do that. You're very injured." said a kind voice.

Joshua looked to his right to see a woman wearing armor and a blue skirt. She had big brown eyes and incredibly red hair. She looked really nice, she had a kind smile. That smile soon evaporated as Joshua felt the bed creak and pressure being put on the open spaces to his side. He snapped his head back forward and met a tan face staring back at him with dark eyes and pink hair. Joshua noticed that this guy was squatting over him and seemed to be studying him.

"So who are you?" asked the teen before getting launched across the room and slamming into the far wall. Joshua then noticed the angry face that characterized the red haired woman and made him shake with fear.

"Give him some space!" roared the woman before sighing and looking back at a thoroughly intimidated nine year old. "Sorry about that, Natsu doesn't understand personal space sometimes."

 _Note to self… do not make her angry._

He tried to push himself up to a sitting position again before the same forceful hand forced him back down. Joshua grunted stubbornly and moved onto his elbow again before resting his back against the headrest behind him. He grinned triumphantly at the woman who was now frowning at him.

"You really should be just lying down kid." she stated in a serious tone.

"Oh come on now Erza." Said an elderly voice that now entered the room. Joshua craned his neck to see an incredibly short, elderly man walk into the room and pull up a chair beside the woman he called Erza. "If you were in his position you'd be just as stubborn. Hell, when you were hurt as badly I couldn't even get you to stay in the bed, much less lie down."

The old man had a bushy moustache and a kind wrinkly face. He was balding on the top of his head and had tufts of white hair coming out of the sides of his head. He also wore a bright orange jacket with bright orange shorts and a white shirt underneath. He smiled kindly at Joshua.

"How are you feeling young man?" he asked.

The boy stared at the man. He was reluctant to talk to these strangers. Talking to strangers never really worked out well in the past. He had learned that the hard way. So he stayed quiet and instead studied the two people at his bedside as well as his surroundings.

"Not a talker huh. That's ok." shrugged the old man as he sat next to the red haired woman, "I just felt I should come in and check up on you. After all, you have been out for four days."

"FOUR DAYS!" exclaimed Joshua with shock.

"Oh so you can speak." chuckled the old man, "Yes, you've been asleep for four days. Erza here as well as Natsu, whom you," he looked over at a knocked out Natsu at the far wall, "Must've met already, and another girl named Lucy found you in the canyons near Mt. Hakobe and brought you here for medical help. I must say, you gave even our guild's top doctor, Porlyusica, quite the scare when you first came in here. We weren't sure you were going to make it."

Joshua stared wide eyed at the old man then. He then quickly remembered his manners and bowed his head, "Thank you for saving me sir." he looked over to the red head and bowed his head to her as well, "Miss Erza."

The woman smiled. A loud commotion was heard outside of the door that led to the infirmary. Erza's face twisted in anger. She excused herself and marched out of the room dragging an unconscious Natsu behind her. Now it was just Joshua and the old man in the infirmary.

"Can I ask your name young man?"

"Um…" Joshua hesitated. Experience told him to say nothing to this guy. But at the same time, this place felt so warm and he seemed so nice. It couldn't hurt to just tell him his name. "J-Joshua." he muttered.

"Joshua…"

"I don't have a last name." finished the brown haired boy with a bowed head.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Do… do you not have a family?"

Joshua stared at the sheets. His hands tightened their grip on the white sheets as the memories hit him. He shook his head and Makarov sighed.

"I'm sorry young man. I've seen far too many children in the same situation as you in my life." he hopped down from his wooden chair and looked Joshua in the eye. "You are more than welcome to stay here Joshua. I'll go ask Mirajane to get something cooked up for ya. You must be hungry."

Joshua's stomach growled in response. He looked up at the old man.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked the old man. "And who are you?"

"Hmmm… Oh I completely forgot about that!" exclaimed the old man, "My brain must be aging on me faster than I thought. Haha, sorry about that. Well young man, my name is Makarov and you are in my wizard guild Fairy Tail in the town of Magnolia."

"Fairy Tail?" repeated Joshua with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly, do fairies have tails? Do they not? We may never know until we found out!" cried Makarov with gusto, "It's a never ending adventure."

Joshua smirked a little at that proclamation. A never ending adventure huh, sounds like fun. But the term that went with the name Fairy Tail, wizard guild, was foreign to him. He decided to gather as much information as possible. He had nothing better to do right now anyways.

"If I may ask Mr. Makarov, what is a wizard's guild?"

Makarov blinked at the question, "You don't know what a wizard guild is?" Joshua shook his head, "Well that's surprising, I thought that was common knowledge. You see, a wizard guild is a place where wizards can go and find work, make friends, and earn fame and fortune."

"Wizards?"

"How hard did you hit your head kid?" asked Makarov.

Joshua shrugged, "I've just never heard of wizards before, I'm… I'm from really far away."

Makarov eyed the boy. He was holding something back. That much was clear. But Makarov had learned through the ears that trying to force someone to talk about their past was never a healthy thing to do.

"Well as wizard is someone with magic. Well correction, everyone has magic in their bodies. Wizards are just people who are able to tap into that magical reservoir of power and use it in spells and such."

Joshua's eyes widened in understanding, "You mean, wizards can do stuff like this." he opened his palm and the lamp that was across the room began to hover a few inches off of the table. Makarov stared wide eyed at the lamp before violently crashed back down onto the table, fell off, then shattered into a million porcelain pieces. Joshua cringed, "Sorry."

"No, don't apologize it's ok." Makarov smiled at the boy, "It appears you too are a wizard. Although, I've never seen a magic like that before. At least not in a very long time. You don't have much control over it do you?"

"Not really. It just kinda comes and goes." replied Joshua, "Although, I was able to use it on command when the mudslide happened. It was weird."

"Sounds like you just need some proper training and practice then." Makarov rubbed his chin and snapped his fingers, "I've got an idea. But you need to get healthy first." He walked over to the door and looked back. "I'll send Mira back here with some food for you."

"Thanks Mr. Makarov sir." replied Joshua. He liked that guy. He seemed to be an honest stranger at least. That was few a far between for him.

A couple minutes later the door opened once again and a beautiful white haired girl walked in carrying a metal tray piled high with all sorts of food. She wore a maroon dress and walked with authority yet elegance. Joshua stared at her as she smiled kindly at him and looked back with bright blue eyes.

"The master said you were hungry! So I got you a bunch of food!" she exclaimed happily. She gently placed the tray at Joshua's lap.

Joshua felt his mouth begin to water and his stomach rumblings only grew louder as the aroma of all sorts of food began to fill his senses. Before this lady, who Joshua assumed was the Mirajane the old man was talking about, could say what was on the tray, Joshua began to devour the plates of food.

Mirajane stared wide eyed as the small nine year old seemed to eat his own weight in food. Within seconds, the entire tray of food was cleaned off of all contents. The boy looked up at her.

"Do you have anymore?"

"EHHHHH!"

…..

"Holy crap."

"How much is that kid eating!?"

"He's cleaning out the storage closet!" exclaimed another voice in the guildhall.

"That's what the fourth time Mira has rushed to the back to get the kid more food!?"

Makarov sat on the bar counter top with an exasperated face and a look of defeat.

"This kid is going to drive food costs up through the roof." he moaned as he grabbed a mug of beer and chugged it.

"Um… Master."

"What is it Mira?"

"We are… um… we're out of cooked food."

Makarov blinked for a second, "Sooooo much money!" he groaned before he decided that today was a good enough day to drown himself in booze.

"Can't be as much as you as the expenses for Natsu's latest job with Erza and Lucy." replied a brunette woman who was only wearing brown pants and a blue bikini top. In her arms was a whole barrel of alcohol that she was happily drinking from.

"Don't remind me Cana." stated Makarov gloomily.

"Sure thing, anyways who is the kid?" asked the brunette before she took another swig from the barrel.

"His name is Joshua. Other than that I don't know much else about him. He can use magic though, so he is a young wizard."

"Sounds kinda similar to a certain red head's tale when she first arrived here." replied Cana.

Makarov nodded before drinking more of his beer, "Yes it does Cana. Except he is obviously holding a lot back. But I won't push him on it. He'll reveal who he is in time. For now, he is part of the family."

"But he didn't even ask to join the guild." replied Cana with a raised brow.

"True. But did Erza or you actually ask?"

Cana sat there silently. "Fair point." she shrugged, "He's got nowhere else to go I'm guessing?"

"Correct. And no idea how to control his magic as well. So I'm going to need one of you brats to teach him."

"Ha! Me teach him! Good one you old geezer." laughed Cana, "If you want someone who is willing to teach look at Erza or even Mira. But not me, so sir. I'm not a teacher."

"But your magic requires a great deal of control. Something that Joshua back there needs to master."

"I said no!" barked Cana.

"Cana…"

"Geezer…"

Makarov sighed. No point in arguing with her. When Cana made up her mind there was no changing it. She could be the most stubborn person he knew at times.

"What kind of magic does he use?" asked the brunette as she leaned her upper body against the wooden bar.

"Seems to be some form of telekinesis."

"Yeah, that's a big word for me. Ask Mystogan, maybe he'll do it. He's got the brains to understand it after all."

Makarov's face brightened, "Excellent point. Only problem is Mystogan is never here!" he replied with sarcasm in his voice. "I'll see what I can do. But if I don't find anyone else…"

"It won't be me and that's final!"

"Fine…"

Makarov looked back to the infirmary door to see Mira breath a sigh of relief as she carried four empty trays out of the room. Joshua was finally done eating.

"It's like the kid never had anything good to eat." gasped Mira as she slumped against the bar exhausted.

"He was on an empty stomach for the past few days, maybe longer." replied Makarov, "Speaking of the Joshua. Do you know of anyone who will be willing to train him?"

Mirajane looked back at Makarov. "Well I can do it as a last resort. But I won't be able to do much since I don't have much of my magic anymore." her face saddened for only a brief second, "Maybe you can stick him with Laxus? Giving Laxus some responsibility may make the guy not as much of a jerk."

"That's a possibility. Let me think about it." Makarov leapt up the bar counter and walked towards the stairs that led to the second floor. "If you need anything I'll be upstairs."

Mira nodded and began to wipe down the bar with a wet cloth. Makarov reached the upstairs and sat down in the peace and quiet. As he did so he was finally given the chance to sense the magical reserves of the young man downstairs. He closed his eyes and concentrated then widened them. This kid was going to be a hell of a wizard.

 **And there is chapter 1! The star wars stuff will trickle in slowly I assure you. It'll mainly be characters and powers not as much space ships and stuff like that. But anyways what did you guys think? Please let me know if you enjoyed or not. The reviews always help! As always, have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 2: He Was Nice While He Lasted

**Hey everyone! Back with another chapter! Thank you guys for giving this story a try and for the reviews so far! I really appreciate it! Alright, let's begin.**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 2

"But Laxus!" groaned Makarov.

"Not happening old man, if you'll excuse me I've got to go on a job. Money is tight and all."

Makarov stared at his blonde grandson as he strode away chose a job from the request board. The man then turned to head out of the guild. His fur coat sweeping across his body causing some of the females in the guild hall to swoon. Laxus just ignored them all. He didn't care about that sort of thing. Suddenly three other people rushed up behind Laxus and saluted him.

"The Raijinshuu are reporting for duty Laxus!" shouted a man with long green hair tied in the back a short ponytail. Two locks of his hair were shaped like small lightning bolts on the side of his head and he wore a long dark red coat with a high collar and golden buttons across the front. At his hip he carried a rapier.

"Indeed Laxus, we are ready for our next assignment!" cried out the woman that was next to the man with green hair. She had light brown hair and wore a strapless green dress that was also short on the legs as well.

"Let's go destroy some stuff!" rasped the third person. A man wearing dark blue clothes with white stripes saluted the blonde mage. The only parts of his body exposed were his hands, his mouth, and lower jaw. The rest of his face was covered by a medieval style helmet. His tongue was hanging carefree outside of his mouth revealing his fairy tail tattoo on his tongue.

"You three stay here for this one." ordered Laxus.

"WHA!" exclaimed his three companions.

"I want to go alone on this job." Laxus said nothing more he just strode out of the building. Arms crossed and not looking back towards his three dumbfounded companions.

The man with green hair shook himself out of his stupor then cheered on Laxus.

"That's my Laxus! Man enough to take an S class job all on his own!" he cheered.

"Kiss up." whispered the Woman which earned her a glare from the green haired man and a chuckle from the other man at her side.

While those three argued Laxus left the building. When he stepped outside he was greeted by the warm sunlit skies of Magnolia. The town was bustling with activity as usual. People were out and about running errands, running shops, just plain old running. It was an energetic town. Laxus took one step forward before taking a deep breath of the air.

 _What does she want!?_

"Where are you going?" said a stern female voice behind him.

"Where do you think?" Laxus turned around to see Erza standing on the top steps next to the guild hall's large wooden doors. "Off on a job."

"Without your posse?" questioned the red haired knight as she leaned against the building, "And besides, I thought the Master wanted you to train Joshua?"

"Ha! He should've known the answer he would get." scoffed Laxus as he turned and began to walk away, "You people want to train the brat so badly then do it yourselves. I don't want to be a part of it."

Erza stared off angrily at the departing wizard.

"Damn him." muttered Erza before she went back inside of the guild. She made her way up to the bar of the guild where the Master, Cana, and Mirajane were all chatting. "What did I miss?" asked Erza as she pulled up a seat beside Cana who was already breaking the seal on a barrel of alcohol.

"Well, Laxus said no to training Joshua. So, we need someone else." replied Makarov.

"I could teach him." replied Erza as she ordered a strawberry cake from Mira.

The entire dining hall went quiet at Erza's suggestion. Then the mutterings began.

"She's going to teach the kid." "He was nice while he lived." "Poor guy, doesn't stand a chance."

Erza clenched her fist and swiveled in her chair to face the rest of the dining hall.

"Got something you all want to say to me?" she said as she gave the other guild members a harsh glare.

Looks of fear adorned every face in the guild hall. Things remained quiet for a few more seconds before everyone went back to their usual conversations. None wanted to anger the red head.

"Ehem, That is very kind of you Erza. But I think Joshua would be better served by some more nuanced training. And not as…" Erza glared at the old man. Her glares always sent fear crawling up the spine of anyone unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end, "Terrifying."

"I'm the one who taught Natsu, the blockhead, fire brain Natsu, how to read in three days." She took a bite of the strawberry cake that was now placed in front of her. "I mean," she continued with a bite in her mouth, "What could go wrong?"

The sound of a door creaking open was heard. All heads turned to the infirmary door where a nine year old boy was leaning against the door frame. His injured leg in a brace and his many cuts and scrapes in bandages still. He yawned and rubbed his left eye, then looked over at Mira.

"I'm hungry…"

Mira fainted.

….

Joshua glanced around the grassy area that made up the training area outside of the guild hall. He had just finished his breakfast of fifteen eggs, twenty pieces of bacon, and two slices of toast (he wasn't big on lots of bread, too fattening.) He looked across the grassy area and saw the red haired woman named Erza standing next to a straw practice dummy. He stared in awe as a bright flash of light enveloped her left hand a longsword appeared in the hand in an instant. She then swung the blade in a wide arch and lopped the head off of the straw dummy with one swift stroke. She then proceeded to poke many holes and slash open the dummy until all that was left was a mangled pile of straw on a wooden stake. Joshua stared wide eyed at the results.

 _Definitely don't piss her off._

Erza took a breath as she brushed some sweat off her forehead. Then she realized that she had a small audience. And by small audience it was just the kid sitting there wide eyed and completely terrified. She smiled for a second before placing her sword back in her requip space and walking over to the kid.

"I thought you were supposed to be in bed?" she asked as she tapped her foot.

Anyone else in the guild would've sprinted back to be at the question but Joshua just looked up at her stern face and smiled.

"It's boring in there." he replied, "And it's fun watching you…" he glanced behind her and the mangled dummy, "destroy straw."

"I was just practicing," explained Erza, "It's nothing special."

"Well I thought it was cool." replied Joshua as he leaned back on his elbows, "Can you teach me to do that?"

"Hm."

"Can you teach me to use a sword. It looks like fun!" said Joshua with a smile.

Erza looked at the smiling kid.

 _He's starting to warm up to the guild a little bit. Good. And Cana, you owe me a strawberry cake, cause he came to me for training!_ She mentally roared triumphantly before she smiled at the kid.

"Sure Joshua, can you walk?"

The kid glanced down at his bandage covered right leg and moved it a little. "I can hop on one leg." he reasoned. Erza just shook her head.

"No sword training until you're healed up." she said with crossed arms.

"AW COME ON!" complained Joshua.

"Nope. You can't even stand up properly. I can't train you until you're ready."

"Then get that old lady everyone is afraid of for some reason and tell her to get me healed up!" exclaimed Joshua with crossed arms and a pouting face.

Erza blinked. He called Porlyusica "old lady." This kid either had tremendous amounts of courage or had a death wish. Luckily Fairy Tail's best doctor didn't like humans and stayed far outside of the town of Magnolia. Erza sighed, this kid wanted to be taught. Well, he did need to learn how to control his own magic.

"How about this, while we are waiting on you to heal up, we work on your magic." replied Erza.

Joshua's face lit up, "Sure!"

"Alright, first things first. Show me your magic." said Erza. She moved to Joshua's side and sat down next to the kid.

Joshua took a deep breath. It was obvious that he was trying to concentrate a great deal. He closed his eyes and held out a small hand. He opened his palm. Sweat began to bead down his forehead as he strained his magical powers. Erza saw nothing at first. What was the kid trying to do? Then she saw the straw dummy moving towards them. Floating in mid air. She stared wide eyed as the dummy moved forward several feet before falling back to the earth. Joshua's eyes shot open and he gasped for air. The strain of the magic was tremendous. He blinked some sweat out of his eyes and looked to Erza on his right.

"I guess that's my magic." he said while trying to catch his breath. Erza just stared wide eyed at the straw dummy. It was a strange magic indeed.

"Interesting." replied Erza. She then sensed his magical reserves. They were shockingly low.

 _He used up that much of his power just to move a straw dummy a couple of feet!?_ Erza clicked her tongue.

"I see the problem."

"What?" asked Joshua.

"You don't know how to absorb ethernanos." she replied while Joshua gave her a puzzled stare.

"Ethernanos?"

"Yup, they are the particles in the air and in our bodies that help us tap into our magic. It takes lots of training to absorb the ethernanos in the air and put them into your magical reserves. But that is how a mage can get stronger. Not only through actual practice, but also by absorbing ethernanos."

"Ok…" Joshua replied with confused look, "so how do I do that?"

"Well everyone absorbs ethernanos differently. For me, I have to be fighting the straw dummies. It allows me to focus and be in a kind of meditative state. At least for me." explained Erza, "Basically, the key is to meditate and focus on drawing in the ethernanos." A large fireball erupted across the training ground, "And in Natsu's case, drawing in ethernanos involves rampant destruction." She glowered at the dragon slayer while Joshua laughed a little.

"Ok so a meditative state you said. So I have to be calm and focused on something."

"Right." Erza nodded.

"Ok. Well, I enjoy just sitting a listening. Maybe that would help."

Joshua closed his eyes and started to breath evenly. Like he would when he wanted to go to sleep. Only he was forcing himself not to fall asleep but instead to concentrate. To sense out these mysterious ethernanos in the air and force them into his body. His breathing slowed to an incredibly low pace. To the point where Erza could barely hear him breathing anymore.

The wind picked up a little around them. Joshua felt the breeze rush through his hair and then he felt it. A small buildup in power inside of his body. It was very small, but it was noticeable. He grinned and opened his eyes.

"I think I figured it out."

"EH!" exclaimed Erza. _He learned how to do it that quickly!_

"Yeah! I felt some sort of power spike in me. It felt really good actually." he smiled at Erza, "You're a really good teacher."

Erza laughed a little, "I barely taught you anything. You figured that out yourself. I just had to point you in the right direction."

Joshua laughed with her, "Ok, so now I just need to focus on getting my leg better then we can do the fun stuff."

Erza nodded, "Exactly."

She stood up then helped the kid to his feet. Joshua leaned against her, gingerly tapping his wounded leg on the ground. The two of them re-entered the guild and Erza led him back to the infirmary. Joshua felt exhausted. He was not used to using that much energy in his powers. Let alone concentrating on refilling those same powers after using them. Erza pulled the sheets over his small form as his eyes began to droop.

"Get some rest." she smiled before she left him to sleep the rest of the day away.

….

A week had passed since Joshua first began his training under Erza Scarlet. In that time span, his progress with his magic astounded Erza. On the first day he could barely move the straw dummy a couple of feet. By the end of the week he was floating the straw dummy around like it was weightless. His leg also finally got healthy and Porlyusica gave the boy the ok to start Erza's intense training. Nothing could prepare him for it.

….

Joshua sat on the ground in the training area. In front of him stood Erza. Usually she would have a gentle smile on her face when the two of them would start training. But today she had a stern face and a sword in her right hand. Joshua gulped at the sight. She looked like she was ready to pummel a person into the ground. Wait, he was that poor person who was probably going to get pummeled into the ground.

Joshua felt the magic pick up around Erza. Her left hand glowed and a second sword appeared in her hand. She gave it a light toss in the air, testing its weight and balance before tossing it over to the Joshua. Joshua panicked a little and fumbled the sword in his hands before finally getting a good grip on the hilt. He grinned at the sight of the steel. It felt awesome to hold a weapon like this in his hands. It almost felt right. Like the blade belonged in his young hands. He grinned up at Erza.

"This is going to be fun." he smiled. Erza motioned for him to follow her out onto the training ground. Joshua limped his way forward, his leg not quite 100% but strong enough to train on.

Erza lined up ten feet away from Joshua. Her sword held low. Joshua raised his own sword in front of him.

"Well what are we waiting for!?" he exclaimed, "Let's get started!"

Erza planted her own sword into the ground confusing Joshua. Why was she not coming at him? She slowly walked up to the boy and lowered herself to his eye level.

"A sword isn't a toy Joshua." she said sharply. "It is a weapon. It is used to hurt people in ways you probably couldn't even imagine yet. It's not something to be taken lightly. Understand?"

Joshua's smile faded and he slowly nodded.

"Good. Now you are not going to fight me. You are nowhere near ready for that. You need to learn the basics."

"Awwww." groaned Joshua.

"Don't give me that! The fundamentals are important." scolded Erza, "Now then, how do you hold a sword?"

Joshua looked down at his hands which were spaced apart on the large hilt of the blade.

"I'm guessing I'm doing it wrong." he stated and Erza nodded. She grabbed his hands and moved them closer together on the hilt.

"You want them closer together. It gives you more maneuverability. And," she smacked his clenched hands hard with her open palm, "You want a strong grip. Not tight, but strong. You don't want the sword falling out of your hands in the middle of a fight."

Joshua nodded then Erza stepped back.

"How do you stand with a sword?" she asked.

"Umm…."

Erza widened her feet until the were roughly shoulder length apart and slightly bent her knees.

"Like this." she explained, "Nice and balanced. You can't get pushed over very easily if you are balanced." Joshua followed suit and then held the sword out in front of him. Only problem was now, the sword was starting to feel very heavy. His arms began to tremble and tingle as his small muscles strained to keep the heavy steel object aloft.

"Is it too heavy?" asked Erza as she noticed the kid struggling to keep the sword help up at guard.

"A little." grunted Joshua.

"Erza, you're giving a nine year old kid a sword that is as big as he is. Of course it's a little heavy for him. And you're probably about to teach him your way of fighting too." said an elegant male voice near the guild hall.

Joshua looked over to see a slight man with a red coat and gold buttons. His hair was a light green color and very long with two lightning bolt shaped locks on the side of his head. At his hip was a rapier. He strode forward onto the training ground.

"What do you want Freed?" asked Erza, "I'm trying to teach here."

"I see that." replied Freed, "However you're teaching him like he is a grown man. He can barely hold that sword up." Freed unsheathed his rapier, held it gently along the flat of the blade, and held the handle out to Joshua. "Try this one out kid."

Joshua looked at Erza who shrugged. He then gripped the elegant blade. It was a lot lighter. It seemed easier to hold too and it didn't require two hands. It felt a lot more natural to him than the bulky blade Erza gave him. Joshua got into the stance Erza taught him but both Erza and Freed shook their heads.

"No, no." said Freed, "A different blade requires a different approach. Erza do you have an extra rapier I could use."

"Sure." Erza materialized a small blade for Freed and then tossed it to the green haired man who caught it easily. He then held the blade low in front of him and had a much narrower stance. He also didn't stand square to Joshua but instead angled himself so that only the left side of his body was in view.

"This is a fencing style of fighting kid." said Freed, "It is meant to utilize speed and precision over raw strength. And with your size, it might just suit you better." he tossed the rapier back to Erza and then walked away.

"Hey Mr. Freed!" called Joshua, "Your sword-"

"Keep it! I've got more than one." he replied as he disappeared into the guild hall. Joshua smiled widely and turned to Erza.

"He's got a point a suppose." she sighed, "Alright, show me how you stand and hold that sword?"

Joshua stood as Freed did. Blade held low, ready to deliver a quick strike. Feet narrow and on his toes, ready to move quickly, and body angled so that only his left side was face Erza. It felt very natural this way. Like he was born to fight in this style.

"Good." replied Erza, "Now let's start learning how to use that sword."

For the rest of the day Joshua fought the practice dummies while Erza watched and corrected any mistakes she saw in his basic technique. She taught him how to thrust properly, how to slash, which spots to aim for on the dummy (and therefore another person or creature). Joshua enjoyed every second of it.

The sun was beginning to fall low in the sky and the clouds above the city were painted pink and orange by the setting sun. Joshua continued to swing his rapier into the dummy while Erza quietly sat and watched. She looked up at the sky and saw the light beginning to slowly fade away.

"Joshua! Let's call it a day!"

Joshua stopped his exercises and looked back at Erza, "Ok." he breathed. His grip on the sword loosed slightly and he wiped some sweat from his brow. His shirt was soaked with sweat from the hard training he had been doing all day long. Erza smiled at him as he wearily walked up to her.

"How was it?" she asked.

"It was lots of fun." breathed Joshua, "I can't wait to learn more!"

Erza laughed, "Good."

The two of them entered the guild hall which was now mostly empty as the majority of the wizards already went home for the day. Mira was behind the bar cleaning the counters and storing the liquor while Master Makarov was sitting in his usual spot with a mug of beer in hand. Cana was passed out drunk a few seats down from him.

Makarov looked over at the two wizards entering the guild hall and he raised his mug of beer to them.

"Hello! How'd it go today you two!?"

"Really well, Joshua is a fast learner." replied Erza who sat down next to the guild master. Joshua jumped up into the barstool next to Erza.

"Good to hear."

The three sat quietly for a few moments. All the while Joshua was looking at Erza with wonder. She was amazing to him. She was cool, she knew how to fight, she was a nice person. It was amazing to be in a place like this.

"Hey Erza."

"Yeah?" replied the redhead as she looked over to Joshua.

"Are you an angel?"

Makarov spat beer across the room while Mira snickered on the other side of the bar. Erza stared dumbfounded at the nine year old next to her.

"Um… what kind of question is that?" she asked while Mira laughed and placed a strawberry cake in front of her.

"I was just wondering becuase you're really pretty and you're super strong. I thought those were characteristics of angels?" continued Joshua while Makarov laughed aloud next to the red head.

"Erza an angel! Ha! Scariest angel I've ever met! HA HA!" roared Makarov until he was knocked upside the head by Erza's metal plated hand.

She looked over at Joshua once again, "I'm not an angel." she replied, "But thanks for the compliment." she then took a bite of her strawberry cake and relished in it's strawberry glory.

"You know cake isn't healthy for you right?"

Erza's world shattered. She stared at her cake with a fork in hand and looked over at the nine year old who just said those blasphemous words.

"What did you say?" she said with a terrifying stare.

"Um, cake is not healthy for you. If you eat too much of it you could get-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" yelled Makarov desperately.

"Fat." finished Joshua.

Erza's eye twitched and she set down her fork next to her cake, "Correction, I am an angel. A different kind of angel. For those who manage to insult my cake… I'M THE ANGEL OF DEATH!"

Joshua's eyes widened as two massive swords formed in Erza's hands. He then realized his mistake. With speed that even he didn't know he posses, Joshua sprinted away from Erza as the redhead chased him around the guild hall, hacking and slashing as she went. Makarov could only sigh and sip his beer.

"Finally happened huh." commented Mira as she dodged a flying chair.

"It was only a matter of time before he met the fury of Erza." replied Makarov as he watched the chase unfold. "Whelp, I'm going to turn in for the night Mira. Wake me if they end up destroying the guild hall."

"Of course master." A table slammed into the wall and Mira easily dodged the splinters,

"GET BACK HER YOU CAKE BLASPHEMER!" roared Erza across the room.

A loud boom was heard and the chase ended as Erza dragged the unconscious body of Joshua into the infirmary. Her temper was finally beginning to cool down a little. Erza looked over at Mira before entering the infirmary.

"Make sure he gets a good breakfast tomorrow. Cause training is gonna be hell for him."

Mira smiled lightly at Erza, "Of course."

The infirmary door slammed shut and Mira could help but chuckle. It seemed that Joshua was fitting right in here.

….

 _Chanting. Lots of chanting. A creepy looking figure with a stone gray face and angry red eyes staring at him. He felt incredible amounts of pain. But he couldn't move. Only stare at the red eyes that belonged to someone he knew was evil. Green fog and haze built up around his body and the pain grew more intense._

" _Hurry up Mother Talzin, I do not wish for my former Master to sense the boy's presence." said a low growling voice in the background._

 _The large room shuddered and the sounds of explosions rang out._

" _The enchantments are incomplete!" exclaimed the old hag named Mother Talzin._

" _Doesn't matter. He won't remember any of this anyways. The Republic is here." a low humming noise filled the room, "I will deal with the Jedi that always accompany them. You get it out of here."_

 _The witch nodded and began barking orders. Another explosion and light filled the dark cave._

….

Joshua woke up screaming. His small body was covered with sweat and his breaths were shaky. He quickly looked around his environment expecting to see the alien looking creatures and the dark cave with green mist surrounding him. His heartbeat slowed when he realized that it was just a nightmare. He was still in the Fairy Tail infirmary. Safe and sound. Joshua took a few shaky breaths before burying his head in his hands and crying a little.

The nightmare. It felt so real, so vivid. It was one of the most intense things he had ever experienced. Joshua shook his head and wiped away the tears that had slowly dribbled down his cheeks. He couldn't sleep anymore. He swung his short legs out over the floor and silently leapt out of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and walked out to the empty guild hall. Pink and blue light was filling the room as the sun slowly began to rise over the town. Joshua walked past the empty chairs and tables and out onto the training grounds.

The air was crisp and the grass was covered in a thin sheet of dew. The soft grass felt good on Joshua's bare feet as he breathed in the morning air. He then sat down in the grass and crossed his legs, rested his hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and began the daily routine of drawing the ethernanos into his body. He could feel the power build within him as he did this. It was slowly building but it was building. Progress was being made. His breathing slowed down and his mind began to clear. It was calm here, peaceful.

Suddenly his mind was assaulted. He saw the dark room. Bodies littered the the room that was covered in arcane etchings and carvings. In the center of the room surrounded by torches was an old alien looking creature. Joshua stooped over the body and gasped. It was the one he saw in his nightmare. The vacant stare of death was on her face. Joshua glanced around and saw scorch marks and craters all around the large room.

"Joshua?" a voice echoed in his head.

He spun around the room searching for the origin of the voice.

"What are you doing up so early?"

Joshua felt himself get sucked out of the vision. His eyes opened and he saw that he was staring at a pair of brown eyes in front of him. Joshua breathed a sigh of relief.

"I couldn't sleep." he replied.

Erza frowned, "There's more than that. I can tell." she sat down beside him and watched as the sun rose over the horizon.

"I had a nightmare." he replied, "It was… it was terrifying." Joshua shuddered, "I'm hoping it was just a nightmare."

"What do you mean?" asked Erza with concern evident in her voice.

"I was meditating, gathering ethernanos when I felt like I was taken to a different place entirely. I saw the same place that I saw in my nightmare. Only it was burned and there were…. Bodies… bodies everywhere." Joshua began to shudder and tears streamed down his face. Erza closed her eyes and held Joshua in a hug as the boy cried into her shoulder.

"It's ok, I'm right here." she said calmly, "I'm right here." she held Joshua there as he cried. She knew he didn't tell her everything. Only a little bit. But enough to get the point across that he was scared. She glanced back at the child that was sobbing in her arms.

 _Why are you holding so much back?_

 **And end chapter! A little bit of a slow chapter but I think it developed a lot of things. It established a relationship between Joshua and Erza. It showed our main character getting used to the guild around him as well as starting to feel more at home amongst the craziness of Fairy Tail. And it also gave us a hint of his enigmatic past. It should be interesting to keep this going. Anyways, Let me know what you guys think! As always I hope you all enjoyed, and have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 3: Lost Control

**I feel like I'm on a roll right now! Three chapters in just a couple days! There is a short time skip in this chapter (can't do a bunch of training chapters, that'd probably get boring for you guys.) Anyways, let's continued.**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 3

He sat quietly in the forest clearing breathing in the warm summer air and enjoying the peace and quiet around him. His legs were crossed in front of him and his hands were on his knees as he took several calming breaths. His magic was growing even more. It was still very small compared to many back at the guild hall, but he was confident enough to possibly take on someone like Macao or even Laki. He once heard rumors in the guild hall that he was possibly even strong enough to challenge Max among what many referred to in the guild as 'The B Team', whatever that possibly meant. But he preferred to not boast about something like that. He was not as confident in his abilities if he ever got into a fight with the sand wizard in Fairy Tail. He had a long ways to go before he would be certain that he would win that fight.

The breeze picked up in the clearing once again causing the leaves in the trees to rustle. The wind sang in his ears and further calmed his body as he continued meditating on everything. The past six months had been an absolute blur. He had risen fast in the ranks of Fairy Tail, eventually able to take on B class requests on his own just a month ago. And he had made many friends in his new home. But none were as close to him as Erza was. She had a special place with him. She was the one he trusted the absolute most, even after the fat cake incident, as many in the guild took to calling the time he said Erza would get fat from cake. He cringed a little at the memory and rubbed his left shoulder. It still hurt a little.

A new sensation passed through his body. He was starting to learn this part of his powers. It was much more difficult to master than simply moving objects. This new skill was sensory magic, as Master Makarov called it. The first time he truly used it was when he sense the presence of a monstrous magic power before anyone else in the guild could around two months ago. Turns out he sensed the Guild's Ace, Gildarts, coming near town. He didn't go into town, but he was nearby. His presence disappeared after a few hours but the Master was stunned that he was able to sense Gildarts while no one else even noticed the incredibly powerful mage was in the area.

He embraced this new power. He didn't shy away from it like he did his other abilities. This one was very useful anyways. It allowed him to be very helpful on many jobs for the guild. He stretched out his magical power in his body and sensed the area around him, letting his magic seep into his surroundings to paint an accurate portrait of the landscape around him. He could see the rabbit huddling in it's burrow at least a dozen yards behind him, the deer that stopped moving suddenly as if it sensed him looking at it through his sensory magic, the pink haired guy with flames in his fist charging straight at him-

 _Wait what!_

"SNEAK ATTACK!" roared Natsu as he planted a fist into Joshua's back and sent the ten year old somersaulting into a tree.

Joshua groaned before leaping to his feet with a waving a clenched fist at the laughing dragon slayer.

"Hey what gives you pyro!?"

"Hahahahaha, that was hilarious. I can't believe you didn't see that coming!" laughed Natsu.

Joshua grumbled to himself and walked up to Natsu.

"Why are you all the way out here Natsu?" asked Joshua.

"Hm…" Natsu rubbed his chin, "Oh right!" he snapped his fingers, "Master wants you to come back to the guild right away, Erza is-."

"She's back!? She's finally back!" cheered Joshua, "And possibly a new mission too!" he shook with excitement and anticipation before sprinting back to the guild hall.

"Eh, wait up Joshua!" called Natsu who sprinted after him.

Joshua was beyond excited. Erza had been away on an S class mission for several weeks now. The guild just didn't seem the same with her gone. Sure it was still rowdy and had its daily brawls but it just felt a little more empty without his best friend to hang out with.

The brown haired boy raced down the dirt road that slowly turned into a paved one as he neared the town of Magnolia. He passed through the wide open city gates and sprinted through the walkways and streets that ran alongside the many canals that criss crossed the city. All the while, villagers and townsfolk called out to him with a friendly hello. He made sure to wave to them as he ran. Finally, he saw the pagoda roof of the guild hall. He was so excited to see her. Joshua screeched to a halt in front of the guild and then burst through the doors.

"Alright where is Erza!" he yelled excitedly.

Only thing was, no one responded. Everyone just looked over at him with a worried stare and some muttered to themselves. Joshua's smile faded as he looked at the concerned glances of his guildmates. Then he heard Natsu come rushing up behind him, huffing, puffing, and wheezing.

"Natsu… what's going on?" asked Joshua as his smile was replaced with worry.

"I was trying to tell ya." gasped Natsu as he tried to catch his breath, "Erza's badly hurt."

He didn't allow Natsu to say anything else. He sprinted towards the infirmary blowing past wizards that tried to slow him down. Joshua kicked open the door and saw Erza covered in bandages on one of the many beds in the infirmary. Standing next to the bed was Porlyusica, Makarov, Lucy, and a raven haired guy that Joshua recognized as Gray Fullbuster. He felt tears begin to build in his eyes as he saw the crippled state Erza was in. Makarov looked up at Joshua.

"Good you made it here."

He ignored the old man and made his way over to Erza's bedside.

"Is she, is she going to be ok?"

Porlyusica closed her eyes, "It was close, but she will be just fine."

Joshua breathed a sigh of relief before he felt anger begin to swell in his young body.

"Who did this to her?" he snarled.

"We were finished our job when we ran into Phantom Lord's element four. Words were exchanged then we kinda got into a fight. One of them drained her magic out of nowhere and attacked her while she was defenseless," reported Gray, "If I wasn't there to get her out of there, she'd would probably be in worse shape."

"Gray enough!" snapped Makarov, "Joshua doesn't need to know that!"

Joshua clenched his jaw but then relaxed it quickly when the Master looked back at him. Makarov stared hard at the young wizard.

"I don't want you going anywhere right now Joshua. Don't do anything rash!" ordered the guildmaster.

Joshua backed away from Erza's bedside.

"Don't worry about me Master." he walked over to the door and grabbed the knob, twisting it.

He looked back at the old man, "I'm just going for a walk." _A very… enthusiastic walk._

"Alright, but you won't go alone. Who know's what Phantom Lord will try now. Gray will go with you."

"I will?" questioned Gray.

Joshua subtly grit his teeth together, "Fine." he replied before taking one last look at Erza then quickly stepping out of the infirmary.

His rage was boiling right now. Phantom Lord, they were the major rival guild to Fairy Tail. And they were a nasty bunch. Joshua once ran into several of their members while on a C-class job months ago. It didn't end well for them. Of course they were just grunts, not the element four. So they weren't too difficult to deal with. But just thinking about that guild, that disgrace of a guild, made his blood boil.

"Hey Josh are you…" Joshua strode past Wakaba not even giving the older mage a second though, "Ok?"

He pulled open the doors of the guild hall and marched down the guild steps. He looked up to the sky and sniffed the air. There was moisture in the air, it was going to rain. He pulled a brown cloak out of his pack that he had on his back and threw it over his shoulders before donning the hood over his head. As he began walking he sensed Gray behind him.

"Hey Josh."

Joshua stopped his walk and looked over at Gray. The raven haired mage stared at him concerned.

"You aren't going to do something stupid right?" asked the ice make mage.

Joshua gave him a fake small, "Not at all, I'm just going for a walk." He then thought of a brilliant idea to get rid of Gray that always worked. And the situation was perfect, "And Gray…"

"What?"

Joshua pointed at him, "You're naked."

Gray looked down to see that he was actually naked. Not even in his boxers, just bare ass naked. He yelped and began to frantically search for his clothes. When he finally found his boxers (over on the stairs), pants (on the chandelier in the guild hall), and shirt (for some reason Nab was wearing it) he raced back outside.

"Ok Josh, let's go for a…" there was no one there. Joshua was gone. Gray stood there for a second while his brain pieced together what just happened. Then it finally clicked, "Oh god dammit!"

….

Joshua looked up at the massive castle that towered over him. He had finally made it to Oak Town. It took an incredibly annoying train ride and long walk but he finally reached the bastard's guild hall. Joshua kept his hood drawn over his head. The more he stared at this building, the angrier he got. He pictured Erza's broken form on the infirmary bed and his jaw tightened.

 _Damn them…_ He marched forward to the doors, took a shaky breath as he tried to somewhat compose himself before shoving the large doors open. Inside the guild hall was bustling with activity but all the drinking and joking stopped when Joshua shoved the doors open in and they slammed against the stone walls of the building with an ear splitting wham! He looked around the room scanning the faces for the ones that he knew belonged to the element four. And then he grinned, there were two of them.

….

Juvia Lockser sat glumly at her table. Across from her was her fire wielding comrade Totomaru. He was twirling fire between his fingers as the two sat completely bored at the table. Juvia gave out a depressed sigh.

"Geez Juvia, why are you always so sad?"

"Juvia does not know…" muttered the blue haired wizard as her body phased between being a solid and a liquid.

"Well, maybe I could help you out. You know I was thinking that you and I could go on a-" WHAM!

Totomaru's eyes snapped over to the main doors of Phantom Lord's guildhall. They had been shoved open violently. Standing in the doorway and wearing a hooded brown cloak was someone who didn't look very imposing. His head was bowed and his fist were clenched together. Then Totomaru saw it on his right hand, a black guild mark that his own guild despised.

"A Fairy seems to have come here for some payback!" taunted Totomaru. He strolled up to the person and as he got closer he realized that his was just a kid, no older than ten or eleven years old. "And they send a kid to do their dirty work." He could see the kid's face. It was shadowed out by the hood. "What are you gonna do kid? Beat me up. Make me apologize and beg for your forgiveness." The kid's fists clenched tighter on his sides as the other mages in the guild chuckled at Totomaru's taunts. All of them except for Juvia who just glumly watched the entire situation.

Joshua just realized that he was shaking. And this jackass just noticed it as well.

"Aw, are you scared now kid? Do you want your mommy? Well too bad. Mommy ain't here to save you! I'm gonna do to you what we did to that red haired bitch Titania. And I'm gonna enjoy every second of it."

Joshua's eyes widened as he heard that declaration. He could see Erza in the infirmary bed still. Her body broken, bandaged. Her eyes closed but yet still in pain. Fighting to hang on. Joshua's rage was tipping over the point of no return now. To hell with controlling himself, he was gonna make someone pay.

 _Yes,_ said a voice in the back of his mind. The voice was powerful and had plenty of venom behind it, _Make them suffer. Give into your anger, let them know your pain._

Totomaru finished laughing at the trembling kid. "Alright kiddo, let's just get this over with and I'll make sure that Fairy Tail gets the message, that we at Phantom Lord are super...i..or."

Totomaru saw under the hood. The kid's eyes, they were crimson, and screamed for blood. For some reason the entire area began to feel really cold. Not cold like the temperature was dropping, but cold like all life and energy was leaving the area. It was the most unsettling feeling Totomaru had ever felt in his life. Then he felt the magical pressure leaking out of the kid. Now it was his turn to start shaking. The amount of pressure this kid was exerting was tremendous. He took a step back and then heard a loud snapping sound. The walls of the guild hall were beginning to crack and the wooden post that held up the ceiling were beginning to splinter and snap. The kid held out his an outstretched palm.

"You first." he snarled.

"Huh-" Totomaru felt an incredible force launch him across the guild hall and into the stone wall at the far end of the hall. Totomaru was being pressed against it by what felt like an unstoppable wind. Like a giant hand was pinning him against the wall. He tried to lean forward but his body instantly snapped back up against the wall. The kid then put his two hands together. Totomaru saw a white glow in the kid's hands before a huge pulse of energy was larged at him. Totomaru cried out in fear before the pulse slammed into him causing the entire stone wall to explode around him and bury him beneath rubble.

The rest of the Phantom Lord mages stared stunned for a second before they were shocked into action. All of them raised their magical pressures and got ready for a fight with this kid.

Joshua admired his handiwork with a mad grin. His eyes growing more crimson as he relished in the thought that he just wiped out a member of the element four with one blow. He looked around and saw the rest of the grunts in this waste of a guild being spurred into action.

"Oh, so you all want some too." Joshua poured magic into his hand and reached into his requip space that he developed with Erza. His hand now clutched the rapier that Freed had given him months ago. "Come then." smiled Joshua.

The Phantom Lord mages roared and charged at him. Joshua smiled, he was having the time of his life right now. Never before had he felt such power coursing through his veins. It was exhilarating. He hacked, slashed, and stabbed away at the throngs of mages that were unfortunate enough to come near the rampaging kid. Joshua was a whirlwind of steel and magical power as his telekinetics shoved away multiple opponents, or pulled them into the point of his blade. With every kill he grew more and more thrilled. This power, he liked it. No one could touch him. No one could stop him. He was a magical machine. A giant among ants. He grinned as he ran another Phantom Lord member through.

" _ **Is this all you got Phantom Lord!"**_ he roared with a strange grittiness in his voice.

"Water Slicer!"

Joshua's eyes widened as two whips of water slammed into him and sent him sprawling across the blood soaked stone floor. He shook his head and rose up to see a teen with blue hair standing across from him.

"Oh hoh hoh. Someone with some actual power steps up." Joshua grinned madly at the blue haired woman, "I'm looking forward to the challenge."

"THAT'S ENOUGH JOSHUA!" shouted a powerful voice.

Joshua stopped and looked back at the shattered entryway to the guild. Standing there was a short old man with a bushy white moustache. He wore a small white coat with fur on the color, the coat of a wizard saint. Next to him stood Gray and Natsu. Both of them staring with horror on their faces at the scene in front of them.

Joshua glared hard at the old man. Who was this midget?

Natsu sniffed the air and looked hard at Joshua. His eyes widened.

"Gramps."

"What Natsu." replied Makarov.

"I don't think that's Joshua."

"What do you mean flame brain, of course it's him doing this! He's right there!" yelled Gray angrily.

"His smell is different." replied Natsu.

Makarov's eyes widened. It seemed like a silly reason to hesitate against the young wizard in front of him, but Makarov learned a long time ago that one of the most reliable things on the planet was a dragon slayer's nose. Makarov sighed.

"Whoever you are that is controlling one of my children." growled Makarov, "Be gone before I destroy you myself."

He then saw Joshua's glowing crimson eyes standing out against the shadows of his bloodstained hood.

" _ **You think you can stop me old man? Ha… that's precious."**_ replied Joshua with a voice that was clearly not his own. " _ **Dare you to try."**_

Makarov took a deep breath. "You leave me no choice then." he put his hands together. One palm pointing up, the other pointing down. The space between his hands began to glow with a brilliant yellow light. Joshua's eyes squinted at the display of power. He then growled defiantly and rushed at Makarov with a blinding speed that shocked the old man.

"Dead Wave!" exclaimed a snake like voice across the room. A dark beam of magic shot out from the brilliant light and slammed into Joshua's body, piercing his chest.

The boy cried out in pain as blood ran down his right side. The bright light went away almost instantaneously after the new presence made itself known.

"Jose." commented Makarov.

"Makarov." Jose snarled, "You finally decided to get your hands dirty and kill my guild off."

"Never!" exclaimed Makarov, "I came here to bring this young man back home."

Jose observed the blood soaked guild hall, "The council will hear of this old man." He turned away, "Deal with your trash before I change my mind."

" _ **FUCK YOU TOO!"**_ roared the thing that was possessing Joshua. He suddenly felt a heavy hand his him in the head. Joshua's eyes turned quickly back to their normal hazel color and he began to see stars before blacking out in Gray's arms.

"Nice hit flame brain." He slung Joshua's limp body over his shoulder. Gray suddenly felt like he was being watched. He looked over to see the blue haired woman that was battling Joshua oogling at him despite the fact that many of her guildmates were dead around her. He shrugged and followed Makarov and Natsu out of the guild. As they quickly retreated away from oak town Joshua began to snore on Gray's shoulders. It was actually kinda unsettling, he was sleeping soundly even after doing what he just did.

"Hey gramps."

"What is it Natsu?" replied Makarov solemnly as they began their trek back to Fairy Tail.

"What the hell did we just see?"

Makarov sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I have no idea my boy. I have no idea. But I fear that we may have just started a war with Phantom Lord. And if the magic council hears of this… who knows what could happen to him."

Gray glanced over at the sleeping boy on his shoulders, "There's no way he could've done all of that. He's barely strong enough to move large rocks on his own, let alone take on a whole guild on his own. What do you think happened?"

"Like I already said Gray, I don't know." replied Makarov, "We'll have Porlyusica look him over. He does not leave the guild hall at all. Not until all of this is somehow resolved."

"Yes sir." replied the two other mages.

….

Makarov waited patiently outside of the infirmary doors. Porlyusica was sure taking her time with Joshua. It made him worry about what she was seeing. Usually if it took the woman this long to figure out what was wrong, it was bad. He sighed as he pondered what had just happened. The boy went on a blood soaked vengeance fueled rampage. All because Erza was severely wounded by the Element four. But… Makarov shook his head. What happened was unacceptable. No matter what happend, to take a life as callously as Joshua obviously did was horrifying and will not be tolerated.

The door opened and an old woman with pink hair held up in a bun stepped out.

"I need to talk to you Macky. Right away." she glared at the other wizards outside of the infirmary. "GET AWAY HUMANS!"

The others backed away and went back to their business while Makarov and Porlyusica ascended the stairs to the vacant second floor. Makarov sat down and braced himself.

"He doesn't remember anything." said Porlyusica bluntly.

"How can he not remember anything. He killed dozens of wizards in cold blood." replied Makarov in a hushed tone.

So far no one else in the guild knew what really happened. He made sure of that. Even Gray and Natsu knew not to discuss what happened to anyone. Especially not Erza. It was better if everyone stayed in the dark.

"I'm not entirely certain. But from what you described to me, it was almost like he was being possessed by something." replied Porlyusica, "That's the best explanation I can give you. Either that, or split personality disorder. But I doubt he has that, he doesn't show any of the signs of that."

Makarov nodded, "What should I do then?"

"Macky…" Porlyusica sighed, "I don't know. What do you feel like you should do?"

"Natsu said his smell was not the same when he went on that rampage." Makarov put his hand to his chin, "And that nose of his is hardly ever wrong."

"It sounds like you're leaning towards he was possessed by some evil force?"

"It seems logical after what we saw back at Phantom Lord." replied Makarov, "Even his voice was strangely distorted. And, it's impossible for him to have that amount of magic. The amount of power he was producing would put him easily at Laxus's level, maybe even higher."

"The magic council probably won't like that answer Macky." reminded Fairy Tail's doctor.

"I know they won't. But I also doubt Jose will actually go to them."

"Why?"

"Because he will have to explain what caused the rampage. And that means revealing that he had the element four nearly kill Erza. That wouldn't look very good for hi-"

"MASTER!" cried Gray, "It's the magic council. They're here, to arrest Joshua."

Makarov let out a defeated sigh, "I guess I was wrong." He descended the stair and was shocked by what he saw. It wasn't the normal officials that came to arrest people, no, it was a magic council member himself.

This council member had blue hair and an intricate tattoo over his right eye. He had blue hair and wore a white coat with dark pants and boots. He smiled at Makarov.

"Master Makarov, I assume you know why I'm here."

Makarov sighed, "Yes Siegrain, I know why."

Siegrane's smile disappeared, "Where is he?"

"What's going on Master?" called a small voice that made Makarov's heard practically stop. Joshua was standing outside of the infirmary door staring worriedly at the Magic councilman in the guild common room.

"There he is." said Siegrain who pointed at Joshua. A woman with black hair and and a similar outfit to Siegrain moved forward and grabbed Joshua, placing magic sealing stone around his wrists.

"Hey!" yelped Joshua, "What's going on, what did I do?"

"Yeah what did the kid do?" shouted Macao.

"We deserve an explanation!" shouted another Fairy Tail member. They were not prepared for the reason.

"Joshua of Fairy Tail. You are under arrest for the mass murder of twenty two Phantom Lord mages including one of the Element Four Totomaru and attempting to instigate a war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord."

 **Alright. As you guys might guess, this is the beginning of my modified Phantom Lord arc! It should be interesting to see where this will go. And how is Erza going to react to what Joshua "did". Should be quite the moment. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. I hope you all enjoyed and as always, have a nice day!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Trial

**Hey everyone! Back with another chapter! I'm really enjoying writing this one and I'm grateful for all of the support and the reviews so far you guys. It always helps and it encourages me to continue to give you guys incredible stories. So, let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 4

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" shouted Macao at the man standing in the doorway with the arrest warrant held out in front of him.

"Did you not just hear me?" scolded the blue haired magic council member named Siegrain, "The wizard named Joshua, is under arrest for mass murder. Is that so difficult to understand?"

"That can't be possible!" replied Lucy, "Joshua is just barely ten years old. He doesn't even have the magic power to do A class requests, let alone take on an entire wizard guild on his own!"

"This has got to be some kind of joke!" shouted Mirajane from the bar.

"It's not a manly joke that's for damn sure!" agreed her brother Elfman, a large muscular man with spiky hair that was white like his older sister's.

"We won't let you take him!" shouted Wakaba who lit a new cigarette in his mouth and puffed on it. "You will have to get through us to get to-"

*THUD* A toad like creature just walked in the door struggling to carry something on it's weak back. Wakaba and the rest of the guildhall stared stunned at what they saw. It was a body, the mangled body of a Phantom Lord guild member. And not just any guild member, but one of the famous Element Four, the fire wizard Totomaru. His body was bloodied and swollen. Parts of his torso and head were caved and parts of his flesh looked like it was forcibly peeled off from the bones. Wakaba's cigarette fell out of his mouth as he stared horrified at the bloody mass that was Totomaru. Mira's hands covered her mouth and tears were in her eyes while Elfman stood in shock. Master Makarov meanwhile had his eyes closed and fists clenched. The other members of Fairy Tail glanced over at Joshua with shock as he was cuffed with magic sealing stone by the woman.

"I didn't do that!" cried Joshua, "How could I do that!?"

"You went on a bloodthirsty rampage kid. And the witnesses at the scene place you," Siegrain pointed a finger at the kid that was being held back by the dark haired woman, "at the crime scene." Siegrain stared hard at the Fairy Tail wizards around him and he noticed something. A certain red head was missing right now. He smirked inwardly as he wondered where she could possibly be. He glanced to the back and saw the infirmary door slightly ajar. Someone was in there.

 _I wonder who._

"Lord Siegrain." commented the woman dragging the magic council member out of his musings.

"Hm… right. If anyone wishes to fight, be my guest. But you won't win. Besides, I don't see why you would fight, the evidence is bleeding on your floor right now." He glanced over at the anger filled Makarov, "This is on you old man. Control your people, or we will do it for you."

Siegrain nodded at the woman and she began to drag Joshua out of the building.

"Hey! I didn't do it!" cried Joshua with bleary eyes and tear stained cheeks, "I DIDN'T DO IT! HELP ME! PLEASE!" he looked desperately at Macao, Wakaba, Laki, Gray, all of them, "PLEASE HELP ME!"

No one moved in the guild hall. All eyes were on the mangled body of Totomaru. Some of the guild's members glared angrily at Joshua. They had made up their minds. He was guilty. Siegrain was right, the evidence was on their guild hall floor. They all turned their backs and went back to their business. Only Lucy, Mira, Natsu, and Happy looked on with sorrow as Joshua was dragged away. Makarov looked at the young boy being dragged out of his guild hall. He saw the pleading in the hazel eyes of the boy. The fear, the helplessness. It made Makarov want to fall down and sob. One of his children was being taken from him, and he was powerless to stop it. He bowed his head and slowly shut the door while the betrayed gaze of Joshua looked back at him. Joshua gave out one last desperate cry before the doors closed shut.

….

The old man looked out at the street down below the Magic Council Headquarters with his one open eye. He stroked his long white beard and clenched his jaw as he saw who was approaching. The clopping of horses grew closer and the details of the party coming near the headquarters became clear to his old eyes. He saw the blue hair of fellow council member Siegrain, the black hair of his young colleagues confidant Ultear, and the boy being led in chains by them in between their horses. Org would usually be appalled by a child receiving such treatment, but this child was different. This child was dangerous. This child was a murderer. And murderers deserved nothing less than the worst kind of punishment.

"It seems that boy brought the criminal here successfully." said a man with cat like features including small beady eyes, whiskers, and cat like ears on top of his brown hair. "The trial is going to begin immediately Org, we should probably get to the main chamber."

Org sighed, "Michello, you always rush. Rush, rush, rush."

"What? Are you not looking forward to dealing with this murderous monster Siegrain has apprehended?" asked Michello as he walked with his old friend down the steps of the large magic council headquarters and towards the main chamber in the center of the building. Guards were seen rushing past as security beefed up for the arrival of such a dangerous child.

"Oh I look forward to it Michello. Make no mistake about that. I do hope justice prevails in this." replied the taller elderly man as he strode beside the younger catlike man with surprising strength.

"You doubt justice will take place?" said Michello with a raised eyebrow. "This seems like a pretty easy case don't you think?"

Org sighed as they neared a set of large double wooden doors with golden doorknobs and ornate carvings running through the grain of the rich wood.

"When Siegrain personally wants to get involved in anything, I always doubt justice will be done." replied Org. He nodded to the two guards at the side of the door. They relaxed from their salute and pushed the doors open for the two council members.

The doors revealed a large room on the other side. The entire room was dark except for a glowing blue magic circle illuminating the space with an ominous glow from the floor. Org walked over to his spot along the magic circle and stood waiting. Eventually the double doors opened once again. He glanced over and saw the blue hair of Siegrain striding in with a young boy being dragged in by that woman, Ultear. Ultear heaved the boy into the center of the magic circle. The kid landed roughly and cried out as he landed heavily on the floor. No one said a word though. Siegrain walked over to his spot and Ultear took a spot next to him. Org stared hard at the man across from him. He seemed way too nonchalant about this, almost bored by the trial of a monster such as this. A voice of authority filled the room. It was that of the leader of the magic council, Crawford Seam.

"Let the trial of Joshua of Fairy Tail begin!" the powerful voice of Crawford Seam boomed through the dark room. The kid's eyes shot towards where he heard the voice but all he saw was a shadowed out figure. He was large but he couldn't see any details.

"Joshua of Fairy Tail," started the high voice of Michello beside Org, "You stand accused of the murder of twenty-two Phantom Lord wizards as well as attempting to instigate a war between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail. These crimes warrant one of three punishments: Imprisonment, Exile, or Execution."

Org saw the boy's eyes widen. He looked terrified and confused. He was just a child after all, why should they be so harsh?

 _No,_ though Org, _He may be a child. But he is a murderer all the same. Such actions shall not go unpunished._

"How do you plead?" finished Michello.

Joshua looked around the room with tear filled eyes. He didn't know what to do right now. He was scared and alone. He was being threatened with death or prison for actions that he wasn't sure he even did. He couldn't think straight right now. His mind was too focused on the body he saw in the guild hall. The bloody mass that was the remains of a wizard he was accused of killing. He then remembered how every member of the guild turned their backs on him. They all abandoned him. They didn't even give him a chance to defend himself. The hurt was immeasurable. The anger was enormous. But he was took stunned to do anything. He was incapable of speech, too shocked and terrified to utter a single sound.

"Boy! Speak!" barked Michello.

"He pleads not guilty!" shouted a woman's voice from the doorway. Every head in the room turned to see a furious red haired woman with armor marching in towards the center of the magic circle. She stood beside the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Joshua of Fairy Tail pleads not guilty!"

Murmurs were heard among the council members. Michello was standing there shaking his head. Yajima, one of the eldest on the magic council and an old friend of the Fairy Tail guild, smiled slightly at the sudden interruption of the trial by the young scarlet haired mage. Org looked across and saw something that made him uneasy, a very pleased and confident smile on Siegrain's lips. Org looked back at the woman and saw many bandages on her. Yet despite her injuries she was standing there defiantly in front of the magical authority of Fiore.

"Silence!" shouted Crawford. The mutterings amongst the council members stopped immediately. "Who are you to speak for the accused?" asked Crawford.

"I am his guildmate and friend, Erza Scarlet." replied armored woman forcefully.

"AND I'M HIS OTHER FRIEND!" roared a loud voice near the doorway. Org closed his eyes and sighed, it was one of the constant trouble makers from Fairy Tail, "NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

The pink haired teen barrelled into the room with flames lit in his hands and a wild look in his eyes. He seemed to be looking for a fight as he rushed into the room. But just as quickly as he burst into the dark room he was sent somersaulting out by one of Erza Scarlet's metal fists. The armored girl quickly bowed back and forth between the different council members.

"Please ignore that outburst by my other guildmate, he's an idiot!" apologized Erza as she gave the council hasty, panic filled bows.

The council members sweatdropped. Org gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

"Enough distractions!" bellowed the elderly man, "This trial must continue. Erza Scarlet, you are aware that the evidence against Joshua is enormous?"

Erza stared hard at the old man. He had been at odds with Fairy Tail for a long time. He would be a tough nut to crack. She so wished she could just beat him into agreeing with her, but that was not the way of politics or law. It would get her nowhere.

"I am well aware." replied Erza, "I am also aware that Joshua's actions were in retaliation to Phantom Lord's hostile actions against my guild. Particularly, the unprovoked assault of myself and my guildmate Gray Fullbuster while we were returning from a job near Clover Town."

More mutterings and mumblings. Org stroked his beard.

"Why were we not made aware of this?" asked the old man.

"Maybe because you got all of your information from just Phantom Lord before you whisked a ten year old away!" retorted a furious Erza.

"I agree with Miss Scarlet." Erza's heart stopped when she heard that voice. Siegrain stepped forward, "The facts of this case seem to be skewed a little bit."

"I should've known you'd try to avert justice being served Siegrain." growled Org at his young colleague.

"Avert justice!? Why would I do such a thing!?" said Siegrain defensively as he placed a hand over his chest, "I merely want to hear all of the facts and circumstances that led to such a tragedy as what occurred in the past twenty four hours. Isn't that what a trial is supposed to do Org, or are you so intent on guilt that you forget that people are innocent until proven guilty?"

"You whelp! I'll have you know-"

"ENOUGH!" bellowed the voice of Crawford Seam. Org glared silently at a smirking Siegrain while Erza stared down the blue haired man with extreme caution. "Miss Scarlet, do you have any form of evidence or witnesses to present?"

"Other than the obvious injuries on myself-"

"Which could've been caused by your job not by Phantom Lord!" interrupted Michello.

"Let me finish!" snarled Erza, "Other than these injuries, Gray Fullbuster is more than ready to provide a statement."

"His opinion is biased!" snapped Org, "He's already against Phantom Lord. His opinion and testimony has no merit in this trial! Sir, throw this misguided teen out of here so we can get on with this trial!" demanded Org to the leader of the magic council.

"Lord Crawford…" interjected Siegrain, "Justice should absolutely be served. But-"

"Juvia would like to testify." said a small voice at the entryway.

All eyes immediately turned to see a woman in a blue coat and pants with blue hair, pale skin, and a Cossack hat atop her curled hair. The young teen glanced back and forth at the the eyes staring at her and began to nervously sweat a little.

"Could you speak up young one?" said the gentle voice of Yajima who up until this point had remained silent during the trial. "I didn't quite hear you, these old ears and all."

"Um…" Juvia nervously folded her hands, "Juvia would like to testify."

"And why?" asked Yajima as he peered at the slender teen.

"Because-Becuase Juvia believes the defendant to be innocent."

"HUH!" exclaimed Erza with wide eyes. Since when did a member of Phantom Lord what to help a member of Fairy Tail.

"Juvia was there when Joshua arrived at Phantom Lord." started Juvia as she shook off her anxieties and stepped forward into the center of the magic circle, "Juvia saw the change. She saw a scared boy enter and become so enraged by the actions of Totomaru that he snapped and… something else took over at that point." Juvia glanced over at the stunned ten year old, "Juvia does not believe someone such as Joshua would willingly kill. I did not see that when he entered the guild. I only saw a terrified and angry ten year old boy."

"Are you somehow suggesting," started Siegrain, "That Joshua was possessed by some ungodly force that took over his body and killed your guildmates? That is quite incredible to believe."

"Impossible to believe." growled Org with crossed arms, "Speculation is not evidence in court."

"BUT A DRAGON'S NOSE IS!" bellowed Natsu as he rushed once again into the guild hall causing Erza to groan and smack her face.

"And you are?" asked Crawford Seam.

"Wow!" gaped Natsu at the large, shadowed out man, "You're huge." he pointed.

"NATSU! ANSWER HIS DAMN QUESTION!" roared Erza.

"Eh right- sorry, I um- what?"

"Your name young man?" asked the Gran Doma once again.

"Oh right! Natsu Dragneel, Fire Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail!" he said with a toothy grin.

"And what is this about a dragon's nose?" asked Michello with a frustrated expression.

"Well, um… How do I say this?" Nastu put his hand to his chin and snapped his fingers as he came up with the perfect explanation, "All of you smell!"

"NATSU!" roared Erza as she cursed her friend's lack of manners.

"Let me finish please Erza." replied Natsu with a scared demeanor. He cleared his throat. "All of you smell. Each person smells different. I can smell your smelliness."

 _Smelliness._ sweatdropped Joshua, _I'm doomed._

"Joshua also has a different smell. It is unique to him and him alone." pointed out Natsu, "When he went on his rampage in Phantom Lord, his scent changed and was completely foreign to me even though I have known him and can pick out his scent from almost anything." stated the fire dragon slayer proudly.

"And therefore, since it couldn't possibly have really been Joshua that did these actions because his scent was different to a dragon slayer," followed Erza, "he is innocent! We have one party from Phantom Lord saying this and one from my own guild!"

"Are we seriously allowing smells to be submitted as evidence in a court!?" bemoaned Org.

"It makes sense to me." shrugged Siegrain.

"I propose a compromise." stated Yajima.

All heads looked over to the short old man with the black hat on his bald head. "It is obvious that we will be unable to reach a consensus on this issue. I propose this, that we investigate further and monitor Joshua until such a time that we can conclude this trial properly."

"NO!" shouted Michello, "Despite the smells," he glared at Natsu, "and the looks," he looked over at Juvia, "They do not deny that the boy was present at the guild at the time of this massacre!"

Org nodded his head emphatically. Leave it to his old friend Michello to be the voice of reason in all of this.

"But the evidence does make this rather inconclusive."

 _Damn it all Michello!_ Org thought.

"I propose this. Joshua shall be placed in prison for a total of one month. As to pay for nearly starting a war. As for the slaying of twenty two guild wizards, he shall be banned from practicing his magic with the exception of a non violent form of magic such as requip, healing, or sensory magic upon release from prison."

"WHA!" exclaimed Natsu, "How is that fair at all?"

"Michello, that still seems extreme." commented Yajima.

"I can get behind that." said Siegrain. Erza glared at him with hate filled eyes but Siegrain just smirked back, "There must be some form of punishment for what occurred. I think that Michello's proposal is more than justifiable."

Michello nodded at the young man.

"NO! NO! NO!" Org bellowed, "This monster must-"

"I agree." stated the leader of the magic council.

"Eh." finished Org.

"I, Crawford Seam, sentence Joshua of Fairy Tail to a month in prison as well as the permanent suppression of his magical abilities. Councilman Siegrain, lead him to a cell please."

"But-but-but." stammered Org.

"Yes sir." smiled Siegrain. The young man stepped forward. He walked up to Joshua who was being guarded by a completely furious Erza. Siegrain smiled at the scarlet haired woman, "Erza, please step aside."

"No I will not allow you to take him."

"Erza."

Erza looked down at Joshua who was squeezing her hand this entire time.

"Erza, I'll go." he said.

"But Joshua, you- you're innocent." replied Erza. She dropped to his eye level and gripped his shoulders, "They can't take you! They can't do this to you!"

"Erza I'll be ok." he replied quietly. Erza shook her head but then felt his arms wrap around her, "Thank you for coming to my rescue. I owe you one." Erza smiled sadly and hugged Joshua back.

"Come on kid. The cozy cells are filling up fast." remarked Siegrain. Joshua broke away from Erza's embrace and walked up to the blue haired councilman. He checked the magic sealing stone on the boy's wrists then nodded. "Alright let's go."

A rough hand gripped Siegrain's forearm. He turned to see the armored hand of Erza gripping it tightly.

"If you do anything to him Siegrain," growled Erza, "There will be no place on this Earth you can hide."

Siegrain smiled at Erza, "Erza please, what could I possibly do to a ten year old child? I'm not that heartless." he pulled away from her iron grip and guided Joshua out of the room. Joshua took one last look back at his best friend before the doors shut.

….

"Um… did we win?" asked Natsu with a very confused look as he walked with Erza away from the Magic council headquarters and back to Fairy Tail. Erza was silent. She didn't want to talk right now. "Erzaaaaaa."

Erza sighed, "What Natsu?"

"Did we win?"

Erza shook her head, "Not really." she replied. She looked up ahead on the road and saw a familiar blue cossack hat walking ahead of them. "Wait here Natsu."

"Wait why!?"

Erza ignored his complaints and sprinted forward to meet with the water wizard from Phantom Lord.

"Hey you!"

Juvia turned around with a start and panicked when she saw Erza flying towards her. She braced for the pain as she expected vengeance to be brought down upon her. But instead she felt arms wrap around her. Juvia carefully opened her eyes and was stunned to see the great, fearsome Titania hugging her.

"Thank you." breathed Erza to a shocked Juvia, "Thank you for doing that."

Juvia breathed out slowly and her body liquified to exit Erza's tight embrace. She solidified again and looked at the red head.

"Juvia only did what she felt was right. Besides, Juvia owes you master a debt. If he didn't take Joshua away, he would've killed me too. Juvia does not doubt this." replied the water wizard, "And what Juvia said in the trial was true as well. Now then, Juvia must return to Phantom Lord. No doubt Master Jose will be angry at Juvia." Erza watched as she took a different fork in the road, "Until we meet again Erza Scarlet." waved the blue haired teen.

Erza smiled, "Yeah."

….

Siegrain shut the door to his chambers behind him. He locked the door and glanced around the room. He was the only one in here. No one else. Good. He let out a relieved sigh and walked over to his comfortable chair at his plain desk. He flopped down in his chair and kicked his legs up on the wooden desk.

"I thought for sure you were going to try to convict the kid." said a female voice behind him.

Siegrain closed his eyes, "I first I was. But this kid… he's too interesting. Even though it would've hurt Erza immeasurably to kill the kid, I'm more interested now in this kid's abilities and powers than mere petty feuds."

The woman sat on his desk and leaned forward. "I'm glad you saw things my way." she smiled darkly.

"You should thank Counselor Michello. It was his idea."

"Who do you think gave that old fool the idea?"

Siegrain smirked at the woman on his desk, "Have you been doing naughty things Counselor Milkovich?"

Ultear winked at him, "Only when necessary. It didn't take much to convince the geezer." She rested her head in her right hand, "So what do you plan on doing with the kid?"

"Well, the guild he so loved is already against him. That little display with Totomaru's body certainly helped that. They despise killing so much in that place that they are willing to turn their backs on a boy. How funny." Siegrain though about his plans for a second, "Why not try to turn him? You can have you fun with him. But try not to make it so obvious. Subtle is the way to go here."

Ultear smirked evilly, "As you wish, Counselor Siegrain. I will twist his poor mind, and he won't even know it."

Siegrain smiled triumphantly, "Good. I'm glad to have someone like you on my side. While you do that, observe the boy and study the blood samples from him. I want to know what powers that little urchin."

"Of course." she replied.

The woman jumped off the desk and walked out of the office, letting her hips sway a little more than usual as she waltzed out. The entire time, Siegrain watched.

"She certainly is a black widow if there ever was one. Will lure you in then kill you without hesitation." muttered Siegrain to himself.

He leaned back in his chair and held out Joshua's report, "What makes you so powerful?" He poured himself a drink and sipped on it as he studied the report, "What is this magic of yours?"

 **And chapter end! The trial is over and Joshua is in jail. Not only that but he has been ordered to not practice his magical powers except for nonviolent magics like requip. Quite an interesting sentence cooked up by Siegrain and Ultear. Speaking of those two. What could they have planned for the kid? We'll find out soon. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed, please let me know what you guys thought of this chapter, and have a nice day!**


	5. Chapter 5: Visions and a Job

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter ready, let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 5

The cell. It was quiet. Kinda a nice change from normal. He prefered peace and quiet anyways. It allowed him to think a little more clearly, breath easy, meditate. Joshua sat in his solitary cell, legs crossed and hands on his knees. Eyes closed, breathing evenly as he attempted to absorb what little ethernanos there were in this prison. He couldn't put off getting stronger. Especially after the council's ruling. He had to get stronger in a different magic. In order to do that, he needed to train nonstop. It had been a week already in this cell and in that week he had already been physically training himself to exhaustion. But in between the strenuous exercises he put his body through he would rest his mind, train his mind, and rest it again. He took a deep breath. It was peaceful, strange how a prison like this could be that way.

 _His vision lightened. He was back at the guildhall, standing outside of it and staring down a walking castle. The castle had Phantom Lord's banners waving in the wind around it as it stomped through the sea near Fairy Tail. He saw a cannon with magic so powerful it made him shake. The cannon fired at the guild hall. He raced to try and stop it before someone else stepped in front of him. She wore thick armor with a massive shield. He recognized that armor. He had seen it once before when he went on a job with her. The Adamantine armor._

" _ERZA!" He shouted, but she didn't hear him._

 _The blast collided with her armor. The struggle between shield and cannon raged as magic leapt about and caused titanic blasts in the waters near the guild hall. He saw her in pain struggling to hold back the deadly magical blast. He saw her armor crumbling, breaking under the strain. Her knees were buckling and her arms were lowering. One last final explosion sent the red head flying. The blast had won._

 _His vision faded once again. He saw fireballs flying at iron poles as two dragon's engaged in a deadly dance inside of Phantom Lord's castle. A beast with white hair charging at some weird french looking guy, water clashing with ice. And light dueling with shades. He couldn't make sense of these strange images. They were unclear, unfocused, not set. The vision faded._

 _A city. A massive city. Towers and buildings stretching high into the dark skies above. Strange vehicles whirred through the air at speeds Joshua could only imagine. Strange creatures were seen flying these vehicles and walking on the ground below. He then heard many of them crying out in terror. He looked to where all of these alien beings were staring and saw a huge pyramid like building with towers jutting up from it's roof. The building was burning, streaks of blue energy were flying around the building as more fires raged around it._

 _He felt his body propel forward towards the pyramid. When he arrived he saw soldiers in white armor marching in perfect formation up the stairs of the pyramid. They were slaughtering everyone in the pyramid. Men, woman, children. It didn't matter. All were targets. The few that managed to fight back wielded strange swords of light, green and blue in color. But they were no match for the onslaught. There were no survivors. He saw himself fly up the tallest tower to see a man with a dark hood drawn over his head standing in front of terrified children. The man's blade ignited._

" _NOOOOO!" Joshua screamed._

 _The man hesitated. He turned his head to where Joshua was standing. Joshua got a good look at his face. He was young but not a child or teen. He bore scars of war but also the innocence of youth of his anger ridden face. But what stuck with Joshua were the eyes. They were filled with anger, hatred, a bloodlust that terrified him. The man turned away as if he didn't see Joshua, then the slaughter continued._

"NOOOO!" Joshua screamed as his eyes shot open. His breathing was ragged and his body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. In a panic he looked around him making sure that he was safe. That the evil he felt from that man was not near him. Instead he saw the walls of his cell and felt the magic sealing stone on his wrist. Who would've thought that those things would actually be a comforting thing right now.

"Bad dream kid?" asked a woman's voice behind him.

Joshua wheeled around and stared out the bars of his cell. There he saw a woman wearing the clothing of a magic council member. She had dark hair and eyes. Joshua recognized her from the trial. She was the one who was standing next to Lord Siegrain. The one who was completely silent for the whole ordeal. What was her name?

"Um…"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." said the woman with a smile, "What were you exactly doing? Sleeping sitting up?"

Joshua eyed the woman carefully, "No."

"Then what, meditating?"

Joshua nodded slowly. His eyes never leaving her.

"Interesting. I never would've guessed that a young boy such as yourself was capable of such self discipline. Who taught you that?"

Joshua didn't say anything. He didn't want to talk to these people. Much less someone who didn't even want to bother with his trial.

"Oh c'mon kid, don't be like that, I'm trying to strike up a conversation with you." continued the woman, "I guess it would help if you knew my name. I'm Ultear Milkovich." The kid still didn't say anything. He continued to give her that same cautious look. He was a tough one to crack wasn't he? "Well, I was just wanting to chat with you I guess. But if you prefer to be completely alone for the next few weeks then fine." She began to walk away.

"Wait." breathed Joshua.

Ultear stopped and backtracked to his cell.

"Yes?"

"Why do you even want to talk to me Lady Ultear?" asked the kid sternly.

Ultear smirked at him, "I'll be honest. You're an interesting case. I want to learn more. Maybe, I can figure out a way to prevent such a rampage like the one you had from happening again."

Joshua's eyes widened slightly before he quickly returned them to normal. He didn't like the vibe he was getting from this woman. His senses were screaming at him to stay quiet and turn away. But the offer was too tempting. A way to prevent himself from losing control again, and she could figure out a way.

"How could you possibly do that?"

"The more you know about a dangerous magic the more you can do to study and prevent such dangerous magic from getting out of hand Joshua." she continued, "I just need some information."

"My guild can help me with that, why should I trust you?"

Ultear was silent for a second, "Why should you trust your guild?" Joshua raised and eyebrow, "After all, they did turn their backs on you when we came to arrest you." She saw it. That one landed, and it stung. She found her opening, "Why would they help someone they see as a murderer and nothing more."

"I am not a murderer!" shouted Joshua angrily.

"And I believe you." replied Ultear, "That's why I'm offering to help you understand what exactly happened. It's an offer I doubt you would get from you 'friends' back home. The probably just want to bury this whole thing. Bury your magic, make it not exist anymore."

Joshua gritted his teeth. He made up his mind now. "What do you want to know?"

"Why were you shouting down here? You said you weren't sleeping, yet you were acting like you had a nightmare. What happened?"

"A vision, I think…. I'm not certain to be honest what the hell they are." replied Joshua, "The last one I had was when I first arrived at Fairy Tail. It was just as terrifying."

"What did you see this time?"

Joshua took a shaky breath as he recalled the images. "I saw Fairy Tail. They were, they were under attack by Phantom Lord," Ultear caught her breath. But Joshua didn't notice it, "Erza took a blast from some sort of cannon. Then a huge fight broke out. Two dragons were fighting, one iron and one fire. Water and Ice were trying to destroy each other. And a weird beast and frenchman were attacking each other as well. At the end, light battled shades then that one faded away." he shifted his jaw as he struggled with the next one.

"And then?" asked Ultear.

"A city, a massive city with towers up to the sky. And soldiers in white slaughtering people inside of some sort of temple. They were led by… by… by what I can only describe as pain itself." Ultear raised her brow. "That's all."

"Hmm…. interesting." she stood up and began to walk away once again.

"Where are you going?" asked Joshua as he rested his body up against the back wall of his cell.

"I've got some papers to write." replied Ultear with a smile before she opened the door to the prison and shut it with a resounding clang, leaving Joshua alone with his thoughts once again.

….

*Knock* *Knock* Knock*

Siegrain looked up over the book he was reading, "Come in." he replied.

The wooden door creaked open and then shut.

"What did you find out?" asked the blue haired magic council member as he flipped another page.

"This kid is incredible." breathed Ultear.

Siegrain peered over the books pages once again. _Strange, she looks stunned and amazed. Surprised even…_

"It's not like you to be taken off guard by something Ultear. Let alone a prisoner." Ultear shook her head and sat down on his desk with her back facing Siegrain, "What did you find out?"

"He saw it."

Siegrain raised an eyebrow and set down his book before leaning back in his chair, "Saw what?"

"The Phantom Lord attack on Fairy Tail. He saw it, as it was happening. He told me every precise detail. I looked at reports coming in from Magnolia, and he was 100% accurate." breathed Ultear.

"So what? Are you saying he is some sort of.., clairvoyant?"

"I wouldn't put it beyond the realm of possibility. He had another vision of sorts, it didn't make sense to me. It didn't sound like it made sense to the kid either. But the second one rattled him far more than the first. He didn't tell me much on that one. Just strange things."

Siegrain wrapped his fingers around a glass with his prefered drink in it, "Strange things?"

"An army storming a temple, killing everything inside. And being led by pain itself."

Siegrain sipped his drink and set it back down on his desk, "Those are strange things. If he hadn't accurately described the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord then I would've had him admitted into a psych hospital. Hm…." he folded his hands and thought for a moment, "Interesting. What did you find from the blood samples?"

"More questions than answers."

"Like…"

"Like the fact that his body does not naturally produce Ethernanos." finished Ultear.

That got Siegrain's undivided attention. "How is that even possible? He uses magic, he has to have Ethernanos in his body."

"He does. But they are not produced by his own body. All of the ethernanos in his blood are from an outside source. That is how he fills his magic reservoir. But even then, there aren't enough ethernanos for him to produce the amount of magic necessary to even do a C-class job request. Let alone take on a guild like Phantom Lord."

"C-class? But he had been doing B-class request regularly."

"I know. That's why I have way more questions. But I found something else as well." Ultear dug into one of her pockets and produced a vial of Joshua's blood. It was completely normal except for the film of green mist hovering at the top of the red liquid. Siegrain narrowed his eyes.

"What am I looking at?" He gently grabbed the vial from Ultear's hands and stared at it completely puzzled.

"I analyzed what I could gather up. It is a magic I have never seen before, except in one text."

Siegrain handed her back the vial. "What text?"

Ultear glanced around her. Making sure no one else was listening. "A book of Zeref."

Siegrain stared at the woman dumbfounded. Very few things shocked him. But this was stunning. "Could he be… one of his creations?"

"I don't know. But the formula I'm seeing here is similar to only one other spell. And it was found in one of Zeref's books."

"Similar… as in it's not even exactly the same?"

Ultear shook her head.

"This is an, unexpected development for sure. Don't attempt to turn him anymore. That could be a dangerous move now."

"Why?" asked Ultear.

"Because if he does happen to be some sort of creation of Zeref then there will be a certain guild looking for him. And they are more than capable of wiping us all out."

Ultear's eyes widened, "I doubt that-"

"Where Zeref is concerned, never doubt Tartaros's ambitions." interrupted Siegrain. "Accelerate his release date to tomorrow. I want him out of this building. We'll monitor things from afar."

"The rest of the council members won't like that."

"The rest of the council members can fight me if they so wish. But they'd lose." replied Siegrain. He sighed, "Anything else?"

Ultear shook her head and Siegrain nodded, "Ok, good work. Destroy all evidence of this. That is all."

"Yes sir." replied Ultear. Before she left the office she placed the vial down on Siegrain's desk, "A souvenir for you at least." then she left.

Siegrain sat silently at his desk for a moment and stared at the vial of blood. He picked up the vial and walked over to the lone arched window that let sunlight stream into his office from behind his chair. He looked out the window at the magic council headquarters' courtyard admiring the beauty of the place before he looked at something even more beautiful but deadly as well. He held aloft the vial of blood and shook it gently. More green mist plumed out of the blood and hovered over the crimson liquid. He grimaced before pocketing the vial and returning to his book and drink.

….

Joshua walked out into the blinding daylight of the outdoors. He had been released early from the prison. Good behavior was the reason. But he knew better. He had a suspicion that this was Lady Ultear's doing. That lady gave him a bad feeling. He wrapped his brown cloak around his shoulder and drew his hood over his brown hair. He gave one last look back at the magical prison he stayed in for the past week before sighing and beginning his trek home to Magnolia. After a couple days he made it home. He preferred to walk, it allowed him to think things over much more thoroughly than a train ride would.

His short legs carried him through the town's gateway. Magnolia hadn't changed. It was still a bustling little town with canoes and boats flowing through the many canals and market stands still dotting the stone streets. He smiled, no matter what, this place was still home to him. He turned down a road expecting to see the guild hall. Instead he saw a massive construction site.

 _Did Master plan on doing renovations?_

Joshua walked over to the site and stood at the workplace's entry. His guildmates were all busy hammer away at lumber as they worked to build a whole new guildhall from scratch. Joshua smiled at them. His smile grew wider when he saw Gray and Natsu begin to go at it once again, flinging fists and curses at each other before he saw someone he had been looking forward to seeing break it up. He grinned widely under his hood. He saw he look over to the entryway. She dropped the two knuckleheads and stared at him.

"Joshua." she stated with disbelief.

All construction stopped as every head turned his way. Joshua pulled off his hood and looked around nervously at all the staring faces. Some had smiles on them, others looked at him angrily or even fearfully.

"Hi Erza!" he grinned before she rushed forward and enveloped him in a massive hug.

"How are you out of prison already?" her eyes the widened, "Did you break out!? You better not have mister!" she snarled.

"No ma'am!" stammered Joshua, "They let me go early, g-good behavior."

Erza smiled, "That's great." she hugged him again before Joshua smelled something burning near him.

"SNEAK ATTACK!"

Joshua's eyes widened and he quickly leapt over a charging Natsu who tripped and rolled into a large boulder.

"You missed you pyro!" shouted Joshua at the dazed dragon slayer. Natsu shook his head and cleared the fog from his brain before charging again. This time however he met Erza's metal plated fist.

"Leave him be! He just got back you idiot!" roared Erza as Natsu lay unconscious in the dirt. She sighed and moved some red hair back behind her ear, "What're you waiting for Joshua, you're part of this guild right?"

"Huh."

"Time to get to work like a man, kid!" bellowed Elfman nearby who was carrying two piles of lumber by himself.

"Right." replied Erza, "And with your powers this could go even more… quickly." she saw the downcast look on Joshua's face. "What is it?" she then saw his wrists. Sealed onto his wrists permanently were cuffs of magic suppression stone.

"I can't." muttered Joshua.

Erza gulped back some tears but she held strong and patted him on the back, "No matter. You're still a Fairy Tail member. Which means that you are still family, and family helps rebuild the home!"

"Right!" bellowed everyone else in the guild at Erza's declaration. Joshua smiled up at his best friend.

"Can I use a hammer?"

"Of course!"

….

Well, they took the hammer away once he bashed Natsu with it after the damn pyro tried another sneak attack on him. So, that made the day a little more interesting. But still, it was fun rebuilding the guild hall. He was saddened when he learned that the building was destroyed by Phantom Lord but laughed with everyone else when they told him the story of how they had defeated Phantom Lord. It never occurred to Joshua that what occurred was exactly what happened in his vision just a few days ago.

And so the guild hall was rebuilt with a few weeks. It was like a luxurious palace compared to the old one. A shiny new bar, brand new kitchen, even a pool. But what made it feel like home was when the first brawl broke out in the middle of the dining area. And Joshua finally got a piece of the famous Fairy Tail brawls that day. He also met two new guild members. They were terrified of him at first since they were former Phantom Lord members, but Gajeel and Juvia eventually warmed up to him. Even if they preferred to keep a safe distance from him and his rapier. During the days after the rebuild Joshua and Erza trained constantly especially requip as Joshua tried to learn a brand new magic that he could use on jobs.

I wasn't easy. The first time he tried it, the requip backfired spectacularly. Which led to Gray and Natsu laughing at him. Which led to another all out brawl in the guild hall. But Joshua was a quick learner and soon enough he was requiring weapon after weapon and battling Erza in the yard. Erza was barely trying of course but the practice and challenge helped immensely. But there was one problem now that everyone Joshua was experiencing. It was a similar problem that his friend Lucy always complained about, money.

Joshua stood in front of the request board browsing between the many different jobs. He hadn't been on a job weeks, much less a solo job. He rubbed the suppression stone sealed onto his wrists and looked through the jobs. He had to choose an easy one. He couldn't risk getting a difficult job, not with his magic being suppressed the way it was now. He moved to the left and bumped into another guild member.

"Watch out kid." grumbled the man.

"Me watch out! Why don't you just pick a job Nab!?" growled Joshua. He was getting a hostile feeling from Nab. He felt it from some of the other guild members as well. Ever since he got back, many had been avoiding him or treating him callously.

"You back talking me!"

"He's got a point Nab." said Macao as he walked over to the request board. Next to him walked a little kid no older than four years old. "Hey Joshua, have you met Romeo yet?"

Joshua looked over at the kid, "I don't think I have yet. Hi!" waved Joshua. "I'm Joshua."

"Romeo!" replied the kid with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm about to take him on a really, really easy job for the first time. A little father son bonding time." smiled Macao.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Romeo as he raised a fist in the air.

"Cool! I'm looking for an easy job as well." replied Joshua.

"Can he go with us Daddy?" asked Romeo.

Macao put a hand to his bearded chin and shrugged, "I don't see why not."

"Oh no Mr. Macao, I can't do that," Joshua said as he shook his head, "This is you and Romeo's job. I-"

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Macao, "Romeo wants you to come along, so you'll come along. End of story kid." Macao looked up at the board and snagged a paper off of it, "Rat infestation in Freesia town. D-Class job…. FIFTY THOUSAND JEWEL!"

"EH!" exclaimed Joshua as he grabbed the paper from Macao's trembling hands. Josh's hazel eyes widened. He disappeared a second before returning just as quickly with his cloak on and suitcase packed, "Are we going or not Mr. Macao!?"

"Huh…" Macao snapped out of his stupor, "Oh yeah, right! Let me tell Mira that we're taking this job. Romeo, go with Joshua and wait outside kido."

"Ok Daddy!"

Romeo walked quickly beside Joshua and the two of them waited outside of the guild hall on the stone stairs that led to the large double doors. The two boys sat quietly for a moment before Romeo looked up at Joshua.

"What kind of magic do you use Mr. Joshua?"

"Mr. Joshua?" laughed Joshua, "It's just Joshua, Romeo. And I use-" _A deadly magic responsible for the bloody murder of twenty two wizards and now I have been ordered to never use it again._ "Requip." Joshua replied with a nervous smile.

"COOL! Like Ms. Erza?"

"Sorta. She can requip her armors though, and is a lot faster at it than I am." replied Joshua, "But I mainly just fight with my sword."

"Neat! I use fire magic like my Daddy! But I'm not very good at it yet." replied Romeo, "But he is teaching me a lot!"

"That's awesome!"

"Yeah, I hope one day I can be stronger than him, maybe as strong as Mr. Natsu as well!"

Joshua laughed a little, "Go for it!"

"Hey Mr. Joshua."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you have those stone things on your wrist?"

Joshua's smile disappeared and he looked down at his feet before back at Romeo, "Um, fashion choice." he lied to the kid.

"That's weird." deadpanned Romeo.

"OH I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU DO BETTER!" roared Joshua.

"I probably could."

"Whatever kid!" Joshua crossed his arms while Romeo laughed.

"We ready to go you two?" asked Macao as he descended the steps towards them.

"More than ready!" exclaimed Joshua.

"Yeah!" yelled Romeo as he jumped up and down.

"Ok, well the train for Freesia town is leaving in a few moments. So we better hurry. I don't want anyone getting this cakewalk of a job before we do, let's hurry."

Joshua and Romeo walked quickly beside Macao as they hurried to the train station. They arrived just in time. As they boarded the train Romeo was chatting excitedly about going on his first job with his father while Joshua watched the pair with a smile. His smile faded though. Something felt off right now. He looked out the train window as the world whizzed by. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

 **And chapter! This was the end of the Phantom Lord arc and the beginning of a new original arc of sorts. What do you guys think is gonna happen? And why was Siegrain suddenly so anxious about Joshua. Oh, this story is getting better and better by the day! I'm excited! Anyways let me know what you guys think. I hope you all enjoyed and as always, have a nice day!**


	6. Chapter 6: Showdown in Freesia Town

**MID WEEK UPDATE! Why? Cause I can! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 6

" _Attention all passengers!" screeched the speakers on the train, "We are now approaching Freesia Town!"_

Joshua groaned and his eyes opened. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes then peered out of the window. It was dark outside and off in the distance he could see the lights of a small town flickering against the shadowed out landscape.

"Already." grumbled a drowsy Macao as he awoke from his slumber as well. His son Romeo was still snoozing on his lap. Macao smacked his lips together then yawned, stretching out his arms in the process, "You ready to go kid?" he asked Joshua.

*Yawn* "Yeah, I'm ready to get off of this train."

The train came to a halt after another five minutes in front of a small train station that serviced the small town. Joshua and Macao stepped out onto the platform with Romeo being carried in Macao's arms. Macao nodded to Joshua and the two walked into town. The streets were quiet and there was hardly any activity in the buildings around the main boulevard. Joshua raised an eyebrow at the silence.

"Are small towns like this normally this quiet?" he asked the purple haired fire wizard to his left.

"Depends I guess, could be that this is just not a day people wanted to go out on."

"Hm… I wonder why?" replied Joshua.

"Eh, doesn't matter to us kid." Macao reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the job request form, "Says here the mayor, Leto One-Eyed, issued the request. So we better make our way to the town hall. Hopefully we'll find him there. We'll let him know we're here on the job request then we'll find a place to sleep for the night."

"Sounds like a plan." Joshua replied as he stretched his arms behind his head. He looked around the dimly lit town until he saw a massive wreckage of a building at the main square. Many of the stone bricks and wooden beams were burnt to a crisp and pummeled to pebbles.

"Uh Macao, what caused that?" Joshua pointed.

"Oh that, I forgot. Natsu went through here a couple weeks ago."

"That would explain it."

"Definitely." chuckled Macao.

They eventually made their way to a large wooden building with a large sign written over the door frame that read "Town Hall" in black bold letters. There was light coming from the inside so Macao twisted the doorknob and walked in, startling the little old secretary at the desk near the door.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am but we're here to see the mayor about a job request." said Macao apologetically as the old woman tried to catch her breath.

"Damn wizards…" she croaked, "Always picking the worst times to barge in." Joshua and Macao looked silently at the crabby woman, "He's upstairs." she grumbled.

"Thanks." muttered Macao before he led the way up the red carpeted stairs to the Mayor's office.

"Now remember Joshua, we must be very polite. Because of Natsu, this place may not like us very much." whispered Macao to the boy on his right.

Joshua nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Macao nodded back and knocked on the door with his free arm as his other arm still supported a snoring Romeo.

"Come in." said a strong voice from the other side.

Macao pushed the door open and revealed a large office space. Ornate furniture decorated the room, some of it was trimmed with gold. In the center of the room, in front of the large window that made up the far wall, was a large dark colored desk. The desk was neatly organized. Not a single thing looked out of place. On the desk was a stone bust of a young man. And in the large leather chair was no doubt the older version of that bust, just with one less eye.

The mayor was a tall athletically built man with blonde hair that was slicked back over his head. He had an eyepatch over his left eye that also covered up a nasty scar that ran down the length of his face. He had middle aged features for the rest of his face, a blue colored eye, and a very serious demeanor. Between his lips was a cigar that he seemed to be slowly enjoying.

"What can I do for you?" he asked sternly.

"We're wizards from Fairy Tail and we came to acce-"

"FAIRY TAIL!" shouted the mayor as he slammed a hand down on his desk and rose to his feet. "Why should I deal with you after what happened last time?"

"Uh…"

"Cause no one else wants to deal with your rat problem buddy." replied Joshua nonchalantly. Macao's mouth hung open as he glanced back and forth between a furious mayor and a completely relaxed Joshua.

"What did you say to me kid?" growled the mayor as he set the cigar down into the ashtray on his desk.

"I said no else cares enough to deal with your rat problem. So we're here. You want your infestation handled or not?" Joshua replied with crossed arms, "Cause I'd really hate to have wasted my time coming here when I could've just let my pink haired friend back at the guild take it instead." He finished with an intimidating stare.

The Mayor's eyes widened when Joshua mentioned Natsu. He quickly waved his hands in front of him.

"Oh no no. There is no need to let him take this job. You two-" *snore* The mayor glanced at Romeo drooling on Macao's shoulder, "Three, will do just fine!"

"Excellent."

 _I'm staring at male Erza…_ trembled Macao as he looked at the smirking Joshua.

"So, where are the rats and how do you want us to handle this Mayor One Eye?"

"Oh yes well, ahem, the rats are coming from a large burrow in the woods to the south of town. They've been causing headaches for the townspeople. They have even been making reconstruction on our beautiful cathedral more difficult than it should be considering that they are eating the building materials."

"Rats that eat stone?" questioned Joshua.

The mayor nodded before he grabbed his smoldering cigar and took a quick puff, "Yes, stone eating rats." he reiterated, "Can you handle it?"

Joshua glanced over at Macao who was still trying to process Joshua's treatment of the mayor.

"I think we can." replied Joshua.

"Good. There is a room for you all at the Grinning Donkey down the road. Enjoy your rest tonight, and I expect rats to be exterminated by tomorrow."

"Of course." Joshua bowed to the mayor turned a stunned Macao around and pushed the older man out the door.

When they arrived at the Grinning Donkey, Romeo had finally woken up and the three wizards sat down in a booth in the dining area of the small inn to enjoy some dinner. Of course, Joshua had every intention of cleaning this place out of food. Much to Macao's dismay as he emptied another hundred jewel out of his pocketbook.

"That should pay for it all." he said with a ghost white face.

"Let me check," said the smiling green haired waitress, "Hm… thirty potatoes… a pound of pasta… fifteen cans of marina…. A whole chicken… three glasses of milk… Um sir."

"What." whimpered Macao.

"You only paid for your son." she pointed at Joshua.

"That eating machine ain't my son!" cried Macao as he reluctantly pulled out more money and handed to the waitress. The waitress counted the money a second time then smiled at the three wizards.

"Alright that should do it!" she said happily, "You all have a lovely evening."

"Will do!" smiled Joshua before he wiped his mouth and belched causing Romeo to burst out laughing as Macao cried tears of despair into his empty wallet.

Joshua finished wiping his mouth clean with his napkin before setting it down and leaning back in his seat completely satisfied. He laid his hands over his bulging stomach and sighed happily. Then his thoughts wandered back to the cell and his conversation with Lady Ultear. His smile slowly disappeared and he began to sit glumly in his chair.

"Hey kid, why are you so upset?" asked Macao noticing the sudden change in Joshua's demeanor, "Got a stomach ache from all of that food?" he laughed.

Joshua shook his head, "Mr. Macao, what do the others think of me?"

"Hm?" replied Macao as he sipped a steaming mug of coffee. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said, what do the others at the guild think of me?"

Macao set down his mug and stared hard at the kid, "This isn't about the Phantom Lord incident is it?"

Joshua glanced up at Macao and nodded. Macao leaned forward.

"The others think you're great, kid. And if anyone thinks otherwise then they are obviously not a true member of Fairy Tail. "Why do are you asking questions like that?"

"At the request board today, Nab seemed to be really… hostile."

Macao closed his eyes before leaning back, "Well…"

"I mean. Do you think I really did those things Mr. Macao?" Joshua interrupted, "Did I really kill those people?"

Macao looked up at Joshua before taking another sip of coffee, "Kid, I don't know. I don't have those answers for you. But I'm gonna be straight up honest with you. There are some that are scared of you and yes… are angry at you." Joshua's face grew more downcast, "But to hell with them."

Joshua looked back up at Macao.

"My old man told me once, that you can't change how people view your past. But you can change how they view you here and now." said Macao, "Forget what they think about your past. The past is the past. Ain't nothing you can do about that. All you can do, is move on and create a better future. You get me?"

"I think so." replied Joshua with a little more pep in his voice than before.

"Good." Macao glanced at the clock that ticked quietly on the wall across from them, "It's getting late. We better get some rest before tomorrow."

"But I'm not tired yet!?" exclaimed Romeo.

"Too bad big guy. You don't wanna get tired on the job." He grabbed Romeo and flung the laughing boy over his shoulder while Romeo busted out laughed, "C'mon off to bed!"

….

The loud crowing of a rooster echoed off the walls of the room. Joshua groaned and pulled the pillow over his head as he buried his face into his mattress.

"Small town, of course the alarm clock is a rooster." said Joshua with a muffled groan.

"If I could get that damn bird and make it our breakfast I would." muttered Macao who lazily stood up out his own bed and rubbed his lower back before yawning. "Ah well, early start I guess."

"YOU GUYS ARE FINALLY AWAKE!" yelled Romeo loudly causing Joshua and Macao to wince.

"Quiet down Romeo. Not to loud, Daddy hasn't had his coffee yet." grumbled Macao.

"Joshua hasn't had his… wait… I don't drink coffee." muttered Joshua as he rose from his bed and yawned, scratching his messy morning hair.

"You should." replied Macao, "It's good for the soul."

"It tastes terrible." Romeo replied.

"Don't ruin my morning kiddo." deadpanned Macao.

After getting ready and enjoying a hearty breakfast that involved plenty of Macao's money being spent, the trio headed out to the woods south of town. When they entered the woods, they let Romeo go exploring for a little bit under the guise of a super secret mission. His mission if he chose to accept it was to find one rat and bring it back to Macao. Needless to say he was off and searching for a rat within five seconds.

"Shouldn't we keep an eye on him?" asked Joshua.

"Ah relax," waved Macao, "It's a safe area anyways. The mayor seems to have everything under control here. I'm not worried."

"The rats eat stone."

"But that doesn't mean they eat people." corrected Macao.

"I have a feeling they could."

The two wizards walked along the dirt path that criss crossed the woods for a while as they glanced back and forth in the brush looking for any sign of a den or burrow, even a nest. So far there was none. Just the normally greenery that accompanied a wooded area, complete with the occasional singing bird and croaking frog from a nearby pond. The sun soon drifted high into the sky overhead and Joshua felt his stomach rumble.

"Got any food?" he asked Macao.

"You're a bottomless pit!" exclaimed Macao. "But yeah… I got some sandwiches in my pack. Before we eat though we should probably find Romeo." Macao called out his son's name and waited a moment before calling him again. "Strange… he usually responds. He knows not to wander too far."

Joshua peered around in the brush. He had a weird feeling in his gut. And no, it was not just him being hungry. Something was off. They should've found a rat's burrow easily, it shouldn't be taking this long. What was the deal? Joshua felt an impulse to close his eyes and focus. He took a deep breath and let what little magic that wasn't suppressed by the cuffs on his wrists flow around him. His senses heightened. He could hear everything around him.

" _They've stopped moving."_

" _Do they suspect something?"_

Joshua heard a muffled cry in the background.

" _Shut that kid up already."_

" _You do it! I'm going to take care of these Fairies."_

Something was speeding towards them. It brushed up against the leaves and created a shockwave from the amount of speed it had. Joshua opened his eyes.

"Macao watch out!" he yelled. But too late.

A large fist slammed into Macao's face, knocking the fire wizard out cold. The hand retracted then flew at Joshua. He barely had time to dodge it as it flew past his face and careened into a tree trunk, splintering the bark as it collided with a loud whack. Joshua then ducked under the hand as it rushed back to it's master. The owner of the hand stepped out from the brush.

"Well well." said the voice of an old woman, "Looks like this one figured us out already."

Joshua looked over at the brush across from the dirt path to see the little old secretary woman standing across wearing an evil smile on her lips. Out from the brush then stepped her partner. He had slicked back blonde hair, a cigar in his scowling mouth, and one lone blue eye.

"The mayor?" gasped Joshua, "Just what the hell is going on?"

"Call this payback for our cathedral little fairy." replied the Mayor. "That cathedral was all this town had, and you Fairy Tail wizards had to barge in here and destroy it. Now we have no tourist coming through and therefore no income!"

"But you guys are rebuilding it aren't you?" questioned Joshua.

"It'll take years," croaked the old woman with the sagging skin and baggy eyes, "and it won't be the same as before. The amazement of such an ancient structure is what brought people here. Now that it is gone the town could soon die. All becuase of Fairy Tail." The old woman shifted her creaky legs, "And now you will pay!"

"Exactly, take care of this urchin Agnus. I'll take these two hostage." The mayor shouldered Macao and carried a sobbing Romeo away.

"Romeo, Mr. Macao!" Joshua rushed forward before he saw the old woman lower in her stance.

A veiny, wrinkled leg extended like a rubber band towards Joshua. He leapt back away from the kick and quickly drew his sword from his small requip space. He barely had time to react as another rubber like fist collided with his stomach and sent him sprawling into the earth. Joshua heard the air hiss around another impending blow. He rolled to his left and hear the fist smack into the ground. Joshua lashed out with his rapier and dug the blade into the hand, only to have it bounce back out and send him off balance. A rubber foot hit him on the side of his head and sent him flying into a tree.

"Your sword won't work on me kid. My magic is Rubber magic. I am like a rubber ball, you see. Or more like a rubber doll I suppose. You can't stab me without your sword bouncing off of my skin and I can extend any part of my body."

Joshua weakly stood up, "Any part?"

"Any!" yelled the old woman.

Joshua felt his spine begin to crawl and his body shivered at the thought of any part of the old lady being able to stretch. The old woman's eyes widened before narrowing angrily.

"You little pervert!" she swung a fist at him but Joshua ducked underneath it.

"It ain't perverted if I think it's nasty, creepy old lady." replied Joshua.

 _Damn I need to think of something now!_ Joshua jumped over a kick, _Rubber magic, so she is made of rubber. I don't have a blade strong enough to cut through that. And my rapier can't pierce her._

An idea popped into his head. He began to run in a circle around the old lady, bobbing and weaving around her in an unpredictable pattern until the woman cried out in shock. Joshua stopped running and he glanced behind him at his handiwork. The old lady's rubber body was completely tied up into one large knot.

"Hey, when you're fighting someone you shouldn't get too…."

"DON'T YOU SAY IT!" roared the old woman.

"Tied up." grinned Joshua maniacally before rushing off to find the mayor. Leaving the creepy old lady Agnes to curse his name for such a terrible pun.

Joshua barreled into town wanting to clock this mayor guy. He was pissed that this joker took Romeo then knocked out Macao, then he sicced that creepy old lady on him. This guy had some hurt coming to him. Joshua rushed onto the main boulevard before coming to a stop and glancing around. It was dead quiet in a town that had people bustling around earlier. Joshua cautiously moved forward down the boulevard and he felt the wind pick up blowing some grass and dirt across the road.

"So Agnes couldn't stop you." said the powerful voice far down the road.

Joshua glared down the boulevard at the Mayor. His clothes were changed and he now wore a long brown coat, white shirt and black pants. His pants were held up by a belt with different magical bullets strapped to it and on his head was a cowboy hat. The only thing that remained unchanged was that same cigar was still between his teeth and his left eye was still covered with a black eyepatch.

"Nope, she got a little tied up back there."

The guy puffed his cigar, "That's a terrible pun kid."

"Bite me." replied Joshua angrily. He stared down the Mayor before glancing around, "Where are my friends?"

"Right over there." The Mayor pointed at Romeo and Macao who were tied up to a wooden post just a few feet away from the Mayor.

Joshua took a step towards them.

"Ah, ah, ah." Joshua heard the sound of a gun cocking. He looked over at the mayor and saw a double barreled magic pistol pointed at Macao and Romeo. "Not another step, kid."

Joshua froze and stood still. He snarled at the Mayor and shifted his grip on the rapier in his hands.

"Kick the sword over, or they take a bullet." ordered the Mayor calmly as he puffed on the cigar.

"Don't do it Joshua! Kick his ass!" shouted Romeo.

"Language Romeo!" replied Macao, "But what he said Joshua! Kick his ass!"

"Quiet you too!" said the mayor gruffly, "Sword, here, now." he unholstered a second pistol and pointed it at Joshua. "I'm going to count to three, One, two…" *clang* The sword skidded across the cobble stone road and to the feet of the Mayor. The Mayor gave Joshua a slight smirk. "Now was that so hard?" He waved his pistol at Joshua and Joshua walked over to where he motioned. He was now just a couple feet away from the Mayor, "Kneel."

Joshua growled and slowly knelt onto the ground.

"Now understand kid, this ain't personal. I don't hate you." the sound a gun cocking filled his ears then he felt the metal barrel press against the back of his head, "I just hate your damn guild."

Joshua closed his eyes and breathed. His magic stretched out around him and he heard the slow breathing of the Mayor behind him followed by the sound of his finger muscles contracting and pulling the gun's trigger.

 _Well crap…._

*BAM*

"JOSHUA!" yelled Macao as he stared at the kneeling boy, waiting for his small body to crumple to the ground. But it didn't instead he just stayed kneeling there.

The Mayor stared at his gun before glancing at the kid, then back at his gun.

"Damn thing, did it misfire?"

Joshua kicked his leg out and swept the legs out from under The Mayor. The Mayor flew in the air and then the sound of a bullet whizzing through the air echoed in the town. The Mayor landed hard on the ground and stared stunned at his gun. The bullet fired, but it didn't go into the kid's skull. How? Before he could continue to think about the question he felt magic build up near him.

"Requip!" shouted Joshua as he pulled two swords from his requip weren't anything special but they were useful. Just basic swords that Erza had him practicing with. Joshua cross them in front of his face as he gave the Mayor and deadly glare, "Time for you to pay." he growled. Joshua launched himself at an incredible speed towards the Mayor.

The Mayor's eyes widened as he fidgeted with his double barreled pistol trying to cock it before the enraged Fairy Tail wizard fell upon him. His finger slipped and the gun clattered out of his hands. He looked up and saw the boy was just a few feet away, his hazel eyes now having a slightly orange tinge to them. He grabbed his second pistol and fired. The round glanced off of the stone cuff on the boy's left wrist. The Mayor recognized those now. They were magic suppression cuffs. They were only given to wizards with such dangerous magic that they were forbidden to even use it. He fired three more times, using up the bullets in his magical revolver. The kid dodged every one of them.

 _What is he!?_ Panicked the Mayor before he fell backwards and was pounced on by Joshua.

He squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the final stroke. But none came. He slowly opened his one good eye and saw the face of the boy. It was no longer furious, just sad. Joshua used his sword to cut off the Mayor's ammunition belt and he threw it away from him before backing off of the terrified man. Joshua left the dumbfounded mayor and walked over to Macao and Romeo. As he cut them loose the Mayor stood up.

"Why?" asked the mayor to Joshua, "Why didn't you do it? You had every right to! I kidnapped your friends, held them hostage, threatened their lives, tried to kill you! Why didn't you end my life right then and there when you had the chance!" he yelled loudly.

"Cause that's not how Fairy Tail operates." replied Joshua, "And I'm not a murderer." Macao put a hand on his shoulder and hoisted Romeo up on his own before the three walked away leaving a stunned Mayor to contemplate what just happened.

As they walked away towards the train station Macao looked over at the young boy, no young man and beamed with pride.

"You did good Joshua." he said as he patted the brown haired boy on the shoulder.

"Thanks. Our talk last night helped a little bit. If we hadn't had that, I don't know what might've happened."

"Talk?"

"Yeah, you said that I have the power to change how people see me now. I want them to see me as who I really am. And that someone is not the person that supposedly killed those people in Phantom Lord. I am someone who will protect his friends no matter what."

Macao smiled at him, "Good to hear."

The train soon came and the three boarded on using what little money Macao had left to purchase tickets.

"So what'll happen to the Mayor and that creepy old lady?" asked Joshua as they sat down in their seats.

Macao shrugged, "Dunno. No doubt the town will inform the magic council of what happened. Beyond that I'm not entirely sure, they didn't really commit a major crime after all. No one got seriously hurt."

"But your nose is crooked Daddy." replied Romeo as he pointed at Macao's face.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you may have broken your nose Macao. Did that little old lady beat you up that badly?" teased Joshua.

"Say a word to anyone and you are a dead man." grumbled Macao.

"On one condition."

Macao blinked, "What?"

"I'm hungry."

Macao's face paled and a ghostly figure was seen leaving his body as he slumped back in his chair.

"Daddy! What's wrong!?" exclaimed Romeo as Joshua laughed out loud.

"Sooo…. Much… money…. On just food."

"But we got the 50,000 for the job right Daddy?"

Macao snapped out of his depression for a moment but then he realized something. They didn't get paid. It was a faux job. There was no money. "Ooooooooooh." groaned Macao.

Joshua and Romeo looked at each other and laughed as the train sped off back home to Fairy Tail.

 **A bit of a filler chapter here for you guys! I hope you all like it! I think Joshua might be taking Natsu's place as Romeo's role model but we'll see what happens. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed! And as always, have a nice day!**


	7. Chapter 7: Vacation!

**Alright everyone! The weekend is here! For me at least, I don't really have class on Friday. So let's get this new chapter going!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 7

"Wait, hold up Macao," said the man across the table from Joshua with the large brown pompadour hairstyle and cigarette in his mouth, "What was the name of the inn you all stayed at again?"

"The Smiling Donkey, Wakaba. Why do you ask?" replied Macao as he played a card on the table.

"So…" Wakaba begin to uncontrollably giggle, "You literally stayed in a place called the Smiling Ass."

Macao had a tick mark form on his head, "Hey! It was Donkey not Ass."

"Same difference buddy." chuckled Wakaba.

"What's an Ass?" asked Joshua as he played a card down next to Macao, "Oh and Wakaba, you lost."

"WHA!"

"Well you see here kid," Macao laid an arm around Joshua's shoulders, "An ass is-" a metal fist flew through the air and connected with Macao's jaw sending the purple haired wizard flying across the guild hall.

"You will not fill him with such indecent things!" roared Erza as she stood beside Joshua and gave Wakaba a terrifying glare. In the background Macao's legs twitched in the air as he lay unconscious on the new floors of the guildhall.

"Erza was that really necessary?" asked Joshua as he looked up at the fuming red haired mage.

"More than necessary." replied Erza before she calmed herself down and sat down next to the ten year old, "So how was the job with Macao and Romeo?"

Joshua leaned back in the booth, "Interesting. It was a fake job apparently."

Erza nodded, "Yeah I heard about that. It happens from time to time. But I also heard that you handled yourself really well on the job."

"I guess."

"You guess!?" exclaimed Wakaba, "Macao wouldn't stop raving about how you saved his life and Romeo's as well. And you defeated two tough wizards to boot." Wakaba started to shuffle the deck of cards in his hands, "I say you did more than well kid, you did amazing."

"Thanks." said Joshua a little shyly which surprised Erza.

Normally he would embrace the spotlight of accomplishing something so amazing. Why was he so hesitant now? Then she looked around and saw the other faces of the guild. Some were smiling at Wakaba's praise of the kid, but a good majority were frowning and even looked angry at Joshua.

"I heard some things happened while I was gone too?" continued Joshua.

"Hm… oh yeah. Turns out Loke was actually a celestial spirit." said Erza in a matter of fact tone.

"Huh!? So I was talking to a ghost this whole time?" Joshua replied with wide eyes, "I always knew his was weird."

Erza laughed, "No, he is like Lucy's spirits."

"That makes him weirder then." replied Joshua.

"How so?"

"Have you met Taurus yet?" asked Joshua. Erza tilted her head to the side then remembered meeting the giant perverted bull for the first time.

"Ok, he is weird." agreed Erza. "But that doesn't make Loke weird."

"Guilty by association in my opinion." replied Joshua as he took the seven cards handed to him by Wakaba, "What game Mr. Wakaba?"

"Well Macao is still down for the count, so how about just a friendly game of go fish for now?"

Joshua smiled, "Sounds fun." he looked over at Erza, "You wanna play too?"

Erza shook her head, "Not now, I've got to go talk to the Master for a little bit."

"Ok, see ya later!" waved Joshua.

As Erza walked away from the booth she heard the dismayed exclamations of Wakaba as Joshua began to handily beat him at cards. She couldn't help but laugh to herself. The kid was a natural at cards, only Cana could probably beat him. Erza couldn't help but wonder how Joshua was so good at those games. It was like he could see the cards without them facing him. It intrigued her. She finally made her way over to the bar where the Master, Mira, and Cana were all sitting and chatting. Cana of course had a barrel of alcohol balancing on her left leg as she talked to the two while Mira worked diligently behind the bar.

"Master."

"Hm… what is it Erza?" asked Makarov as he sipped from his mug of beer.

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

She glanced around the room then nodded towards Joshua. Makarov sighed then set his drink down.

"We'll go to my office then." He leapt down from the stool he was sitting on and walked up the stairs to the second floor with Erza close behind him. He and Erza quickly entered the small room the Master called his office and shut the door behind them.

"Alright Erza, what's going on?"

"I was going to ask you that Master." replied Erza, "What's with all of the dirty looks Joshua has been getting?"

Makarov sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, "People are afraid of what they don't understand Erza. That is human nature. Many don't understand how a boy so young could've done-"

"But he didn't." replied Erza forcefully, "The Magic Council even agreed."

"Some don't see it that way Erza. Some see it very differently. The effect Seigrain had by showing Totomaru's body to the guild was… long lasting." Makarov finished carefully as Erza's face hardened, "I by no means agree with how some view Joshua right now. But I can't change people's minds on him any more than I can make the past go away."

"Do they fear him or his power?" asked Erza.

"I think everyone fears his power, even you." Erza's eyes widened a little, "That's why he has those magic suppression cuffs on. As to whether or not they fear the boy, I sure hope not. But if they do, then bad things could happen. Keep an eye on him Erza." finished Makarov.

"Yes master."

"OH MY GOSH!" squealed someone from the downstairs of the guild hall.

Erza's heart sped up as she began to fear the worst. Did something happen? Were they trying to hurt Joshua, was Joshua snapping? She burst through the door to the office and stared down to see Lucy happily dancing around her table with a bunch of tickets in her hands.

"Geez Luce. That was really loud." groaned Natsu as he rubbed his hypersensitive ears.

"Sorry!" exclaimed Lucy, "But I'm not! I can't believe it!"

"What's going on?" asked Erza as she walked up to the celebrating blonde.

"Take a look Erza!" Lucy held the tickets close to Erza's face. Erza read the print and her eyes widened.

"Tickets to Akane resort!" she muttered with shock as she read the colorful lettering.

"I know right!" squealed Lucy, "Loke gave them to us as a thank you for reinstating him among the celestial spirits! There is one for each of us! And an extra for someone else too!"

Erza smiled. A vacation that sounded nice. She could use one anyways. She had a wide grin and looked over to see Joshua staring over at them while Wakaba was trying to figure out how he lost again. There were still some unsettling glares sent Joshua's way but he didn't notice them. Erza blinked then looked at the tickets then back at Joshua.

"Did you have any plans for the extra ticket Lucy?" asked Erza.

"Um… well no not really, everyone I want to come along already has one." She looked over to where Erza was glancing and saw Joshua laughing at Wakaba and Macao's expense. "You want him to come along don't you?"

Erza nodded, "It might be good to get him away from the guild for a few days. Maybe people's tempers will calm down with a little separation."

"I don't see why not. And why is everyone so mad at Joshua?"

"We'll talk about it later. For now, I must get packed. We leave tonight!" said Erza enthusiastically, "JOSHUA!"

Joshua sped over and stood at attention as Erza yelled his name, "Yes ma'am!"

"Get a bag packed, we're going on a vacation."

Joshua let a massive grin spread across his lips, "Alright!"

….

Akane Resort, the most popular vacation destination in all of the country of Fiore. It is a great place for all ages and for all kinds of people. People who wish to relax can find the perfect form of relaxation at the white sandy beaches that line the resort and lead to the sparkling blue ocean. Those wanting a thrill can enjoy the amusement park and the wild rollercoaster that stretches the length of the resort. And those looking for good old fashion fun can visit the casino in the basement where all sorts of games are played from slots to high stakes cards. And the resort is world renown for one more thing.

"The buffet…." Said Joshua with wide eyes as he stared at the line of food that seemed to stretch for forever on the casino floor.

His mouth was already starting to salivate as he saw the many different foods to choose from on the long white tables. There was steak, noodles, chicken, duck, lobster, cake, cookies, fruit.

"It's glorious." he muttered.

"Later Joshua, we're going to the beach right now." said Erza as she guided Joshua away.

Joshua, never breaking sight from the long line of food followed Erza. "I'll be back for you glorious feeding trough." whispered Joshua as his stomach rumbled a little before finally removing his stare and following everyone else to the beach.

The beach was amazing. The heat from the blazing sun overhead was perfectly complimented by the amazing coolness of the ocean. Joshua roared with delight as he saw the water. He quickly ripped off his shirt and pants and was now in just a black swim trunks. He raced forward and dove into the water enjoying the amazing feeling the saltwater gave his skin. He then saw some bubbles rise to the surface followed by an increase in the temperature of the water around him.

"Oh no you don't!" Joshua growled before getting tackled by Natsu.

Back up on the beach Erza and Lucy could help but laugh as Natsu finally accomplished one of his sneak attacks perfectly.

"God couldn't they be a little more mature." grumbled Gray.

"What'd ya say ice princess!?" roared Natsu from the water as he held Joshua under. Joshua suddenly broke from the surface.

"Yeah snowflake! What'd ya say to us!?" yelled Joshua

"I'll show you a snowflake!" bellowed Gray as he charged into the water to engage in the vicious splash and tackle battle.

Erza, Lucy, and Happy decided to just let the boys battle it out in the water. After all it was all in good fun. Why not let them have at it in the ocean. Erza smiled as she laid out on a beach towel in her bikini. Her face then lit up as a waiter from the restaurant nearby walked over with a plate of Strawberry cake. Just for her. She greedily took the plate and prepared to chomp into it.

"This is great isn't Erza?" breathed Lucy with a satisfied sigh.

"Mhmm." replied Erza with a mouthful of cake.

The sun was suddenly shadowed out. Lucy opened her eyes and looked up to see a huge wave surging towards them.

"Erza watch out!"

"Hmmm…" said Erza with the fork still in her mouth before the massive wave of water crashed down onto Erza and Lucy, drenching the two, and washing away Erza's precious strawberry cake.

"WE GOT EM!" shouted Natsu happily as he high fived Gray. Joshua was smarter though. He saw the missing plate and he cautiously back away from the two dead men before he bumped into something behind him. He glanced back and fear took hold of his boyd. Erza stared down on him with a glare that could make the strongest of men cry with fear.

"Where do you think you're going?" she said menacingly.

"Erza please-"

"YOU DESTROYED MY CAKE!" shouted Erza in a fury as she launched Joshua through the air with a powerful kick before letting her fury out on an unsuspecting Natsu and Gray. Lucy in the meantime cowered behind a beach chair and waited for the rampage to end along with Happy.

After several more hours enjoying the beach and Erza chowing down on a new strawberry cake the group decided that it was time to rest a little. Joshua followed Erza upstairs to her room and burst through her door.

"It's so big!" Joshua exclaimed as he marveled at the size of the room.

"It is. Plenty of room." replied Erza as she yawned a little and stretched.

"You can't be tired already!"

"It's been a long day Joshua. I'm gonna take a nap. Care to join?"

"Nah, I've got a buffet calling my name!" Joshua exclaimed as he changed into a nice blue collared shirt and tan slacks. As he rushed out the door Erza grabbed his left arm.

"Hold up you." she laughed. She called a comb out of her requip space and pulled it through Joshua's spiky brown hair, "You got to look nicer than that if you're going downstairs."

"Don't mess with it." pleaded Joshua but too late.

"There much better." said Erza as she admired her handiwork. The spikes in Joshua's hair were combed and smoothed out and the hair fell in a slight wave over his forehead. "Have fun." she said as Joshua exited.

Joshua sighed and then rubbed his head vigorously. "I don't like people messing with my hair." he grumbled as he tried to get his hair back in place but eventually gave up and declared defeat. Erza did took good of a job. "Now I look stupid." he muttered as he descended down the elevator.

As he descended the many floors to of the resort the elevator stopped briefly at the fifth floor. The doors opened to reveal a strange group of people. One wore a strange iron jaw protector and turban with a sash around his large muscular torso and green pants. The second wore a fancy, pinstriped three piece suit. Nothing out of the ordinary with him, except the he was literally shaped like a cube. The third wore a fancy red shirt and black vest with black slacks. His blonde hair was messy and he had a deck of cards in his hands. And the last was quite literally a cat lady. Ears, whiskers, nose and all. She wore a yellow jacket with white stripes over a pink dress. Joshua couldn't help but stare at the strange people.

"Aw c'mon doll." said the blockhead to the cat lady, "I didn't mean to upset ya."

"You shouldn't have insulted cats then, nya." replied the cat lady.

 _Nya?_ Thought Joshua as he stared utterly confused at the strange people.

"Stop arguing you two, we've got stuff to do." said the tall man with the iron head piece and turban sharply.

"It's alright Simon, we can relax a little can't we?" said the guy with blonde hair. "After all, we are at a vacation spot."

The elevator finally stopped and Joshua stepped forward quickly, bumping into the blockhead as he did so.

"Hey watch where you're going little punk!" cried the blockheaded man with the strange tough guy accent.

"Sorry." apologized Joshua, "Just trying to get to the buffet!" he shouted back as he rushed towards the great wall of food. _And get away from you weirdos._

Joshua rounded the corner and saw it. The buffet. It was just as amazing seeing it a second time as it was seeing it for the first time. He stared in wonder at it before shaking his head and grabbing several plates.

"Time for some grub!"

He grabbed every single piece of food he could get his hands on. It only took him a few seconds to completely fill up the three plates he had grabbed. He carefully balanced the dishes of food and carefully walked over to a table with a fancy purple tablecloth on it. He set the food down and stared at it for a moment. Taking in the amazing sight. He made a scene of carefully tucking a napkin into his color and elegantly cutting a piece of steak with his knife and fork. He took one bite and savored the incredible taste. He looked at the mountain of food in front of him then at the tiny fork and knife.

 _To hell with it!_

He tossed the fork and knife away and dug in. Just a few minutes later, and several second helpings later Joshua leaned back in his chair with a round belly. He sighed contently and rubbed his stomach.

"Delicious." He said with a satisfied smile before he felt something coming over him. He felt really drowsy. He tried to keep his eyes open as best as he could but found that it was near impossible. He knew this feeling all too well. It came every time he overate. "Food coma…" he mumbled before passing out on the table.

….

 _The world was like one giant lava rock with molten magma flowing in rivers around the few specks of land. Joshua glanced around at the hostile terrain then saw the blue light swords clash again inside of a strange looking compound._

" _Another vision." he realized._

 _But this one was different. Instead of whisking him around to different places, this vision let him walk around the harsh land. He could feel the heat of the world and was certain that if he was actually doing this he'd be in a lot of pain. He made his way up to the strange metal station. Nearby was a patio like place with a strange silver vehicle resting on it. Next to the vehicle was the body of a woman. A pregnant woman at that. Joshua rushed towards her and placed his fingers on her neck. He felt the artery throbbing underneath. The lady was still alive._

 _A purple flash went over the compound and sirens began to blare. Some sort of forcefield deactivated around him allowing the heat to wash over the compound._

 _What is causing this?_

 _Joshua slowly approached the door to the compound. There was no door handle. But he didn't have to worry, the door buzzed the slid open. Joshua stepped back a moment before determining that it was safe and cautiously entered the compound. He made his way down the dark corridors hearing the vision sounds of powers clashing in the distance. He then looked at the walls and saw deep gouges in them._

 _What could've done this? He thought as he ran his hands along the great gashes in the walls._

 _They were hot and the metal was moldable, like something with a lot of heat cut through the walls. He made his way through the halls until he came upon a conference room. He caught his breath as he saw what was inside. Bodies were everywhere. All of them belonged to some strange creatures that Joshua didn't recognize. None of the corpses looked remotely close to human and all of them had deep gashes in their bodies, just like the walls. Nearby the bodies were the crushed and dismantled remnants of machines that looked like skeletons._

 _Joshua felt another presence nearby. It was a dark presence. Joshua felt his spine crawl and a shiver run through his body as the air around him grew cold despite the immense heat of the world._

" _Who are you boy?" said a sophisticated and powerful voice behind him._

 _Joshua requiped his rapier and got into his fighting stance as he twirled around. Behind him stood an elderly man with slicked back grey and white hair. The old man had a closely trimmed beard that was exquisite. He wore a dark tunic like shirt with dark pants and a brown cape over his shoulders. Joshua felt the immense power radiating from this person. It made him want to crawl into a ball. The power was great and terrible._

" _I won't ask again." said the man as he stared down Joshua with piercing blue eyes._

" _J-Joshua." he stammered._

 _The old man nodded before a strange cylinder entered his right hand. He pushed a button on the cylinder and a red light emitted from the end. A sinister and deadly hum pulsed from the red blade._

" _Let's see if you are worthy." snarled the old man as he saluted Joshua with his blade._

" _Worthy of what?" asked Joshua as he readied himself for an attack_

" _Worthy of carrying on my legacy of course."_

 _The man lunged forward. Joshua barely sidestepped the thrust in time. This guy was fast despite his advanced age. Joshua moved quickly and ducked under a deadly swipe from the red blade. He felt the heat from the strange sword graze his head. The old man fought with a similar style Joshua did. It was fencing style of fighting, heavily reliant on precision and speed. Joshua dodged another stroke before the man raised the blade over his head. Joshua's eyes widened at the opening, this was his chance. He twisted his blade in his hand and thrusted upwards with his rapier. He had him!_

 _The red sword descended quickly to meet his rapier. In the blink of an eye the man's blade met Joshua's rapier stunning the ten year old. How did this guy move so quickly!? When the two swords landed the red blade sliced through his rapier like it was butter. Joshua gaped at his sword before quickly leaning back away from another deadly swipe. He leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding another blow._

" _You are well trained boy. If only you had the proper weapon, you might've been able to stand a chance." observed the old man, "Unfortunately you are nothing but a weak child." The man's speed increased. Joshua was barely able to dodge now as the strikes came at him faster and faster. Then he felt it, blinding pain in his side. Joshua looked down to see the red blade biting into his left hip. The blade cut away from him burning the raw flesh that it just sliced open._

" _Now you feel it don't you."_

" _Feel what?" gasped Joshua as he clenched his wound. "The pain in my side? Cause that is friggin obvious!"_

" _No." snarled the old man as a hint of crimson entered his irises before disappearing. "Fear. You feel it now don't you?"_

" _Oh well no shit geezer." The old man's eyes widened at his statement, "Of course I'm scared. I'm in a vision I don't understand, fighting some old guy who acts like he is forty years younger when fighting. To say I'm a little scared would be an understatement."_

 _The man held his blade forward at Joshua. "Yet you show know fear. You continued to act belligerent in the face of death even though you are afraid. Why do you not show fear?"_

" _I'm not showing any cause I've got different feelings dominating right now."_

" _Such as?"_

" _Well confusion number one." The man sighed, "And anger."_

 _The man gazed hard at Joshua. "Anger?"_

" _I'm pissed. If I can't beat an old guy like you then how can I protect my friends." Rage began to ferment in Joshua, "I'm angry that I can't prove any of them wrong." He eyes flashed crimson and the old man's lips curled into a sinister smile. "And I'm angry that you are toying with me!"_

 _A powerful force built up inside of Joshua and launched from his open palm sending the man flying across the conference room and into the far window, cracking the glass as he impacted. Joshua felt power surge in him as he reached out with his long suppressed telekinetics and grabbed hold of the conference tables. He heaved them at the old man who smirked and sliced through them with his sword. Joshua was about to follow up when the man's blade returned to the strange cylinder._

" _Yes…" said the old man lowly, "You have potential. But unfortunately our time is up now."_

" _Eh?"_

 _The vision blurred and Joshua was taken away back to the casino in Akane resort. Only this time he was outside of his body. He saw himself snoring away at his table with dirty plates surrounding his face._

" _Damn, I went overboard." muttered Joshua before he heard Erza and Lucy scream. He sprinted in the direction of the scream. He saw Lucy tied up by some weird tail like whip. The whip was being controlled by…_

" _Cat lady." snarled Joshua._

" _Hey tuts, come on. We've got Erza now." said the blockhead to the cat lady._

" _Nya, ok. Bye bye." she waved to Lucy before the weird group Joshua met in the elevator with Erza in the arms of the large man._

 _He then saw a large tower in the middle of the ocean, miles away from the Resort. The vision blacked out._

….

Joshua's eyes shot open and he jumped out his seat. He immediately sprinted over to the casino floor.

There was no one on the casino floor. It was completely empty. But the remnants of a fight were there. He saw a bullet mark or two from the blockhead, remains of the tail whips the cat lady used, and a puddle of water near the bar next to a block of ice. Then he saw all of the cards on the floor. Each and every card held a person in them and all of them were screaming in a panic.

"Hey what happened?" asked Joshua nicely to the shouting people. No one answered him and his face twisted in frustration. "HEY!" he roared.

All of the cards on the floor stopped shouting, "What happened?"

"Somebody came along and sealed us in these cards before taking some red haired woman away. Her three friends rushed after them!" shouted one of the cards, "Are you a wizard? Can you get us out of here?"

"Yeah I'm a wizard. But I don't know card magic. I can't really help." Joshua turned away, "Sorry." he rushed out of the resort and reached the ocean. He scanned the shore. "Boat… I need a boat." anything that floats and has oars will do. His eyes settled on a paddle boat powered by foot pedals. "Is there anything else?" muttered Joshua. Nothing, not a single other vessel. Joshua sighed and jumped into the plastic paddle boat, "It'll do." He peddled furiously against the waves as he raced out into the open ocean, "Don't worry you guys!" he shouted, "I'll rescue you!"

 **And the Tower of Heaven Arc has begun! Will Joshua be able to do anything to help Erza and company? And what was up with that vision? Who do you guys think the old guy was that Joshua fought? Let me know what you all think! As always I hope you all enjoyed and have a nice day!**


	8. Chapter 8: Tower of Heavan

**Alright! I really like how this story is going so far and I keep getting the motivation to write for this one! So I got a new chapter ready. Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 8

The endless sea spread out around a small green and red plastic paddle boat. It was a tiny speck in the middle of a vast desert of water. Occasionally a flock of birds or school of fish would rush past the boat either startling Joshua,as he was desperately pedaling forwards, or causing the water to churn underneath the flimsy craft and send the boy into a panic trying to keep what was supposed to be just a beach toy afloat. But despite the enormous heat of the sun beating down on him and the fury of the ocean battling against him, Joshua kept pedaling. He gasped for air as his muscles screamed for rest. But he didn't rest, he kept peddling. His friends needed him. They were in danger and he had to help them. The image of the red haired woman he considered his best friend came into his mind. He had to save her, her most of all. She rescued him all of those months ago from the mudslide, so he still had a debt to repay.

The metal crank that powered the small paddle boat groaned and creaked as he furiously pedaled against the ocean's currents. Sweat beaded down his face and neck. He had ditched the nice shirt miles ago, it was way too hot. For a ten year old, he had a very strong body. He wasn't developed like Gray or Natsu was, but it was obvious that he was getting very physically strong. And pedaling to save his friends sure helped that. Another flock of birds cawed overhead and whizzed through the blue sky above him. He glanced up and the birds and grumbled wishing that he could fly instead of having to use this beach toy to get to his friends. He then felt a bump against the flimsy craft.

 _More fish._

He sighed then looked over the edge of his small seat and his eyes widened. There were more fish alright. But they were all dead, their lifeless corpses floating to the top of the ocean water and drifting lazily along the currents of the sea. Joshua gulped nervously then jumped when he heard splashes around him. The birds were in free fall. All of them were falling lifeless into the ocean waters, joining the fish in a watery grave.

 _That's either a sign of I'm getting somewhere, or I'm in serious trouble._ Thought Joshua.

He stopped staring and refocused on his objective. He had to keep pedaling. He groaned as his sore muscles strained against the pedals. The metal and plastic crank creaked and rotated and the small plastic boat was spurred forward once again. After several more exhausting minutes he stopped pedaling. His jaw was hanging open as he stared in stunned silence at what was in front of him. In the middle of the ocean was a tower that jutted high into the sky above, creating a dark pillar among the oranges and purples of sunset. The tower looked like massive dark tree roots, only they weren't. He didn't know how to describe it. But it gave off a really ominous feeling and dread seeped into the very waters around him. He blinked and shook his head.

 _It's just a building, c'mon, pedal… pedal… *gasp*... pedal._

He pedaled as hard as he could. His target was in sight. He knew it in his gut that this was where he had to go. He moved slowly through the water. For some reason the pedals were not cooperating. A sharp clank and the sound of springs snapping ringed in the boy's ears.

"OH JUST FUCKING GREAT!" roared Joshua.

His paddle boat had given up the ghost. He kicked the boat angrily causing the craft to rock precariously back and forth. Joshua panicked and tried to balance the craft by shifting his weight. Instead the plastic boat flipped over and plunged Joshua into the cold waters of the deep ocean. He struggled to surface and gasped for air as he made it to the top.

"YOU PIECE OF GARBAGE!" He yelled angrily at the plastic craft as it slowly sank beneath the waves. He shook water out of his face and turned towards the massive tower. "Time to swim I guess." he grumbled angrily, "I better get the buffet of a lifetime out of this."

Swimming there was even worse than pedaling. By the time he finally won his war with the ocean he was barely able to drag himself onto the shores of the small island that the tower rested on. He collapsed onto the sand and gasped for air.

"Never… again… never again."

His fist clenched a handful of sand as he pulled himself forward on his belly to try and get further away from the rising tide. When he was finally a safe distance away from the ocean and he sat up and stretched out his aching limbs.

"Whew…" he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before standing up.

He gritted his teeth as his body protested against the sudden movement. He took a shaky step forward before falling flat on his face from exhaustion.

"Seriously…" he mumbled, "I can't even save them. I'm too weak." He clenched his fists as he struggled to stand, "Damn it body move!"

 _Are you seriously trying to do it the hard way?_ Said a sharp, sophisticated voice around him, _And I thought you had potential._

Joshua blinked. "No way…" He whipped his head back and forth, "Where are you geezer!? I'm gonna give you a piece of my mind!"

 _You can't remember. You are too weak, even at full strength you could do nothing but cower at me. And now you are too weak to save your friends. How pitiful._

"If you came here to remind of that then you are wasting your breath. So get lost already." he grumbled and he his body shook with anger and frustration.

… _.What if I told you there was a way to get your body to move?_

Joshua eyes opened, "You have my attention."

 _I thought so. Your powers in the Force are strong boy. Those cuffs cannot bind them forever. And they cannot prevent all of the aspects of the Force._

"Um… do you mean magic?"

 _NO! It is called the Force, magic is for inferior beings._

"Yeah, whatever. How do I get myself to move even though I can't?"

The voice chuckled lowly, _So impatient. We will have to work on that. And you should already know how, you've done it before. Remember Freesia town, how you dodged all of those bullets._

"My… my magic did that!?" breathed Joshua in shock. "But that was involuntary, I didn't try to use it."

 _Then make it voluntary. Because if you don't, then your friends will surely die._

"NO!" he roared. Joshua tried to will his magic to him. He felt it flicker in his body as he fought against the magic suppression stone on his wrists. He heard the sound of stone cracking before he felt a surge of strength enter his bones and muscles. Joshua grinned and then looked at his cuffs, they had cracks in them.

 _Well done, you may still have a chance._

"Heh, I guess. Thanks geezer." mumbled Joshua.

But he got no reply. Joshua felt his body coursing with energy as he stood up. He was still shaky and stumbled slightly at first, but he could move now. That was the important thing. He pulled himself up the sharp, rocky landscape. He was almost to the towers entrance, just a little further.

"Hey you. Stop!" shouted an angry voice near him followed by the hideous snarl of some ungodly monster that accompanied the voice.

Joshua quickly requipped his rapier and dashed towards the voice. Bolts of magical energy shot at him but he easily dodged them with his new strength and speed. He smiled wickedly. He was beginning to enjoy this. He stormed up to the guard and slammed the pommel of his blade into his helmet, knocking the man out before he took out the strange dog like creature that was chained near the doors. Joshua took a breath before pushing open the heavy doors of the tower. He looked and saw a massive staircase that led towards the top.

"You gotta be kidding me…"

….

A woman wearing a dark brown cloak walked toward a large throne inside of the massive space that made up the summit of the tower. Her pale arms were hidden inside of the cloak but occasionally revealed themselves. The hood of her dark cloak shadowed out most of her features. She moved powerfully forward despite her slight figure and near bone like thinness. She stopped in front of the throne. Sitting in it was a young man wearing a dark hooded cloak with gold trimmings. Despite the hood shadowing out most of his face the man could see locks of blue hair falling over the young man's face and an intricate tattoo over his right eye.

"My lord Jellal, a new intruder has entered the Tower." said the woman with a high venomous sounding voice.

The man on the throne knocked over a game piece on a board shaped like a guitar. Before looking up at the woman in front of him and smirking.

"I am aware." he reached into his cloak and pulled out a black game piece. It was shaped like a sword with lightning arcing around the blade. He placed it on the game board and smiled. "And this particular player is very interesting."

"How so?" asked the woman as she placed a pale hand with dark veins pulsing underneath the thin skin, onto her hip.

"You will see." smiled Jellal evilly, "You will be the one to greet him."

The woman's dark lips curled into a smile under her hood. She was about to be unleashed. Jellal had kept her hidden for so long. She felt like her abilities were starting to get rusty from lack of a challenge. Now she was finally being let loose. For the first time in years, she was about to receive a proper opponent.

"Make sure to give him a proper welcome."

The woman bowed to Jellal below quickly leaving.

….

"So… many… stairs…." gasped Joshua as he clung to the railing of the large spiraling staircase. "First the ocean, now stairs." he heaved himself up a few more steps, "I can't seem to catch a break!"

Joshua pulled himself up another step before he felt something strange nearby. It felt powerful and savage. Joshua stopped moving and requipped his rapier.

"I can sense you are there." he said lowly to the darkness around the staircase.

"My, my." said a venomous, shrill voice that echoed off the walls around him, "Jellal was right, you are interesting. I haven't felt a power similar to this in many years."

Joshua carefully moved up the stairs and onto the next large landing that may as well been a large balcony. As he reached the landing he saw a woman standing at the far end, blocking his way to the next round of stairs. She wore a dark brown cloak and the hood shadowed out her face. Joshua raised and eyebrow.

"Look lady, I'm not interested in hurting you. So just get out of my way and get out of here."

The woman chuckled, "Hurt me? Please, you are a mere child. Your power comes no where close to the people I have fought in my lifetime."

Her cloak opened slightly revealing an incredibly thin figure dressed in tight fitting robes. Joshua looked closer and his eyes widened. Clipped to the belt around her thin waist were two curved silver cylinders.

"No way." he breathed.

The two cylinders floated into the skeleton like hands of the woman. She held them out to her sides before igniting them. Red light streamed out of the cylinders.

 _So I'm not crazy._ Observed Joshua as he thought back to his vision at Akane resort, _Those things are real._ Joshua gulped nervously, _I've got a bad feeling about this._

"I sense it."

"What?" snarled Joshua as he readied himself for a fight.

"Fear. You are covered in it." she pointed the red blades at him, "Do you know what these are?"

"No, but I've seen one before."

That seemed to surprise the woman as she looked silently at Joshua for a second. "Where?" she asked.

"A vision." replied Joshua, "some old geezer with an amazingly fancy beard was using a curved thing just like yours."

The room began to tremble and the walls around Joshua shook. He instinctively took a step back as his eyes widened. All of this power he was feeling was coming from this woman! The walls creaked and groaned as invisible waves of power pulsed off of them. Then he heard the woman snarl a name.

"Dooku." With a hideous yell she leapt towards Joshua.

The swords in her hands gave off a lethal hum as they whirred in the air. Joshua ducked under the first blade before twisted over the second. He tucked into a roll and somersaulted around the woman. He smiled, she wasn't as fast as that old guy was. Then he caught his breath as he felt a huge invisible fist hit his whole body and send him fly through the air and up onto the next landing above them. Joshua landed heavily and groaned in pain. He then heard the light footfalls of the woman as she made a near impossible leap up to his landing. Joshua scrambled to his feet ducking and weaving between the deadly red lights in the woman's hands. He ducked under another strike.

 _Think dammit. My sword is no use against her… whatever those things are called!?_ Though Joshua as he jumped from stair to stair, _She has two. If I can get a hold of one then maybe I can… yeah let's try that._

Joshua jumped out of the way of another strike.

"Stay still!" growled the woman.

Joshua jumped out of the way again before he suddenly swept the legs out from under the woman catching her by surprise. He then quickly gripped her left arm with his right hand. With a yell he brought his left elbow down her forearm. A sickening snap was heard and the woman howled in pain her hand limply let go of one of the cylinders. As it fell from her hands the red light disappeared. Joshua quickly kicked her down the steps then grabbed the cylinder.

"Alright!" he cheered. He looked down at the woman as she staggered to her feet and his eyes widened. "B-bald."

"What?" she hissed.

Joshua stared at alien looking head of the woman. Her skin was deathly pale and dark veins could be seen through the skin. Her eyes glowed an evil crimson and her head was completely and totally bald.

"B-bald." stammered Joshua again.

"Yes, I'm bald you urchin." she snarled as she glowered angrily up at Joshua.

"But you're a girl…"

"And?"

"Aren't you supposed to have hair?"

"Enough already!" She leapt towards him, "You have injured me and humiliated me long enough apprentice of Dooku!"

"Who the hell is Dooku!?" shouted Joshua.

Joshua pushed the button on the curved cylinder. It felt so natural in his hands. Like a long forgotten part of his body had just been found. He raised the blade up and caught the woman's red blade against his own. He had his eyes squeezed shut as he silently prayed it would work. He then opened them when he felt the blades meet. A wide grin spread across his face.

"Alright, now we are even." he smiled.

"Even!?" scoffed the pale woman, "I've had years of training boy. What can you possibly do against me!?"

"Well, you're old for one. So I have that on you."

"You dare!" she swung her sword again and Joshua parried before he lunged forward with his own sword thrust.

The woman danced around his blade and deflected it away. The two's deadly duel grew in intensity as they continued to ascend the staircase that lined the walls of the tower. They would swap places and leap over each other as they fought for the advantage and clashed with humongous blows. Joshua felt his muscles crying out as the fight dragged on. His movements and reactions were slowing while the woman kept up the steady pace. He soon realized that he was wholly outclassed by her. Her blade work was impeccable. Evidence of years of training. He only had a few months. There was no way he would last any longer. A wave of heat went over his sword hand and he saw the blade of the woman slice through the silver cylinder in his own hand, destroying the device instantly. Joshua staggered and fell backwards against the staircase. The woman's blade hummed near his throat.

"You are beaten." she growled with a smile of triumph.

 _How can you save your friends when you are so weak…_

Joshua closed his eyes. Anger building up in him. He was so weak. So useless. He couldn't win even when his friends needed him most.

"Time to die child." she hissed. She raised the sword over her head.

"DARK MOMENT!" shouted a muffled voice nearby.

The entire area around the woman and Joshua was coated in the blackest shadows. It was so dark that the woman couldn't even see her sword glowing in front of her. She slashed downward still, expecting to hear the satisfying sound of the child being cleaved in two. The darkness cleared soon afterwards. She looked down to see not the body of the kid but a burned stair.

"Where!"

"Behind you!" whispered someone.

The woman's eyes widened as she felt metal piercing her back and digging into her body. She gasped and coughed blood before dropping her own sword. The red blade deactivating and the hilt clattering off the staircase. She dropped to her knees and gasped as she struggled for air. She heard the sounds of someone stepping around her. She looked up and saw the kid standing over her, bloody rapier in hand.

"I suppose you're just very unlucky." he said to her. The woman's eyes widened as she saw the visage of an old man in the boy. "I didn't expect the lights to go as you tried to kill me. Gave me just enough time to get out of the way."

"You… you." she croaked.

"What?"

"Who are you?" she gasped.

The boy turned back to her before he could start ascending the staircase, "Joshua of Fairy Tail. That's who I am."

"And you are not going to finish me off?" she croaked again.

"I'm not a murderer." said the boy, "Even though I really would like too. Even though the old geezer's voice is telling me to do it. I won't." The woman breathed a sigh of relief before the boy knelt down in front of her. "What is this place?"

The woman stared at the boy's face. He was just some ordinary kid. How was it possible that she would be defeated by him? Had her skills really wasted away that much. She shook her head as she furiously berated herself. She then felt something tighten around her throat. Her eyes widened as she saw the boy's eyes flicker from Hazel to crimson.

"I won't ask again."

The pressure on her throat lifted enough to allow her to speak, "This is the Tower of Heaven. It is a construct designed to resurrect the dead." she croaked to Joshua. The boy's eyes narrowed. "Our purpose for it is to resurrect one of the most powerful beings to ever exist. A being so powerful, his name even resonates beyond your own world."

"Who?" snarled the boy.

"His name is Zeref."

Joshua's eyes widened. He recognized that name. He had read about it before in a book he borrowed from Levy once. Zeref, the black wizard. Creator of demons and some of the deadliest dark magics in existence.

"Why resurrect him?"

"Why should I tell you?"

The vice around her throat tightened, "You know, maybe I'm not in such a merciful mood anymore." Joshua growled as his eyes continued flickering between hazel and fiery red.

The woman croaked out a responded and the pressure lessened around her throat.

"Each person in this tower has a different reason to resurrect Zeref. Some see him as a means to heaven, like those red head's friends. Jellal sees him as a way to ultimate power."

"And you?"

The woman looked up at him silently for a moment, "A way to get revenge."

Joshua nodded, "I guess I could understand that rationale. But just know, you won't succeed. I won't let you. Zeref is too dangerous to be allowed to exist again. Now, I'm going to go put this Jellal guy in his place. You in the meantime stay as far away from me and my friends as possible." The boy raced away up the stairs and the woman winced in pain as her wound started to overtake her. As she began to slip out of consciousness she heard an old familiar voice that she hated enter her mind.

 _You have grown so terribly weak in the years since you left me. I am disappointed. To be bested by a mere child. I've barely even started teaching him yet._

The woman squeezed her eyes shut in anger.

"Damn you Master. Even after your death, you find a way to destroy me." All strength in her body gave out and she slumped off of the stairs and plummeted to the floor hundreds of feet below.

….

Jellal's eyes widened as he saw the twin swords piece on his board crack and fall flat against the game board. He slowly rose from his throne and stood over the game board before angrily tossing it across the room.

"First Trinity Raven and now-" He snarled.

"You were never one to throw temper tantrums Jellal." said the fury filled voice of a woman behind him.

Jellal stiffened before laughing, "I expected nothing less from all of you." he turned to see a woman clad in armor and pointing a sword at him standing behind him, "I'm truly impressed Erza."

"Why are you doing this Jellal?" asked the red haired woman with anger rising in her voice, "Why are you trying to complete this abomination!?" he voice softened a little, "What happened to you?"

Jellal glared at Erza, "I simply saw the true purpose of this tower. I saw how glorious it's purpose actually was." Erza wanted nothing more to break down and cry as she witnessed what her old friend had become, "As to why I am doing this? I plan to resurrect Zeref!" Erza's eyes widened, "And you will be the sacrifice that activates the R-System."

"Well it'll be hard for you to sacrifice me when I put my sword at your throat."

Jellal chuckled, "Good luck doing that in time."

"In time?"

"Only two minutes until Etherion fires Erza."

"I can take you down in that amount of time easily."

"Oh I'm sure you could," smirked Jellal, "But can you take me down and save your precious friend Joshua from Etherion's cleansing light in that short of time."

Erza's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean? What have you done to Joshua?"

"Other than try to kill him, nothing really. But he is in the tower and he is on his way to you, his version of a rescue attempt."

"NO!"

"Time to choose Erza… my life," he pointed to the floor, "Or his." Erza hesitated and glared hard at Jellal. The blue haired man smiled, "One minute."

Erza stored her sword and raced towards the staircase leaving Jellal to cackle alone in the throne room. Erza raced out of the room hearing the echoes of Jellal's insane laughter behind her. She felt the ethernanos in the air build up. The magical pressure was rising. Etherion was about to fire. She poured everything she had into sprinting down the stairs as she desperately tried to reach Joshua in time.

 _Please let me reach him in time!_

 **And end chapter! Wow that was a fun one to write. Who was the that woman Joshua was battling? I'm sure some of you know but how did someone like that end up in Earthland? I'll answer those questions as we continue on with the story. In the meantime I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	9. Chapter 9: Sacrifice

**Geez, I'm on a roll right now. Three chapters in three days! This is awesome! Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 9

"SO MANY DAMN STAIRS!" complained Joshua as he trudged up the long spiral staircase, "Whose bright idea was it to put stairs like this instead of an elevator? Seriously!"

Joshua pulled himself up another set of stairs and reached the next landing before bending over and placing his hands on his knees. He took a few deep breaths then looked up.

"Just a little further." he took a step forward then stopped.

The ethernanos in the air. They were alive and they were moving in a fury. The amount of magical pressure in the air was building to an amount that made Joshua shake with fear. Was this another threat waiting to battle him? If so, he was screwed.

"JOSHUA!" shouted a familiar voice near the top of the stairs. Joshua looked up and saw Erza racing down the steps towards him.

"Erza!" he waved happily. His smile faded as he saw the worried look on her face. She looked scared. No scared was an understatement. The most powerful person Joshua knew looked absolutely terrified. "Erza?"

The redhead tackled him on the landing.

"What are you doing here!?" she roared as she tightly gripped his shoulders, "You need to get out now!"

"B-but Erza, I'm here to rescue you." replied Joshua.

"You can't." she said softly, "I'm not going to leave this place alive Joshua." The boy's eyes widened as they started to glaze over with tears, "You have a chance still. But you need to leave now, Etherion is about to fire."

That shook Joshua's world. Etherion, the ultimate magic weapon. A magical firing circle so powerful it could wipe out nations in one shot. And now it was targeting the tower. Joshua started to tremble in Erza's arms.

"Now you need to go. Before it is too late." pleaded Erza. She let go of his shoulders and stood in front of him. "I need to take care of the person behind all of this."

Joshua felt tears dribbling down his cheeks. His lip quivered as he thought of Erza dying here and never being around anymore. He shook his head.

"No…" he trembled.

"Joshua, don't be stubborn!" yelled Erza.

"I won't leave you!" he yelled back.

The magical pressure in the air was now incredibly intense. It took a tremendous amount of strength for Joshua to just stand. He trudged forward to Erza and stared defiantly into her brown eyes.

"I won't leave." he said forcefully. His tears were gone now and instead anger was in his eyes, "If you're going to go down, then I'm going with you."

"Joshua don't be stupid!"

"You can't make me!" he shouted back.

A loud rumbling was heard and the tower began to shake. Erza's eyes widened and she stared up at the ceiling. She felt the magical energy bearing down on them. It was too late. She lunged towards Joshua and wrapped herself protectively around him. Then she braced herself for the end.

Above the tower a series of magic circles were aligned. The magical pressure around them was at the optimal level needed. A blinding light shot through the magical circles and slammed into the tower. The dark tower was enveloped in a pillar of intense magical light that destroyed all of the land around the tower. The entire earth around the blast shook and the ocean waters churned furiously. Out on a small boat, at the complete mercy of the sea, were a group of wizards that gasped and stared in horrified awe at the display of magical power.

"No…" breathed a man with raven colored hair and black pants on his legs. He wore no shirt and he trembled in shock at the tower was engulfed by the Etherion blast.

"Gray, did Natsu and Erza..." whimpered a blue cat next to the bare chested man as he fell to his knees in the boat. Next to Gray a blue haired woman wrapped her arms around a sobbing Gray.

Across the boat sat a blonde girl next to a block shaped man, a cat lady, and a blonde haired mage wearing a red jacket. All of them stared horrified as the tower disappeared within the blast radius. The blonde's hands covered her mouth and tears started to well up in her eyes. After several more minutes the light of Etherion faded away. All of the wizards in the boat braced themselves for the inevitable. The tower was gone, there would be nothing left. The light faded away completely and soon the smoke from the blast was blown away by the ferocious winds that were blowing through the area. As the smoke cleared Gray, Lucy, Juvia and the others were stunned by what they saw. The tower was not destroyed. But it was not the same either. The tower had been replaced by a massive crystal like structure. It glowed blue against the darks skies above.

"What?" gaped Lucy.

"A lacrima!?" exclaimed Gray, "But how!?"

"Does this mean Natsu and Erza are ok?" asked Happy.

"I don't know." replied Gray. He then turned to the blockhead, cat woman, and blonde haired man behind him, "Do you know anything about this?"

"We were clueless." replied the blockhead.

"Nya, yeah." replied the catwoman, "None of us were aware of this."

Gray stared at the giant lacrima pillar that jutted up into the night sky.

 _Please be careful Erza, Natsu._

….

Erza didn't feel any pain. Which was strange, because she knew that Etherion had hit the tower. Was this what it felt like to die? Was it truly this painless? She shifted her arms and felt the small body of Joshua still wrapped in them. She then opened her eyes and stared wide eyed around them. The tower had been obliterated and replaced with a giant magical lacrima. Her embrace around Joshua loosened and the ten year old glanced around as well, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the massive crystalline walls around them.

"Did we die?" he asked.

"I don't think so." replied Erza.

The sound of insane laughter filled the area around them. Erza's face hardened and she turned around to face the man laughing at them.

"Oh you are not dead. Not yet at least." laughed a man wearing a black coat with gold trimmings.

"Jellal." growled Erza.

"That's Jellal?" said Joshua behind her, "He doesn't look so tough!"

"But he is young one." said a second voice that sounded exactly the same as Jellal's. Joshua and Erza turned their heads to see a man in a white coat with black trimming casually walking up beside Jellal. The two looked completely identical, "I would know after all."

"I should have known." snarled Erza, "You always looked like a traitor Siegrain."

Joshua's eyes narrowed and his face scrunched into a frown. Magic council member Siegrain. He always got a bad feeling around this guy. And he was partly responsible for the magic suppression cuffs that were sealed onto his wrists. Joshua fist clenched by his sides. He had a bone to pick with him.

"My only question is why, Siegrain?" continued Erza, "If you truly cared about your brother then you wouldn't have let him go through with this insanity!"

 _Wait brother!? But, Siegrain feels so lifeless compared to Jellal._ Thought Joshua.

Siegrain and Jellal chuckled in unison. "You see Erza-" started Jellal.

"We aren't exactly separate people." finished Siegrain. He stepped towards Jellal. His outline began to grow blurry and he was soon absorbed into Jellal's form. Joshua's eyes widened.

 _That would explain a lot._

"A thought projection!" gasped Erza.

Jellal clenched his fists then opened them. He smiled, "Finally back to full strength. It's been far too long." He smirked at Erza then lowered himself into a fighting stance, "Now to acquire my sacrifice. Heavenly Body Magic: Meteor!"

Jellal's body began to glow with a light similar to stars. He squatted low before racing forward at a blinding speed that caught Erza off guard. He slammed an elbow into her stomach cracking her armor from the amount force behind the blow and sending her flying across the lacrima. Erza rolled and leapt to her feet.

"Stay behind me Joshua." she ordered before Jellal slammed into her again, but from the side this time.

Erza cried out in pain as she hit her head hard against and lacrima wall. Her vision grew spotty and a dark haze covered the edges of her vision. Before blacking out she looked over at Joshua and saw the boy completely paralyzed with fear. She fought to stay conscious, she had to protect him from Jellal. He was not strong enough to stand a chance against him. A fist slammed into her cheek and her vision blacked out completely.

….

Joshua was rooted in place, completely paralyzed with fear. He had never seen someone so powerful before. And he had never seen Erza so thoroughly beaten by anyone before. She was the strongest person he knew, and this Jellal person wiped the floor with her. He watched her fall unconscious against a lacrima wall as Jellal delivered a devastating punch. He felt fear strangling him. He couldn't move. He desperately wanted to help Erza, but against such an incredible force, what good was he?

"Ah, that was easier than I expected." smiled Jellal. He roughly grabbed Erza and carried her over to small crystal pillar in the room, "And you thought you could stop me."

He shoved her limp body into the pillar. Instead of bouncing off of the crystal the crystal seemed to suck her into it. Joshua could feel the effects immediately. The magic in the lacrima seemed to accept Erza's body and it felt like it began to break down her body.

"No…" he trembled, "You won't do this!" he charged at Jellal. The blue haired man smirked. Joshua suddenly felt a massive shock course through his body. He yelled out in pain and fell onto his face as electricity coursed through his small form.

"Those cuffs serve another purpose as well kid." said Jellal with an evil smirk, "I know how strong you actually are," he knelt in front of a gasping Joshua as more electricity rocked his body, "so I made sure that those cuffs had some sort of safeguard." He grabbed Joshua, "Maybe two sacrifices will do. After all, I'm not a cruel person. You and your dear Erza shall die together." he tossed Joshua into the lacrima.

Pain washed over his small body and he attempted to scream out but the lacrima drowned out all sound coming from him. The magic inside the lacrima was tearing at his body. It was the most unbearable pain he had ever felt. He then heard Jellal talking to him from the other side.

"Enjoy your last moments kid."

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"

Joshua looked up in shock and saw a stream of red hot fire launched at Jellal and catch the blue haired wizard off guard. He barely dodged the deadly column of fire and then whirled around, only to be met by a fist of fire.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"

Jellal flipped to remain on his feet, "Meteor."

He launched forward and slammed into the pink haired dragon slayer that had come to Joshua and Erza's rescue. Once Jellal was upon him it was apparent that Natsu was thoroughly outclassed. He couldn't hit Jellal now as the blue haired man attacked Natsu with fury. In a matter of seconds, Natsu was laying in a heap on the crystal floor.

 _We're doomed._ Thought Joshua.

He then heard Erza wince in pain. She was fighting but she was losing. He could feel her life force beginning to ebb away.

 _You are too weak to save your friends…._

"NO!" Joshua yelled at the top of his lungs he reached over and grabbed Erza fighting the pain that stabbing his body like needles.

He gripped her wrist and fought against the Lacrima's grip. His eyes flickered between fiery red and hazel. Through sheer will he dragged himself and Erza out of the Lacrima while Jellal was busy toying with Natsu. Joshua gasped for air as he was on his hands and knees outside of the lacrima. He looked over at Erza. She was alive, he could tell. Joshua breathed a sigh of relief.

"How did you get out?"

Joshua heard the voice and he hated it with every fiber of his being. He was no longer angry at Jellal. No, he hated him. He wanted to rip him limb for limb. Joshua shakily rose to his feet and stared down Jellal.

"Oh well, guess I'll have to get rid of you the old fashioned way." Jellal made a strange hand sign with his fingers, "I won't make the mistake of going easy on you." Jellal leapt into the air, "Heavenly Body Magic: Altairis!"

Joshua eyes widened as a massive amount of magic rocketed towards him from Jellal. He was too dodge. He squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the end. But it never came. Joshua opened his eyes and saw someone standing in front of him. The large man in front of him was the same one he saw back at the resort. His body was bleeding and bruised now and he was breathing heavily.

"S-Simon." gaped Erza as she awoke to see her childhood friend crumble to the ground in front of Joshua. She scrambled over to him while Joshua stared stunned at the man. She cradled Simon's head in her hands as he coughed and wheezed. "Simon!"

Joshua saw tears falling down from Erza's eyes as she leaned in close to hear the man named Simon whisper something to her. Then he saw Erza's begin to sob heavily as the body of Simon fell limp.

"SIMON!" screamed Erza as Simon's eyes closed and his breathing stopped. Joshua stared wide eyed at the man as Erza sobbed.

"What a fool." scoffed Jellal across the room from them, "Throwing away his life for nothing. He deserved it."

Something inside of Joshua snapped. This man, someone he had never met in his life, willingly gave his life to save his own. All because he knew Erza. And this coward in front of him that was mocking such a sacrifice had the gall to say such things about Simon. Joshua began to shake with fury as he heard Erza's sobs growing.

"You will pay." Joshua snarled as he looked up at Jellal.

"Oh really? How do you plan on doing that." He held out a hand and electricity shocked Joshua from the magic suppression cuffs, "You can't do anything with those cuffs on you." laughed Jellal.

 _Yes, use your aggressive feelings boy. Let the hatred flow through you._ Said the voice of the old man in Joshua's mind, _He has dared to mock you and your friends. He has tried to kill you and your friends. Make him suffer. Give into your anger, your hatred-_

"You don't need to tell me twice," Joshua looked up at Jellal. Jellal shifted as he saw Joshua's eyes were no longer hazel but now a menacing crimson color. "I'm going to annihilate you!"

The pressure around Joshua climbed dramatically and the Tower began to tremble. Cracks formed in the walls around them and Jellal began to lose his balance as the tower began to violently shake. Suddenly the sound of stone cracking echoed around them. The magic suppression cuffs fell from Joshua's wrists and crumbled to dust as they hit the ground. The shaking then stopped. Jellal and Erza looked at Joshua, whose face was now blank.

"That's better." he smiled.

Erza stared in awe at the ten year old standing over her. He seemed like a completely different person. He was much darker, hatred was evident in his eyes. The air around him was icy and the entire area felt lifeless. The pressure built up around Joshua and he suddenly propelled himself forward. Jellal stood in a defensive position and blocked a devastating punch from Joshua.

"Requip!" Joshua growled. His rapier appeared his left hand and he lashed out at Jellal.

The blue haired mage barely back away from the blade in time. Jellal smiled, this was interesting.

"Meteor." he rushed around Joshua and was about to strike when Joshua raised a hand towards him.

A massive chunk of Lacrima flew towards Jellal and caused him to alter course and avoid hitting the kid. He stopped his spell and stood still. The kid turned towards him. He held his right hand out and clenched his fist. A chunk of the tower broke off of the walls and was launched towards Jellal. Jellal ducked out of the way. But just as soon as he did another mass of lacrima hit him hard, then another, and another.

Jellal grit his teeth. He wasn't going to lose to this kid. He made a hand sign.

"Heavenly Body Magic: Grand Chariot!"

Seven stars in the sky lit up brightly. Joshua stopped his telekinetic onslaught and stared up at the sky before being engulfed in a massive amount of magical energy.

 _Well shit…_ Joshua braced for the pain.

"No!" screamed Erza as Joshua was launched away and lay in a crumpled heap on the ground. She built her own magical pressure, "Requip: Purgatory armor!"

Her body was engulfed in a bright light before she reappeared in bulky black armor. Power emanated from her as well as fury. She charged at Jellal and swung her blade at him. Jellal wasn't able to dodge in time and he was sent careening into the wall. He groaned in pain before rising to his feet once again.

"I'll admit, that one hurt."

"You will not touch him!" roared Erza as she stood defensively over Joshua's fallen form. The tower began to rumble once again and more cracks formed in the crystals around them.

"The tower is growing unstable." observed Jellal, "Unless a sacrifice is made, the tower will explode and destroy everything for miles around."

Erza's eyes widened.

"Everything in the area will die." continued Jellal, " If you wish to save him Erza, to truly save him, you will be my sacrifice."

Erza lowered her sword. She could feel the magic in the tower growing increasingly unstable. It wouldn't be long now. She looked down at Joshua and sighed before requipping back into her normal armor.

"Don't you do it Erza!" shouted Natsu who was now finally coming back to his senses after getting the crap beaten out of him by Jellal.

"Natsu," she mumbled, "Make sure you get Joshua out of here." she walked over to the lacrima crystal.

"DON'T DO IT ERZA!" shotued Natsu once again as he struggled to stand.

"If you don't do it Erza everyone here will die. Do you want that for them?" remarked Jellal as the tower began to shake even more violently.

"I know that now." she breathed. She closed her eyes and was about to step into the Lacrima's painful embrace when she suddenly felt an invisible force grip her body and hold her in place. She turned her head to see Joshua's outstretched hand pointing at her.

"I'm sorry Erza." he whispered

"Joshua-" She felt the force build up around her and then toss her away from the tower like a rag doll. She flew through the air and over the churning ocean, "JOSHUA!" The angry ocean below took her.

"You fool!" shouted Jellal at Joshua. "You really have a death wish don't you!"

Joshua rose to his feet and spat some blood onto the tower floor. "I won't let her become a sacrifice for a monster like you." The tower began to glow, "And if that means I die here. Then so be it."

Jellal grimaced, "You really care about her don't you."

"More than you could comprehend." replied Joshua.

Jellal smirked a little, "Alright then, looks like you will be the sacrifice instead."

Jellal surged forward. He had this kid, he wasn't moving out of the way. All he had to do was push him into the lacrima and it would be over. Suddenly pain washed over Jellal. He looked down to see a sword sticking through his stomach and out his back. The kid had sidestepped him so quickly that he didn't even see it. Jellal coughed blood and stared stunned at Joshua.

"I didn't say I'd do that willingly." Joshua yanked his rapier out of Jellal and smacked the hilt over the back of his head knocking the wizard out.

He took a deep breath and let his rage simmer down. He had won. Erza was safe. He had proven those in the guild who hated him wrong. He had done good. Joshua smiled as the magic grew far too unstable for the tower. He hoped Erza would forgive him for this. Joshua closed his eyes and let the tower take him.

….

Erza broke the surface and felt arms hook under her shoulders.

"I got you Erza!" said Gray as he pulled her into the boat.

"JOSHUA!" yelled Erza as she struggled against Gray and tried to get back to the crumbling tower.

"Erza stop!"

"NO! LET ME GO!" roared the redhead as she smacked Gray so hard that it knocked him out. She was about to leap into the water when the tower suddenly stopped glowing. A massive explosion occurred sending the boat and all of it's passengers flying through the air. Erza landed hard onto a sandy shore. They were thrown all the way back to the mainland by the explosion. She shook her head and tried to get the fog out of her mind.

 _NO!_

She jumped to her feet and looked out at the ocean. The tower was nowhere to be seen. Tears filled her eyes and she dropped to her knees.

"No…" she whispered. He was gone. Joshua was gone. Taken by the explosion. She closed her eyes. She didn't know what to do right now. Everything felt empty.

"Erza look!" shouted Lucy.

Erza eyes opened and she looked down the beach. Standing in the waves was Natsu and in his arms was a small ten year old boy. Erza's heart went to her throat and she held back sobs of both worry and joy. She rushed past Lucy and towards Natsu. Natsu dropped to his knees and set Joshua gently down onto the ground. Erza skidded to a stop in front of him and went onto her hands and knees.

"Natsu is he-"

Natsu looked up at her then he face broke into a toothy grin.

"Your welcome." he smiled.

She yelled out and hugged Natsu. Natsu was scared at first and thought Erza was trying to kill him as she squeezed him tightly in her arms.

"Choking-not-breathing!" gasped Natsu.

Erza ended her embrace then looked down at the unconscious ten year old in the sand. She smiled softly and picked him up.

"C'mon everyone. Let's get back to the resort."

….

"So Natsu, how the hell did you manage to get yourself and Joshua out of the tower?"

"Hm…" Natsu replied with a mouthful of food as they all sat out on Erza's room balcony. "M, nosh shure."

A metal fist smacked him over the head, "Swallow, Natsu." ordered Erza. Natsu quickly gulped the food down.

"I said, I'm not sure."

"How can you be not sure?" asked an exasperated Gray.

"I don't know! All I remember is grabbing Joshua and jumping out of the damn thing before it went boom. I have no idea how we made it."

"The explosion was a lot smaller than I thought it would be." Erza said as she leaned against the railing, "I mean, considering all of the magical energy in the tower, it should've wiped us all out. Instead it just shot us all the way back to the mainland."

"Maybe that Jellal guy stopped it somehow?" Lucy suggested as she leaned back in a chair.

"No way!" replied Gray, "That guy was rotten to the core. He wouldn't do something like that."

"Who knows." said Erza quietely, " We should all just be grateful that we are all safe now."

The others nodded.

"Hey Erza, where did Milliana and the others go?" asked Lucy.

"Yeah, I haven't seen them all day." Gray said.

Erza smiled lightly as she stared out at the ocean, "They went on their own adventure." she then yawned. "Alright everyone! I'm going to sleep."

"So?" said Natsu.

"So it's time for you to get out!" remarked Erza.

"You've never had a problem with us staying before." Gray observed.

"Gray." Erza glared at the ice wizard who gulped and quickly grabbed Juvia and Lucy.

"C'mon everyone we are leaving!" he said fearfully. Natsu and Happy quickly followed them.

When the door shut behind them Erza breathed a sigh of relief. Finally some peace and quiet. She rubbed her bandages and walked back into the room. On the bed lay Joshua, still unconscious after three days. She sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand along his face.

"Get well soon." she whispered before she yawned and slumped into a large easy chair.

 _This wasn't much of a vacation was it._ She smiled, _Oh well. When we get back the Fantasia parade will be happening soon. I'm sure Joshua will love it._ Erza yawned again and then closed her eyes as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

 **And end chapter! That ends the Tower of Heavan arc! I hope it met your guy's expectations. I'll have a new chapter ready to go soon. As always I hope you all enjoyed and have nice day!**


	10. Chapter 10: Poker and Pagent

**A new chapter ready to go! Let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 10

Joshua looked down at the five cards in his hands then he peered over them at the three other people he was playing with. His eyes then wandered over to the center of the table where a healthy pile of jewel's awaited claiming. Joshua looked down at his hand of cards again. His expression was completely emotionless, a perfect poker face. He looked back up and stared across the table at Wakaba. He seemed to have a blank expression as well, but he was chewing lightly on his cigarette.

 _He's bluffing._

Joshua looked over to Macao. He was a little easier to read than Wakaba. The purple haired wizard was rubbing his chin and moving from card to card with his right index finger.

 _He's unsure._

Then he turned his gaze to the most complex one of them all. The woman who just a few moments ago proudly boasted of never being beaten at a game of cards. The brunette named Cana had a perfect poker face on as well but for just a moment, Joshua saw her lips widen into a small smirk. It was very subtle, the two other wizards wouldn't have caught it. But Joshua did, he was good at paying attention to the details. Especially if it was details pertaining to something he enjoyed.

 _She's got something. Hmm…_ Joshua raised an eyebrow at his cards then grabbed a handful of Jewels and tossed them into the pile.

"Raise you two hundred."

"Eh!" exclaimed Wakaba. He looked at his own small stack of money before a look of defeat crossed his face, "I fold." he tossed the cards on the table and took a long puff of his cigarette before tossing the spent tobacco and lighting a new one.

"Already Wakaba?" chuckled Macao, "Must've been one shitty hand."

"You've got no idea." grumbled Wakaba.

"I call." stated Cana calmly.

There were mutterings all around them. Joshua finally noticed, everyone in the guild was watching this card game. In the background Joshua could hear the sand wizard, Max Alors, taking bets on who was going to win. Near the bar, Mira had a chalkboard with the odds put up on it. Joshua peaked over and grimaced at his own odds. Was Cana really that good? And since when did this little game of poker become such an event? Joshua sighed and shook his head.

"I call as well." said Macao.

"Alright everyone." said Warren, a brown haired, plain looking wizard who was acting as the dealer for the game, "Show em!"

Everyone waited with baited breath. Macao laid his cards down first. A pair of 10s and a pair of threes. Everyone ooh and aah around him and he leaned back confidently. Before Cana put her cards down she smirked over at Joshua.

"Hey kid, I want to make another bet."

"Hm… what kind of bet?"

"The kind that involves total embarrassment of course."

Joshua glanced at his hand. Then looked up at Cana.

"Ok, name it." The entire guild gasped.

"He's actually taking a bet from Cana!?" "That's insane!" "He's a real man!"

Cana closed her eyes and smiled devilishly, "If you lose you must kiss a girl."

Joshua's face turned ghost white, his eyes widened and pupils shrank. "Eh?"

"On… the… mouth." Cana said with a wicked smile.

"Alright, but for you," Joshua replied after getting out of his shocked stupor, "You need to… hmm…" he then grinned evilly at Cana, "Do a centerfold for Sorcerer Weekly… naked."

Every single guy in the entire room fell over with nosebleeds while every girl stared shocked at Joshua's reply. Wakaba and Macao were shaking slightly at the sudden intensity this friendly game took.

"Cana doing a centerfold…" trembled Wakaba.

"Dreams do come true." gasped Macao as they both stared stunned at Joshua and Cana.

Cana stared down Joshua before bursting into laughter.

"You've got balls kid! I like it!" she laughed, "Very well, but I don't think I'll be doing that centerfold." She laid her cards down.

"A STRAIGHT IN DIAMONDS!" announced Warren. Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd and money began to change hands.

"Hey, I haven't played mine yet!" Joshua yelled angrily.

The money returned to their original owners. Joshua sighed and looked down at his cards. Cana smiled confidently. She knew that look, she won.

"Looks like I'm… NOT kissing a girl!" cheered Joshua as he slammed his hand down and Max peered at it with stunned silence.

"R-royal… flush." stammered Warren. "J-Joshua wins."

"WHA!" "Cana lost!" "Holy crap." "I'm subscribing to Sorcerer weekly!"

Money exchanged hands and Joshua gathered the money at the center of the table grinning widely as he did so. He then looked over at a shocked Cana and gave her a peace sign.

"Enjoy the photo shoot." He teased.

"I'll get you back for this kid!" roared Cana before she stormed off. "Mira! I need alcohol asap!"

"Right away Cana!" Mira replied cheerfully.

"Alright everyone, game's over back to whatever you all were doing." said Macao.

The crowd around the table soon dispersed and Joshua began to pocket the stack of money he just won. As he did so he got the feeling that someone was glaring at him. And the glare was most likely terrifying. Joshua looked behind him to see Erza standing over him with one of her infamous death glares.

"What was your bet with Cana?" she asked slowly and quietly.

"Ummm… uh… Macao, Wakaba, help me!" he cried desperately.

"Sorry kid!"

"You're on your own."

"Both of you stop right there!" shouted Erza. Macao and Wakaba stopped trying to tiptoe away. "Turn around," Erza's foot was tapping against the guild hall floors, "And get back here." The pair carefully tip toed back to their seats.

"Now Joshua, I'll ask again-"

"Oh you already know it!" *WHACK* Erza's metal hand hit him upside the head knocking the boy out instantly.

"I won't stand for disrespect."

"We're so dead." muttered Wakaba fearfully. Macao could only gulp nervously.

"And you two." Erza glared at Wakaba and Macao, "Filling his head with such vulgar things, it's disgraceful!"

"Now Erza, he's going to figure that stuff out sooner or later!" Wakaba stammered as he waved his hands defensively in front of him.

"I'd prefer later!" Erza sent the smoke mage flying across the room. "And Macao-"

"Just get it over with already." groaned Macao as he braced for the pain.

"I expected more from someone Joshua looks up to." she then just walked away with Joshua slung over her shoulder. Macao stared at them in stunned silence.

"He looks up to me?"

….

Lucy groaned and held her head in her hands as she stared down at a napkin with a bunch of large numbers penciled onto it. She then laid her head back against the booth's backrest and sighed. As she did this Erza sat down and set Joshua down next to her. He shook his head and came back to consciousness as a bag of potato chips was wafted in front of his face.

"How am I gonna pay for rent!?" she complained.

"Whoa those are a lot of zeros." said Natsu who leaned across her and stared closely at the napkin.

"PERSONAL SPACE!" she yelled as she shoved him away. "And yeah it's a lot of zeros! The vacation really dipped into my income. I've got no way of paying for rent right now!"

"Oh yeah! Happy!" called Natsu.

"Aye sir!"

"Do you have the thing?"

"Which thing are you talking about, Natsu?"

"The paper thing!?" exclaimed Natsu.

"You have a lot of those Natsu." shrugged the floating blue cat.

Natsu pulled on his pink hair, "The paper thing for Lucy!"

"Which one?"

"Which one?" gaped Lucy, "What paper things are we talking about here?"

"The one with the 500,000 jewel on it." Natsu replied as he crossed his arms.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Happy as he dug a rolled up paper out of his green bag on his back, "Here you go Lucy!"

Lucy grabbed the paper from the blue cat's tiny paw and unrolled it.

"Miss Fairy Tail beauty contest," read Lucy, "Winner gets… 500,000 jewel!"

"Yup!"

"Whoa that's a lot of money." remarked the ten year old that just finished munching on a bag of potato chips, "Can I get in on that?"

"It's Miss Fairy Tail." deadpanned Lucy.

"Oh. Why isn't there a Mr. Fairy Tail, Erza?"

The redhead sitting next to Joshua shrugged, "I don't know."

"Maybe it's because none of the guys here are attractive." remarked Happy.

"HEY! THAT INCLUDES YOU!" roared Natsu.

"But I'm a cat."

"500,000 jewel is a lot of money. I could use that to buy some more armor." Erza mumbled.

"And more food for me." smiled Joshua as he rubbed his stomach.

"Please tell me you are not joining the contest." pleaded Lucy.

"It's settled," declared Erza, "I'll be joining the Miss Fairy Tail contest."

"Woo hoo!" cheered Joshua.

"There goes my chances at winning." Lucy complained completely defeated.

Joshua grabbed the flier and looked it over, "The contest is tomorrow, before the harvest festival."

"Then we must train for it!" declared Erza.

Joshua looked up at Erza, "I don't think you can train for a beauty pageant Erza." he deadpanned before Erza violently grabbed him.

"C'mon Joshua," she sprinted out the door with Joshua tucked under her right arm, "We must prepare!"

"Save me!" he cried as she rushed away with him.

….

It was the day of the Harvest festival in Magnolia. Thousands of people were out on the streets of the town enjoying the mid-day festivities. There were merchandise and foods stands set up all over the city and the entire town was being decorated for the festival and for the ultimate event of the day, the Fantasia parade. The parade was put on by the wizards in the Fairy Tail guild. Normally they would all be working diligently on this parade, but right now something much more important was going on. Townsfolk from all over were gathering inside of the brand new guild hall, mostly men as they anticipated the annual Miss Fairy Tail contest.

Joshua sat in the crowd as well. He was munching on another bag of potato chips as he sat next to Gray.

"So why are you here again Josh?" asked the ice mage as he stared completely bored up at the empty stage.

"To support Erza." he replied with a mouthful of chips. "She'd kill me if I didn't show up."

"I can actually see that happening as a matter of fact." sweatdropped Gray.

"Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me either." said a pink haired fire dragon slayer on the other side of Joshua.

"Natsu?" exclaimed Gray before he began to sip on a soda.

"Wow Natsu, I didn't know you were into this sort of stuff." stated Joshua.

"Eh, I'm just bored today." shrugged Natsu. Joshua narrowed his eyes and grinned mischievously.

"You sure it's not to catch a certain blonde possibly wearing a bikini?" Gray spat out his soda while Natsu attempted to defend himself.

"I- uh -I-"

Joshua patted him on the back, "It's ok Natsu, you can talk to us."

"What would you know of this sort of thing!?" he shouted while Gray fell over in his seat laughing.

"I do hang out with Macao and Wakaba when I'm not training." pointed out Joshua.

The sound of a someone tapping on a microphone distracted Joshua from further tormenting Natsu. Up on the stage stood Max Alors in a spiffy blue suit.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you so much for coming to the Miss Fairy Tail contest today!"

A round of cheers from the men that made up 99% of the crowd reverberated through the guild hall. Joshua looked around and then sighed before sipping on his own soda.

"Today! We will see the most beautiful girls in our guild battle it out in a contest of beauty!" declared Max, "We have seven contestants today! First up, she is a gorgeous girl who can easily drink you under the table, Cana Alberona!"

Cana stepped out onto the stage as people cheered for her. She smiled the cast three cards onto the ground. Smoke enveloped her then went away quickly revealing her in a skimpy bathing suit. All the men in the audience cheered and hollered, Joshua shrugged.

"Next up, a wonderous woman who will shoot your heart out with her good looks! Bisca Mulan!"

The green haired sharpshooter for Fairy Tail jumped up onto the stage and requiped into a bathing suit with a rifle in hand. She cheered before throwing three coins in the air and firing a single bullet through all of them. Joshua could vaguely hear the other gun magic user, Alzack, shout "hot" as this occurred.

"Next, one of the newest members of our guild who will wash you away with love, Juvia Lockser!"

 _Another bathing suit._ observed Joshua as he sipped on his soda.

"Does my beloved Gray see me now!" cried Juvia as she did her routine causing the ice mage to blush a little.

"Next up! Her beauty has stolen the hearts of thousands around the world, she is the current Miss Fiore! Mirajane Strauss!"

Mirajane casually stepped up onto the stage wearing her typical maroon dress. She smiled kindly out at the cheering crowd.

"Today I'm going to show you all my specialty, transformation magic."

The crowd's cheers grew even louder. Mira face went poof into a cloud of smoke then reappeared looking exactly like Happy's face.

"This is my Happy face!" she declared happily. The crowds cheers died away as they stared in stunned silence at her display. She wiped her hands over her face and her features changed to that of Gajeel's, "This is my Gajeel face."

"AHA!" laughed Joshua.

"I'll get you kid!" Joshua heard Gajeel yell from the back.

"Thank you Mira." Max sweatdropped, "Next, we have the queen of fairies herself. You know her by the moniker Titania, Erza Scarlet!"

"GO ERZA!" cheered Joshua as the scarlet haired knight strode up onto the stage.

She smiled when she saw Joshua then she began her requip sequence. Soon she stood on the stage in a crazy outfit that the crowd loved for some reason, Joshua couldn't understand why.

"Alright!" shouted Max, "Our last contestant is Lucy Hear-"

"DON'T SAY MY LAST NAME!" hissed Lucy from the back. Joshua nudged Natsu.

"Your girlfriend is about to go." he teased.

"She ain't my girlfriend!" shouted Natsu.

Lucy stepped out onstage in a blue cheerleaders outfit. At her feet was the celestial spirit known simply as Plu.

"Me and my celestial spirits are going to perform a cheer for all of-"

"Contestant number eight!" shouted a new voice Joshua did not recognize.

"Hey, I didn't even get to do my routine!" yelled Lucy angrily.

Another woman with a curvaceous figure stepped out onto the stage. She wore a short green dress that loosely went over her shoulders. Over her eyes were a pair of glasses and she had light brown hair that was cut short but not too short. She confidently stepped forward. Joshua heard both Gray and Natsu gasp at her approach.

"Evergreen?" breathed Natsu.

"She's back!" exclaimed Gray, "But that means the Thunder God Tribe is here too."

"Thunder God Tribe?" said Joshua with a raised brow.

"The true fairy queen shall win this competition. And of course, the true fairy queen is yours truly." she declared boastfully.

"Hey I still got to go!" Lucy cried angrily at the woman named Evergreen.

Evergreen glanced over at Lucy with disinterest. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" she tipped her glasses and suddenly Lucy froze and turned to stone.

"LUCY!" shotued Natsu.

"Evergreen!" shouted the Master as the crowd panicked and fled from the guild hall, "What is the meaning of this!? Turn her back this instant!"

A thunderclap filled the building causing Joshua to jump up and the hair on his head to stand on end. He still didn't like thunder. A lightning bolt arced from the building and impacted with stage. As the blinding light from the bolt went away three men replaced it and stood beside Evergreen.

"Oh c'mon gramps, we're just trying to have a little fun."

Joshua looked up to see Freed standing silently to the right of the man who was talking. To the left of the man was a guy wearing a really strange outfit with a knight's helmet covering his head. And standing in front of them both was a man with spiky blonde hair. He was wearing dark pants and a purple collared shirt with a fur coat slung over his shoulders. His right eye was covered with a lightning bolt shaped scar.

"Laxus! What is the meaning of this!?" demanded Makarov.

"I just want to see who is the strongest in the guild. And the only way to accomplish that is to get you all to fight each other."

Joshua narrowed his eyes at the blonde named Laxus. This guy was bad news and he was definitely a jerk.

"We won't fight each other Laxus!" declared Elfman, "Men don't fight friends!"

"Oh you will," chuckled Laxus, "To save your precious girls you will." The red curtain behind him dropped revealing all of the Miss Fairy contestants turned into stone statues.

"ERZA!" shouted Joshua.

"Laxus…" growled Makarov.

"You have two hours to save the girls by defeating me and the Thunder God Tribe. Fail… and they will crumble to dust."

Joshua had enough. He launched forward at Laxus but was then struck with a torrent of lightning.

"Don't be so impatient kid." snarled Laxus, "Oh, and for all of you… competitors. Make sure you stick to the rules." A flash of lighting and the four figures on stage disappeared.

"I think I'm going to really hate that guy." snarled Joshua as he rose from the floor.

"You heard what he said. We have to find them and defeat them in order to free the girls!" shouted one of the wizards.

"Let's go!"

Everyone sprinted out of the guild hall and soon it was just Joshua, Natsu, Happy, Gajeel, and the Master standing in the empty space. Joshua got to his feet and shook some dust of his small body.

"I've got to go save Erza!" he shouted but the strong arm of Makarov stopped him.

"Don't go anywhere."

"WHY NOT!?" yelled Joshua.

"Because, this is just a trap set by Laxus to fracture the guild." Joshua's eyes widened with realization, "And Erza would kill me if anything happened to you."

"Really!?" cried Joshua who was thoroughly annoyed now. "She won't mind." He broke away from the Master's grip and sprinted towards the doorway. He was about to barrel through when he face planted into an invisible wall along with Natsu. "What the hell!?" Joshua exclaimed as he tried to push past. Runes appeared in the empty doorway. "Freed." Joshua snarled.

The master walked over, "No one who is over the age of eighty or a stone statue is permitted to leave this building." The master glanced over at Natsu and Joshua, "Why can't you two leave!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" roared Natsu, "But it's pissing me off!"

Joshua threw himself against the rune wall. The wall bent against him then he phased through somehow. Joshua blinked and looked back at the Master and Natsu who stared at his slack jawed.

"Heh, must've been a glitch at first." laughed Joshua.

"WHY CAN'T I GET THROUGH!?" roared Natsu as he punched the rune wall. "I WANNA FIGHT TOO!"

"Joshua."

Joshua looked down at the old man, "Yes Master."

"I can't believe I'm saying this. But you may be one of our few hopes right now. You no longer have the magic suppression cuffs sealing your powers away. This makes you one of the more powerful wizards out in the city right now. I need you to find Evergreen, or any other member of the Thunder God tribe, and take them out!" ordered Makarov.

"It'll be my pleasure!" Joshua gave the master a thumbs up before sprinting away from the guild.

Natsu looked down at Makarov, "Did you really mean that? Is Joshua really that strong? Cause if he is I want to fight him now!"

"No Natsu. Joshua has the enthusiasm to do this job. But in terms of power, I'd say he is a long shot at this point." Makarov balled his old hands into fists, "But we have to put our faith in him that he will come out on top!"

 _Please don't fail us Joshua._

….

Joshua sprinted through the streets of Magnolia passing innocent civilians who were completely unaware of what was occurring around them. He was desperately searching for that Evergreen lady. He knew that if he could beat her, the spell on Erza and the other girls would be lifted. The ground rumbled and Joshua could hear the sounds of wizards clashing all over the city.

"Dammit, I'm not getting anywhere doing things this way."

Joshua stopped running and sat down. He focused and let his magic spread out around him. He began to feel his way through his surroundings searching for the woman in the green dress. After several moments he located her, and she was only a few blocks away.

"Gotcha." Joshua breathed.

Joshua rose to his feet and started running forward when he bumped into Macao and Wakaba going at it. The runes around the three changed.

"Joshua?" said Macao.

"Hey kid," breathed Wakaba, "How's it going?"

"About as badly as you'd think." replied Joshua, "Are you two fight each other?"

"Unfortunately." replied Macao, "We can't leave this area until the strongest mage wins. And unfortunately, that includes you now."

Both Macao and Wakaba turned to Joshua and raised their magical pressures.

"I'm sorry kid, I really don't want to do this." apologized Macao.

"Yeah Josh, please don't take this personally. We're just trying to save the girls." said Wakaba as he covered himself in his smoke magic.

"I'm sorry too." whispered Joshua before he balled a fist up and smiled at Macao and Wakaba, "Cause I'm going to beat you all to a pulp! Bring it on!"

 **And cliffhanger! The battle of Fairy Tail arc has begun! How do you think this will go down now that Joshua is in the fray? And how was he able to break through the magical barrier around the guild hall? Let me know what you all think? Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and as always, have a nice day!**


	11. Chapter 11: Battle of Fairy Tail Begins

**Alrighty! It's thanksgiving break so expect a slew of chapters to come out for all of my stories on this site! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 11

 _ **In a portion of the galaxy, light years away from Earthland….**_

The room was cold and dark, lit dimly by a few glowing lamps along the walls that helped deepen the shadows of the black room. Outside the pitter patter of rain hopping off of the glass windows filled the room with calming music. The room had opulent chairs placed around metal tables. But above all of the different sitting areas was a lone, long metal desk that curved like a crescent room around a large red chair with a long back. In the chair sat a figure hunched over and decrepit looking. His bony hands had a vice like grip on the arms rests. The figure wore jet black robes with a hood that shadowed out his hideously scarred facial features. The figure's eyes were closed as he calmly breathed in the filtered air around him. His face started to scrunch up a little as he began to react to an unknown feeling entering his mind.

 _You First!  
That's Better!_

 _I'm sorry too! Cause I'm going to beat you to a pulp! Bring it on!_

The figure's eyes shot open revealing crimson irises that breathed out evil and hatred beneath deep lines and wrinkles that made up his forehead. The figure grimaced and calmly moved his hand over to a control panel on his desk. With a thin bony finger, he pressed a blue button on the panel and immediately a blue projection appeared on his desk. The projection was of a man wearing what seemed to be a brownish gray military uniform. His rank wasn't very high as the colored badges on his left breast were relatively few. The man quickly saluted the hooded figure.

"You excellency, how may I serve you today?" asked the military man with a salute.

"Get me Lord Vader, immediately." croaked the figure with a gravelly voice.

"Yes my lord!" the soldier saluted as the hologram faded away with a round of buzzing static.

The thin, pale skinned figure folded his hands in front of his face as he patiently waited for the hologram to reappear. Within seconds the hologram space on his desk was illuminated with a blue glow yet again. Only instead of a soldier, a man wearing black armor with a black cape, black helmet, and black facemask was seen kneeling in hologram.

"What is thy bidding my master?" said the kneeling armored figure with a deep artificial voice that boomed off of the walls around the aged figure he was speaking to.

"Lord Vader, there has been a disturbance in the Force. Have you felt it?" asked the figure.

"Indeed I have master. Although the cause of such a disturbance eludes me."

The figure frowned underneath his hood, "The Dark Side of the Force, it is no longer giving us clear vision. It has become clouded over in recent months. The force is filled with uncertainty."

"I have felt this as well my Master."

That truly concerned the elderly man behind the desk. The man before him, Darth Vader, was renowned for his premonitions of the future. Even though they rarely occurred in the present the armored man was known far and wide among those who were force sensitive for his foresight into the future as well as his clairvoyance with the present.

"That is concerning. Has this clouded your vision as well?"

"It has."

"Hm… I was meditating, when I saw a strange planet filled with incredible beings. The planet was very strong in the force. But in particular, my meditations let me hear the voice of a young boy. I have no doubts that the force is showing us who is causing this disturbance. But it also is choosing to keep information from us as well."

"Could it be that the Force wishes to wait and see what will occur due to this disturbance before revealing to us the cause?" asked Darth Vader.

Sidious tilted his head slightly to the side slightly. "Possibly. But I will not wait on the force to turn against us. I want you to meditate on this disturbance Lord Vader. Forget hunting down Jedi, your prime directive is to hunt down the cause of this disturbance, and eradicate it."

"It will be done, my master."

"Good, you are dismissed."

The hologram faded away and the armored man rose from his kneeling position. The armored man was known throughout the galaxy as Darth Vader. He was the right hand of Emperor, whom he had just spoken to. He was the fist of the empire, while the Emperor was the brain. Vader's breathing was completely artificial as it echoed off of the cavernous space he was standing in. He twitched his fingers towards a light switch on the far wall. The button was pushed in and bright light illuminated the dark space. He then tapped a button on the far control near him. A hologram of another military man appeared. This one was more aged and much higher up the chain of command judging by the multiple red and blue badges pinned to his uniform.

"Lord Vader!" he saluted.

"Admiral Yularen, there has been a change of plans. I wish to make contact with Jabba the Hut. Set a course for Tatooine."

"Yes my Lord." replied the aged Admiral before the hologram faded away.

Vader rose. The Emperor, he was worried about this shift in the force. Vader could sense the slightest twinge of fear in the old man's voice when they discussed the anomaly that they had just felt in the force. To be honest, this was one of the few moments he was disgusted with the Emperor fearing something. The force was in flux, something that hadn't happened in over a decade. Not since the end of the Galaxy wide Clone Wars had a disturbance such as this occurred. The helmeted behemoth of a man knew what he needed right now. He needed a bounty hunter and a damn good one at that. He needed to find information about the planet the Emperor saw. It was best to do this quickly, the Emperor was not a forgiving master.

….

"Purple Rain!"

Joshua's eyes widened as he dodged the onslaught of firebolts launched at him from Macao. The firebolts flew past his twisting body and careening into a nearby building smashing it to bits. Joshua regained his balance and pointed an open palm toward Macao.

"Push!" he shouted and Macao flew backwards and into a concrete wall with tremendous force. Joshua smirked as he landed his magical blow.

"Don't get cocky kid, remember you are fighting two opponents right now!" shouted another voice behind him. "Now get a taste of my smoke magic! Smoke Crush!"

Fists of smoke flew towards Joshua from Wakaba's lit cigarette. Joshua waved a hand in front and used his own telekinetic powers to disperse the smoke easily causing Wakaba's eyes to widen.

"I don't think your smoke magic is an ideal way to fight me Wakaba." laughed Joshua as he rushed him and planted a fist in the older mage's gut. Wakaba grunted in pain and fell to his knees.

"Damn, first cards, now magic." Wakaba coughed, "Looks like you beat me again kid." he then fell down face first onto the dusty ground, knocked out.

"Wow, talk about a punch kid!" remarked Macao as he got up from being thrown into a house wall, "Since when did you get this tough."

"I do more in my free time than play cards with you guys." smiled Joshua, "Me and Erza are constantly training. Especially now that I have full access to my magical abilities again." Joshua stretched out his arm and let his left arm be engulfed in a bright light. His rapier soon appeared in his hand he quickly pointed it at Macao, "Shall we continue?"

"You're enjoying this way too much kid." grumbled Macao.

"Oh, is the old man frustrated that he's getting passed up by a kid." Joshua remarked playfully.

"Why you little brat!" Macao extend his own hand and launched a stream of purple fire at Joshua. He smirked at the flames rushed at Joshua faster than the kid expected. With a bang the flames connected a caused a small explosion. "Gotcha!"

"Nope, I got you!" said a voice behind the purple haired wizard.

Macao's eyes widened as he turned around and was met with Joshua's fist slamming into his cheek. Macao's head was sent spinning and he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Joshua didn't smile when Macao hit the ground. Instead he looked solemnly at his two knocked out guildmates, two guys that he actually sort of looked up to. He sighed, this wasn't right. He didn't want to pass them up this way, by beating the crap out of them in a Fairy Tail Battle Royale instigated by an insane Laxus Dreyer. He wanted to pass them up more in a passing the torch kind of way. But instead this is the way things went. It saddened the ten year old a little.

"That was quite the display of power there kid." said an eloquent male voice behind Joshua.

Joshua's brow furrowed as he turned and looked up to the top of the building behind him. Standing on the edge of the roof was a man with long green hair, a red coat with gold buttons and a rapier held in hand.

"Freed." Snarled Joshua.

The member of the thunder god tribe flipped down to meet Joshua.

"Why didn't you strike Macao with you sword, you had it drawn after all?" asked Freed calmly.

"This sword is only meant for opponents that I intend to get serious with. And I sensed you coming from a mile away."

Freed frowned. So the kid wasn't even going all out against Macao and Wakaba. The guild really has gotten weak.

"I don't remember you being quite that powerful last time I saw you. In fact, last I saw you, you could barely hold a sword properly."

"Well it's been over half a year, I'd say I've improved quite a bit." retorted Joshua with a serious stare.

"Indeed you have. But now you are my enemy, and even though I may at one time have thought of you as a comrade, you are no longer such a thing."

Joshua felt some anger rising in him, "And why is that?"

"You are one of the main reasons Laxus has decided to go through with this power grab." Freed stated plainly, "He is completely disgusted that the old man would allow a murderer like you to remain in the guild. It has destroyed our reputation and made us look not only weak, but evil."

"I did not murder those people! I don't even remember the incident!" shouted Joshua angrily.

"Regardless of whether you remember it or not." Freed replied, "You were there, even the magic council doesn't dispute that fact. And now you will face the justice you managed to avoid all those weeks ago."

Joshua readied himself into the fighting stance that Freed had taught him when he had first arrived at the guild over six months ago.

"Freed, we don't have to do this. You don't have to do this. If you want to resolve this so badly then just take it out on me, don't bring the rest of the guild into this." Joshua said calmly, "They don't deserve it."

"Oh but they do. They went along with you staying. Their fate was sealed at that moment." Freed didn't even give Joshua the courtesy of saluting him with his blade, "And I fully intend on taking out my anger on you."

The air stood still for a moment as the two stayed stock still, Blades reflecting the bright sunlight as they pointed at their opponent. The wind picked up and the dust in the cramped courtyard they were standing in swirled around them. A bird landed on the far roof from Joshua. The silence was defeaning, then the bird chirped once. The two Fairy Tail wizards launched forward at breakneck speed swinging their blades in a wide arc at each other. The two rapiers clashed in the center with a rain of sparks as metal grinded against metal.

Joshua reached back with his free right hand and gathered up his magic in it before thrusting his open palm forward sending a powerful telekinetic push into Freed. The green haired mage skidded backwards but was not thrown off his feet like Macao was. He kept his balance and easily parried a barrage of slashes and thrusts from the young boy.

"You have improved haven't you." remarked Freed. Suddenly runes appeared around Joshua, "But you ares still very slow."

Joshua felt an electrical shock course through his body causing him to drop his sword and stagger about for a moment.

"Anyone who enters those runes and uses a blade, shall experience painful electrical shocks for as long as he handles that sword." Explained Freed. "You cannot fight me without your sword, you are a requip mage after all."

Joshua smirked at him after recovering from the electrical shock, "Requip was my second magic you idiot." Freed's eyes widened. Joshua pushed his hands forward, "Massive Push!"

Freed felt an invisible fist slam into his body and send him flying backwards through the wooden walls of a house. He then felt a smaller fist slam into his gut causing him to grunt in pain. The cries of panic were heard in the house. Freed and Joshua both looked to their right and saw a shocked family sitting quietly at their dining table about to eat lunch.

Joshua grinned sheepishly at them, "I owe you a new wall. Sor- *oof*"

It was Freed's turn now to send Joshua flying through a wall and out onto an open street. Joshua skidded on the stones that made up the road scraping the skin on his as the pavement dug holes into his brown cloak that he always wore. Joshua flipped back up onto his feet and faced Freed with a smile.

"This is more like it." Joshua grinned as he tossed the ruined brown cloak away. He now stood in just black pants and a dirtied white T-shirt, "I love being challenged like this."

"Don't get used to having fun, criminal." snarled Freed as he readied himself for the next round with Joshua, "Your judgement is about to begin."

….

 _ **Meanwhile, back at the guild hall.**_

"Joshua vs. Macao vs. Wakaba…" read Happy from the runes on that blocked the exit, "The winner is Joshua."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Natsu, "He took them both out by himself! Ah man now I really wanna get out there and see what he's made of!" Natsu threw himself at the rune wall again only to bounce off of it.

"Wait a moment, another match… oh no!" cried Happy, "Joshua vs. Freed, ongoing."

"What!" gasped the Master, "Joshua is not match for someone like Freed! He could get himself killed!"

"There's no one else out there that is capable of taking on Freed though." replied Happy solemnly.

"Wait! Where's Gajeel!?" asked Makarov hopefully.

The sound of metal crunching and bending was heard behind them. Makarov, Natsu, and Happy all turned to see Gajeel peaking up from behind the bar with several metal spoons sticking out of his mouth.

"You've been here this whole time!" cried the Master.

"What the hell man!" roared Natsu.

"What, I was hungry. Plus I didn't see any need to get involved." said Gajeel as he explained why he was still even inside of the guild hall.

"Gajeel," stated Makarov, "We need your help. Joshua is locked in combat with Freed. I need you to find them, defeat Freed, then find and defeat Laxus! Do you understand!?"

Gajeel smiled, "Gihi, I'm looking forward to it." he strode confidently forward as he swallowed the last bits of a metal spoon, "Just relax and leave everything to me."

*WHACK* Gajeel slammed face first into the rune wall causing Makarov, Natsu, and Happy to gasp with stunned shock. Gajeel growled and pushed his hands up against the rune wall.

"What the hell!" he snarled.

"Wow, I didn't know you were over eighty." Stated Natsu.

"Do I look eighty to you!" roared Gajeel. "I would know if I was a stone statue!"

"Then why can't you get through!?" yelled Natsu back.

"I don't know! Probably the same reason as you, idiot!"

"What'd ya call me metal mouth?" growled Natsu as he drove his forehead against Gajeel's.

"You heard me flame brain." Glared Gajeel as the two were about to go into an all out brawl.

"Enough you two!" Makarov's hand, now massive in size, smacked into both of them, "We need to figure this out so we can save the girls and go find Laxus!"

"Damn it all." grumbled Natsu, "I guess I'll have to unfreeze Erza then."

"SAY WHAT!?" exclaimed both Makarov and Gajeel in unison.

"How the hell are you going to do that?" asked Gajeel.

"Simple, I'm going to melt the stone off with my fire." remarked Natsu in a matter of fact tone as he approached Erza with an ignited hand.

"That's not how that works Natsu!" exclaimed Makarov desperately.

"Relax gramps I know what I'm doing." Natsu hovered the flames closer to Erza's body, "I'm just bummed that I don't get a taste of the action before she does."

 _*CRACK*_ Natsu looked down to see a large crack forming along stone Erza's forehead. Natsu caught his breath and his heart leapt to his throat.

"Oh no!" He quickly put his flames out and tried to squeeze Erza's cracking head back together.

"What have you done!?" cried Makarov as he too began to panic.

"I'm so sorry- I'm so sorry!" panicked Natsu as more cracks began to form in Erza's stone form, "Happy, do we have glue!?"

"No stupid that won't work. We have to use my iron and your fire to weld her back together!" barked Gajeel as he made his fist into an iron rod.

"NO! DON'T DO THAT TO ERZA!" yelled the Master desperately.

More cracks began to form and Natsu began to bow up and down on the floor as he begged for forgiveness and seemingly prayed to any known force to stop the stone from cracking while Makarov, Gajeel, and Happy raced around the empty guild hall in a panic. Finally one last crack occurred and the stone disappeared in a sea of sparks revealing a confused but unharmed Erza in her Miss Fairy Tail competition outfit.

Erza glanced around the guildhall confused for a moment, "I feel hot." She then shot Natsu a murderous glare, "IT WAS YOU!" her fist landed solidly against Natsu's chin as she sent the pink haired mage flying across the empty guild hall.

"Erza!" cried Natsu painfully as he slammed into the far wall.

"Erza!" yelled Makarov, "You alright!"

"Yes, apparently so."

"But how?" asked the Master.

"I don't know. But if I had to guess it had something to do with my artificial eye." she looked around the empty guild hall noticing the lack of a certain ten year old in the room, "Where is Joshua?"

Makarov began to sweat profusely, "I-uh-"

Erza's eyes narrowed at the old man, "Where… is… he?" she then looked over at the scoreboard made of purple runes. Her eyes widened as she read, Joshua vs. Freed- match ongoing.

"Erza! I can explain!" stammered the Master as the red head's face was shadowed out by her hair.

"You let Joshua, go out to fight this battle royale… on his own… knowing full well what the majority of the guild thinks of him!" growled Erza.

"I uh- I-"

"Get out of my way." Erza snarled as she sidestepped the anxious Master, "There is a green haired pretty boy begging for a beatdown."

….

"Dark Ecriture: Reflect!" A mirror made of runes appeared in front of Freed as a large piece of rubble impacted with the defensive runes, shattering the projectile into pieces.

He then quickly moved his sword up to parry another vicious slash from Joshua.

 _This boy is powerful. He has a tremendous amount of potential just waiting to surge forth. That much I can tell._

Freed parried another series of strikes from Joshua before dodging another telekinetic blast from the kid. He then noticed that Joshua was starting to take shorter breaths. His body was covered in grime and sweat and he was panting.

 _Ah… but he is tiring out. My turn to go on the offensive._

Freed planted his foot into the ground and springboarded forward catching Joshua off guard. He placed a kick into Joshua's side before lashing out with his sword. He felt the metal bite into Joshua's right shoulder causing the boy to cry out in pain. Freed then wrote runes in the air with his free hand.

"Dark Ecriture: Pain!" The runes for pain landed on Joshua's forehead.

"The hell?" remarked Joshua before otherworldly pain racked his body and sent him falling to his knees.

Joshua was no longer crying out in pain as Freed landed another pain spell on him. The kid was screaming bloody murder now. His whole existence now was pain. It feasted on him, filling his every waking thought.

 _Boy… a true user of the Force… feeds off of pain. You will learn this truth soon enough._

Another pain spell hit Joshua and sent him sprawling on the ground.

"Justice for you actions has now come. I will skip the second forbidden Ecriture so I can bring about your end more swiftly. The final ecriture, death." Freed wrote the runes in the air as Joshua gasped for air and relief.

"NO!" shouted a female voice that brought Joshua back from the edge of consciousness.

He felt someone pick him up and tackled him away as the final dark ecriture landed harmlessly against the stone ground. Joshua cracked his tear filled eyes open and, through his bleary vision, saw Erza standing over him. But that wasn't possible. She was a stone statue back at the guild hall. Joshua fought to remain conscious as he stared at Erza facing a surprised Freed.

"How did you manage to get out of Evergreen's spell?" questioned Freed.

Erza didn't answer him. Instead she gave him a glare that meant death for anyone who was on the receiving end of her wrath.

"You just tried to kill Joshua." she snarled.

"Yes, I tried to kill a murderer and a criminal who escaped justice. Why does that concern you?" Freed then widened his eyes in realization, "Don't tell me you've grown attached to the boy."

Erza glanced down at Joshua, "He's like a little brother to me Freed. I will not allow him to harmed by anyone!" She requiped into her Heaven's Wheel armor and summoned ten swords to circle around her, "Not unless they are willing to face the ultimate punishment from me!"

Freed looked visibly afraid for a moment as he stared down a livid Erza. He quickly regain his composure.

"I am rather intrigued as to how I will fare in a battle with you. But sadly, you are not my prey to take. Laxus has something special planned for you. Something that will break you faith in that little criminal at your feet. For now Erza, so long." Freed's body became different runes as she dematerialized away from the area.

"YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" roared Erza. She yelled out angrily and kicked a block of stone shattering it on impact. She then lowered her magical pressure and requiped back into her normal armor.

"Brother huh…" groaned Joshua as he pulled himself up with the help of a nearby wall.

"What the hell were you thinking Joshua?" asked Erza as she stared seriously back at the ten year old, "You almost got yourself killed!"

"Hey! It isn't… *grunt* the first time."

"You decided to battle someone who is leagues ahead of you in terms of magical ability! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is if I'm not around!" scolded Erza.

"And I held my own against him for thirty minutes Erza!" Shot back Joshua, "If I had more stamina I might've had him! Besides I-"

"No excuses!" she said sharply, "What you did was reckless!" Joshua then saw some tears come into her eyes, "I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you just now."

Joshua shuffled over and hugged Erza, "Hey, I'll do better about that from now on." he ended his embrace with her and looked up at her face, "But right now there somes thunder guys that need a good beating. I think we should provide them one."

"You won't come along for this Joshua." Erza stated.

"There are three of them. And one of you." replied Joshua, "If nothing else let me use my sensory abilities to track them down for you." Erza hesitated, "I want to help out Erza!"

Erza closed her eyes then sighed, "You will stay out of the fighting. This is about to get nasty real quick."

"Alright!" said Joshua before his legs trembled and then gave out under him. Erza quickly reached out and caught him before he hit the ground. "You may have to carry me around for a bit Erza."

"Don't I do that all the time anyways?" she smirked back at him as she place Joshua on her back.

"Hey, I'm not that weak." replied Joshua with a tick mark on his head. Erza just laughed.

"Focus on finding the Thunder God Tribe for me right now kid, starting with Evergreen. Can you do that?"

"Sure thing!" Joshua closed his eyes and reached out with what little magic he had left. He then quickly opened them, "You don't have to worry about Evergreen."

"Why?"

" **EVIL EXPLOSION!"**

Joshua and Erza stared wide eyed, mouths hanging open as a massive explosion of dark energy exploded across the blue sky.

"Mira is scary…" trembled Joshua.

"How did she get out?" wondered Erza.

"My guess is that Elfman somehow got Evergreen to release the spell before getting the crap beaten out of him. Then Mira finds Elfman beat up and she takes all her pent up anger out on Evergreen." remarked Joshua, "Works out for us though."

"Right, ok then, can you find Laxus for me?"

"I'll try." Joshua once again spread out his magic. Within a few seconds he opened his eyes, "Well he couldn't have picked a more obvious spot. I'm amazed no one has found him yet."

"Where is he?" asked Erza.

"Kardia Cathedral. But hurry, someone else is about to get all of the fun before we do."

Erza began to sprint down the streets with Joshua still on her back. Joshua continued to sense out where Laxus was as he felt another large power enter the same area.

"Who is this guy? He's easily on par with Laxus." breathed Joshua.

"Heh, you wouldn't know him," replied Erza, "But yeah, Mystogan can go toe to toe with Laxus anyday. This may be are lucky break."

"Let's hope he saves some for us!"

Erza smiled, "Right."

 **And Chapter! That fight between Freed and Joshua was an interesting one. It seems the Phantom Lord incident continues to haunt the guild and Joshua as well. Add on top of that, it seems that two powerful and dark people have sensed Joshua's impact across the galaxy. I wonder what could happen next? Let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Have a nice day!**


	12. Chapter 12: Laxus vs Joshua

**Alright! New chapter, let's get started!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 12

Light streamed through the long windows that covered large portions of the intricately carved stone walls. They lit up the wooden pews in the large space that made up the interior of this building, outlining the aging seats and cracks in the chairs with long shadows. Standing at the front of the massive interior space, near the area of the building that was built up above the pews like an altar, was a young man with spiked blonde hair. The man had his arms crossed as he faced the altar deep in thought, his eyes closed revealing the full extent of the lightning bolt shaped scar that ran down over his right eye and along his right cheek. His large hands were nestled in his pants pockets as he breathed deeply inside of the cavernous room, the light of a stain glassed window over the altar space painting his pale skin a mixture of red and blue. His face betrayed the peaceful facade as it scrunched up, showing the internal conflict he was battling.

 _Why would I be in the parade when I promised to watch it with you?_ Rang the voice of a kind elderly man in his mind as he remembered the first Fantasia parade he had ever attended. He couldn't help but smirk a little at the memory. Those were simpler times.

His smirk soon faded as he remembered who that old man was now. That old man was his enemy, the man who banished his father. That old man was the one responsible for turning the guild he deeply cared about into a laughing stock, filled with weaklings, as well as a place some considered evil because he refused to banish a murderer, even though his father had done far less and was kicked out. The blonde man clenched his teeth together and the happy memory faded away. This was not a time to get sentimental about the past. Fairy Tail was heading down the wrong path. In his mind, he was the only one who could right the ship, starting with casting out the weaklings. That's what this little battle royale was for, to see who was worthy to stay in his Fairy Tail. The next step was punishing that little brat that had dared weasel his way into the guild. He was a danger, a threat that had to be squashed. A criminal that had escaped the punishment he so deserved.

The man's fist tightened in his pocket. That kid would be the first to go, whether that was through banishment or death, he would be gone. Never to harm the guild's reputation again. Never to harm the bonds in the guild ever again either. He saw it when he returned and observed from afar. The many members of Fairy Tail were fighting an internal cold war over this kid. They were split evenly and it was further weakening them in the process. It was leaving them vulnerable. That was why this was so necessary. He had to strengthen the guild once again. They would never look feeble again.

The sound of runes forming behind him pulled the blonde from his thoughts. He grimaced and turn around to see his top lieutenant forming from rune letters behind him. He looked a little winded, which surprised the blond. Freed was one of the top mages in the entire guild. His magical power and intelligence is why Laxus chose him for his personal guard. That and his unwavering loyalty to him. To see him winded, even a little bit bruised, was a little unsettling for the young man. But he didn't make his stunned feelings visible. Instead he stared over at Freed and narrowed his eyes at the green haired mage.

"Who put you through the wringer?" asked the young man gruffly as he folded his arms in front of his muscular chest.

Freed noticeably grimaced, "That little criminal actually proved to be a bit of a challenge."

Laxus glared at Freed, "So you engaged with him? Is the brat taken care of?"

Freed shook his head, "Titania broke free from Evergreen's spell and intervened. She apparently has grown very close to the monster. She regards him as a sort of brother it seems."

Laxus frowned, "That's unfortunate. I was hoping Erza would be one of the few I'd be able to keep in my new Fairy Tail. But once again, she shows her ineptitude and naivete." Laxus then glanced back up at the altar, "And Freed,"

"Yes Laxus."

"Next time you see that criminal. End him, regardless of who comes to his aid." scolded Laxus, "I will not tolerate failure in this matter."

Before Freed could respond a low muffled voice interrupted their conversation.

"If the master heard you say that, he'd undoubtedly beat you senseless."

Laxus's eyes widened and his lips parted into a wide grin. "Mystogan, I never thought you'd show up for this event."

The blonde haired mage turned to see a tall, slightly muscular man covered head to toe in blue robes standing in the doorway to the massive cathedral. The man's face was hidden behind a dark blue mask and head coverings that concealed all of his physical features. His left hand tightly gripped a gnarled looked staff with a fan like ornament situated at the top while on his back rested four more magical staves, all different from the others.

"You usually prefer to stay as far away from the guild as possible."

"I just happened to be passing back through." Mystogan remarked quickly.

"Heh, so are you here to try and stop me Misty?" scoffed Laxus, "Cause you won't be able to. I've made up my mind. And I've got hostages for insurance. So-"

"You are obviously misinformed." interrupted a clearly impatient Mystogan, "You have no hostages. That cute little stone spell was dispelled several minutes ago."

Anger spread across Laxus's face as he turned to look at a stunned Freed.

"Evergreen failed!?" whispered Freed shocked by this turn of events, "Then we have no leverage."

"Correct," replied Mystogan, "It's over Laxus. Stop this… now."

Veins were protruding through Laxus' skin on his face as he let his anger seep to the surface. His jaw was creaking as he clenched his teeth tightly. This was not going to go this way. He would not lose. Fairy Tail would be his. He reached out with is hands and let his magic pour out as he stared down Mystogan with an insane smirk.

"Activate," Mystogan's eyes widened, "Thunder Palace."

"WHAT!" cried Freed as he stared at a maniacally grinning Laxus.

Mystogan didn't need any other cue to begin. He felt his staves leap out from their holster and plant themselves deep into the stone floor around him. He pointed at Laxus.

"Skyscraper." he calmly muttered.

The ground around Laxus exploded and her felt himself restrained by a series of belts. Laxus' cried out as he was taken by surprise. He then felt himself get shot into the air. He looked up and saw a tear forming in the sky as it became jet black around him. A demonic hand pulled apart at the tear in reality and a frog like monster glared out with large fangs and piercing red eyes. Laxus looked on fearfully and he soon began to scream as the monster reached out from it's hole. The Laxus's screams turned to loud laughter. The monster froze and the sky returned to normal followed by Laxus returning to the large cathedral building. The ground around him was completely normal and there were no retraints on his body. His laughter then grew louder and echoed off of the walls of the cathedral.

"Did you seriously think that a simple illusion would work!?" he laughed at Mystogan.

"Don't get distracted." replied Mystogan calmly. Laxus's laughter stopped then he heard Freed cry out.

"Laxus! Above you!"

The blonde looked up to see five magic circles layered one on top of the other above him.

"Five layered magic circle: Sacred Song." growled Mystogan.

Laxus smirked and then he glanced over at Mystogan before a massive amount of magical energy slammed into him.

"Laxus!" yelled Freed.

A crack of thunder and lightning streaked across the distance between Mystogan and Laxus. Laxus materialized out of the lightning, unscathed by Mystogan's massive attack. He had Mystogan. If there was one thing he wasn't very good at, it was defense. Laxus revved up lighting in his fist and swung hard at Mystogan as the other man raised his staff to block the charged blow.

"Requip! Lightning Empress Armor!" shouted a female voice over the crackling of electricity.

Laxus felt a long spear intercept his fist. Sparks flew across the room and rained down on Mystogan's mask causing it to burn away on his face. Laxus smiled and jumped back.

"Erza. Welcome to the party." he remarked.

Erza didn't respond. She just stared dumbfounded at the blue haired man standing in the place where Mystogan was. His mask fell in tatters to his feet revealing his pale face, sharp features, and an intricate tattoo over his right eye.

"J-Jellal." mumbled Erza in complete shock.

"Oh so you know this guy do you?" remarked Laxus with folded arms.

"YOU BASTARD!" roared a young voice behind Erza.

A battered ten year old leapt forward, sword in hand, and hellbent at burying the steal into the blue haired man's heart. Mystogan sighed and calmly sidestepped causing Joshua to faceplant onto the ground. He then looked sadly up at Erza.

"I'm sorry Erza. But I'm not the Jellal you know." he said softly, "Me and him are two separate people."

"Huh?" groaned Joshua as he rubbed his bruised face.

Mystogan then glanced over at Joshua, frowning slightly as he did so. "I must be going." and with that Mystogan quietly disappeared.

"My brain hurts." complained Joshua, "Is he or is he not the blue haired bastard?" he asked Erza.

"I don't know." whispered Erza as she was still trying to process she just saw. Then she felt a heavy fist hit her hard in the jaw.

"You gotta pay attention in a fight!" roared Laxus as he sent Erza flying back into the large wooden doors of the cathedral, splintering them in the process.

Erza shook the blow off and rose to her feet, spitting some blood out of her mouth and onto the stone floors before rubbing her cut lip. Erza readied herself for the fight. She couldn't focus on Jellal-Mystogan… whoever the hell that was right now. Now she had to focus on stopping Laxus and his madness. She heard the hiss of steel flying towards her and she quickly ducked under, Freed's slender sword. Her eyes widened as she saw Laxus's foot barrel towards her face. The kick connected and it sent the red haired woman flying out of the cathedral and tumbling along the cobblestone road just outside of the large building.

 _Ok, that hurt._ She coughed and shook her head before rising to her feet once again. Freed and Laxus were standing opposite of her. _So they plan to double team me. If that's the case, then I can't hold back._

"Nice kick Laxus." praised Freed, "she landed right where we wanted her to."

 _What!_

Rune walls sprouted out of the ground and surrounded Erza on all sides.

 _Dammit!_

"Within this barrier, any wizard who uses requip magic is subject to reliving their darkest nightmares." Freed said somberly.

"ERZA!" screamed Joshua as he limped towards her.

"Joshua stay back! Don't get inv-inv-" Erza's pupils dilated. Her breaths became short and ragged and sweat began to bead on her exposed skin. Her mouth opened as if silently screaming before a hair raising cry was emitted from her throat. She dropped her spear and her requip magic failed before she fell to her knees gripping her head tightly in her hands.

"Don't worry Erza I'll save you!" Joshua yelled as he rushed Freed as quickly as his battered body would let him move.

"Not gonna happen kid." said a voice behind him. Joshua's eyes widened and he felt and electrically charge hand smack him back into the cathedral, "Enjoy you nightmares Erza." smiled Laxus, "One of them is probably about to come true right now. Freed, make sure she stays there. Place extra runes if you have to. Make sure she suffers for taking care of the murderer." Laxus began to walk away.

"What are you going to do to the kid?" asked Freed as he began to write more runes in the air with his sword.

"Kill him, what else would I do to a criminal like him?" replied Laxus

Freed's expression didn't change. He was took focused now on containing Titania. He heard her utter more ear splitting cries as she soon curled up in the fetal position on the ground.

"Grandpa Rob… Don't… don't… let me… don't die." she whispered with tear filled eyes.

 _Grandpa Rob?_ Thought Freed. _I didn't know Erza had a family of any kind._

Erza saw it all in her head. Her very existence was one of ultimate horror. First she saw her hometown, Rosemary village, being put to the sword. Then she saw the Tower and saw herself being forced to work there once again. She had lived these nightmares before. They hurt, and the vividness of this round was shaking her to her core. But they weren't ones she was unfamiliar with. Then the next nightmare came. She was standing at the top of the tower. It was a lacrima, like it was before it's destruction. She saw Jellal standing over her with an evil grin.

" _The look on your face is so precious."_

She saw Jellal holding Joshua by the throat. He held the boyd high in the air and with a sickening crunch she saw him crush his throat. She watched with horror as Joshua became limp in Jellal's hands before he was cast aside like trash.

"JOSHUA!" screamed Erza as she writhed in agony on the cobblestone road.

….

Laxus stormed into the cathedral where Joshua was just starting to get onto his hands and knees. The kid shook his head, trying to clear the fog out of his brain that resulted from the enormous blow delivered by Laxus. Laxus frowned.

"Don't bother trying to get up." Laxus let lightning form around his right leg and he planted his foot into Joshua's stomach.

Joshua felt his body lift off the ground and twirl several times in the air before landing heavily on the stone floors of the cathedral. He felt the air leave his lungs and his head hit the ground with a sickening crack. Joshua's vision grew blurry before it left him completely.

 _Boy, how many times do I need to explain this to you?_ Said the voice of the old man in his mind, _A true user of the force feeds off of pain, fear, and anger._

Joshua's face was lax as he lay unconscious on the ground.

"Well I'm a little disappointed." grumbled Laxus, "Considering the trouble you caused Freed, I was expecting much more." He then shrugged, "Oh well, even if you weren't a criminal, you'd be too weak to stay in my Fairy Tail." Laxus charged lighting in his left hand as he lifted Joshua by his shirt with the right. "Time to die kid."

Laxus plunged his fist through Joshua's small form, he felt it rip through his abdomen and grasp air on the other side of his body. Laxus grimaced, he had just killed the kid. No… he wasn't a kid. He was a murdered, a criminal. It had to be done. Laxus retracted his bloody hand and sighed. This wasn't the rush he was expecting. He shook his head and tossed Joshua away. The rag doll like body knocking over several wooden pews as it limply hit the ground.

"Thirty minutes until the thunder palace activates." breathed Laxus. He looked back at the bleeding form of Joshua. Red blood pooling around the kid, "I don't want to do that again gramps… are you seriously going to wait this one out? Aren't you going to try and stop me?"

….

"Ugh…" Joshua rubbed his forehead. He opened his eyes as he sat up and looked around, "Where am I?"

There was no answer. Just blackness and silence replied. Joshua raised an eyebrow. What exactly was going on right now? Was he still out cold? He didn't feel like he was. So why was he seeing nothing?

"Wierd?"

"You stupid boy." said a sophisticated voice nearby.

Joshua looked to his left and saw the old man with the incredibly fancy looking beard and slicked back gray hair standing there arms crossed and an angry look on his face. Joshua cringed a little at the sight of the geezer.

"Hey, old geezer!" replied Joshua with a wave.

The old man shook his head, "You have no idea do you?"

"What?"

"That you've died." replied the man in his usual aristocratic tone.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Joshua as he looked at his body and pinched his arm, "Then… huh? I hit my head that hard?"

The old man let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, "No… no. You were killed by that arrogant lightning user. He ripped a hole in your body."

Joshua wanted to vomit. "He did what?"

"He killed you. Let's just put it in simple terms for you simple mind." The old man remarked, "To keep it simple, you have a choice now… become one with force or fight back."

"How can I fight back if I'm dead?" asked a thoroughly confused Joshua.

"You haven't become one with the force just yet. But you don't have much time." Dooku then smiled evilly at Joshua, "And neither does that woman, what was her name… Erza?" Joshua's eyes widened, "Her mind is slowly being destroyed as we speak."

" _JOSHUA!"_ he heard her scream. It wasn't a normal Erza yell. It was a blood curdling scream of agony. Anger built up in Joshua as he thought of the people causing her to be in so much pain.

"That's it." The old man smiled, "That is how you will survive."

"How?" Joshua replied with clenched teeth, "How will I get out of here and save her?"

"Hatred of course. Hatred is quite the motivator." the old man replied nonchalantly, "I will loan you some power, but just this once. After all, I don't want you to die just yet. You have too much potential for it to wasted like that. When you do wake up, head for the mountains far to the north. I believe that ice boy knows where I'm talking about. There you will find power."

Joshua suddenly felt a rush of power surge through him as the man pointed an open palm at him.

"Best go save your dear friend. Before it becomes a quest for revenge."

"Right." growled Joshua as his eyes didn't even bother to flicker from Hazel to Crimson.

….

Freed heard Laxus stepping out of the Cathedral. The green haired rune mage sat anxiously as he watched Erza squirm in agony inside of his runes. He heard Laxus sit down beside him. Freed looked over and saw that his entire hand was covered in blood.

"You actually did it?" gasped Freed.

Laxus slowly nodded. "Let her go."

"But if she sees him."

"It will break her…" mumbled Laxus. "Trust me. It will."

Freed stared shocked at Laxus. He didn't think he'd actually kill the boy. Sure the boy was a criminal but, to full blown kill a child. Freed gulped before sighed. The runes around Erza faded away.

Erza stopped shaking and screaming and just lay there for a moment. Trying to recover from the toruture. She wondered how it stopped? Did someone come along and defeat Freed? Did Joshua somehow- JOSHUA!

Erza leapt to her feet and looked over at Freed. He was sitting silenty, looking incredibly guilty and horrified. Erza's eyes then moved over to Laxus. They widened when she saw all of the red on his arm and torso.

"No…" she breathed.

She didn't even pay the two any mind. She just rushed past them, praying her nightmares did not come true. He burst through the entryway of the cathedral and saw it. The overturned pews and the pool of red underneath Joshua's pale form.

"NOOOOOO!" she screamed loudly. She scrambled forward and saw the gaping hole in Joshua's abdomen. "No… no please, no. Don't do this! Please!" she begged as she craddled Joshua's head in her arms.

His skin was so cold. His chest was not moving and there was no pulse to be found. She felt her hands shaking violently.

 _This can't be happening! It's gotta be a nightmare! It just-_

She knew it wasn't. Her nightmares would always switch once she saw Joshua hit the floor. This was not switching. The body in her arms was real. The tears were streaming quickly down her cheeks and dribbling onto the stone floors. She heard footsteps enter the cathedral.

"Erza…" Freed said, "I-"

Erza's face hardened once she heard Freed's voice. She gently set Joshua's head back down on the floor running her hand through his hair one more time before standing up. Her whole body was trembling with anger and sorrow. She turned towards Freed, her hair shadowing out her eyes.

"Erza, I-I-"

"Get… out… of… my… way." she growled lowly.

Freed's eyes widened as she enveloped herself in the light of her requip magic. She stood in front of him in bright pink armor that was not revealing at all. Not a single shred of skin was exposed. In her hands was a deadly looking sword, sharpened to a razor thin edge. Freed gulped.

"Erza, I can't let you-" Freed felt pain in his stomach. He glanced down to see the sword buried in him. His eyes widened and he coughed as it was yanked out of him.

 _How did she move so quickly!?_

Freed clenched the wound and dropped to the ground falling into unconsciousness. Erza terrifyingly marched forward and silently walked out of the doors to see Laxus now standing across from her on the road.

"I had to do it." he said lowly, "he was a criminal. I will not allow-"

"HE WAS A BOY!" screamed Erza as he her head snapped up revealing tear filled eyes filled with incredible anger. Laxus actually flinched a little. He had never seen Erza cry before. The sight of it was unnerving. She gripped the sword in her hands, "I'm…. I'm…" her lips stopped quivering and she glared at Laxus, "I'm going to kill you." she snarled before launching forward.

Laxus was caught off guard by how fast she moved in this pink armor. He barely had time to dodge her sword thrust. In the blink of an eye she twisted her arm and the blade lashed outwards at Laxus's face. Laxus brought up an electrically charged arm and blocked the blade. But the strain was tremendous. Erza was using power that Laxus did not think she could possibly have in her.

The two bounded away from each other for a moment before Erza shot forward once again and began hacking and slashing furiously at Laxus. The lightning mage had to use every trick he knew to dodged the deadly sword. He blocked with his fists, dodged using his lightning enhanced speed, even let the sword bit into his left forearm to prevent it from slashing into his face. Erza's face was unchanging. She was dead set on killing him. Laxus had no doubts about that right now. But he couldn't let her win. He felt guilty about killing the kid, but he had to do it, for the sake of the guild it had to be done. He had to win this fight. Otherwise… he didn't even want to think about what Erza would do to him. Laxus charged his magical pressure to its nth degree.

"RAGING BOLT!" He yelled. Erza's eyes widened as she charged right into an explosion of lightning. She flew away from the explosion and landed heavily on the ground.

"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

 _Lightning dragon!_

Erza felt a huge amount of lightning slam into her from Laxus' fist. The pain was tremendous and it caused her to cry out loudly as she was pushed further into the pavement. She winced and opened her eyes before crying out again as another fist buried itself into her body. She felt bones crack and her breathing became ragged. Laxus leapt away. Erza blinked and slowly got up. She was going to destroy him. Even if it killed her, she was going to destroy him.

"Lighting Dragon ROAR!"

Erza stared head on into a tornado of lightning that surged out of Laxus's mouth. It was too fast. She could dodge. Her magic was too low to keep her takeover going and take this hit. The lightning hit Erza. She yelled out in pain as her body convulsed under the elecrical shocks. She hit the ground and tumbled several feet, losing her requip and damaging her armor in the process. She lay on the ground in just a white blouse and blue skirt. She couldn't move, she was too weak. She saw Laxus's shoes move towards her. Then he felt him pick her up the hair causing her to wince with pain.

"I really didn't want to do this to you Erza."

Erza didn't hear him. She just screamed out Joshua's name before Laxus hit her with another powerful fist. Her vision blurred and she started seeing spots. She couldn't lose. She had to avenge him. She had too.

"Goodbye Erza." muttered Laxus.

Laxus pointed a hand at her ready to deliver the final blow as she glared hatefully up at him. Her body was so bloodied and bruised it was amazing she was even still awake. He let the lightning magic gather in his hands. Time to finish it.

Suddenly otherworldy pain washed over Laxus. He cried out and felt himself be lifted violently in the air before being slammed down again. He cringed and looked at his hands to see blue electricity arcing across his skin.

Erza looked moved her blurry vision to see Laxus struggling to get up after being hit by blue lightning. She didn't know anyone else with lightning magic. Especially not blue lightning. And she had no idea that Laxus could actually be hurt with the stuff. She looked over to where the lighting came from and caught her breath. Standing at the cathedral steps was a young ten year old kid with light brown hair and a large hole in his torso.

"Joshua…" Breathed Erza as she focused her vision more, not believing that he was actually standing there.

But there he was. One hand outstretched towards Laxus, fingers parallel to the ground. He was alive! Erza felt her heart leap. She didn't know how he was possibly alive but he was, that's all that mattered to her. But he seemed different somehow. Erza looked more closely and saw his eyes. They weren't their normal cheerful hazel color. No, they were crimson and hate filled.

Joshua's face was fixed into a hateful snarl as he slowly approached Laxus. He walked past a gaping Erza. She felt the air around him. It was cold, void of life, void of any sort of warmth whatsoever. It was terrifying.

Laxus rose to his feet shaking his head as he shook off the suprise attack. He then looked up and his jaw dropped. In his eyes, the undead was walking towards him.

"But how!?" exclaimed Laxus as he took a step backwards, "You're-you're dead."

Joshua's snarl turned into a sinister grin, "Almost." he replied back before he pointed his fingers and Laxus. Erza's eyes widened as she saw blue tendrils of lighting launch from his finger tips and rush towards Laxus.

Laxus was surprised as well. But he sighed and opened his mouth, ready to eat his natural dragon element. He need the magical energy anyways, fighting Erza had taken a lot out of him. And he would need his strength when he fought the old man. There was no way the geezer was going to let this slide. Laxus saw the lighting get closer as if in slow motion. Dinner time.

The unnatural blue lightning did not enter his mouth when he tried to suck it in however. Instead it his him and sent waves of pain and electricity coursing through the blonde's body. Laxus' eyes bulged in pain and he yelled out in agony. The powerful wizard collapsed to his knees as the blue lightning continued to stream from Joshua's fingers. He had never been in so much pain in his life. Not on any mission had he felt anything like this before. Laxus felt like his skin was being torched, peeled away, then jabbed with a million needled over and over. His hairs stood on end as his body covulsed due to the massive amount of lightning running through his body. He felt his internal organs begin to feel hot as he crumbled to the ground. He flailed in pain as he screamed at the top of his lungs. But Joshua did not relent. Even as Laxus began to beg for mercy, the boy did not relent. Instead he smiled as he relished in the pain and fear Laxus was experiencing right now. Joshua then finally let up and the lightning stopped flowing. Bolts of it still arced across Laxus' body and his flesh was smoking from the heat and energy behind the attack. The lightning mage moaned.

"How does it feel?" Joshua growled. "How does it feel to be tortured?"

Laxus could only whimper in response. He had no control over and of his body's functions and he was pretty sure he wet himself already.

"This is nothing." continued Joshua causing Laxus' to stare in complete terror at the boy who should be dead, "If I so wanted, I could break your mind with the power I have now. Just as you tried to break Erza's." Laxus' eyes were practically bulging out of his skull and were bloodshot as they gazed fearfully at the monster standing over him. "Now, shall we continue?"

Joshua extended his fingers and lighting crackled to life once again. But suddenly, Erza leapt in front of the attack. Joshua pulled the lighting out of the way just in time. Erza felt it surge past her and leave burn marks on her skin as it just barely missed her. Joshua furrowed his brow at her.

"Get out of the way." he said lowly, "He deserves this."

Erza nodded, "Yes he does." she swallowed, "but this isn't you Joshua. This isn't you at all."

"Of course it's me. I'm standing right here aren't I." Joshua replied.

"No! You would never stoop to his level! Not in a million years!" cried Erza, "As much as I want to destroy Laxus myself," She stopped and took a shaky breath, "I don't want you to-to- prove them all right."

Joshua was taken aback, "Huh…"

"If you do this Joshua. You prove them right. All those who believe you are a monster, a murderer. You prove them right. As much as I want to see Laxus punished. It wouldn't heal the pain of me seeing you destroy who you are in the process." Erza let the tears fall freely, "It wouldn't heal the pain of knowing that I failed to protect you!"

Joshua watched quietly as Erza began to sob. Joshua slowly lowered his hands.

 _Boy… finish him! Finish them both! Do not be weak!_

Joshua grit his teeth.

 _Get out of my head you bastard._

 _What!_ Exclaimed the old man.

 _You heard me. Get out._

 _I leave, and you will die._

Joshua took a breath, _I'd rather that than see her cry like this._

 _Foolish boy… those bonds you hold so dear are your ultimate weakness. Only when you break them will you unlock your true power._

 _Then I guess I'll never unlock it… NOW GET LOST!_

 __The old man never responded back. Instead Joshua felt the power in his body leave him. His eyes flickered back from crimson to hazel and he felt his legs wobble then buckle underneath him.

 _Oh my God this hurts!_

Joshua fell heavily to the ground gasping for air as he began to bleed from his wound yet again. Erza rushed over to him and let his head rest in her lap.

"Hold on Joshua!"

"Erza!" she heard the shout of Master Makarov nearby.

She glanced back to see him, Natsu, Gajeel, and Porlyusica sprinting towards them. Laxus didn't move on the ground. He blacked out as soon as Joshua ended his attacks. She looked back down at Joshua and saw that he was barely clinging to life.

"Just hold on!"

….

 _Ugh… my head._ Pain ran up his body from his stomach as he tried to move his body. _Oh crap! Ouch!_

Joshua gave up trying to move and instead chose to open his eyes and figure out where in the world he was at. He let his eyes open slowly, knowing from experience that opening them quickly would only worsen the already massive headache he had. Once his vision came into focus he saw the familiar wooden ceiling of the guild hall infirmary above him. He winced the groaned.

"Joshua!" He felt a soft hand rest gently on his cheek, "Take it easy."

Joshua winced as the pain ran through his body once again. He ignored the voice and tried to sit up only for a firm hand this time to push him back down into the pillows.

"Insufferable human! Do as she says!" barked an elderly woman.

Joshua's eyes widened and he quickly sank into the sheets. He looked to his right and saw Erza kneeling down beside him. She was bandaged up as well, evidence of her battle with Laxus. Joshua then looked beside her and saw an old pink haired lady with a red cape resting around her shoulders.

"Old lady, are you Natsu's grandma or something?" asked Joshua.

"I am no one's grandma! And I'm not that old!" replied the old woman with fury evident in her voice causing Joshua to shrink further into the sheets. "Damn Humans!" the old woman grumbled as she quickly she strode out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

"Well, she's about as scary as you are." said Joshua as he looked back over at Erza.

Erza chuckled a little, "She just doesn't like humans. But she did save your life."

Joshua looked down at his heavily bandaged torso. It all started coming back to him now. The moment Laxus kicked him, the conversation with the old man, attacking Laxus with power that he didn't even know he had. Joshua struggled to moved his hands as he brought them close to his face.

"I beat him didn't I?" mumbled Joshua.

Erza nodded, "You did."

"Did I...did I kill him?"

Erza quickly shook her head, "You stopped yourself before you could."

"How is our resident trouble maker doing." said an old man's voice as the door creaked open then softly closed. Erza closed her eyes and smiled over at Master Makarov as he quietly walked in.

"He's awake now. And he's looking alright. Still kinda pale though." replied Erza as Makarov jumped onto the bed beside Joshua and sat down.

"Hey Master."

"What is it my boy?" replied Makarov as his legs slightly swung in the air.

"How did the lightning I used hurt Laxus? I thought lightning couldn't hurt him like fire can't hurt Natsu."

Makarov's face hardened, "I didn't really know at first. It wasn't until Porlyusica analyzed his burns that she realized that he was hit with lightning that was not natural."

"Not natural?" questioned Erza.

The master nodded, "Whatever lightning Joshua used, contained absolutely no ethernanos. And from the burns we saw on Laxus, it was incredibly dark and incredibly powerful. If Joshua kept it up on Laxus I have no doubts Laxus wouldn't been killed."

Joshua felt a lump in his throat as he heard this.

"Joshua, I'm fine with you using your telekinetics and you sensory abilities. But I forbid you from ever accessing that lightning again." said the Master sternly, "It's too dangerous."

Joshua nodded in agreement. "Yes sir." He glanced around the infirmary. All of teh other beds were empty, "Where is Laxus?"

The master's face fell and he sighed sadly, "He's been banished from the guild. I almost called the magic council on him for what he did to you, but I… I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm sorry Joshua."

"Hey geezer, I don't blame you. He's your grandson after all."

Makarov smiled a little. "I'm glad to hear that." he jumped down from his perch and stretched out, "Now get some rest boy. We need you up and kicking soon enough."

"Ok, but Master."

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

Master's face turned ghostly white. It had been four days since Joshua ate anything. Oh god the food supplies were going to completely disappear. He had to think of something quickly. Then he snapped his fingers.

"Due to your wound, Porlyusica said you can't ingest anything but liquids for the week."

"WHAAA!" exclaimed Joshua before he winced a little from the pain that ran through his body.

Makarov nodded emphatically, "I'll make sure Mira brings you some smoothies and water. But nothing else until we know for sure that you are 100% recovered."

"But I need meat!"

Makarov didn't reply as he shut the door behind him. Mira was already standing by with a smoothie ready made.

"You were eavesdropping weren't you?"

"Of course Master." she replied with a cheery smile as she pushed the door open. Makarov heard Joshua grumbling.

"DRINK THE SMOOTHIE!" He heard Erza shout at him.

"Yes ma'am!"

Makarov smiled and laughed to himself before he hopped up onto his usual seat at the bar. As usual Cana was sitting next to him, alcohol in hand.

"So how is he?" asked the resident drunk of Fairy Tail.

"He's awake, and he seems to be in good spirits. He should make a full recovery."

Cana turned to the rest of the guildhall, "He's gonna be ok!" she cheered.

Makarov smiled. But then that smile widened as he heard the cheers behind him grow louder and louder.

"Yeah! The kid is good to go!" "He's a real man! Taking on Laxus like that to save his family is what real men do!" "Three cheers for Joshua!"

Makarov smiled and he sipped a mug of beer as the guildhall broke out into a large celebration.

 **And chapter! Sorry for the slight delay on this one, my computer kept crapping out on me as I tried to write it. It's a little old chromebook so it's barely functioning right now. But anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed and have a nice day!**


	13. Chapter 13: Alliance

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! In know it's a little late but I thought I should tell you all that. Anyways, I've got a new chapter ready to go. So let's start.**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 13

It had been three weeks since the events of the battle royale that paralyzed Fairy Tail and nearly destroyed some of their best and brightest. In that three week span, Joshua made a full recovery. Porlyusica proved how adept she was with healing wounds as Joshua's abdomen barely showed any signs of being ripped apart by lightning, except for a nasty scar that ran diagonally across his body from the bottom of the right half of his ribcage to his left hip. It still would cause him some pain every now and then. Residue from the lightning magic, that's what Porlyusica told him before she chased him and Erza out of her home with a broom. It would take some time for it to fully heal. His organs were still slightly damaged. Apparently, Porlyusica did not think he would've survived at all. The internal organs were so severely damaged that she thought no matter what she did nothing would help. But miraculously, they healed up. They were still scarred and on occasion made Joshua wince as a burning sensation took over his body, but he was able to shake it off after a couple of moments.

Now though, Joshua was sitting in his usual spot in the guildhall, sipping on a smoothie. He'd actually grown to like them alot, and usually had one of them instead of cleaning out the pantry for a snack, much to the relief of Mirajane and the Master. He looked down at the cards in his left hand as his right brough the smoothie back up to his lips.

"What flavor this time kid?" asked Macao as rested his elbows on the table.

"Pineapple and mango." replied Joshua before slurping on the straw, "You wanna try?"

"Nah, I'm good. Those things have lots of sugar, gotta watch the waistline."

"When do you ever worry about that?" remarked Wakaba as he narrowed his eyes at his own cards before puffing on his cigarette.

"Since I-"

"You got called old by some girl you were talking to?" interrupted Joshua

Macao had exaggerated tears run down his cheeks, "Yes!" he moaned while Wakaba laughed a little.

"How did you figure that one out Joshua?" chuckled Wakaba.

Joshua shrugged, "Other than the obvious?"

"HEY!" cried Macao.

"I guess I could just… see it happening I suppose."

But if Joshua were being completely honest. He had no idea how he could've guessed that one. Macao was just talking about his waistline when he looked over at him and seemed to see him talking to a pretty young woman who balked at being talked to by someone she thought of as old. If he wanted to, he could describe every detail that went down. On second thought… a sly sneer appeared on Joshua's face as he looked over at Macao.

"She had brown hair didn't she?"

"How did you know!?" exclaimed Macao.

Joshua grinned, "So… her name was Christy…"

"What the hell!" Macao looked over at Cana as she tipped a bottle back against her mouth, "Did you teach him some sort of fortune telling!?"

"No." replied Cana from the bar, "Maybe you are just easy to read."

Wakaba was doubled over laughing, "Christy huh, she must've been a beauty."

"According to Macao's perverted mind she had really large-"

Joshua saw Erza glaring over at him. He quickly shut his mouth then opened it again, "Eyes." he finished before Erza dropped her terrifying glare and turned back to talking with Lucy, Natsu, and Gray. Joshua breathed a sigh of relief.

"Eyes huh… or do you mean?" Wakaba raised his eyebrows and little.

"Yes! Eyes!" Macao panicked as he pointed at Erza who began to glare at the two older mages now, "Big, beautiful, brown eyes!" he was sweating profusely as Erza stared him down before she looked away from him. Now it was Macao's turn to sigh in relief as he let his shoulders sag.

"Good save." complemented Wakaba as he flipped another card on the table over, "Alright, show you hands."

Joshua flipped his cards over, "Full house." he smiled as he looked at Macao and Wakaba's pitiful hands of cards.

"Damn…" grumbled Macao.

"You know, maybe we should just start playing board games for a change." suggested Wakaba.

"Oh oh!" Joshua's eyes lit up, "Can it be Monster hunt? I love that board game!"

"If it's a game that doesn't involve you taking all of my money then I'm all for it." sighed Macao as he rested his head on the table, "Cause there went my beer money."

Mira walked away from the bar and with a light pen in hand began drawing a diagram on into the air in front of the bar. Joshua peered over and saw her draw a large circle before writing three names in the circle followed by lines coming from each name like a large spiderweb. Each line connected to a new name that she wrote into the air. Joshua looked closer to read the three big names in the circle.

"Grimiore Heart… Tartaros… Oracion Sies." he read.

"Whatcha say Josh?" asked Macao as he looked over at him.

"Mira's writing some sort of web in front of the bar." Joshua was reading the names to himself. He was curious, he'd never heard these names before, "I'm going to go check it out."

Joshua slide out of the booth and ran over to the bar where he stood next to Mira to look at the names. He was quietly whispering them to himself. Grimoire Heart, Oracion Sies, Tartaros, Naked Mummy, Joshua raised an eyebrow. Who the hell names something Naked Mummy?

"Hey Mira, what are these?" he asked the white haired girl next to him as she finished writing.

"Oh these. Well, this is a diagram of all of the dark guilds that are in Fiore."

Joshua's eyes widened. "Whoa." he said.

He had heard of dark guilds before. But he had never encountered one at all. Not on any of his few job requests or when he went on jobs with Erza. She always seemed to gloss over the jobs that involved taking out a dark guild in favor of ones that she considered to be safer for them, like taking down a fifty foot flesh eating monster that is resistant to steel. Joshua shuddered as he remembered that one. That one was a close call. He saw that few had red lines crossing them out.

"I'm guessing the ones that are crossed out have been disbanded."

"Not necessarily." replied Mira, "More likely they were taken out or forced into hiding for a while."

"Ohhh…" Lucy said fearfully, "I recognize the name Eisenwald up there."

Joshua turned to see Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Erza walking up to the chart as well.

"Eisenwald," muttered Natsu, "Doesn't ring a bell."

"You fought their ace you idiot." grumbled an irritated Gray.

"Gray clothes!" shouted Cana from across the bar. Gray looked down to see that he was only wearing his boxers. He groaned aloud then ran about searching for his clothes.

"I did?" Natsu then smacked his fist into his palm, "Oh yeah, the windbag! What was his name… Ear-o-corn?"

"Erigor." corrected Lucy.

"That's it!"

Joshua sweatdropped a little before looking over at the chart again and seeing another name written over the large circle. "Balam Alliance?"

Mira's frowned, "Yeah, it's an alliance of the three most powerful dark guilds." She pointed at each, "Tartaros, Grimoire Heart, and Oracion Seis. And all of the names outside of the circle, are their associate guilds. Ones that do any of the dirty work that the big three don't want to do. Only one of these guild's up here is still independent of the alliance, Raven tail."

"Cool!" exclaimed Joshua, "Which one is strongest? Tartaros? Grimoire Heart? Oracion Seis?"

"I-"

"Speaking of Oracion Seis," interrupted the voice of Master Makarov, "Word has come down from the other guild masters. We are going to take them out."

The guild fell to an eery silence before Joshua and Natsu high fived.

"AWESOME!" exclaimed Joshua.

"Alright! A fight! I'm all fired up!" roared Natsu.

"Me too!" smiled Joshua.

"Hold up there kid." Erza said firmly, "who said you were a part of this?"

"I uh-"

"Erza, he will be going on this mission as well." stated Makarov firmly.

"Yes!" cheered Joshua, "I'm going to go grab my new cloak!" He raced off towards Erza's dorm room at Fairy Hills where he last left the new brown cloak that Erza bought him a few days ago.

After several minutes Joshua raced back in, cloak placed around his black T-shirt, to see Erza arguing with the Master.

"Master, are you sure?" replied Erza.

"Yes, Master Bob of Blue Pegasus personally requested him to help out. Apparently, Joshua's sensory magic will be essential for this mission."

"Whose Master Bob?" asked Joshua.

He looked over and saw Gray shudder a little bit, "That guy makes me feel funny." he mumbled.

"He's the master of the guild, Blue Pegasus." explained Erza, "And you might just meet him."

"Ok, so why does he make Gray feel funny?"

….

Joshua stared at the pink mansion with wide eyes, tiny pupils and his mouth slightly hanging open. He saw the massive blue pegasi statutes jutting up from stone pedestals as they sharply contrasted with the gaudy pink outside of the mansion. Joshua's right eye began to twitch before he felt his spine begin to crawl. Whatever was wrong with this place, Joshua didn't know, but it gave him the chills.

"I don't like this place. It's too…. Pink." muttered Joshua as he never broke his eyesight from the mansion in front of him.

"Be respectful Joshua," Scolded Erza, "This is the second home of Master Bob. He may be a bit eccentric, but he deserves our respect."

"I now understand why he makes Gray feel funny." Joshua said under his breath.

"What was that?" questioned Erza.

"Nothing!" Joshua replied quickly before following her, Lucy, and Gray (who was carry a motion sick Natsu) up to the building.

The pink, wooden doors creaked open as Erza pushed them open. The interior of the building was dark and there was no furniture to be seen. Just a long red carpet with yellow trim was seen leading to a very extravagant staircase on the far side of the enormous entryway. Joshua had one eyebrow raised as he surveyed the empty space.

"Sure doesn't look like anyone lives here." he remarked as they walked further into the depths of the large foyer.

"Our guests have arrived!" said three voices in unison. Their silky voices echoed off of the dark walls. Suddenly a spotlight emerged from the ceiling revealing three men wearing very fancy suits standing near the large staircase. All three of them struck a weird pose.

"I am Hundred Night's, Hibiki!" declared the man in the middle with light brown hair cooly.

"I am Holy Night, Eve." said the boyish voice of the blonde haired man that stood to the left of the one known as Hibiki.

"And I am Silent Night, Ren." said the dark skinned man to the right of Hibiki.

"AND WE ARE BLUE PEGASUS'S ULTIMATE TEAM!" they cheered in unison, "THE TRIMENS!"

Joshua stared at them, mouth hanging slightly open. "These goons got some screws loose." he muttered. Suddenly the one known as Hibiki rushed up to Erza.

"Lady Erza." he said smoothly, "You beauty is known far and wide but never did I imagine you'd look so much like a goddess."

"Uhhh…" said Erza as she was taken off guard. A couch was pushed over to them by the two other trimens and Hibiki guided Erza over to the seat.

"Care to freshen up Lady Erza?" asked the one known as Eve as he held out a warm towel.

"How about a drink?" asked the man known as Ren with a slight amount of indifference in his voice.

"I'm fine thank you." said Erza awkwardly.

Joshua stood near the doorway with Gray and Lucy. Natsu was still trying to recover from the carriage ride. At first Joshua wanted to beat the crap out of these guys for making Erza feel uncomfortable. But then he realized, Erza felt uncomfortable, genuinely uncomfortable. That never ever happens. Joshua got a mischievous grin come onto his face.

"Josh don't do it." warned Gray.

"Hey weird guys!" shouted Joshua to the Trimens. They all looked over at him.

"Get her some strawberry cake and she'll do whatever you want!"

"JOSHUA!" roared Erza.

"So you like strawberry cake huh?" asked Hibiki cooly.

"That's so cute!" remarked Eve while Joshua laughed his ass off. All the while Erza glared at the ten year old. Joshua didn't care though, this was entirely worth it.

"Why am I not getting any attention?" bemoaned Lucy as her shoulders sagged, "I'm cute aren't I?"

"Well, you're heavy that's for sure." replied Happy.

"SHUT UP CAT!" roared Lucy.

"Mehhhn," said a silky smooth voice that was so smooth it made Joshua's spine crawl. The voice came from the shadowed out staircase, "Give Lady Erza some space."

The trimens immediately moved away from Erza and removed the couch, "Yes sir, Mr. Ichiya sir."

Joshua saw Erza suddenly go stiff as a board. Her eyes were wide, pupils small and he saw her begin to shake a little.

"Don't tell me…" She muttered.

"Meehn."

"Who is this joker?" muttered Joshua before he saw the spotlight turn to a short man standing at the top of the stairs.

He wore a rich white suit with a red rose pinned to his coat. He had slightly spiked orange hair that was cut in a suave style. But the suit bulged a little at the waist, he had short stubby legs. And then there was the face. The guy had the facial structure of a bulldog. A very ugly bulldog, beady eyes included.

"Meehn." he uttered as he skated down the white railing of the stairs before flipping and landing in a weird pose at the bottom of the stairs.

"Excellent pose Master Ichiya." clapped the Trimens.

"Thank you Mehn. I've been working on that one." he said then he turned to look at a shivering Erza. He rushed up to her and took her hand, "Lady Erza, as always your parfume leaves me in a trance, sweet honey."

"Sweet honey?" mumbled Joshua as he was completely confused as to what was possibly going on right now.

"We apologize chief," said Eve before the other two joined into the phrase, "We had no idea Lady Erza was your girlfriend sir!"

"I deny that with everything I have!" cried Erza before the man named Ichiya started… Joshua's eyes widened, he was sniffing Erza.

"Mmm, your parfume is exquisite as always my honey!" A metal hand slammed into Ichiya and sent him flying into the wall.

"You stay away from me!" roared Erza.

"Wow, Erza. I didn't know you had a boyfriend." teased Joshua, "Gosh your standards are kinda low."

"Do you have a death wish kid?" asked Gray as Erza glared over at the ten year old.

"No, but this is totally worth it." laughed Joshua.

"What's going on right now?" asked Natsu as he finally emerged from his motion sick state.

"Erza's getting hit on." chuckled Joshua.

"What?" said a confused Natsu.

"They are making her feel uncomfortable." snarled Gray at the Trimens, "And they should stop now!"

The trimens turned to Gray and the others, "You aren't needed here. You can leave."

"HEY!" roared Gray.

"I thought you master specifically requested me?" wondered Joshua as he crossed his arms. He saw Ichiya's eyes narrow at him.

"So you are the one Master Bob especially wanted on this mission?" asked the ugly man.

"He doesn't look like much." observed Ren.

"Why would Master Bob request a kid? He looks weak."

"I CAN KICK ALL OF YOUR ASSES!" shouted Joshua angrily.

"Bring it on." smirked Ren as he, Eve, and Hibiki readied their magical powers all the while Erza was constantly smacking Ichiya away from her.

A loud boom rang through the large entryway drawing away all of their attentions towards what caused it. Standing in the entryway was a large, muscular man, with a strong angular jaw. He wore egyptian style clothing and carried a long, straight, staff in his large hands. He gave off an aura of extreme seriousness.

"Enough arguing! We are supposed to be an alliance here!" barked the man with a booming voice.

"What do you expect from a bunch of amateurs?" said a much more snide voice beside the large man. The second figure appeared. He had grayish white hair and narrow eyes. His attire consisted of a white coat with a blue undershirt and white pants.

"We are already stronger with just the power of… love!" declared a pink haired woman wearing a black and pink dress on the other side of the large man.

"No way," muttered Gray, "Lyon!"

Joshua just stared wide eyed at the three newcomers. Specifically the large man with the staff.

"Hello Gray." snarled the white haired man, "Long time no see."

"Don't start a fight you two." ordered the large man.

Natsu looked over at Joshua to see the kid absolutely spell bound.

"What's up with you Josh?" asked Natsu.

"That's Jura Neekis!" Joshua shouted with excitement, "He's one of the wizard saints!" Joshua reached into his requip space and pulled out a few pieces of paper, "I've got his trading card!"

"Trading cards!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Yup! They sell them at the gift shop back home." Joshua flipped through to Lucy's card. "I've got yours too!"

"How did they get a picture of me like that!?" cried Lucy as she saw a photo of her in a very revealing swimsuit.

"Wow, nice swimsuit Luce." said Natsu as he peeked over at the card while Lucy uttered a defeated groan.

"Yeah, but Jura's is a super rare card." Joshua ran up to the large man, "Hello Mr. Jura." The large man looked down at the ten year old, "Can you sign my card?"

"Not now Joshua." stated Erza as she walked over, "Maybe afterwards, right now we got a job to do."

"So you are the Joshua I heard about?" stated Jura.

"HE KNOWS MY NAME!" shouted Joshua happily.

"He's the one Master Bob told us to protect?" grumbled Lyon, "Just a kid?"

"Indeed, and you will not complain about it." barked Jura to Lyon who remained silent after that. Jura glanced around and observed everyone that was present. "Six from Fairy Tail. Four from Blue Pegasus. Three from Lamia Scale. All we are waiting on now is the representative from Cait Shelter."

"I heard they are only sending one." said Hibiki.

"Only one! How powerful is this guy!?" exclaimed Lucy.

The sound of someone tripping and falling to the ground behind the three Lamia scale wizards drew everyone's attention. Joshua peeked behind the large form of Jura and saw a little girl with dark blue hair wincing as she stood up after tripping on the red rug.

"Ouch." she said softly as she got up. The girl wore a small yellow and purple dress that went down to her knees. She looked around and saw all of the people staring at her and she shyly folded her hands in front of her. "Hi, I'm-I'm Wendy from Cait Shelter."

"Another child?" observed Lyon.

"What gives with guilds sending little kids?" questioned the pink haired woman beside Jura.

The girl named Wendy looked super nervous as everyone stared and muttered at her sudden appearance.

"Yeah, why did they send a kid?" asked Gray.

"We aren't exactly in a position to judge, Gray. Joshua came with us after all." replied Erza. "She looks about the same age as he is."

"She's cute." stated Hibiki.

"Yeah, she'll be a looker when she get's older." continued Ren. Joshua looked over at the trimens with an irritated stare.

"Pedos." Joshua spat out causing the trimens to practically jump out of their skin.

"We've never been call that before!" cried Eve.

"Oh my god I never realized!" exclaimed Hibiki.

"Damn…" muttered an ashamed Ren.

Joshua gave a victorious smile before being the first person to approach the incredibly nervous Wendy. He extended a hand to her.

"Hi, I'm Joshua!" he smiled at her.

Wendy looked up, unsure what to do. Then she cautiously grabbed Joshua's hand and the other kid shook it gently.

"Nice to meet you." said Wendy softly.

"Hands off of Wendy!" shouted another high pitched voice coming from behind Wendy. The blue haired girl spun around.

"Carla, you came too!"

Joshua looked past Wendy and saw a white cat with wings just like Happy's flying in quickly and getting between Joshua and Wendy. Unlike Happy however, this cat was very dignified and a bit snooty.

"I was just introducing myself." grumbled Joshua as he crossed his arms and glared at the white cat.

"Well you don't have to touch her."

"Carla, I'm fine." muttered an embarrassed Wendy.

Jura looked at the two children and the cat. The others in the room were muttering and complaining but Jura never said a word. He just nodded at the two before turning to the others.

"Alright, now that everyone is here. It's time we discussed the plan." he said firmly, "Ichiya, would you please enlighten us as to how we are to take out the Oracion Seis."

"Right, Mehhn!" exclaimed Ichiya as he stepped up in front of everyone, "Currently, Oracion Seis is searching in the Worth Woodsea for a lost, forbidden magic." he struck a pose, "The magic of the ancients known as Nirvana!" he struck another pose.

"He could explain without the poses." mumbled Joshua, "It's getting irritating."

"You're telling me." replied Erza back, "And you are dead for teasing me when we get home."

Joshua shivered a little at that.

"The first part of this plan is to find Oracion Seis." new pose, "Once we do, we will use the crown jewel of Blue Pegasus, the magical bomber Christina, to blow them away." another new pose, "Mehn!"

"One problem, how are we going to find the Oracion Seis?" asked Lyon.

"That is where the one known as Joshua comes into play!" exclaimed Ichiya. All eyes turned to the brown haired ten year old who was still standing next to a nervously shuffling Wendy. "Joshua, please explain to us how you can do this? Cause unfortunately, master Bob failed to explain."

"Um…" Joshua stepped forward, "Well… one of my magical powers is sensory magic. I can stretch my magic powers out into the environment and use it to sense the locations of different things. Depending how far away they are and how powerful they are, it can be an exact location or an approximation." Joshua finished.

"Whoa." said the pink haired woman who was named Sherry Blendy. "That's pretty handy."

"Indeed." remarked Jura. _This child has great power in him._ He looked over at Wendy as well, _Both of them do._ "Now that the explanations are finished, we shall move out."

"Correct Mehn!" exclaimed Ichiya, "But first I need to make a letter of the alphabet." And with that the short, ugly man rushed to the restroom. Right as the Blue Pegasus mage rushed off Joshua heard Natsu give out an excited yell.

"Alright! Time to go find someone to fight!" he burst out of the doors and sprinted down the road.

"NATSU!" shouted Gray, "Get back here you pyro!"

"Idiot he didn't remember the plan!" Lyon took off after them as well followed by Lucy, Sherry, and the Trimens. That left Joshua, Wendy, and Jura alone at the mansion.

"Do they always go half cocked like that?" asked Jura.

"Yup. That's pretty normal." sighed Joshua. "I'll need someone to carry me if I'm gonna use my sensory magic. It requires a lot of concentration in order to use. I can't run and use it at the same time."

Jura nodded and placed Joshua onto his back. He then glanced over at Wendy and Carla.

"You two watch our backs."

"Y-yes sir." stammered Wendy.

She looked up to see Joshua already had his eyes closed. She then felt a weird sensation all over her as magic seemed to be bouncing off of her. Carla's eyes widened as well.

"What is this feeling?" she asked concerned.

"Shh…" Joshua hissed, "I'm concentrating."

Jura's eyes widened as he too felt the strange sensation. _It's like a form of echolocation, only with magic. To develop a technique as complex as this at such a young age is impressive._

Joshua's eyes shot open, "They're behind us…" he trembled.

"What!"

"Pidi pidi." said two very high pitched voices.

Jura wheeled around as Joshua dropped off of Jura's back and face the enemy as well. Sure enough, standing right behind them were six dark wizards. Joshua gulped as he got a better look at them.

The first was a woman with white hair and a very revealing swan dress. She gave them a sinister smile as two blue doll like creatures floated around her. Too her right stood a large man with very long, bushy orange hair on top of a box shaped face. The third enemy was a man with tan skin and dark brown hair. He had narrow eyes and he wore a long white coat over a dark rust colored shirt and dark pants. Slithering around his shoulders was a large purple snake. The next wizard beside him was a man wearing a red and black, skin tight, running suit with goggles, and a blonde and black mohawk. The final two were the ones that were the most menacing to Joshua. The first was an older man with linear tattoos around his face, arms, and chest. He had slicked back gray hair and carried a dark, gnarled staff with skull planted on top like an ornament. The final was a guy on a floating carpet with jet black hair, and he was… sleeping. One of the enemy was seriously sleeping.

"Good thing we knocked that Ichiya fool out so we could sneak into this place." squealed one of the blue dolls hovering around the white haired woman.

"Yeah brother, that guys had some perverted thoughts in his brain." squealed the second doll like creature.

"Joshua, Wendy!" barked Jura, "Stay behind me."

"Yes sir!" they both said in unison.

Joshua could feel the power emanating from all of these dark wizards. And he thought Laxus's power was terrifying. These guys had a dark energy about them that made his tremble.

"The boy is scared, I can hear it." growled the man with the snake running around his shoulders. He then moved his eyes to the Wendy, "So is the girl."

"The other two don't matter." said the man with the staff, his low voice rumbling through the air, "The target is the girl, Racer."

"Already on it boss." the man with the yellow mohawk and goggles disappeared in a flash.

Joshua's eyes widened. The sensory magic that was leaking out around him was telling him exactly where this guy was going. Joshua snarled and outstretch his left hand. The man named Racer yelled out as he hit an invisible wall as he neared Wendy. The guy then fell on his but and rubbed his long nose.

"What the!? WHo stopped me!?" he glared over at Joshua's outstretched hand.

"You won't touch her." Joshua looked at Carla, "Get her out of here! They're after her!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" shouted Cara back as she grabbed Wendy by the back and jetted into the air.

"Cobra." growled the man with the staff.

"Sure thing Brain." The snake launched from his shoulders towards the fleeing Wendy only for a large rock to pelt it in the skull and send it plummeting down to earth. Joshua's other hand was stretched out now as the rock now hovered over his hand.

"Did you hear that one coming creep?" growled Joshua lowly.

Cobra snarled at him then twitched his ears. Strange, he couldn't hear this kid's thoughts. The snake slithered back up to his shoulders. He then smirked as a loud cry from Wendy broke the heavy silence. Joshua wheeled around and saw her plummeting down to the earth as one of those doll creatures. Joshua's eyes widened.

"Go get her!" shouted Jura, "I'll deal with the others."

"Money can stop you all! Oh yeah!" shouted the man with long orange hair as he liquified the ground in front of Joshua. Joshua took a breath and leapt high over the quicksand like soil. Joshua landed softly and raced through the forest towards where he saw Wendy fall from the sky. Jura watched him disappear into the woods.

"That is quite the talent Jura." remarked the older enemy known as Brain, "He could make quite a wizard once he's older."

Jura's eyes narrowed at the Oracion Seis' leader.

"Racer, Cobra. Don't let him live to grow that powerful."

"Sure thing boss." Racer sped off faster than Jura could comprehend while Cobra dodged every attempt Jura made to stop him.

"You won't hit Cobra. He has the unique ability to hear thoughts. He knows exactly what you will right as you think it." smirked Brain. "Your little friend is as good as dead with those two pursuing him."

Jura dropped into a fighting stance, "Do not underestimate him."

Brain chuckled, "Angel, take Midnight and continue the search for Nirvana." Green energy built up around his staff,"Me and Hoteye will deal with the wizard saint."

The woman named Angel smiled and raced off with the man on the floating carpet following closely behind her.

"He uses earth magic as well. But he doesn't have money, that gives us the advantage! Oh yeah!" exclaimed Hoteye as he addressed Jura's magic.

"Indeed Hoteye." replied Brain, "Tell me something Jura. Do you know who those two children really are?"

Jura didn't respond. He just stared down the other two enemies.

"The girl is the sky maiden. She is the sky dragon slayer." Jura's eyes widened, "And the boy… well… he is definitely an impressive specimen."

"What do you mean?" asked Jura angrily.

"His magic, it is a magic once thought lost hundreds of years ago. The last person capable of using such magic was the black wizard himself."

Jura's eyes widened. The kid from Fairy Tail was using magic that the infamous Zeref once used. But how could he possibly know such dark magic.

"That magic puts the user on the precipice between light and dark natures." continued Brain, "And it will leave him very vulnerable to the effects of Nirvana."

"And what are those effects?" Jura snarled.

"Nirvana's power, is to turn light to dark." Brain smiled evilly, "You just sent a ticking time bomb after an innocent little girl. How does that make you feel?"

Jura roared angrily, "Iron Rock Wall!"

Brain smiled as pillars of rock as strong as Iron raced towards him. He was going to enjoy this fight.

 **And end chapter! There you go you guys! The Oracion Seis arc has started! How do you guys think this will go down! Let me know! As always I hope you guys enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	14. Chapter 14: A Boy, A Dragon, and a Cat

**Today has been a good day folks. I had chili for dinner, the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan, and this story now has nearly 1500 views! Wow! Thank you guys so much for all of the support, I'll keep on giving you guys the best work I can possibly give. Now then, without further ado, chapter 14!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 14

The mechanical breathing rasped through the dark tunnel as the heavy metal door groaned upwards thanks to an aging lift system. Light from the the land outside streamed through the entryway as the doors were hoisted upwards. Outside the land was revealed to be that of a massive desert. The entire landscape was nothing more than sand dunes climbing hundreds of feet into the dry air and dry rocky cliffs descending into dusty valleys below. Standing in the doorway, shadowed out by the blinding light that was entering the tunnel, was a lone figure clad in black armor. His mechanical breathing echoing with a steady rhythm around the tunnel.

The figure strode powerfully forward. He had no time to waste. As his powerful form moved forward two guards waddled up to him. They were ugly creatures, resembling fat deformed pigs walking on thick muscular legs, and bearing tusks that were sharper than a razor's edge. Their green skin was covered in a thin layer of dirt, slime, and wisps of hair. Both of the guards carried a strange weapon that resembled an axe. They grunted as they moved forward, intent on blocking the path of this man in black. They stood a few feet away from the dark figure and crossed their spear shaped axes in front of him. The figure stopped moving, his mechanical breathing the only sound in the tunnel.

*SNAP* *CRUNCH*

The guards fell limply to the ground and their axes clattered against the stone floor. The figure let his hand fall back to his side. He hated those creatures. Ever since he could remember he hated them. He looked side to side admiring his handiwork before striding forwards once again. As he made his way down the dark tunnel he heard the enormous metal door groan and shut behind him, taking any light with it. The groaning door faded into the background and the silence that followed was soon replaced by the sound of festive party music. The figure moved towards an dimly illuminated doorway and strode into a large room.

Needless to say as soon as he stepped in the music and dancing came to a screeching halt. Murmurs broke out among the numerous alien species that were present in the large room. Each species speaking a language the figure knew all too well, and wished to forget. But standing out above all of the strangely colored and arranged alien figure was a massive slug like creature whose enormous mass rested on a bed of pillows and slime near the center of the room.

"Coo turned ovv myo music?" rumbled the sluglike figure as it's tail twitched.

A humanoid alien with a large pale antenna wrapped around its shoulders and bloodshot eyes raced over to the slug and pointed to the dark figure striding towards the center of the room with his pale fingers and grimy long claws. The black armored and masked figure stopped and stood in front of the massive slug.

"Jabba." the dark figure said with disdain hidden in his tone.

"Why would doe Empire be unko?" the crime lord that was the slug, Jabba the Hut, rumbled.

"I'm here on a mission. I need your two best bounty hunters." stated the masked man firmly before his mechanical breathing filled the silence in the room.

Jabba the Hut began to chuckle and his low rumbling laughter made the audience around him slightly nervous. They knew full well who was standing in front of their boss. And their fear was plain to see.

"U are noleeya noah position tah make demands, jedai."

The figures gaze narrowed on the slug in front of him. Suddenly the slug's eyes widened and his fatty arms clawed at what must've been his throat.

"I am no Jedi, Hut." growled the figure, "Now then, you will do as I say. Or you will find that the Emperor isn't the only one you should fear."

The pressure around the Hut's throat lightened and the slug coughed for air.

"Do you understand?"

If the fat slug could nod he would've done it quickly. He wasn't able to, but the figure could sense that he had gained the crime lord's cooperation.

"Who are your two best bounty hunters?"

….

Darth Vader waited beside a large imperial shuttle as two figures strode up to him. One was a blue looking alien with tubes coming out of his cheeks. Obviously a form of a breathing apparatus. He wore a large black hat, resembling something from an old western on top of his thin head. On the aliens hips rested two blasters, holstered and cleaned to perfection. The other beside him was a shorter man clad in full green armor with several scratches and dents in it. On this figure's back was a jet pack with a rocket jutting up from the top. The masked figure recognized the armor. It was mandalorian. And he recognized the alien as well. His eyes narrowed under his mask. How he despised the blue creature walking towards him. He was much older than he last saw him, but the man had to admit, this alien knew how to get a job done.

"You the client?" asked the blue alien with pupiless red eyes. His voice was had a slight twang to it.

"Indeed, Cad Bane." replied Vader. No emotion in his voice whatsoever. He looked at the shorter armored figure who hid his face behind the mandalorian helmet, "Fett." The other figure silently nodded at him, "The Empire requests your services."

"Who do you want taken out?" asked Cad Bane as he crossed his thin arms.

"Not taken out, found." replied Vader.

"Can't you get some soldiers to do the finding." said Cad Bane dismissively.

Vader glared at the blue alien.

"Where is the target, and how do we find him?" Boba Fett interjected with a gravelly voice.

"That is why I requested you two. We don't know where the target is. Only a possible location."

Vader pulled out a silver disk. A blue light lit up above it showing a planet both Cad Bane and Boba Fett had never seen before. And that was saying something, they had been to plenty of planets.

"This is what the planet may look like."

"You expect us to find something based on what the place might look like?" Bane replied. "Sounds like a wild bantha chase to me."

"Do you question what the Emperor has ordered?" said Vader threateningly causing Cad Bane's red eyes to widen slightly.

"Not at all."

"Possible area of the planet?" asked Boba Fett.

"It's not charted. So the planet is most likely in the unknown regions beyond the Rishi Maze or in the Western portion of the galaxy. Far beyond the outer rim." The hologram faded away and Vader pocketed the device, "When you find the planet, contact me immediately. I will send you further orders from there."

"The reward better be good for this one." muttered Bane.

"Don't worry Cad Bane," Vader said as he turned to enter his shuttle, "Your reward will be worth the effort."

The shuttle lifted off of the sandy planet and with a blast of energy lifted away from the surface of the desert planet. Cad Bane frowned and looked over at his counterpart.

"How do you want to play this?"

"I'll be taking the area beyond the Rishi maze." replied Fett almost as automatically as a machine would.

"That leaves me with the unknown regions in the western portion of the galaxy." grumbled Bane, his long fingers tapping on his arms, "Fine," he glared at Boba Fett, "but I better get a larger cut out of this."

….

"Hey Wendy!" yelled Joshua as he sprinted through the Worth Woodsea towards where he saw the blue haired girl and her cat fall from the sky.

Joshua stopped and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Wendy! Where are you!?"

Joshua then shook his head, "The hell am I doing? I got my sensory magic." He closed his eyes, "Work smarter not harder." he focused letting his magic spread out. Within a few moments Joshua opened his eyes, "Found you!"

He picked up the pace as the trees breezed by him. It wasn't long until he found Wendy knocked out beside a small stream. Joshua raced up to her and placed a hand on her neck. He felt her pulse throbbing underneath his fingers and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tougher than you look huh?"

Joshua then felt his attention be taken away. He could sense it, someone was coming. Joshua requiped his sword and stood over Wendy and Carla's unconscious forms. His eyes narrowed as he scanned his surroundings. They were coming in fast. He recognized who he was sensing now. They had found him that quickly!?

"Haha!" shouted the member of the Oracion Seis named Racer as he sprinted out of the tree lines at break neck speeds, "You can't outrun me kid!"

Joshua's eyes widened as Racer's forearm clotheslined him. Joshua hit the ground and felt his head whiplash back into the earth. He grunted, seeing spots in his vision. He glanced foggily over at Wendy and saw Racer heave her over his shoulder.

"Mission accomplish." said Racer triumphantly.

He bent his legs and took off… only to run into an invisible wall once again. He face squished up against the wall and his grip on Wendy loosened, causing her to fall back into the grass around them. Racer rubbed his nose again and felt it move slightly.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" he shouted angrily before glancing back at Joshua to see the kid's hand outstretched towards him, "You stopped me!?" Racer was practically shaking with fury, "How could you stop me!?"

"Maybe you just go too fast for your own good." smirked Joshua as he rubbed the back of his head and rose to his feet. He then felt a fist hit him in the gut knocking the wind out of him.

"I think my speed is serving me just fine!" replied Racer as his leg arced in the air and swiftly kicked Joshua into a tree.

Racer charged forward, intent on landing the finishing blow. He then felt himself face plant once again, but not into an invisible wall. This time it was a really large log. Racer cried out in pain, his nose now clearly crooked on his face. He gripped his face with his hands and stopped his feet and he jumped around in pain.

"Slow and steady wins the race!" remarked Joshua as he slashed his sword across Racer's body catching the dark wizard off guard. The blow sent Racer careening across the ground and into the stream nearby.

"No," grumbled Racer as he rose to his feet. His goggle were cracked revealing lightly colored eyes glaring angrily at Joshua, "The fastest always win!" He saw Joshua giving him a quizzical look. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"But didn't the tortoise beat the hare?" asked Joshua.

"THAT'S A CHILDREN'S STORY!" roared an irritated Racer. He lowered his stance, "MAX SPEED!"

"Oh crap!"

Joshua felt Racer slam into him. Fist and feet hit Joshua from all directions as he couldn't keep up with the speed of Racer's attacks. He felt his rapier get kicked away from his hand before a fist hit him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Joshua dropped to his knees gasping for breath as Racer stood over him, snarling.

"You see, speed always wins." he muttered.

"Had your fun with him Racer?" said another person's voice. Racer looked over to see his comrade Cobra leaning up against a tree, his purple snake Cubellios hissing at him.

"I guess."

"Good, then get the girl and head for the hideout." ordered Cobra, "That's what Brain would want. I'll finish off the kid."

Racer nodded as he threw Wendy over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "Don't go easy on him. The kid deserves a beating."

"Don't worry, he'll be in a world of pain once I'm through with him." said Cobra with an evil smile.

Racer nodded and took off. Joshua jumped to his feet.

"Wendy!" he shouted before he felt another fist hit him in the jaw. This one however, was much more powerful and painful.

"Pay attention to your enemy kid." smiled Cobra as he laid blow after blow on Joshua.

Joshua got hit again and flew into a tree, knocking the large plant over.

"Is that seriously all you got? Man, you Fairies are pathetic." scoffed Cobra.

Joshua shakily rose to his feet. He rubbed his jaw and cringed as the bruises on his body began to cause him pain.

"I gotta say. I didn't expect you guys to be this tough." replied Joshua. He spat some blood onto the ground and rotated his right arm, "But I'm just getting started."

"Oh really." Cobra focused his ears.

He started to hear the kid's thoughts. He wasn't focused, he was excited to fight. That was for sure. But he wasn't focused. He was worried about that Wendy girl as well as Titania. As he probed his thoughts he suddenly hit a wall which caused his ears to ring. Cobra grunted in pain and he scratched his right ear.

"The hell." he mumbled.

"Stay out of my head!" shouted Joshua angrily. "I've already had a geezer strolling through there I don't need a snake guy now too!"

"Geezer?" Cobra deadpanned. "Kid, how the heck did you make it so I couldn't hear your thoughts?"

Joshua shrugged causing Cobra's jaw to drop slightly and his eyes to twitch.

"Just kinda did it."

Cobra grit his teeth together. This kid was irritating. He had enough of this. He charged forward and threw a punch at Joshua. Joshua quickly dodged and smiled. He could get this guy.

A bad feeling took over Joshua as he saw a smirk emerge on Cobra's face. Why was he smirking? Joshua looked at him then his eyes widened.

 _The snake!_

 __Fangs dug into Joshua's forearm as he leaned to the side and raised his arm instinctively, causing the snake to narrowly miss his neck and instead bite into his left arm. Joshua cried out in pain before bashing the snake on the head. The snake hissed and moved away, quickly slithering back around Cobra's shoulders. Joshua winced in pain and looked down at his left forearm to see the skin around the bite mark glowing purple.

"Oooh, you don't want a quick death?" laughed Cobra as he saw the results of the snake bite. Joshua glared at him before feeling his strength beginning to leave him. His legs buckled and he fell to one knee clutching his wounded arm.

"Sucks for you then." Cobra began to walk away, "Have fun dying the most painful death imaginable."

 _I can legitimately debate that._ Thought Joshua as his internal organs began to burn a little, reminding him of the hole that was once in his abdomen. He cried out and doubled over his arm as the poison slowly spread around his arm, _But yeah, this really hurts._

Joshua looked up ready to continue to fight Cobra but saw that the snake charmer was gone. He grit his teeth and angrily slammed his fist into the soft ground.

"DAMMIT!" he yelled before he bit his lip in pain once again.

"What happened?" Joshua looked over to see the white cat that came with Wendy finally coming to, "Where is Wendy!?" she exclaimed and then she looked over at Joshua and gave him a suspicious glare. "What did you do to her?"

"Me!" Joshua had about enough of this cat's attitude, "I only defended her as best as I could as two members of that damn dark guild attacked me! All the while you decided to take a snooze you damn cat!" Joshua winced, "And now I'm poisoned! So before you go giving me those glares of yours I just want to extend a gigantic fuck you to you as well." Joshua took a breath.

"You done?" asked the cat.

"Yeah." breathed Joshua before he felt a white paw smack him across the cheek. "The hell was that for!?"

"For throwing a childish temper tantrum." replied Carla calmly.

"I think I earned the right to a good tantrum!" grumbled Joshua.

"Then take it later." replied Carla, "Do you have any idea where they took Wendy?"

Joshua shook his head and Carla's face became filled with worry.

"You are lucky you have me nearby though cat." said Joshua.

"I'm lucky to have a ten year old toddler like you?"

"Shut up!" Joshua replied, "You're lucky because I can try to sense her out."

Carla's eyes widened. She had forgotten that this child was capable of that. "Well what are you waiting for then?" she asked as she saw the kid close his eyes.

"Would you be quiet for once!" snarled Joshua, "With this snake bite distracting me it's gonna take a lot more focus to pinpoint her." Carla closed her mouth and tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.

Joshua began to breath deeply. He started seeing the landscape around them. His senses extended further into the Worth Woodsea. He could see animals running around miles away from them. His senses went to a place that looked like a caldera drained of water except for a small pond fed by several streams. He focused in and felt Wendy's magical signature. Before he could look even further he felt the pain in his arm intensify. Joshua's sensory magic stopped and he yelled out in pain clutching his arm.

"Did you find her?"

"Sorta." Joshua through gritted teeth. _Shrug it off. You've died before, this is nothing._ More pain. _DAMN IT ALL THIS HURTS!_

"What does sort of mean?" asked Carla.

"It means I know the general location." Joshua took a deep breath before standing up, "But it's miles from here. It could take us a while to get there." He glanced at his arm. The poison was already spreading to his wrist and elbow, "And I don't have that kind of time."

"Well then," he felt the cat grab hold of his cloak from the back. He glanced back to see her wings spread, "It's a good thing we are going to go find Wendy then." she soared into the air, "Which way?"

Joshua winced again and pointed with his right arm, "That way."

Like a bullet being fired, Carla shot in the direction Joshua pointed. Joshua glanced up at the white cat.

"So, why am I lucky we are going to find Wendy?" he asked.

"Because child, Wendy is the Sky Dragon Slayer."

"SAY WHAT!" shouted Joshua before he grunted in pain again. "Ok," he breathed, "how does that help my arm situation?"

"Her magic is Sky magic. It gives her tremendous healing abilities. Including cleansing the body of all poisons."

Joshua's eyes widened, "Whoa. That's pretty neat."

"Indeed."

They flew silently for a few moments before Carla broke the silence.

"So you are from Fairy Tail?"

"Hm.. yeah. Why do you ask?"

"I heard about what happened a few weeks ago." Joshua's face darkened a little, "Did you participate in that craziness?"

Joshua shrugged. He preferred not to talk about that day.

"Well aren't you going to tell me?" demanded Carla.

"No." he said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because Carla," Carla felt his muscles tense in her grip, "There…. There are some things that you just don't ask people to talk about."

Carla sighed. This child was a stubborn one. Why didn't he want to talk about it? Surely talking about a rough experience helped. Didn't it?

"I heard that Master Makarov banished his grandson."

"Yeah he did. Along with another guy named Freed."

"Freed?"

"He went along with Laxus's plans wholeheartedly." Joshua grit his teeth and clenched his right fist, "If I ever see those bastards again… I'll personally send them to hell."

"Why?" now she was getting somewhere.

Joshua was silent for a moment, "They made Erza cry." he said simply.

Carla was surprised by the answer. She was expecting a full blown speech about guild pride and unity. That's what those other Fairy Tail wizards cheered about all the time. But this child's reason was because they made the great Lady Erza cry. She saw Joshua's head snap up.

"We're here."

Carla looked ahead and saw a large caldera land formation dipping into the ground.

"Stay low and quiet." Joshua said quickly, "No telling who is down there."

"Right." replied Carla as she silently flew down into the Caldera.

She silently dropped Joshua onto the ground before landing beside him. She was about to ask him a question when she felt that strange sensation hit her again. The boy's eyes were closed and he seemed very calm. He then opened them and his head turned to a boarded up mining tunnel.

"Over there." he whispered. He then grunted and dropped to a knee holding his arm. Carla's eyes widened. The poison was already nearing his shoulder. Time was running out.

"How are you holding out like this?" Carla asked with wide eyes, "A normal person would have succumbed to that stuff already."

Joshua smirked and groaned as he rose to his feet again, "Cause my friends need me. And yes," he glanced down at Carla, "I consider Wendy a friend."

"But… but you hardly know her."

"So," shrugged Joshua as he quietly walked towards the mining shaft, "Doesn't mean I won't be friends with her."

He pressed his ear against the mining shaft and heard muffled voices from inside. He recognized two voices coming from within. One was definitely Racer, he couldn't wait to punch that guy into next week. The other though surprised Joshua. The second voice was that guy named Brain.

"Jura lost…" breathed a stunned Joshua.

"What?" gasped Carla.

Joshua was shaking a little, "No way, Jura… Jura is so strong. And he couldn't win." Joshua gulped, "Carla,"

"Yes."

"If we live through this, I'm gonna buy you a whole bag of catnip."

Carla looked at him revolted, "I hate catnip!" she shouted, "I prefer tea!"

She then felt Joshua clasp a hand over her mouth and tuck her into his arms before diving to the side of the tunnel. At first she was angry until she felt a rush of air. The racer guy was standing outside of the mine shaft peering around. Brain then stepped out as well. Joshua and Carla stayed completely silent as they stared at their backs.

"I thought I heard voices." said Brain as his staff dug into the earth.

"Me too." said Racer.

Joshua began to subtly creep towards the entryway.

 _We won't get in without them noticing._ Observed Carla. She glanced up at Joshua as he tried to move faster but then he bit his lip in pain as he tried not to cry out. She glanced down the tunnel, _If we live through this kid, I'll buy you all the food you want._

Carla then shout out of his arms. Joshua widened his eyes and was about to shout at her when she shouted down at Brain and Racer.

"Hey! Idiot and slowpoke!" she shouted before shaking her tail at them, "Can't catch me! Now I know where your secret base is!"

"After her Racer!" shouted Brain angrily.

Joshua widened his eyes, She was using herself as a distraction. What a clever cat. Joshua quickly snuck into the mine shaft and raced down the tunnel. As he got to the end he found a small desk illuminated with candles down the mineshaft. In front of the desk was a large coffin. In front of the coffin, smiling up at it happily was Wendy.

"Wendy!" Joshua whispered. The blue haired girl looked over at him and waved.

"You found me!" she said happily. Joshua was about to run forward and grab her when he saw a figure step out from the coffin.

Joshua stopped in his tracks. His heart went to his throat and anger surged to the surface. Standing there, in front of Wendy, was a blue haired man wearing a black muscle shirt and dark pants. He had blue hair and a tattoo around his right eye. Joshua glared hatefully at the man. The man looked back at him with a rather confused stare.

"You." Joshua snarled.

"Um.. do you and Jellal know each other?" asked Wendy.

Before Joshua could respond he heard the voice of Brain behind him.

"Indeed child they do." a pit formed in Joshua's stomach. "You see Wendy. Joshua once tried to kill Jellal."

"What!?" exclaimed a horrified Wendy.

"That's a filthy lie." he then looked up angrily at Jellal. Joshua then thought back to his fight with Jellal at the Tower of Heaven, "Alright half truth." Joshua admitted.

"But why?" asked a teary eyed Wendy, "Why would you try to kill someone like Jellal?"

Before Joshua could respond Brain answered for him, "Because, Joshua here is a very

dangerous wizard. Did you know he killed twenty two mages just a few months ago," Wendy looked at Joshua fearfully, "Using forbidden magic."

Joshua grit his teeth and glared at Brain, "I was cleared of those charges." he growled before he hissed in pain and grabbed his shoulder.

"Unfortunately." replied Brain, "You see Wendy. This boy is nothing more than a murderer who got off scot free." Wendy's teary eyes faded away as she looked at Joshua angrily, "What would a good mage from Cait Shelter do about him?" Brain smiled at Joshua triumphantly.

Wendy stood up, "You killed people and tried to kill someone as kind as Jellal."

"Kind as Jellal?" said Joshua with disbelief, "You have no idea what he did do you?"

"I won't believe anything you say!" shouted Wendy. She then got into a fighting stance. "But I will take you down."

Joshua sighed. This was not going as planned.

"In the name of the Cait Shelter guild, I will bring you to justice!"

Joshua felt power build up around the small blue haired girl. She placed her hands in front of her mouth and Brain smiled.

"Wendy don't do this!" shouted Joshua. "Brain is the enemy! Not me! Don't let him manipulate you!"

"I just helped you revive a long lost friend of yours." sneered Brain as he smirked at Joshua, "How does that make me an enemy?"

Wendy just glared at Joshua before taking a deep breath. Joshua's eyes widened and he outstretch his right palm gathering up his telekinetic magic. Wendy then stopped gathering air and squared up to Joshua.

"Sky Dragon… ROAR!"

 **Cliffhanger! Yup, leaving you guys on a cliffhanger! I'll have another chapter out soon. But it's late and I need to actually get some sleep tonight. Before I do I will explain a little bit as to why Wendy is attacking Joshua. In the anime and manga she had Happy there to warn her about how dangerous Jellal was. Here she doesn't. This means she thinks Jellal is still the same kind person she "knew". That makes her want to defend him from Joshua since, in her mind now, Joshua is one of the bad guys because he fought Jellal at the Tower of Heaven. Interesting huh? Anyways, what do you guys think will happen now? Let me know. As always I hope you guys enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	15. Chapter 15: The Oracion Seis Strike

**Alrighty, another update for this week. Then it's back to updating only on weekends. Classes are starting up again and finals are just a week away… ugh! Alright, let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 15

"Natsu!" roared Erza as she slammed her fist upside his pink haired head. Natsu gave out a small cry of fear before falling flat on his face, "Never run off like that!"

"Gee did you have to hit him so hard?" asked a trembling Lucy.

"He knew better than to just run off like that." replied Erza firmly.

"That's giving him more credit than he deserves." remarked Gray. Natsu shot to his feet suddenly and pressed his forehead against Gray's.

"What did you say ice pop!?" snarled Natsu as he glared at Gray.

"Did you get up just to pick a fight hot head?" Gray growled.

"Enough you two." ordered Erza. The two boy's quickly wrapped an arm around each other and nervously smiled at Erza.

Erza sighed and looked around their surroundings. It was quiet here. There wasn't any sign of the enemy at all. Strange, they were supposed to be all around this area. Then again, there were only six of them. Erza glanced back at her guildmates. It was just her, Lucy, Gray, Natsu and Happy standing in the shady clearing with her.

 _Looks like we got separated from the others._ Erza sighed completely relieved, _That means no more Ichiya._

Her brown eyes then widened. There were only four of them in the clearing. They had brought five. Erza glanced around.

"Gray."

"Yeah Erza." replied the Ice make wizard who was now missing his shirt.

"Have you seen Joshua?"

Gray raised an eyebrow and looked around before shrugging, "I thought he was with you."

Erza shook her head as concern gripped her.

"Maybe he didn't rush off like we did?" suggested Lucy.

Erza looked over at Lucy, "That wouldn't be like him at all. He'd rush off just like Natsu did."

"Well, he was completely freaking out about being around Jura. Maybe the kid stayed close to him." Gray replied, "After all, Joshua was treating the big guy like a celebrity."

"That seems way more likely." agreed Lucy.

"What's the big deal about that Jura guy anyways." grumbled Natsu, "He didn't look so tough."

"Are you kidding me flame brain. He's a wizard saint. That makes him as powerful as gramps." Said Gray with irritation evident in his voice.

Natsu's eyes widened, "No way…" He then smiled and smacked a fist into his open right palm, "I gotta fight him now!"

"You'll get your ass handed to you." said Gray dismissively.

"I'd do better than you!" roared Natsu angrily.

"Sure you would."

Erza frowned, "Stop arguing already." she ordered causing the two to shut up. "We need to find the others. We can't take on the Oracion Seis alone."

As if on cue the sound of air breaking apart around them rang through the clearing. Flying at full speed towards them, was a white cat wearing a dress. Panic was evident on her face. Just inches behind her was the member of the Oracion Seis named Racer, his speed magic allowing him to inch closer and closer to the fleeing cat.

"Carla!" exclaimed Happy.

"Don't just stand there Tomcat!" panicked Carla, "Help me out!"

Erza moved quickly and requiped into her flight armor. The armor wasn't really armor at all. It barely covered anything and was more like a revealing cheetah outfit than anything else. Erza gripped the sword that came with it and charged towards Racer. She swung her sword at the enemy who grinned and easily sped around her. Racer looked back at her as he was sprinting.

"You missed!" he shouted before being punched by a flaming fist and sent flying into a nearby boulder.

"Got him!" cheered Natsu.

Racer groaned and rubbed his head as he stood. That one hurt. He glared over at the four fairy tail wizards.

"Only four of you. Did you all get separated?"

Erza just stared silently at the speed wizard.

"Good." smirked Racer, "That means it will be easier to take you all out. Hell, we already handled four of you."

Erza's heart jumped, "What four!?" she asked.

Racer smiled at her, "Only that perfume idiot, the wizard saint, and the two kiddies."

Erza's eyes widened. "Joshua." she breathed.

"THEY TOOK OUT JURA!" exclaimed a stunned Gray.

"Oh yes we did. Brain and Hoteye were handling him last I knew. And the perfume buffoon was the first to go down." He then started chuckling, "But the most entertaining was that one kid from you guild. He actually put up a solid fight. Too bad he ran into Cobra as well."

"What do you mean?" snarled Erza as her knuckles turned white while her grip tightened more and more around her sword.

Racer gave her a sadistic smile, "The kid got bit by Cobra's snake." A lump formed in Erza's throat, "He should already be gone by now. Eaten away by the poison."

Erza roared angrily at him and charged. Racer smiled as the woman requipped into a simple pair of red pants with a flame pattern. She now wielded two katanas and only had bandages covering her breasts.

"That's hot." smiled Racer before he felt the hilt of a sword slam into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"Whoa! How did Erza move that fast!?" exclaimed Lucy.

Erza swiped her another blade across Racer's body and slashed into him, feeling the blade cut into his body. The force behind the strike sent the dark mage flying across the clearing before fall into a heap on the dirty ground. Racer gasped for breath and he winced in pain. He couldn't take another hit like that. But he couldn't dodge either. This woman was somehow faster than he was. But that wasn't supposed to be possible?

"I'm very unimpressed." said Erza as she terrifyingly walked towards the wounded Racer, "You call yourself the fastest man alive. You are no faster than anyone else."

"But how, I could barely see him move!?" asked Gray.

"His magic. It's his strength and his weakness." stated Erza, "He doesn't speed up. He slows everything around him down."

Racer's eyes widened, "How-how!?"

Erza glowered at him, "If you were capable of speeding up you would've easily dodged my attacks. But your magic only affects those less powerful than you are. Therefore, you were unable to slow me down and dodge."

Erza flicked her sword out and slashed Racer again, sending him tumbling along the ground. Racer felt fear grip hold of his body. He couldn't move. His body was broken and he was scared stiff. Erza pressed her blade against his throat.

"Where is Joshua?"

Racer stared up at her. His mouth trembling, "I-I don't k-know."

"Don't make me ask again!" growled Erza.

"Lady Erza. I know where he is." said Carla. Erza looked over at the cat who rushed over and grabbed her back, "I'll take you to him. But we don't have much time."

Erza looked over at Natsu and Gray before they took off.

"You two have fun with this guy." she said before speeding away.

….

A tornado of wind launched out of Wendy's mouth as her attack barreled towards Joshua. He barely had enough magic left to pull a log in front of him. The log took the brunt of the attack but as soon as the wood splintered it slammed into him with tremendous force. Joshua cried out in pain as he was launched across the caldera and into the rocky cliffs across the landscape.

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" he heard the high voice of Wendy shout.

Joshua's eyes widened as he dodged a wind powered kick from the small girl. He leapt away doing everything in his power to ignore the pain washing over his body from the poison.

"Wendy!" Joshua shouted, "I'm not your enemy!"

She didn't believe him. He tried to hurt her friend in the past. He was a killer. How could he not be the enemy? She was confused right now though. Why was he not fighting back? Why was he only dodging and blocking? She shook her head. She couldn't focus on that right now. She had to stop him.

Wendy launched another barrage of wind attacks forcing Joshua to use every last trick he knew to dodge or block the ferocious onslaught. Wendy reared her head back and sucked in a tremendous amount of air once again. Joshua's eyes widened before he winced and fell down to one knee, his right hand tightly gripping his left arm.

"SKY DRAGON ROAR!"

Joshua raised up his right hand, but too late. The tornado slammed into his weakened body and sent him flying back towards the mine shaft. He yelled out before he felt the back of his head smack into a muscular arm. His body went limp as he blacked out in the dirt. Brain stood over him, arm outstretched and a victorious smile on his lips. Wendy stopped her attacks and fell to her knees, exhausted.

"Well done Wendy," commented Brain, "You've successfully defeated a notorious criminal."

Wendy was breathing heavily as her head was bowed and hands rested on her thighs.

"Too bad you forgot that I'm one as well." Brain finished. Dark green light engulfed the skull on top of his staff, "DARK RONDO!"

The green energy blitzed forward and Wendy yelled out in fear. Just before it could hit her and surge of golden magical energy slammed into the side of Brain's attack, deflecting it out of the way. Brain frowned.

"Why would you do that?" he asked the person standing behind him.

"She's an innocent girl. And you are what you just said," glowered Jellal behind him, "A criminal." Jellal outstretched his right hand and sent another large blast of magic energy at Brain. The older mage couldn't react in time and felt the full force of Jellal's attack hit him from behind. As he tumbled away Jellal's gaze turned to Wendy.

"Get up and help the kid." he said.

Wendy's eyes widened, "But he tried to kill you before."

"I deserved it." replied Jellal somberly, "All those things you heard about me were entirely true." he continued, "Joshua was one of the few who actually tried to stop me from harming others." He smiled lightly at the unconscious ten year old near his feet, "He was willing to die to save his friends from my madness." Wendy stared at Joshua dumbfounded, "Give him a second chance."

Wendy nodded cautiously. "I'll help him. But only because you told me to."

Jellal smiled, "That's good to hear." His smile disappeared as Brain got back to his feet. "I'm going to take this fight somewhere else for now. You two stay safe."

"What but how-"

"METEOR!" Jellal surged forward and slammed into Brain lifting the man into the sky and out of the Caldera with a yell.

Wendy gulped and looked over at Joshua. She saw pain riddled across his face. Why was he hurting so badly? She couldn't have beaten him up that much? Then she saw the veins in his face begin to glow purple, followed by patches of skin turning to that unnatural color as well. Joshua's lungs wheezed for air as the poison spread more quickly across his body. Wendy now knew why he was struggling to fight her. He was poisoned. Wendy scrambled forward and removed the brown cloak from Joshua's shoulders to see his entire left arm, the left side of his neck, and parts of his face covered in the purple poison.

"You were able to stay standing with all of this in your system." gasped Wendy astonished.

She quickly placed her hands over the left side of Joshua's body and concentrated her magic. A green glow formed around her hands and the poison began to recede away from his vital organs and back down his arm. Within a couple moments, the poison had left his body completely. Once she was certain he was cured Wendy stopped using her healing magic and gasped for air.

"That was tiring." she muttered.

"WENDY!" Shouted a familiar voice she knew all too well. Wendy looked up in the sky and saw her friend Carla speeding towards her with the famous Erza in her arms. The pair landed near her and Erza raced towards Joshua.

"Joshua!" she shouted as the kid cracked his eyes open and groaned.

"Oh…" he winced, "I've got a really bad headache now." he rubbed his forehead. "Who is shouting so loud?" His eyes widened as he saw Erza barreling towards him. "Uh oh."

Erza tackled him and skidded across the ground with her arms around him.

"Joshua are you alright!?" she exclaimed, "Are you hurt!? Where are you poisoned!? I'll suck it out of you if I have to!?"

"Um… I feel fine now actually." said Joshua as Erza shook him by the shoulders, "But you are making my head hurt even more with all of the shaking!"

"Oh." Erza stopped shaking him. Joshua slumped forward, catching his breath. Man, she could be overzealous about things sometimes. "But Carla told me you were poisoned."

"I was." replied Joshua before he looked uncertainly over at Wendy, "I guess she healed me up after our… disagreement."

"Disagreement?" questioned Wendy.

Wendy smiled sheepishly at Carla, "I thought he was one of the bad guys."

Carla frowned, "That boy risked his life to save you and you attacked him?"

"That Brain guy's argument was really convincing." Wendy replied defending herself.

"He is a criminal, Wendy." scolded Carla.

"So is he." replied Wendy as she looked over at Joshua. Carla's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Brain said he killed twenty two wizards in cold blood only half a year ago." Carla frowned at Joshua and stepped between him and Wendy.

"You failed to mention that when you explained who you were young man." she said angrily.

"Like I said just ten minutes ago, I was cleared of those charges!" replied an exasperated Joshua, "Geez, when will that incident stop coming up already!"

"Enough complaining Joshua. Just be glad you're safe now." said Erza, "Do you know where the rest of the Oracion Seis are?"

"No." Joshua replied. Then he remembered, the blue haired bastard was here. He grit his teeth.

"What's wrong?" asked Erza.

"THAT BLUE HAIRED BASTARD!" roared Joshua as he jumped to his feet, "Where is he? I'm gonna knock his block off!"

"Blue haired bastard?" Erza muttered before her eyes widened. Joshua had only ever called one person that name before. She grabbed Joshua's arms and stared him down.

"Joshua, who are you talking about?"

Joshua stopped yelling and stared back at Erza, "Jellal." he growled.

Erza let her hands fall to her side as she stood there in stunned silence.

"She brought him back." Joshua pointed at Wendy, "Then decided the best course of action was to beat me up instead of listening to me about how he tried to kill you and me."

"Stop saying horrible things about him!" cried Wendy. Erza looked at the little girl, "He's save my life twice now."

Erza caught her breath. Jellal, saved this little girl's life, twice? That wasn't the Jellal she knew at all. The one she knew was a black hearted maniac.

"Wendy, are you sure it was Jellal you revived?" she asked softly, trying her best to maintain her own composure.

Wendy nodded, "I would never forget him. He found me after my dragon Grandeneey disappeared and made sure I got to Cait Shelter safely. And just now, he rescued me and Joshua from Brain."

"I don't remember that." grumbled Joshua.

"You were out cold." replied Wendy.

Joshua muttered under his breath and crossed his arms, "He's still a blue haired bastard."

"Where did he go Wendy?" asked Erza.

"He took his fight with Brain away from here so I could heal Joshua." replied Wendy. She saw the surprise in Erza's eyes, "I heard about what he did. But I refused to believe it. I didn't believe it until he told me himself. That's the only reason I agreed to heal Joshua as well. Because he wasn't actually lying to me."

"Well geez, thanks for the vote of confidence when it comes to my integrity." huffed Joshua as he sat down and winced. He rubbed his left arm. "It still hurts."

"It'll hurt for a little while. The poison still caused some damage to your tissues and muscles." explained Wendy.

Erza closed her eyes, "Alright then." she bowed to Wendy, "Thank you for healing him."

Wendy smiled at her, "You're welcome Ms. Erza."

"I hate to break up the chit chat. But what do we do now?" interjected Carla as her tail flicked back and forth, "The Oracion Seis are still out there. And we still don't know what they are after."

"I do." said Joshua, "I heard a little bit before I went to find you two." he stood up and stretched for a moment, "It's a magic called Nirvana. It's somewhere in this forest. Beyond that I don't know much."

Wendy nodded, "Brain said that Jellal knew where it might be. That's why he had me revive him, most likely."

"You idiot!" yelled Joshua, "He played you! Jellal is working for them!"

"NO! Why would he?" yelled Wendy back.

"He knows where this Nirvana thing is! And he just left… alone… with one of the Oracion Seis." reasoned Joshua, "Put two and two together."

"Joshua be nice." scolded Erza, "I'm sure Wendy didn't do anything malicious." Erza looked off to where Wendy said Jellal ran off to. "I'm going to go deal with Brain and Jellal. I want you two to rendezvous with Natsu and the others."

"But Erza I can help!" argued Joshua.

"No buts this time Joshua. You almost died fight Jellal last time. I don't want you being that reckless again." Joshua bowed his head, "Make sure you and Wendy get back to the others. And stay safe. Don't fight unless absolutely necessary."

"Yes ma'am." said Joshua glumly.

Erza nodded and raced off after Brain and Jellal. Joshua sighed as she disappeared past the cliffs. He then closed his eyes and tried to use his sensory magic to locate Natsu and the others. He then felt his knees buckle underneath him. He had already used up all of his magical power. Before Joshua hit the ground he felt an arm catch him.

"Don't push yourself. Your body is still recovering from the poison." Wendy wrapped Joshua's arm around her shoulders, "Just put your weight on me and focus on regathering you magic power. I'll do the walking."

"Thanks." said Joshua wearily. The two began walking out of the Caldera. They had to find Natsu, Gray, and Lucy the old fashioned way now. Joshua sighed, this was going to take a while. He then heard Wendy sniff the air. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find their scents." she replied.

"And that will help us how?"

"I'm a dragon slayer remember. I have a really good sense of smell. Not as good as Natsu's but still really good." replied Wendy, "I won't be able to find them as quickly as you could but it'll help."

Joshua frowned, "I feel like my usefulness is being threatened."

"I hope I'm not doing that." replied Wendy.

Joshua didn't reply. He just kept limping forward with Wendy's help.

"Do you still think I'm an enemy?" asked Joshua.

"Huh… well…"

Joshua shrugged, "You're opinion I guess."

"No no!" Wendy replied quickly, "Just… I'm not too sure."

She wrinkled her nose once again. "We're almost there."

"About time."

The two made their way to a large clearing where they found Natsu, Gray and Lucy sitting and waiting for Erza to return. When the two kids emerged from the thicket all three stood up.

"Hey you two!" smiled Gray.

"Oh my gosh you're ok!" shouted Lucy.

"DID YOU BEAT THEM UP!?" exclaimed Natsu.

Joshua smiled at them, "Sorta." Wendy walked him up to a large tree stump in the clearing and set him down beside it. Joshua rested his entire weight on the tree stump and let his shoulders fall lax. "Wow, I'm tired."

He then felt some energy begin to return to his body. He looked to his right and saw Wendy's hands hovering over him as they emitted a strange green glow.

"Whoa what is that?" asked Gray.

"Is it edible?" Natsu wondered.

"It's my sky magic." replied Wendy as she concentrated on healing Joshua, "It allows me to heal others."

"I thought that was a lost magic." stated Lucy as she leaned forward to observe Wendy working. She saw the bruises and cuts on Joshua begin to heal and disappear, "Wow, it really works!"

Wendy stopped and took a deep breath. She then outstretched her hands again only for Carla to intervene.

"Do not push yourself child. We still need you for the fight against the Oracion Seis."

Wendy shook her head but then Joshua forced her hands down, "Better listen to the cat. She's got a temper."

"I've got a temper!" Carla blurted out. "Says the criminal."

"Would you just drop that already." sighed Joshua. He looked around the clearing. Have these guys not fought anyone yet. Then he saw him, tied up to a tree and out cold. Joshua clenched his jaw.

"Please tell me you beat the piss out of that speedster." growled Joshua as he glared over at the unconscious Racer.

"Yeah, Erza beat him up good then let us finish him off. He won't be a problem anymore." replied Gray.

"Yeah!" said the two Lucy's in the clearing.

 _Wait a moment!_ Joshua blinked and looked at the two blondes standing side by side. "Um… why are there two Lucy's?"

"Huh?" both said in unison before they looked at each other and screamed in shock, mirroring each other's movements perfectly.

"What the!" both exclaimed, "No way!"

Natsu squinted his eyes and scratched his head, "My brain hurts, which is the real Lucy?"

"I'm the real Lucy!" they both yelled, "Hey! Quit it you!"

"I'm confused too." said Gray, "Is this some kind of trick by the enemy?"

"NO! I'M THE REAL LUCY!" shouted the Lucys.

Joshua stood up and stepped forward, "Well we need to figure this out." he rubbed his chin, "Cause one of you is not the real Lucy. And one is."

He thought hard then snapped his fingers, _Macao and Wakaba your methods never fail me!_

He smirked at the Lucys. "Whoever the real Lucy is, lift your shirt up!"

"WHAT!" yelled Gray and Natsu.

"How disgusting!" exclaimed an appalled Carla.

"Sure." said one of the Lucy's as she did so. When she did both Natsu and Gray's eyes widened and their teeth began to chatter, "Real enough for you?"

"Uh…" blinked Natsu as his eyes grew wider and pupils smaller.

"L-looks r-real enough to m-me." stammered Gray.

 _Huh, those are boobs…_ Joshua shook his head regaining his focus. "That's not the real Lucy." finished Joshua, "Lucy is too modest to do that."

Joshua launched forward and punched the fake Lucy as hard as he could. The imposter took a few steps back before going up in a puff of smoke. As the smoke cleared, two blue dolls could be seen floating in the air.

"Aw, she didn't have any info on that kid being smart." screeched one.

"Yeah, he was supposed to be just a dummy like the pink haired one." the other squealed.

"HEY!" shotued Joshua.

"Alright you two." said a provocative female voice, "I think you've had enough fun for today." emerging from the shadows was a woman with short white hair wearing a revealing swan like dress.

"Um guys," trembled Lucy, "It's one of them."

"Obviously." said Joshua. He glanced over at Gray and Natsu and saw that the two were still staring off into space. "Would you two snap out of it already!"

"Angel be careful." squeaked the dolls, "The little kid is smart."

"I see that, my pets." replied Angel. "Go away now. I'll summon someone else to deal with them."

"Yes lady Angel." A golden key flashed in the air and the two dolls disappeared.

"Wait a moment!" cried Lucy, "You are a celestial spirit wizard!"

The lady named Angel laughed aloud, "Yes I am, and I'm a far stronger one than you are." she pointed a key at her, "Do you wish to challenge me."

"Lucy don't-"

"I can handle her, I think." Lucy said cutting off Joshua before he could finish, "Besides, you are in no condition to fight. You and Wendy get out of here. Me, Natsu and Gray can handle this."

Joshua glanced back at the still entranced older wizards, "Sure they can." he deadpanned.

But he relented. He knew Lucy had a temper like Erza's on occasion. It was always better not to argue with someone like that.

He ran over to Wendy and grabbed her hand, "C'mon, let's go find this Nirvana thing before they do!"

"Right." replied Wendy as the two ran off with Carla following close behind.

As the two raced away they heard the battle begin. Shouts of Celestial spirt gates opening and closing filled the air around them followed by the sounds of Natsu and Gray shouting their attacks.

"Do you think they can handle it?" asked Wendy.

"Those three can handle anything." replied Joshua with a reassuring smile.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. It felt like an earthquake as the earth shook and the trees trembled and collapsed around them. Wendy stumbled and bumped into Joshua as she tryed to steady herself.

"What's going on!?"

The sound of a loud explosion rang through the forest followed by a massive pillar of black light beaming up into the blue skies above them. The black light caused the sky to slightly darken and the forest to turn sickly and grim. Joshua narrowed his eyes at the pillar of black light.

"Wendy," the blue haired girl stared at the black light as well, "I think we found Nirvana."

….

Erza could heard the sounds of fighting stop in front of her. She had been racing to catch up to Jellal and Brain in order to take care of this whole mess herself. But she never imagined that they would move so fast in battle. Erza raced through the forest as fast as she could and after a few more moments finally came upon the remnants of the battle. Craters pocketed the land around her as it looked like a total war zone.

 _Where are they?_

Erza cautiously walked forward before she noticed an older man with slicked back Gray hair and a shattered staff lying down on the ground. His eyes were just barely open and he was covered in bruises and gashes. Erza requiped a sword and slowly approached. It was Brain.

Brain coughed as he noticed her coming near, "As if I couldn't be defeated by one, now another approaches." he wheezed. "I greatly underestimated Jellal." he felt the cold steel slide up against his neck.

"Where is he?" growled Erza.

Brain coughed again, "He went to take Nirvana for himself." He then looked away from her.

 _Cobra! If you can hear my thoughts now, follow Jellal, and stop him from taking Nirvana from us!_ With that thought Brain fell unconscious.

Erza lowered her sword and clenched her fists.

"Damn you Jellal." she muttered.

She began to run forward again when she suddenly felt an earthquake rumble through the ground around her. A loud explosion followed causing her to cover her ears. When the shock wave passed by Erza glanced up to see a pillar of black light streaking high into the sky overhead. Jellal has found Nirvana. Erza's eyes widened as she saw the location of the pillar of light. It was mere miles from where the others were. She rushed forward. She had to stop Jellal before the others got to him. And before he could try to hurt Joshua again.

 **End chapter! This one was a little difficult to write. I'm not sure why, it just was. I may update sooner than the weekend now that I think about it but it all depends on classes and stuff. Anyways, let me know what you guys thought of this chapter. As always I hope you guys enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	16. Chapter 16: Tyrannus

**Ok, updating way sooner than I thought I would. But the idea hit so here we go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 16

Joshua stared wide eyed up at the massive pillar of light that both lit up area around them while at the same time darkening the trees and creating deep shadows as well. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was so powerful. He could feel the magical energy seeping out of it in waves that made him tremble.

"Joshua."

Joshua didn't respond to Wendy. His hands began to shake as he began to feel the true extent of Nirvana. It was terrifying.

"Joshua!" shouted Wendy knocking him out of his scared stupor.

"Wha-what?"

"We have to stop whoever activated it, right?"

"Y-yeah." Joshua gulped, "Let's go stop them before they can use it."

The two wizards started running forward once again with Carla following close behind. The ground started shaking more violently as they got closer to the column of black light causing the two young wizards to frequently stumble as they ran forwards.

"Almost there!" shouted Joshua.

He closed his eyes, sensing out who was possibly in front of them as a precaution. And good thing he did. Almost immediately he sensed someone coming towards them. Someone sinister. He heard the hissing of a snake nearby.

"WENDY DOWN!" he shouted over the loud rumbling originating from Nirvana.

"Huh?"

Joshua outstretched a hand and used his magic to force Wendy to the ground. His eyes widened as he did so. He had never done that before. His magic normally never worked on people like that. Did he just do that out of instinct? Before he could ponder these questions any further he saw the purple snake shooting towards him, jaws agape as it prepared to bury it's fangs into him once again. Joshua clenched his teeth and requiped his rapier blocking the snake's fangs with the blade. He then swung his foot upwards and kicked the snake's long body hard causing it to hiss and slither away back onto the shoulders of some Joshua really didn't want to encounter again.

"Nice reaction time kid." said the voice of the Oracion Seis member, Cobra as he stood near a large rock formation, "You're starting to learn a little bit."

Wendy jumped to her feet and stood beside Joshua.

"I'm going to have to fight with you now huh?" she said to him.

"Not looking forward to fighting alongside a criminal?" he replied.

"Are you admitting it, or poking fun at me?"

"You can figure that one out." Joshua grinned.

"Oh how cute," smirked Cobra, "Romantic banter."

"THAT IS NOT WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!" shouted Joshua angrily as Wendy gulped and started looking at the ground with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"You're right about that kid. What's about to happen right now," Cobra tightend his fist, "is a fight. Between you two and me." he licked his lips, "I've always wanted to fight a first generation dragon slayer."

Wendy's eyes widened. This magic she was feeling. It couldn't be. Cobra's arms suddenly turned into deep red scales with poisonous barbs along the scales. His fingernails were replaced with long purple claws and the long sleeves of his coat ripped apart as the mass of his arms increased. Wendy knew what this magic felt like.

"You're a dragon slayer!" she gasped as she stared stunned at Cobra.

"Yes, but not exactly like you. I'm a second generation dragon slayer, meaning I've had a lacrima implanted in my body to give me my powers."

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "So you cheated when getting your magic?"

"It's not cheating kid." snarled Cobra, "I didn't really have a choice in the matter." Cobra opened his mouth. Wendy's caught her breath. She knew what was coming now.

"Poison Dragon Roar!" bellowed Cobra as a torrent of red poison flew out of his mouth towards the two young wizards.

Wendy screamed in fear and closed her eyes. Joshua rushed up in front of her and gathered as much magic as he could in front of him.

"Massive push!"

A blast of invisible energy surged forward and collided with the poison. Droplets of the substance splattered all over the ground burning into the foliage around them like acid. Joshua winced as he felt one of the poison droplets pelt his exposed arms.

"You gonna just sit there shaking or are you going to help out?" he asked Wendy as he threw his cloak to the side and readied himself in his normal fighting stance. Sword pointing directly at Cobra.

Wendy gulped, "Carla, get out of here."

"Absolutely not child!" She gripped Wendy's back, "I'll be your wings while you fight this monster." Wendy smiled up at her faithful friend before she felt a fist his her in the stomach.

"You all need to be quicker than that."

Joshua wheeled around and lashed out at Cobra with his sword. The poison dragon slayer barely dodged in time. He then heard it.

"SKY DRAGON ROAR!"

"I can hear you." he muttered before easily dodging Wendy's attack, allowing it to hit Joshua instead and send him flying into the large rock formation.

"Ouch." groaned Joshua. He saw a clawed hand flying at him and he ducked to his right feeling the poisonous claws cleave through the air, missing him by inches. The power behind the blow shattered the rock beside him and sent shards of stone flying through the air like shrapnel.

"Sky Dragon Claw!" shouted Wendy. Cobra smirke and dodged causing Wendy to badly miss. He then turned around and clawed her side causing poison to seep into her skin. She yelled out in pain and crumpled to the ground, shaking like a leaf.

"Wendy!" Joshua shouted.

"I put a little extra dose of my poison into that one." Cobra grinned evily, "And you thought Cubelios's poison was bad. Well," Joshua stared down at Wendy as her eyes widened and she writhed in pain on ground. "You have no idea the amount of pain she is in now."

"Wendy!" shouted Carla who was doing her best to comfort the girl as she fought to stay conscious. But it was a losing fight. Quickly her eyes closed and her breathing became ragged. "WENDY! HOLD ON!"

Joshua stood stock still.

" _Joshua just hold on!"_

He could hear Erza's voice in his head from that day.

"Hold on Wendy!" screamed Carla as tears streamed down her cheeks.

 _I let this happen._ Joshua berated himself, _I… I couldn't do my job and protect her._

He thought back to how Erza was tortured by Freed's runes.

 _Just like how I couldn't protect Erza._

The memory of the Tower came to mind.

 _I couldn't protect my friends then either._

He grit his teeth. Something was stirring inside of him. Something with a primal anger to it. He knew this feeling. It was all too familiar. But usually it was accompanied by the scoldings of the old geezer. This time there was none of that. No wise, albeit crabby, old man to unlock his powers. No scolding. Just raw power coming to the surface.

 _How can I protect when I'm so weak…._ The power continued to boil over. _Wait… I'm not weak._

 _They tried to suppress me! Tried to hold me back!_

He remembered the magical cuffs that burdened his magic and left bruises on his wrists. He remembered the Master forbidding him from using his true powers. And they dared to say they cared about him!

Joshua yelled out angrily. Eyes immediately going from hazel to crimson as his full powers surged forth in a rage. He liked this feeling… a lot. He liked feeling powerful. To feel the fear of others. He looked down at the white cat. Carla looked up at him petrified. Joshua gave her a sinister smile.

"Your attitude pissed me off the moment you opened your mouth the first time." Much to both Carla and Cobra's surprise Joshua swung his leg forward and kicked Carla hard. The white cat landed heavily on the ground, knocked out by a single blow. Joshua smiled. That was fun.

Cobra stared shocked at the evil smile widening across the kid's face. Just moments ago, this kid was fighting with everything he had to protect that cat and the girl. But now, he was trying to hurt them as well. Cobra's eyes widened, was this the true power of Nirvana. He slowly came to a grim realization. Nirvana didn't just turn physical light to physical darkness, it turned the light of good into the blackness of evil.

He wasn't sure how to play this right now. This kid could be on his side right now, or he could be just going rogue. The kid picked up his brown cloaked and threw it over his shoulders once again. Only this time he drew the hood over his head as well, casting deep shadows over his face and making the crimson eyes stand out more prominently. He turned his gaze to Cobra.

"Well… are we going to use this Nirvana or not?"

….

Erza felt the earth's tremblings grow more violent as she rushed towards the column of black light. She could feel the power emananting from it. But she couldn't focus on being scared of that power. She had to focus on stopping it. In order to stop it, she had to stop him. He was trying to use Nirvana. He hadn't changed at all.

Erza sprinted through the forest, trees looking sickly and grey whizzed by her as her feet dug into the dirt and propelled her forward. A bad feeling was forming in her heart. Something was wrong. And that feeling only grew as she neared Nirvana.

She finally reached a small clearing where a large rock formation stuck out of the ground and stood high above her. The black light was only yards away now. She could practically see Jellal standing in front of it. His newly acquired coat dancing in the shockwaves that the blacklight produced. Her face hardened and she requiped into her Black Wing armor, readying for another brutal fight. She looked around her surroundings to make sure there was no ambush when she saw a small body with blue hair lying face down the ground. A few yards to the left was the small white form of a cat curled up and not moving.

 _Wendy and Carla!_ Erza realized.

The bad feeling only grew in strength now. Her stomach felt like it was twisting itself into knots from worry, _But where is-_ Her eyes widened as she saw a figure with a brown cloak and hood standing in front of the Oracion Seis member named Cobra. And they were just talking! Erza stepped forward, she really hoped this wasn't the cause of her worry.

….

"You got any ideas on how to use this thing?" asked Joshua with a low voice as he stood beside Cobra.

"Beats me. I was just told to stop Jellal and wait for Brain to get here." shrugged Cobra.

Joshua's piercing crimson eyes stared down Cobra making the dragon slayer uncomfortable. Whatever Nirvana did to the kid was terrifying. His power easily doubled, maybe even tripled. It was already decent enough before but now it was enough to cause Cobra some concern. What if the kid decided to turn on him? He was already making contingency plans just for that.

Joshua smirked slightly, "You're worried about me betraying you."

Cobra's eyes widened. How did he know?

"I know because your thoughts easily betray you." replied Joshua, his voice growing ever more foreign compared to the one Cobra heard earlier. "You should probably work on defending your own mind instead of probing others."

Cobra huffed and crossed his arms, "Whatever."

Joshua frowned and was about to take a step towards the unsuspecting Jellal when a familiar presence made itself known. Joshua grimaced before a maniacal grin spread across his face.

"We have company Cobra."

Cobra raised an eyebrow and turned around with Joshua to see Erza slowly walking forward.

Erza stopped in her tracks as she stared at the cloaked figure in front of her. She recognized the face, the small body, the hair. But the aura around him. It was black as night. His eyes were not their kind hazel but rather the terrifying crimson that she saw when Joshua fought back against Laxus three weeks ago. Then she saw the terrifying smile on his face and her heart just wanted to shatter into a million pieces.

"Hello Erza." said Joshua, "I'm glad you found me."

"Joshua." said Erza softly, "What is going on? What happened to Wendy?"

"Her?" Joshua shrugged, "You know what they say. Only the strong can survive."

Erza's eyes widened, "Who are you!?" she demanded as she extended her arm and therefore her sword forwards, "Because the Joshua I know would never say that!"

Joshua chuckled. It was an unnerving sound that made Cobra's spine crawl.

"Oh it is me Erza." Joshua replied, "I'm just much more… enlightened now."

Erza could feel the tears building in her eyes. She knew evil when she saw it. Her brain was screaming at her to end this foe and beat him down until he came back from this darkness. But her heart was shattering inside. The little boy she knew was disappearing before her eyes and being replaced by a heartless monster.

"Joshua, stop this now!" snapped Erza, "Think of what the others-"

"The others?" Joshua cocked his head to the side before his face was enveloped in hideous snarl, "You mean the ones who chained my magic, suppressed it, think of me as a murderer despite all I do for them!" Erza's eyes widened, "Do you mean the ones who tell me my powers are dangerous! That I shouldn't use them and therefore they forbid me from tapping into my true potential!" Joshua glowered at the red haired woman in front of him, "Or do you mean yourself for always holding me back and not allowing me to become stronger."

"What?" breathed Erza, "How have I held you back?"

"I think I'm just going to let you two hash this out." mumbled Cobra as he slowly backed away feeling the magical pressure in the air rising to a terrifying degree. He knew when to pick his battles. And this, was not one he wanted to choose. Besides, he had a traitorous Jellal to deal with right now.

Joshua hardly acknowledged his leaving. "You have held me back every step of the way! Making me think I'm too weak to help you all! Making me think that I'm useless, just a mere child who can't help you all!" Joshua was practically shaking with rage, "Well then, I won't be held back anymore!" He pointed his blade at Erza. "I hope you are ready for the consequences of your actions."

Erza felt a tear dribble down her left cheek. She still just saw the sweet ten year old kid she adored so much. But standing in front of her now, was a corrupted monster. Erza felt herself shaking.

"Joshua please don't." she whispered, "Don't do this."

The kid grimaced and lowered his sword slightly. Erza felt a small hint of hope as he did this. Then he gave her a crazed grin, "Too late."

He rushed forward with a hair raising cry. Erza quickly raised her own sword to meat Joshua's. The two blades clashed over their heads, sparks raining down as the swords strained against each other. Erza then felt a massive invisible hand shoved her back and send her flying into a large tree. She cried out as she landed heavily against the trunk before regaining her wits and dodged a sweeping strike from Joshua's sword.

 _When did he get so fast!?_ Erza's mind raced as she blocked another powerful strike from the monster she was battling.

She saw his left hand open as another large rush of energy slammed into her body, causing her to skid backwards in the dirt. Joshua rushed forward once again. Erza raised her blade expecting a frontal assault once again. Instead she saw him pull off a gravity defying flip over her. She wheeled around only to feel the cold bit of steel cut across her body and send her sprawling on the ground. Erza winced and gasped for air. She didn't see that coming.

"You see now don't you Erza."

Erza raised her head and looked at Joshua with sorrow in her eyes.

"You were holding me back the whole time." Joshua grinned and he held up his left hand. Erza's eyes widened as she saw blue lightning dance across his fingertips. "I wonder how much pain this will cause you if it was capable of taking down the mighty Laxus."

He pointed his fingers at her and sent crackling streams of blue lightning racing towards her. Erza got to her knees and rolled out of the way. Just as she was able to regain her thoughts she felt the lightning slam into her body.

The pain was absolutely unreal. It was searing pain that made every muscle in her body stiffen and become paralyzed. Erza grit her teeth and then yelled out in agony as the blue lightning arced around her body and sent he flying back into the rock formation. The impact left a large crater in the rock and Erza fell facedown beside Wendy. Her requip had failed and her armor had been replaced by a white blouse and blue skirt.

"Hm…." Joshua lowered his hand, "Taken care of."

He heard a groan followed by some winces of pain. Erza struggled to her feet and leaned back against the rock formation.

"Not quite done yet?"

"Joshua." muttered Erza, "Know that I would never willingly hurt you. And I would never wish to hold you back, ever." Joshua furrowed his brow, "But if a fight is what you are looking for now." Light enveloped Erza as she requiped into a pink armor that was unusually modest for her tasted, "Then it is a fight you will get!"

Erza bent her knees and readied herself for another round of vicious combat.

"Armadura Fairy." Stated Joshua, "Bringing that one out already."

Erza was silently praying that this show of force would make him back down. This armor was the most powerful in her collection. She had only ever used it one other time, when she battled Laxus earlier in the month. Joshua knew full well it's power. He had once asked to spar with her while she was wearing it. The session lasted less than a second before he was beaten. Her hopes for him backing down however, were dashed as he smiled at her.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Erza closed her eyes and sighed. Time to put the thoughts of the boy away. He was now an enemy. An enemy that had to be stopped. She didn't know what was causing him to act this way. But she would beat this darkness out of him any way she had to. Erza let her magical pressure build up to it's highest level. Just as she was about to charge at Joshua though the ground rumbled once again. An earthquake larger than the first forced both Erza and Jellal off balance. The pillar of light dissapeared from the sky. Ancient buildings started sprouting out from the ground and the entire earth around them began to rise in the air and move. The sudden movement sent both wizards tumbling away from each other. More buildings rose hiding their location from each other. After several more moments the intense shaking stopped. The land rose a few feet before the it shook once again. The sky above Erza moved. Erza stood and stared around her in stunned silence. She was standing in an ancient city, a city that was walking.

She heard a groan to her right and saw Wendy finally starting to come to once again. Erza rushed towards the small girl.

"Wendy. Are you alright?"

Her tired eyes opened and she looked up at Erza, "Erza," she winced, "I'm really hurt right now aren't I?"

"You'll be ok."

"Indeed she will my sweet honey!"

Erza felt her hairs stand on end and cold shivers ran down her spine. Running majestically towards her was Ichiya. Except he was all of a sudden incredibly muscular, almost as if he was carved from stone. His face was still as ugly as ever though. Erza raised her blade and readied herself for a fight.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" she shouted as he spine crawled.

"It is I my sweet honey!" declared Ichiya as he posed in front of her, "Your beloved Ichiya. Come to save the day."

Erza sweatdropped.

"Now then, I see the little Wendy is wounded." Ichiya grabbed several vials of pink perfume from… somewhere and popped the corks off of them, "My healing parfume shall make her right as rain!"

Erza braced herself but then calmed as the perfume hit her nose. It was a surprisingly pleasant smell. She looked down to Wendy and saw the color returning to her face. Wendy blinked her eyes open and quickly leaned up onto her elbows.

"What- what happened!?" asked a startled Wendy. She looked over at Ichiya and shivered as he saw him causing Ichiya to suddenly lose all confidence he once had.

"You were badly wounded. Ich-" Erza cringed, "Ichiya used some of his magic to heal your wounds."

"The great Ichiya has never received such a look of disdain from a woman before." sobbed Ichiya as he reeled from the look Wendy gave him.

 _Oh yes you have… I can guarantee that._ Thought Erza.

"Where is Joshua!? And Carla!?" asked Wendy as a look over worry came over her face.

"Indeed, where are the rest of our comrades? And how did we end up in a city with such an ancient parfum?" questioned Ichiya.

"Joshua," Erza caught herself, "He's somewhere around here. I'll go looking for him myself. I need you two to figure out a way to find the others and stop this thing. This must be Nirvana's true form. And we need to stop it before it reaches wherever it's walking to."

Ichiya and Wendy nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's get to work."

….

Joshua smashed the building that surrounded him into rubble with his magic. He glanced around at the ancient city around him and frowned.

"Well this is annoying." he muttered. "How am I going to fight her now? I don't want to be bored and search for her all damn day."

Joshua scowled before he heard shouts coming from down the street he was on.

"Ren! Hibiki! Where are you!?" he heard someone shout out.

"Sherry! Jura!" shouted another voice down the street, "Are you out there?"

Joshua let a dark grin come across his face as he saw the forms of Eve from Blue Pegasus and Lyon from Lamia Scale come into view. He was going to have some entertainment after all.

"Ren! Hibiki!" yelled Eve with one hand cupped around his mouth.

"Sherry! C'mon this is not time for games."

Joshua stepped forward from the fog that enveloped the old city around them. Ren and Lyon looked at him and relieved looks came over their faces.

"Oh good." breathed Eve, "At least we found one of our comrades."

Lyon's relieved look quickly went away as he saw Joshua menacingly approaching them. Rapier drawn and held to his side. Lyon then saw the crimson irises.

"That's not one of our comrades!" he shouted as he readied his ice make magic.

"What are you talking about?" questioned Eve, "Of course it's-" he then saw what Lyon was seeing and on instinct took a hesitant step backwards.

"I hope you two are actually strong." Joshua growled as he stood only a few feet away from them, face completely shadowed out except for the glowing crimson irises, "Cuase I could use some good entertainment."

"A fight should never be about entertaining oneself!" repleid a powerful voice that actually made Joshua somewhat worry. Stepping out from the fog was the wizard saint himself, Jura Neekis. Beside him walked a large man with a cube like face and long, bushy orange hair on his head.

"Correct my friend!" exclaimed the second man, "A fight should be about ideals not entertainment! Oh yeah!"

"Hoteye." observed Joshua.

"Actually the real name is Richard. Oh yeah!"

"What are you doing with this guy Jura?" questioned Lyon.

"Relax, Lyon. He's on our side now." Jura squared himself up to Joshua, "But he is not."

"What do you mean?" asked Eve.

"Nirvana, it's main power is to turn light into dark." explained Richard, "That doesn't just mean physical light and dark, but personality as well. If you have dark thoughts enter your mind then Nirvana can use that as a catalyst to change your entire nature."

"So that's what happened." smiled Joshua, "I'm kinda glad it did. I've never felt this much power in my life."

"Eve, Lyon. Get out of here. This one will be too much for you two." ordered Jura as he raised his hands readying for a fight.

"Huh?" responded Eve.

"But he's just a kid?" questioned Lyon.

"No, that is something else entirely in front of us." replied Jura, "Now do as I say. Me and Richard will deal with him."

"No, I will deal with him." Erza leapt down from a building, wearing her Armadura Fairy.

"Titania!" exclaimed Richard.

"Lady Erza," Jura was about to protest when he saw the determined look in her eyes, "May ask why?"

"This fight is between me and him." Erza clenched her open fist and squeezed her blade tightly, "I am his guardian. I'm the one who should've prevented something like this from happening. Therefore I'm the one that must deal with it."

"Doesn't seem like a very good reason to me." stated Lyon.

"Very well." replied Jura.

"What!?" cried both Eve and Lyon.

"I can see there will be no deterring you Lady Erza." Jura turned with Richard, "I will find a way to stop Nirvana. I wish you the best of luck." Jura started walking, "Come Lyon, Eve. We will not want to be in the crossfire."

The four other wizards raced away leaving Joshua alone with Erza as they stared each other down in the street.

"I'm not going to make it easy for you." Joshua snarled darkly.

Erza looked at him grimly, "I wouldn't expect you to."

The silence in the air was deafening. Neither one moved as they waited for the other to make the first move. Erza kept her composure, her resolve unchanged. She had to stop Joshua. She could sense that in this state the others, with the exception of Jura, would have trouble dealing with him if she lost.

"Before I proceed to rip you to shreds." stated Erza, her voice ringing out across the city, "I want to know who you really are?"

"Why do you keep asking that?" questioned Joshua, "You know who I am?"

"No! Joshua would never act like this. Even if he was under the influence of dark magic." Erza took a breath, "He would probably grow angry but he would never become like this. His power, it would never grow this massive in such a short amount of time, it's just not possible. So I'll ask again, who are you?"

Joshua smiled, "You're very observant aren't you. I can see how the child can't sneak much past you." The voice coming from Joshua's lips was completely different. "I must commend you. Your training with a sword has made him quite the natural. I look forward to training him myself." The thing that was talking in Joshua's place smiled at her, "My name is Tyrannus. Darth Tyrannus, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Erza Scarlet."

Joshua set his feet and hands completely differently than Erza recognized. The style he was setting up for. It looked far more sophisticated than she knew. Erza narrowed her eyes and readied herself as well.

"Well then Tyrannus," Erza growled, "I look forward to expelling you from my little brother!" Erza charged forward and the enemy in front of her frowned at her.

"So unfocused." he easily blocked her first swing, "So predictable."

He easily deflected another strike. Then another and another. He then swung back at her with ease and grace that surprised Erza. This fighting style was incredibly sophisticated. It would take decades to utilize a sword the way the thing inside of Joshua's body was using it. Erza raised her blade to deflect a lightning quick overhead strike. Joshua's blade the lashed out like a viper and cut across Erza's thigh at surprising speed. It wasn't enough to completely dig into her flesh, but it was enough to cause he to jump back and gingerly put her weight on her right leg.

"Your form is horrendous." scolded the older voice coming from Joshua's mouth, "I'm amazed you were able to teach the boy anything at all. There will obviously be some bad habits I will have to beat out of him."

Erza grit her teeth and rushed forwards once again only to have the swift blade of her opponent easily deflect all of her strikes without much effort before lashing back out at her with his own. His sword was moving so quickly that Erza could barely keep up with it. She felt the steel bite into both of her forearms causing her to lose her grip on the sword she was already carrying. She then felt a foot kick her in the stomach and send her flying away. Erza landed heavily on the stone road her armor clanging against the rock on the ground.

"How disappointing." Said Tyrannus, "The child holds you in such high esteem. I expected much more."

"SHUT UP!" roared Erza as she requiped into her Heavan's wheel armor. She then summoned blade after blade around her until twenty were easily hovering in the air, their deadly sharp tips pointed directly at Tyrannus.

Tyrannus smirked, "There you go. That is the only way you will beat me."

The swords screamed towards the small ten year old body. Erza had him! Then her jaw dropped. He outstretched his palm and every single blade stopped dead in it's tracks. "However," Erza began to uncontrollably shake. What was this monster in front of her?

"You are still too weak." He twisted his hand and the swords turned and launched back at Erza. Erza shook herself out of her fear and barely dodged the blades in time.

"Requip! Purgatory Armor!" she shouted changing into a bulky black armor with a viscious looking black blade in her two hands.

"That little power you keep using. Requip is it? It's quite interesting. Is such things like that unique to your world?" questioned Tyrannus.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" shouted Erza as she charged forward, "AND GET OUT OF HIS BODY!"

Tyrannus's eyes widened as she launched forward. Her strikes were not as fast, but they carried a lot more power behind them than before. Tyrannus's parries were barely able to hold up against the powerful blows. Erza's eyes widened as she realized this. The weakness in his fighting style was it couldn't defend well against a powerhouse type of opponent. Erza put more muscle behind her attacks. Tyrannus blocked with all the strenght he had. But Erza was still physically stronger. With a mighty cry, Erza brought down her blade on his and the rapier shattered. Tyrannus fell backwards against the ground and Erza stood over him.

"Now…" Breathed Erza heavily, "Get… out of his body."

"And if I say no? Would you be willing to strike the finishing blow?"

Erza hands began to shake as she hesitated.

"No," continued Tyrannus, "You wouldn't. You care too much about him to do what needs to be done. Such weakness being taught to him will only cause his doom."

"Just get lost already!" shouted Erza.

"NEVER!" roared Tyrannus as blue lightning leapt from his hands and slammed into Erza.

Erza screamed loudly as pain far worse than the first time this lighting hit her filled her body. She flew up into the air then was flung to the side into a building, crushing the walls due to the amount of force she was thrown with. Erza groaned and tried to move only for lighting to sizzle from her skin and cause her even more pain. She was barely consicous. Whatever that lightning was, was not Joshua's. His was nowhere near this powerful. That blast felt like it was capable of killing a person in one shot. It was only her armor that saved her.

"Time for you to die Erza Scarlet." grimaced Tyrannus as he grabbed her sword that was lying on the ground and raised it over his head.

"ICE MAKE: EXCALIBUR!" an ice sword plunged through Tyrannus's stomach. The sword in his hand's clattered to the ground as he stared down at the ice blade in his stomach.

"You will not touch Erza." growled Gray as he yanked the blade out. Tyrannus fell to his knees. Erza looked and saw the crimson glow under the brown hood disappear and the hazel eyes returned.

"Erza…" wheezed Joshua, "What just happened?"

He fell to his face, unconscious. Erza tried to get up and go to him but her muscles resisted and she screamed out in pain as more lightning residue arced across her skin.

"Erza!" shouted a little girl's voice.

"My Honey!" shouted Ichiya.

Erza didn't even have the strength to be revolted at the oncoming Blue Pegasus wizard. She just sighed.

"Gray."

"What is it Erza?"

"Make sure one of them gets Joshua healed up." she blinked as her vision started to fade out, "This wasn't his fault."

"Erza?"

Erza's vision blacked out as exhaustion took her.

 **Whoa! That was a beast of a chapter! Took me a couple hours to crank that one out. Phew! May need to rest the brain a little bit now. It's been a fast few days updating this story. Anyways, what did you guys think? Let me know. I hope you all enjoyed and as always, have a nice day!**


	17. Chapter 17: Nirvana

**Hey Everyone! I got another chapter ready to go! Let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 17

The air around him felt so calm and warm. Like a nice summer day. Joshua breathed it in deeply before opening his eyes. What he saw was completely foreign to him. He was inside of a dull gray room, lying in on a firm mattress. Light streamed into the strange metallic room through a small slit like window in the wall. Joshua raised and eyebrow and peered out of the small slit like window. His breath caught in his throat at what he saw. Spreading out around the room he was in, was a sprawling city, with buildings as far as the eye could see and as high up as the clouds in the air. Whizzing through the air, far away from the room were, from what Joshua could only guess, flying magic moblies. At least that's what he thought they were. He didn't know magic mobiles could go so fast though.

He slowly back away from the window and turned around to look at the room. There was really nothing in this room. It was bare except for some small furnishings such as the mattress, a desk, and a dresser. He scratched his head as he realized something.

"Where the heck is the door?" he mumbled.

Joshua ran his hands along the walls. Searching for some sort of doorknob or handle. He then heard a whooshing noise as he reached the far wall from the mattress. Part of the wall silently slid inside of the wall. Joshua took a hesitant step back.

 _That's not a normal door._

He gulped and stuck his left hand through the empty doorway. Feeling nothing but air he sighed and cautiously stepped through the doorway and into a long cavernous hallway that had light streaming into it from large skylights above him. Joshua then realized something else. He looked down and saw he was wearing strange cream colored robes with a dark belt strapped around his waist and brown shin high boots on his feet.

 _Even weirder. Where am I?_ Joshua thought, _And where is Erza?_

Joshua shrugged. There was no way he was going to find anyone by just standing around like an idiot. He walked forward, keeping his senses open as he watched his surroundings. Despite his heightened awareness he couldn't help but feel at peace in the strange building. It seemed like light radiated from every corner of this place. The large stone columns around him did not bring a cold feeling like most stone buildings would, but instead made the area feel cozy despite the massive rooms he was walking through. Joshua eventually came to a dead end where the floor was highlighted with strange lights.

Joshua walked towards the wall expecting to have to find another hidden doorway when all of a sudden the outlined area of the floor whizzed upwards causing him to stumble and fall flat on his stomach as he yelled out in fear. After several terrifying seconds the platform stopped moving upwards and a door opened in front of him. Joshua raced off of the platform and pressed himself against the wall on the other side of the door, gasping for breath as he tried to calm himself down.

"First time on a lift?" said an older voice nearby.

Joshua practically jumped out of his skin as he recoiled from the sudden voice. He glanced to his right and saw a young man leaning against the tan colored wall. He had closely trimmed brown hair with a weird braid running down the side of his head. He was clean shaven and wore similar attire to what Joshua had on right now except he also wore a brown cloak over his cream colored robes.

"Um…" Joshua didn't quite know how to respond. The heck was a lift? His eyes darted back to the platform as he saw it woosh back down to the floor he came from.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually." said the man again. He looked at Joshua again, "I don't remember seeing you around the temple. Are you a new padawan?"

"The heck is a padawan?" said Joshua aloud.

"Well, that would be you wouldn't it?" questioned the man, "Unless you are still a youngling."

"I'm not that young." grumbled Joshua.

"Young enough to still be a youngling." replied the man as he crossed his arms, "So, who are you and who is your master?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "My name is Joshua… and no one is my master." _Well, technically Gramps is I guess._

The man furrowed his brow, "You have a little bit of arrogance in you don't you?"

Joshua was about to retort when he stopped. "Yeah maybe a little." he muttered looking down at his feet. "What's your name?"

"My name is Obi Wan Kenobi." replied the young man.

"What kind of name is that?"

"What kind of name is Joshua." replied Obi Wan with a slight hint of irritation in his voice.

"Obi wan, arguing isn't going to get you anywhere." said an older, softer voice.

Joshua looked in front of him and saw a circular room behind a door that quickly closed. Standing next to the door was a much older man with long hair that was light brown but also beginning to turn gray. He had a beard along his chin and jaw that was graying as well. Joshua could feel the wisdom coming off of the old geezer as he walked over to him.

"Who might you be young one?" asked the older man as he kneeled down to be at eye level with him.

"Joshua, you?"

The old man smiled a little, "My name is Qui Gon Jinn." For some reason Joshua got the feeling that he was staring right through him, "Are you lost?"

 _Hopelessly…_ Thought Joshua as he sighed and nodded.

"Well where are you trying to go?"

Joshua gulped. He had to improvise quick. He still had no clue where he was right now. The younger guy, Obi Wan, he said something about this place being a temple. A temple had to have some place with books in it right?

"The library." Joshua replied.

"You got lost trying to find the library?" questioned Obi Wan with a raised eyebrow.

"I TOOK A WRONG TURN OK!" shouted Joshua back angrily.

Qui Gon just chuckled softly, "Careful with that temper of yours young one. Anger is not the Jedi way."

 _The heck is a jedi?_ Joshua sighed and looked over at Obi Wan, "Sorry." he said quickly.

"Obi Wan."

"Yes master." replied the younger man.

"I'll meet you at the spaceport later. I'll escort Joshua to the library." Qui Gon stood and put a hand on Joshua's shoulders before hitting a button on the wall. The lift soared back up to where they were. Joshua hesitated at first. He really didn't like that thing. Qui Gon stepped on and looked back at Joshua.

"Aren't there stairs in this place." Joshua said as he stared fearfully at the lift.

"You won't get to the library very quickly with stairs." said Obi Wan.

"Yes there are Joshua." Qui Gon stepped back off of the lift and guided Joshua to a stairway, "Although Obi Wan is right. It's a long walk."

"I'd prefer walking to that… whooshing thing." replied Joshua.

Qui Gon laughed a little, "Afraid of lifts I see."

"I'm not scared of anything!" he replied defiantly.

"Sure you're not." replied Qui Gon. "C'mon young one. There lot's of stairs to descend."

The pair left Obi Wan in the bright hallway and began to descend the enormous amounts of stairs. Joshua after several minutes leaned against the railing.

"The heck is up with all of these stairs!" he complained.

"You wanted to go this way." replied Qui Gon with a smile.

"You could've warned me that the library was practically in the basement!" Joshua whinned.

"It is."

"Aargh!" Joshua sat down on the stairs and rested his head on his hands.

Qui Gon's smile faded. This child, there was so much conflict in him. He had never sense someone whose future was so clouded before. Everytime he tried to sense out the boy's thoughts it just came back blank. Almost like he didn't exist and there were no thoughts there to begin with. But he could sense the storm of emotions swirling through the boy. Confusion and frustration chief among them. Qui Gon sat down next to the boy.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Can I be honest with you Mr. Qui Gon?" Joshua asked. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could trust this guy. He seemed nice enough anyways. Erza would've punted him already for whining so much.

 _Mr. Qui Gon._ The older man laughed internally, "Of course."

"I have absolutely no idea where I am right now."

Qui Gon raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

Joshua sighed, "You're gonna think I'm crazy."

Qui Gon smirked a little and nudged his shoulder, "Try me."

"Well, I'm not exactly from here. Like this building and city place. Last thing I remember is staring at a magic called Nirvana before everything kinda just blacked out on me. I was in the middle of this place called the Worth Woodsea battling against a group of evil wizards called the Oracion Seis." Joshua saw the slightly skeptical look on Qui Gon's face, "See, told ya you wouldn't believe me."

"No, actually I do believe you." replied Qui Gon. There was no lie coming from this boy. He could sense that much, "What world was this, Nirvana magic on?"

"Earthland."

That was a planet the older jedi had never heard of before, "Earthland?"

"Yeah, my home." finished Joshua.

"Where is this Earthland in relation to Coruscant?"

"Coru-what?"

 _The mystery grows._ Thought Qui Gon. "Joshua."

"Yes sir?"

"I'm going to need you to trust me right now."

"Why?"

Qui Gon placed a hand on his forehead. The boy's eyes widened as he realized that the guy was peering into his mind. This was his magic though!? How does someone else have it too!? He never knew of anyone else who was able to use his magic.

Qui Gon was stunned by what he saw. At first the force clouded all in his sight. But then it slowly revealed its secrets. He saw a beautiful world with flowing hills and grass as well as snow capped mountains that towered over a small town below. There was no spaceport or speeders anywhere. The people moved about through carriages and what looked like very primitive trams. He saw a large pagoda like building with a strange emblem emblazoned on the front. He then saw a red haired young woman with a fiery temper but also an incredibly kind heart. This child was from a non space faring world. How did he arrive here?

As he looked closer the skies in this world turned black and the peaceful city faded away. He suddenly felt massive power inside of the boy that made Qui Gon slightly tremble. He then saw two figures wearing black standing in front of him. One figure was entirely shadowed out. Only his outline was visible. The other Qui Gon recognized. He was much older than he knew. And his demeanor had completely changed.

"Qui Gon?" said his master, Count Dooku, with shock in his voice.

"Dooku?" Qui Gon whispered, "What are you doing here? Why are you so…"

"How are you alive Qui Gon?"

Qui Gon blinked a moment. "What?"

"Y-you died. Decades ago."

Qui Gon closed his eyes as the force filled him, _That explains a lot now._

" _ **Who is this Tyrannus?"**_ asked the shadowed out figure with a menacing voice.

Dooku closed his eyes, "No one."

"Master Dooku! What is going on?"

"Qui Gon, I'm giving you this one chance to leave now. Before I force you out."

Dooku's eyes flashed crimson. The force swirled around Qui Gon as shock became evident on his face. This feeling, this incredibly dark feeling, this was the Dark Side.

" _ **Tyrannus,"**_ the menacing voice of the second figure said again, " _ **Don't make me intervene. I do not wish to be discovered yet."**_

"That won't be necessary." said Qui Gon, "I've learned what I wanted to know." The darkness faded and Qui Gon opened his eyes to look back at the wide eyes of Joshua.

"Wha-what just happened?" asked Joshua.

"I looked into your mind young one. You do come from an interesting planet." Qui Gon then smiled, "And this is nothing but a vision."

"A what!" Joshua the smacked himself, "I'm an idiot! Of course this is just a vision! But… this is the realest one I've had yet."

"Visions are a tricky thing." Qui Gon replied, "Right now, you are in what would be the past for you."

"The past!?"

Qui Gon nodded, "You live decades from now."

Joshua rubbed his forehead, "That's a little difficult to take in."

"Joshua," Qui Gon could sense the force beginning to shift. Time was running out, "Never let go of the light. Never let go of those you care about. They will protect you." From the monsters inside of you, Qui Gon wanted to say. But the force was now in complete flux. The kid's body was starting to fade out. And then he was gone.

Qui Gon closed his eyes and sighed. He had seen the future. It was not very clear but it was a future. And it was terrifying one to behold. The older Jedi knight rose to his feet and descended the stairs finally reaching the bottom where he found his apprentice, Obi Wan patiently waiting for him.

"Did the kid reach the library alright?"

Qui Gon didn't respond right away. Obi Wan could instantly see his master was somewhat troubled, "What's wrong Master?"

"Hm…" Qui Gon looked up at Obi Wan, "Nothing. Yes, he did reach the library just fine. Master Nuu is keeping an eye on him." he lied.

Obi Wan nodded not catching the lie, "That's good to hear. The kid was bit strange wasn't he?"

"You were strange as a child as well Obi Wan." replied Qui Gon as the two Jedi walked towards the temple exit.

"I wasn't that strange though. And the force around him, it was in total flux. I couldn't get a read on him."

Qui Gon nodded and gripped Obi Wan's shoulder, "Don't worry yourself with that Obi Wan. Keep your concentration on the here and now. We have a mission and I doubt the Trade Federation would enjoy being kept waiting."

….

Jura Neekis, the wizard saint of Lamia scale trekked across the ancient city with his new friend Richard by his side. Richard kept peering left and right, always aware for a possible attack. The Oracion Seis were not yet defeated, they could be hiding anywhere. Jura stayed aware of his surroundings as well. The silence in the ancient city was deafening. Then a voice interrupted the quiet.

"Hoteye, I can't believe you would betray us." said he voice.

Richard's eyes widened as the a pale slender teen appeared from a the fog. He had wild black and white hair and wore a black vest and with orange and black striped pants. His eyes were outlined with black makeup and his lips were black as well. Richard and Jura stopped walking.

"An old protege of yours?" questioned Jura.

"That is Midnight." said Richard, "We must be very careful with him."

"I can sense as much." replied Jura.

"The wizard saint is here as well. How fun, I can finally see how powerful I really am. Now shall we-" A pillar of rock as hard as iron slammed into his face knocking the emo kid out cold.

Richard stared wide eyed at Jura.

"We have no time for him to test his powers." Jura plainly stated as he walked past the defeated member of the Oracion Seis.

Richard stared wide eyed. Midnight was the most powerful of the Oracion Seis, and he was just taken out so easily! Richard gulped, he was glad he made friends with Jura. Before the two could take any more steps further another figure emerged from the dense fog.

"Another enemy?" questioned Richard.

"Possibly." Jura shifted his feet, "And this one will not go down so easily."

Stepping out from the fog, wearing a long black coat with gold trim and sporting blue hair, was Jellal Fernandes.

"Jellal." Richard could feel sweat starting to form on his forehead. Jellal was at a wizard saint at one point too. No telling how powerful he was. Before Richard could say something to Jura he felt a fist slammed into his stomach. Richard's eyes practically popped out of his skull as the blow sent him flying into a building, knocking him out immediately. Jura grunted and sent a pillar of iron rock at Jellal who deftly dodged the attack.

"That's another one down." muttered Jellal before turning away from Jura.

"Where do you think you are going!?" shouted Jura.

Jellal looked back at him, "You want to stop this thing don't you? The mages from you guild and Blue Pegasus are already in place. I just need one more and we can destroy this thing." Jellal began to quickly walk away, "Follow me."

Jura hesitated then looked back at Richard. He must've been confused by Jellal for being the enemy. Jura said a silent apology to his friend before chasing after Jellal.

"How are we going to stop it?" asked Jura once he caught up to Jellal.

"There are several large lacrima powering this magic. Shatter the lacrima and it will stop Nirvana. The key is you must do it simultaneously." Jellal looked at the sky, "We must hurry. It's almost at it's destination."

"What destination."

Jellal looked at Jura, "Cait Shelter."

"It's going to destroy Cait Shelter!" exclaimed a horrified Jura.

"It will if you don't hurry up." barked Jellal as he broke into a run. Jura raced after him. The two neared one of the long legs that carried the city. Jellal used his magic to destroy the ground around them allowing them to fall into the Lacrima room.

Jellal glanced up at the sky again. They were about to destroy the lacrima. Time was out. He turned to Jura.

"DESTROY IT NOW!"

….

"So… sick." Moaned Natsu as he swayed from side to side. His face turned blue and his cheeks bulged slightly as he lumbered about the road, "You had to lose your aera magic now, Happy."

"Sorry, but I have a limited amount of magic too Natsu." replied the blue cat as he walked beside his ill friend.

"That…*Blurp*... Really doesn't help." Natsu fell face first onto the road. "So…. *Blurp*... sick. It won't stop swaying." He held his stomach and groaned again.

"Man, that's pathetic." said a voice on a rooftop. Happy looked up to see Cobra observing them from a rooftop, "And this is the fearsome Salamander. Give me a break!"

"Hey!" shouted Happy, "He may be pathetic now but you just wait until he beats you up."

"Make it stop." groaned Natsu completely unaware of what was going on.

"Natsu!" shouted Happy, "Snap out of it. There is an enemy here."

"I can't." moaned Natsu, "So much movement… *blurp* so sick."

"We're doomed!" lamented Happy as Cobra jumped down his snake hissing on his shoulder.

"Might as well put him out of his misery." stated Cobra.

"Open gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!" shouted a female voice.

Cobra looked behind him to see the blonde fairy tail wizard pointing a golden key at him. A doorbell sound rang out through the air and a horseman appeared with a poof of smoke.

"Get him Sagittarius!" Lucy said.

"I will do my best my lady."

Cobra smiled. He could hear them. He easily dodged one of the arrows fired by Saggitarius before charging forwards. The celestial spirit fired arrow after arrow at him but he could hear where he was going to shoot them. This was just too easy.

"Fire Dragon… *Blurp*... Sick fist." moaned Natsu from behind Cobra. Cobra's eyes widened. How did he not hear him? The fire on Natsu's hand looked sickly as it struck Cobra and sent him flying towards Sagittarius.

"Get him now!" shotued Lucy.

"I shall my lady!"

The spirit notched three arrows quickly and fired them at Cobra. Cobra could dodge in mid air. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for the pain. The arrows slammed into him and Cobra yelled out in pain as he flew back towards Natsu.

"Make… it stop...Please."

"Natsu look out!" shouted Lucy as Cobra flew towards him.

Natsu's cheeks puffed out and fell on he doubled over. Cobra flew right over him and crashed into a wall. The poison dragon slayer shook his head and groaned as he stood up. He was still trying to figure out how he didn't hear the Salamander's thoughts. He focused and his eyes widened. He still couldn't hear them!

"How is he doing that!?" exclaimed Cobra. He ran forward in a fury, easily dodging arrows from the Celestial Spirit, "I won't be humiliated like that!" he yelled as he grabbed Natsu by the collar of his waistcoat and hoisted him in the air. "I will end you!" he growled.

Cobra reached back with his fist as it became covered in poisonous scales. Just as he was about to strike, Natsu opened his mouth a wave of fire leaked out onto Cobra's hand. Cobra's eyes widened and his pupils dilated. He dropped Natsu and leapt into the air.

"HOT!" he screamed as he tried to put the fire on his hand out. He dropped onto the ground began to frantically roll around.

"Did Natsu just barf fire?" Lucy mumbled as she watching the scene unfold.

"Well he does eat fire." replied Happy, "Must've had some still in his belly."

"Get it off of me!" shouted Cobra as he stood up and ran about, the fire spreading over his arm now, "It's hot! IT BURNS!"

Lucy grinned, "Oh I'll put it out for you." she grabbed very specific key and placed it in a puddle on the ground. "Go home Sagittarius. I got a special treat for this guy."

"As you wish Miss Lucy." The archer spirit disappeared in a shower of golden sparks.

Lucy grinned, "Open gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!"

A mermaid appeared out of the celestial gate.

"Wash that creep away Aquarius." cheered Lucy triumphantly.

The mermaid glared angrily at Lucy, "Did you just summon me from a dirty puddle." she towered over the blonde as she gave her a deadly stare. Lucy waved her hands in front of her as she began to panic.

"It was the only water around."

"If I smell like stagnant water on my date tonight. I will make your life a living hell." glowered Aquarius before she swung the urn in her hands.

"No wait, don't wash us away too!" shouted Lucy.

But the mermaid didn't care. A tidal wave of water surged through the streets washing away everyone in it's path. Lucy somersaulted through the torrent of water and broke the surface once to catch air before being sucked below the water once again. After a few more terrifying moments, the water receded away and Lucy gasped for air as she rested on the ground. She then shot to her feet and pointed angrily at Aquarius.

"You just tried to drown me didn't you!?" she shouted.

"Damn, it failed again." mumbled the mermaid before disappearing.

"What!" roared Lucy, "Why when I get my hands on you!" she blinked.

Where was the enemy? She looked to her left and yelped. Cobra was lying down at her feet, eyes wide open and mouth gaping open. A small high pitched squeal was uttered from the defeated mage before he blacked out.

"Alright I beat him!" cheered Lucy.

"I say it was dumb luck." deadpanned Happy.

"It wasn't luck!" argued Lucy.

"Hey… guys." Natsu wobbled on his feet, "Can we get this thing to… *blurp*... stop already."

Several loud explosions rang out across the night sky. The entire city shuddered then fell heavily onto the forest below.

Natsu blinked and then shot up, "IT STOPPED!" He yelled happily. Then the earth around them began to shake again. The city was crumbling around them. Lucy screamed.

"It's falling apart around us!" she screamed as she waved her hands in the air.

"Happy. Grab Lucy."

"Aye sir!" Happy gripped Lucy's back and flew off into the air away from the crumbling city.

Natsu raced off of the city, leaping from the stone structure and onto solid ground. He heard several other people land nearby and saw Gray carrying Erza on his back. Wendy was sprinting beside him as well. Natsu then saw Ichiya, super muscular Ichiya carrying Joshua's small form in his arms. The deep rumbling of an impending explosion pulsed through the air before the city behind them exploded in a fiery inferno. They had made it out just in time.

The group finally stopped running and soon Happy and Carla landed beside them with Lucy as well.

"WE DID IT!" cheered Natsu as he pumped his fist in the air.

"Natsu, did you forget we've got wounded here." Gray snapped.

Natsu glanced over and saw Wendy stooped over Erza using her sky magic to heal her up.

"What happened?" asked Natsu. Gray grit his teeth and looked hatefully at Joshua.

"He tried to kill her."

Natsu's eyes widened, "What!?" he then shook his head, "That can't be right."

"I saw it." replied Gray with a clenched jaw, "If I didn't intervene when I did we might now have Erza here now."

"Don't hate the boy." said a new voice.

The groups heads turned to see Jura and the other members of the alliance appearing from the forest. They were covered in bruises since they barely made it out of the city before it collapsed around them. Natsu's eyes widened as he saw who was leading them.

"Jellal." he snarled.

Jura raised a hand causing the dragon slayer to hesitate his attack, "He's on our side Natsu." the wizard saint said quickly, "If it wasnt' for him we wouldn't have stopped Nirvana. And Cait Shelter would've been destroyed."

"What!" cried Wendy and Carla, "This thing was going to destroy my guild. But why?" finished Wendy.

"Nirvana was created by the ancient people called the Nirvits." explained Jellal, "The Nirvits created it to end a catastrophic war that had consumed the world. But fearing it's enormous power they sealed it away." he glanced back at the city, "I don't know how the magic was able to determine that Cait Shelter, who are descendants of the Nirvits, was its enemy. My guess is someone pre- programmed the magic to target the Nirvit people once it was unsealed." Jellal finished.

"And what magic is it exactly?" asked Gray.

"It turns light into darkness. Both physically and emotionally." Gray's eyes widened, "That's why I told you not to hate the boy. He was affected by Nirvana's magic. It wasn't his fault."

Gray looked at Erza, _So that's what she meant._

"What about the Oracion Seis?" asked Lucy, "What happened to them?"

Jellal looked back at the burning ruins of Nirvana, "Most likely they were caught in the blast."

Jura face turned downcast. Richard was in there. He sighed, another friend taken because of the foul deeds of others.

"Guys! Why can't I go down the road to make a letter of the alphabet!" cried Ichiya as he squirmed against a rune wall that was suddenly around them.

"Huh!?" exclaimed Natsu.

"This looks like Freed's work." said Lucy. Gray grit his teeth.

"No, it's way too complex to be Freed's."

The sound of marching feet soon approached. A large amount of people wearing white robes and armor were marching towards them. At the lead was a man wearing white robes. He had long dark brown hair tied up in an oriental style behind his head and glasses on his face. He pointed at the group of wizards.

"Halt, in the name of the magic council."

"MAGIC COUNCIL!" exclaimed Lucy.

"That didn't take em long to reform." muttered Gray.

"Guys, please let me out. I really need to pee." whined Ichiya as he pressed himself against the rune wall.

"We will let you out momentarily." said the leader of the magic council soldiers coldly, "But first we are here to finish the arrests we came to make."

"Arrests?" questioned Jura.

"Correct. We have already apprehended all of the Oracion Seis. We are now here to arrest our main target. A person with such a black heart that he was able to get the Magic Council to fire the Etherion cannon and endanger the lives of thousands." The man pointed at Jellal, "Jellal Fernandes, you are hearby placed under arrest for you crimes."

Jura stomped his foot on the ground causing to the earth to rumble. "NO!" he boomed, "He helped us stop Nirvana. He-"

Jellal stepped forward, "I'll go quietly." Jellal began to step forward, "After all, how can I atone for my sins if I don't respect the rule of law." Several guards moved forwards and placed magic sealing stone on his wrists.

"I'm glad you decided to do this the easy way." The leader said with a relieved sigh.

He had the authorization to use deadly force. But he doubted he would have been able to stop someone so powerful. The guards moved Jellal quickly into a prisoner's carriage. Before the door shut on him Jellal glanced out and saw Erza's unconscious form one more time before the door closed.

"One more thing." said the man with the glasses.

"PLEASE HURRY I NEED TO PEE!" cried Ichiya.

"The boy named Joshua. Where is he?"

Jura stepped forward, "What do you want with him?" he asked firmly.

"Don't worry. We are not arresting him. We are just putting a precaution in place." the man pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose, "After all, his magic is incredibly dangerous. The new magic council has ordered that magical suppression cuffs be placed back on him."

Jura frowned, "And if I try to stop you?"

"Then you make yourself an enemy of the magic council."

"That's just inhumane!" Lucy gasped, "No one should have their magic suppressed like that."

"Regardless of whether it's humane or not. It must be done." said the man. He pulled the stone cuffs out from a chest one of his guards was carrying. "Now, where is he?"

"We won't let you!" shouted Natsu.

"Just get it over with and put them on." whispered Joshua as he weakly opened one of his eyes.

"Josh! Don't let them do that to you!" shouted Natsu.

"I agree with them." he mumbled softly.

Joshua looked at Erza. Wendy was still healing her up after the beating she took. Joshua wanted to cry but he had no energy left to do so. He caused all of her injuries. He remembered it now. "I'm dangerous. I hurt Erza." he took a shaky breath. He wouldn't let himself lose control ever again. And if this was the way to do it then he was going to allow them to suppress his magic. "Just get it over with already."

The man with the glasses stepped forward and sealed the stone cuffs back onto Joshua's wrists. Joshua winced as he felt his magical reserves shrink and run into a brick wall inside of him.

"I'm glad you see things are way young one." said the man with the glasses, "Our business here is concluded. We are leaving now." The man strode away and the rune walls disappeared along with the small magic council army and the prisoner carts.

"Joshua-"

"I'm really tired." Joshua breathed as he cut off Jura before blacking out again.

 **And end chapter. That concludes the Oracion Seis arc folks! I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you guys think! And as always, have a nice day!**


	18. Chapter 18: The Theater Job

**Well, I'm just too excited about writing this story to put it down. So I'm just gonna keep truckin on. Here's a new chapter for you guys!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 18

Makarov smiled nervously as he drank from his mug of beer. Around him yet another one of Fairy Tail's famous brawls had broken out. Tables were being smashed, chaired were being heaved across the room, glass was shattering. It was all out chaos. It the middle of it all fought two teens, one with pink hair and the other shirtless with raven colored hair. Makarov sighed and sipped his mug again. He was just hoping they wouldn't destroy the guild too much right now.

"This is quite the fight isn't it master?" asked Mira as she smiled cheerfully at him.

"It is one of the more destructive ones I've seen." A mug flew past his head and shattered against the stone walls, "But, I guess we could call this normal as well."

Mira looked below the bar and was surprised to see a small blue haired girl hiding underneath the counter with a white cat next to her. The girl was wearing a cute green and yellow dress that went down to her knees. Her small arms were flung over her head and she tried to shield herself from the many flying objects around the guild hall.

"It looks like they've frightened our newest members." Mira smiled.

"No kidding." said the voice of a young boy as he peered over the counter. The brown haired, hazel eyed kid ducked quickly under a flying chair before carefully poking his head over the counter top once again, "I've been in plenty of brawls here… but this one is crazy."

"At least someone here is somewhat normal." shouted Carla over the sounds of the massive brawl.

"Somewhat!" Joshua was about to say something back when he just sighed, "Just take the compliment Joshua. Take the compliment. GAH!"

A fork narrowly missed his head as he leaned right. He ducked under the counter again and looked over at the guild's newest member.

"A little more lively than Cait Shelter huh?" he smirked.

"Maybe too lively." She said quietly.

Wendy's expression saddened as she remembered her old guild. It turned out that her guild was nothing more the last remaining though projections of the Nirvits, created to protect the secret of Nirvana. Once it was destroyed their purpose was gone, so they disappeared after wishing her farewell. Immediately afterwards, she joined Fairy Tail after Lucy and Natsu invited her to. She was beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea.

"You'll get used to it, don't worry." Mira said reassuringly.

"WHO DESTROYED MY CAKE!?"

Joshua's eyes widened and his pupils shrank. "This bar counter is no longer safe." he mumbled before the countertop was shattered into a million splinters causing Mira to jump back and Makarov to gasp as he fell off and spilled his beer. Joshua quickly grabbed Wendy.

"Time to get out of the area!" he said fearfully as he pulled her out of the guildhall and into the training area outside.

"GET BACK OVER HERE STRIPPER!" he heard Natsu shout as he quickly shut the doors behind them before a heavy body landed against them.

Joshua pressed himself and against the doors before sliding down them, exhaling a long breath as he dropped to his but. The muffled sounds of the free for all continued inside.

"Thanks for the rescue." said Wendy quietly as she sat down beside Joshua, eyes wide as well. "I had no idea Erza was so scary."

"She seems to have one of the worst tempers I've ever seen." grumbled Carla as she crossed her small arms.

"Only when you destroy her strawberry cake." smiled Joshua sheepishly, "I'll apologize for her right now."

"Why?" asked Wendy.

"Because her version of an apology is allowing you to have a free shot at her."

"HUH!?" exclaimed Wendy, "But I could never hit Miss Erza."

"That's why I'm doing the apologizing." Another bump against the door before the sound of glass shattering against it rang through Joshua's ears. Joshua shook his head, "They are really going at it."

He stood up and extended a hand to Wendy to help her up as well. Wendy grabbed hold and was hoisted up by her fellow ten year old.

"It won't be much longer before they're done."

"Why?" asked Wendy.

"Cause once Erza gets involved, the others tend to drop pretty quickly."

One final loud bump against the door startled Wendy but Joshua just chuckled before he started counting upwards.

"Why are you counting child?" asked Carla.

"Ten…" muttered Joshua, "All clear!" he smiled as he pushed open the doors.

Wendy's brown eyes widened as she looked inside to see the guild hall's main dining area torn apart. The bar counter was destroyed, tables were overturned or splinters on the floor. And the majority of the wizards were passed out on the floor or on upturned furniture with Erza being the only one still standing.

"Like I said. Once she gets involved it doesn't last much longer." He opened the door for Wendy and waved her through, "But usually its best to get out the way once that happens. Otherwise you end up like Macao over there."

Wendy looked up at the rafters to see the purple haired wizard draped over the wooden beams above them.

Macao groaned above the two, "Someone get me down."

….

"Hmm…" Joshua rubbed his chin as he looked up at the many jobs on the request board. "Nab, I can see why you can never pick a job." he said to the dark skinned, muscular man next to him.

"Finally someone gets it!" exclaimed Nab before continuing his search.

"There aren't a whole lot of good ones up here today." mumbled Joshua before feeling a metal hand rest on his shoulder.

"Looking to go on a job?" asked Erza as she looked up at the request board.

"Actually I was hoping to go on my first solo job." explained Joshua, "But with…" he looked down at his covered wrists before continuing, "My limitations. I can't seem to find one that'll work."

Another person walked up the request board. Wendy held a finger to her lips as she looked up and sighed, "It is a little difficult to find one that's good for us. Right Carla?"

The white cat shrugged but said nothing.

"I have a job if you want to come with me." said Erza with a smile but Joshua just shook his head.

"I need to start pulling my own weight around here. That means taking solo jobs too."

Erza's mouth opened then closed, _He's growing up on me!_

She then saw Mira walking up to them with a smile on her face.

"Wendy, Josh I think I may have the perfect job for the both of you." she smiled.

"Really!?" they both said in unison.

Mira nodded. She pulled out a rolled up job request and read from it, "Help… I'm in desperate need of wizarding assistance."

Something got triggered inside of Erza as the request was read aloud. Her spine tingled a little and her stomach grew somewhat queasy.

"My theater is beginning to lose money and my actors have quit on me…"

Erza's eyes widened and she looked over at Gray who was having the same reaction as she was. Natsu's eyes narrowed from the booth as he tried to figure out why this sounded so familiar.

"If you are willing to act in my latest masterpiece I will reward you greatly. Signed, Rabian of Onibus Town."

Erza's shoulders sagged. She knew it.

"Why the look Erza?" asked Joshua.

"I've done a job for him before." she shuddered slightly as she remembered her terrible acting performance as the great prince Frederick, "It didn't go very well."

Joshua then smirked, "This means that I can pass you up on something! Finally!"

"Don't do it Wendy, Joshua." warned Gray, "That guy is a slave driver when it comes to his plays."

"Who are we talking about?" asked a completely confused Natsu.

"Yeah," Lucy continued, "He wouldn't let us leave until we did like 60 shows!"

"It wasn't that many." replied Erza.

"It felt like it." Lucy retorted.

"Still don't know what we're talking about." mumbled Natsu as he rested his head on the table he was sitting at before falling asleep.

"You two will be great for it!" smiled Mira, "It's a non combat job. So you don't have to worry about getting hurt." She then looked up at Erza, "Perfect for a first solo job right Erza."

 _Non combat! I forgot about that!_ Erza nodded, "That's true." she looked down at the grinning Joshua and shrugged, "If you want to take it, go for it."

"YES!" he cheered before looking back at Wendy, "You wanna go too?"

"Um… sure." Wendy was taking the warnings seriously but it was just a theatre job. It couldn't be as bad as Lucy and Gray said it was.

"I'm not so sure of this." complained Carla.

"You don't have to go then." replied Joshua.

"As if I'd leave _you_ alone with Wendy!"

Joshua's eyes widened, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

A stranger wearing a blue jacket and jeans strode into the guild hall hauling a large stack of magazines tied together with twin. The back of his jacket read, Sorcerer's weekly. The guy whistled as he set the stack of magazines down on the floor next to the bar, collected his payment from Mira, and walked out. A sudden rush of people ran up to the magazines and snagged them. Joshua raised an eyebrow and walked over to Macao and Wakaba who were ogling at a page in the middle. As he approached, Joshua saw Cana beginning to sneak out of the back door. Realization dawned on Joshua. She actually did the bet!

"Whoa hoh." oogled Wakaba, "Where is Cana at!?" he said as he admired the pose, "She's gotta see how good she looks."

"Yeah…" Macao continued as he pulled on his collar. His cheeks turning red, "That's quite a pose."

"How does she look?" Joshua asked as he leaned forward trying to peek at one of his greatest victories.

Erza quickly stepped in front of him and towered over him. "You will not look at such things." she said forcefully as she crossed her arms.

Without thinking Joshua replied, "It isn't the first time I've seen something like that."

Erza blinked then stared angrily down at Joshua, "What?"

 _Oh… crap…_ "I-I uh… I-"

Erza tapped her fingers on her crossed forearm, "Care to explain?"

"I-I-I." he stammered.

"Oh I can explain for him." snarled Lucy.

Joshua's lips snapped shut and he stared fearfully over at Lucy who was relishing the revenge she was about to get for what happened in the Worth Woodsea. Joshua squeezed his eyes shut and braced for the pain.

….

The train flew past the rolling hills of the Fiore countryside shuddering every so often as it rumbled along the train tracks. Wendy stared across her seat at Joshua, who was covered in bruises and had a black eye. His arms were crossed and he looked grumpily out the window.

"Erza was that mad." she said quietly.

Joshua nodded before shuddering a little at the memory of Erza reacting to Lucy telling her about how he was able to figure out who was the real Lucy and who was the fake Lucy when they all battle the Oracion Seis.

"You should've expected such a reaction after doing something so vulgar." scolded Carla as she sipped on a white teacup.

Joshua sighed as he leaned against the windowpane, "I can't believe I slipped up like that."

"Mr. Macao and Wakaba seemed rather proud of you." Wendy said trying to cheer her teammate up.

"I don't know if that is a compliment or death sentence anymore." Joshua mumbled as he leaned further back into the red cushions of the train seat.

"Oh quit your complaining." Carla scolded again, "It's over and done with now. Best to let it go."

"You weren't on the receiving end." replied Joshua before Wendy decided to change the subject.

"Have you ever been to Onibus town?"

Joshua shook his head, "I've heard it's a nice place." he looked out the window at the increasingly remote landscape, "But it sure is a long train ride."

Wendy nodded before awkward silence took over the cabin. The only noise in the air was the rumbling of the train and the sound of Carla sipping on her tea.

"I heard Onibus town doesn't have any guilds." Wendy said quietly.

"Yeah, they don't." Joshua replied quickly. More awkward silence.

Carla looked at the two and shook her head. _These two are terrible at small talk._ She sipped some more of her hot tea.

"So, like… what exactly is Sky Dragon Slayer magic?" asked Joshua as he sat up a little straighter before stretching his arms over his head.

"Oh, well it's Dragon Slayer Magic." Wendy replied.

"I know that. But like, what makes it different from Natsu and Gajeel's magic?"

"I guess you could say it's not as combat oriented as theirs is. It allows me to be a much better healer than fighter." she explained. "But… I guess I can fight if I have to."

"You sound pretty uncertain about that." Joshua observed.

"Well I-"

"If there's one thing I've learned since being in Fairy Tail," Joshua continued, "Don't take your powers for granted. Trust them, and be confident in them. They won't let you down."

Carla's eyes widened a little. Since when was this child capable of such wise advice. She then saw the slight sliver of stone peak out from under the long sleeves of his brown cloak.

 _That's how. He's never really been allowed to trust his own powers. Let alone fully use them._ Carla sipped on her tea, _He's speaking from an outsider's perspective on that matter. Surprisingly observant of him._

" _ **NEXT STOP, ONIBUS TOWN!"**_ the intercom on the train crackled overhead.

Joshua stood up along with Wendy and Carla as the train began to slow to a stop at a large train station. The three made their way to the exit and hopped off the train and onto the crowded station platform.

"Which way do we go now?" asked Wendy as she looked around uncertainly.

Before Joshua could reply he heard the sound of a voice with a foreign accent calling out to them, "Fairy Tail wizards!" shouted a short man with a long face and rectangular nose from behind a pillar.

Joshua and Wendy glanced over.

"My name is Rabian. I'm the playwright who contracted you." he said as he peeked out from the pillar.

"Looks like we know where to go." Joshua said to Wendy before she nodded and walked up to the hiding playwright.

The man bowed to them from the behind the pillar, "I thank you very much for coming to may aid. Thank you very much!"

"It's no problem." Wendy replied, "We can get started right away if you want."

The man's beady dark eyes widened and a happy smile spread across his long face causing his already curly moustache to curl even more, "Excellent! Thank you very much!" he jumped out from behind the pillar, "Follow me!"

The town of Onibus was indeed a beautiful place. Fountains and green parks lined the many roads that crisscrossed the town that was dominated by two main buildings, the train station and the theatre. Joshua admired the beautiful scenery around them before they came up to a large white stone building with immaculate columns and windows adorning the walls and entryway.

"Behold my theatre!" exclaimed Rabian as he spread his arms out in grand fashion. "I do hope it is impressive. Thank you very much!"

Joshua and Wendy stared at the stunning building. It sure was an impressive structure. Wendy beamed up at it as excitement ran through her. She had never been in a play before, she was super excited. Joshua on the other hand just realized the gravity of the situation. He was about to be in a play.

 _Crap._ Joshua thought. _I was not prepared for this._

"Please, please! Come in! You must practice your line! The play begins tonight!"

"EH!" exclaimed both Wendy and Joshua.

"I hope you don't expect me to take part in this." Carla stated firmly.

"Do not worry, you are but a cat and shall have no part in my masterpiece." said Rabian with a smile.

Carla looked at the strange man speechless before she huffed, "I don't know whether to be offended or glad."

"Let's hurry please. Thank you very much!" Rabian cheered as he quickly ushered Joshua and Wendy inside of the theatre.

As they entered the spacious theatre Joshua and Wendy were both awestruck at the sheer amount of seats in the place. There had to be hundreds, no thousands of velvet seats placed in neat rows before the large stage at the far end of the theatre. Joshua and Wendy stared around as they slowly followed Rabian backstage.

"May I ask what kind of magic you two use?" asked Rabian, "Thank you very much."

"Um, I use Sky dragon slayer magic." said Wendy shyly.

"And that does?"

"It's kinda like wind magic." Wendy simplified.

"Splendid!" cheered Rabian, "You can add some incredible special effects to the play! Imagine what the audience will think when they too can experience the winds of a calm summer day,"

"That does sound pretty cool." muttered Joshua.

"And a raging storm!" cheered Rabian.

Joshua sweat dropped.

"And you sir? What kind of magic do you use?"

"Um…" Joshua couldn't believe how over the top this guys was, "Requip and telekinetics."

"You can move stuff with you mind!?"

Joshua hesitated before showing the man the magical suppression cuffs. Wendy's eyes widened as she saw them. She had no idea those were on his wrists. The seal of the magic council was carved into the stone cuffs.

"Sorta." Joshua said.

Not surprisingly, Rabian's excitement diminished somewhat as he recognized what the cuffs were, "Oh… well, I won't ask you to do too much then."

Joshua nodded. He didn't take it as any sort of insult, it was the truth. He really couldn't do much. These cuffs were far more powerful than the ones that were placed on him after the Phantom Lord incident. He was amazed he could even lift a glass of water with his magic. His requip even struggled against the strong restraints. That's why is was so hard for him to find a job earlier. He couldn't choose one which involved heavy combat, he wouldn't be able to fight effectively. He made a mental note to start training in non magical combat once he got back to the guild hall. Most likely Erza or maybe even Elfman could teach him a thing or two about that.

Rabian quickly handed the two a thick stack of paper. Joshua looked down at the paper and read the title of the play.

"Ray and Julie?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"My own modification of the classic masterpiece written by the great playwright Tremblespeare." Rabian explained, "It is a love story set in a sky kingdom! Thank you very much!"

Both Wendy and Joshua's cheeks flushed, "Love story." Wendy muttered nervously.

Joshua just gulped while Carla sighed. She knew they should've avoided this job.

….

Wendy stared out at the crowd of people that was beginning to take their seats and chatter amongst themselves. She felt beads of nervous sweat on her forehead form which she quickly wiped away using the silky sleeve of her costume. In terms of the show, it was… eccentric. When she read the script she could hardly follow what was supposed to be going on during the piece, and she was one of the actresses. Actually, she was the only actress. And Joshua was the only actor. It turns out, this play was a two person production.

The one positive though was her costume. It was a beautifully designed costume. It was a long sparkling dress that was light blue like the sky. It stretched down to the floor and had long flowing sleeves to it that made her feel like she was a breeze in the wind as her arms moved through space. She had yet to see Joshua's costume. Apparently, he was still struggling to put it on.

"I wonder what's taking him so long?" asked Carla as she stood next to Wendy.

Wendy shrugged. Carla glanced up at her and smiled, "You look absolutely stunning child."

"Thanks." Wendy said softly.

"I GOT IT! I GOT IT!" roared Joshua angrily from further back behind the curtain.

Wendy turned as she heard the dressing room door slam open. It took everything in her to not burst out laughing.

Standing in the the bright light that streamed out of the dressing room was Joshua wearing sky blue tights and a shirt made of cotton balls. He frowned and looked back at Rabian.

"What the hell am I supposed to be!?"

"You are the cloud Ray. Wendy is the air named Julie." said Rabain happily. "A love story between the clouds and air, isn't it brilliant."

"I feel like a giant cotton swab." grumbled Joshua. Joshua then saw Wendy. His jaw dropped slightly as he saw her in her dress, "Whoa…" he mumbled.

"Don't get any funny ideas!" warned Carla as she saw how he was staring at her.

"Places! Places!" exclaimed Rabian, "The curtain is about to go up!"

Joshua walked up beside Wendy. Both slightly red in the cheeks but for completely different reasons.

"You look really nice." Joshua complimented.

"And you look like a cotton ball." snickered Wendy.

A tick mark formed on Joshua's head as the red curtain rose quickly. Bright lights shone down on the stage blinding Joshua momentarily. Soon everything came into focus. Joshua stared out at the crowd. There….were...so...many… people. Joshua felt butterflies begin to fly around in his stomach as he began to freeze up.

"Oh where is may Ray? My beautiful cloud, I miss him so!" Wendy said as she started her lines. Joshua didn't hear them. He was just staring out at the crowd, completely petrified.

Wendy cleared her throat, "Where is my Ray?" she said again.

"Eep." whimpered Joshua as he stayed rooted in the spot.

Carla facepalmed backstage. _The boy has stage fright!_

Wendy gulped as she realized the situation as well. Now she was starting to panic. She had to improvise. Fast! She quickly grabbed Joshua's left arm and leaned against it.

"Oh Ray, there you are? Where have you been...um…"

 _That's not part of the script Wendy!_ Panicked Carla

"What are they doing!" cried Rabian silently, "They are destroying my masterpiece!"

"Why are you stiff and afraid?" continued Wendy on stage.

"P-people. L-lots- *Gulp*." Joshua stammered as he started to visibly shake. The crowd began to murmer as they wondered what exactly was going on.

"Do not worry my sweet Ray!" declared Wendy as she suddenly used her healing magic, "I will save you!"

"She's panicking now too!" exclaimed Rabian.

Carla could only cringe. They had jumped all the way to the end of the play! Then she saw what Wendy was doing. She was using her healing magic to try and aid Joshua in order to get him to calm down. And it seemed to be working as well. Joshua's skin color returned and he had stopped shaking and squirming on stage. After several more moments, Joshua shook his head and blinked.

"Wha- where am I? What just happened!?" he exclaimed, "I blacked out there for a moment."

Wendy continued her lines, "I have saved you Ray!"

Joshua raised an eyebrow. The play was that far along already? How long did he black out for? Wait… the play was that far along already? That meant, that meant. Joshua turned as red as Erza's hair.

"Will you let me know you are ok, with a…" Wendy blinked as she read the lines on her hand. She wasn't able to memorize them in time. But she really wish she had before she skipped to this part of the play. "K-kiss!?"

"YOU WILL NOT!" shouted Carla before being caught and held back by Rabian.

"No!" He shouted, "The show must continue!" declared Rabian, "Thank you very much!"

Joshua looked over at Wendy who was shuffling her feet and staring down slightly embarrassed. She then looked up at Joshua. Joshua looked over at her. They were staring into each others eyes. Wendy hadn't noticed it before, but Joshua's eyes were really pretty. She blushed and went up on her tiptoes, might as well get it over with.

"DON'T YOU DARE WENDY!" shouted Carla before Rabian's hand clasped over her mouth.

Wendy stayed on her tiptoes for a moment. _What is he waiting for?_

"OK! Time out!" Joshua said quickly causing Wendy to open her eyes and see Joshua crossing his arms out in a T front of him. He looked at Wendy, "This ain't happening."

Wendy stared at him with wide eyes before she felt an emotion she rarely ever felt. Anger.

"I'm not kissing you." Joshua said as he folded his arms and shook his head.

"Why not!" growled Wendy, "It's part of the show."

"Self preservation." he replied.

"SELF PRESERVATION!" exclaimed Wendy.

"Do you have any idea what Carla, no, what Erza would do to me if she found out I kissed you?" Joshua explained, "I'll tell you. I would be buried six feet underground in about two seconds flat. So yeah, I'm looking out for number one right now."

Wendy clenched her fists. And she actually blushed at the thought of-

"Argh!"

She swung her leg back and kicked him in the shin before storming off stage. Joshua hopped up and down gripping his shin before looking out and seeing that the crowd was laughing hysterically. Joshua blinked and looked out at the laughing crowd before shrugging. The curtain quickly fell and the show ended.

Joshua exhaled loudly as the curtain fell and he heard the crowd cheering. The show was over. Thank God!

"Wonderful!" cheered Rabian, "Splendid! The crowd loved it! I never anticipated this being a comedy before! But it worked, and saved my theatre. Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome." grumbled Wendy as she reappeared from her dressing room in her normal clothes and stormed out of the theatre.

"Wait for me child!" called Carla who soared after her.

"Wait! You must do more shows for me!"

Joshua scowled, "Actually…" he pulled out the job request from his pants as he changed in the dressing room, "The request said one show." he pointed at the writing then held out his hand to the stunned Rabian, "Pay up."

Rabian frowned and quickly slapped the requipred 50,000 Jewel into Joshua's open hand. Joshua was not going to suffer the same fate at Erza did with this oddball.

"Thank you." Joshua pocketed the money, "Now if you'll excuse me. I've got to catch up to a very upset girl."

Joshua raced out of the theatre and ran at full speed towards the train station. He got to the station just as the conductor was shouting for all remaining passengers to come aboard. Joshua barely hopped onto the train in time before the machine started to pull away from the platform. Joshua sighed, he made it. He pulled his ticket out from his pocket and looked at the compartment number before walking quickly along the length of the train to the one he and Wendy were assigned. He looked inside the compartment and saw that Wendy was not in there. Carla wasn't there too. Joshua lowered his eyes before pulling the compartment door open and taking a seat in the vinyl seats. He stared out the window as the sun set over the hills outside of Onibus town.

After several moments the compartment door opened.

"Would you like any refreshments sir?" asked an attendant who had a cart full of various drinks with him.

"Am I allowed an adult drink?" Joshua asked glumly.

The male attendant shook his head, "I can give you soda pop."

"That'll work." sighed Joshua. The attendant saw the depressed look on Joshua's face and decided to step inside as he handed him the bottle of soda pop.

"Why so depressed kid?" asked the middle aged man.

Joshua leaned his head back against the seat as he stared at the ceiling, "I screwed up."

"With a girl?"

"Yup."

The attendant nodded in understanding, "That's rough. No wonder you asked for alcohol. What exactly happened?"

"We were in a play that required us to k-kiss. And I said no to that."

The attendant winced, "While on stage?"

"Yeah."

"Man," he leaned out the door and looked around quickly before reaching into the car and pulling out a bottle that said Hank's Hard Root Beer, "I call your situation a Code Yellow." he popped it open and handed Joshua the bottle, "Don't let anyone see it."

Joshua nodded and sipped it before cringing at the taste and coughing, "That's terrible!"

The attendant laughed, "Keep thinking that kid. Your liver will last longer."

Joshua set the bottle to the side and leaned forward, "So what is a Code Yellow?"

The attendant folded his hands, "In terms of girls there are three Codes. Code Green, Code Yellow, and Code Red. At least in my experience. Code Yellow is the danger zone. Meaning you managed to piss off the girl and you have to act quickly in order to save what you have with her."

"Act quickly?"

"Correct, you must apologize."

"But I did nothing wrong!?" exclaimed Joshua. The attendant somberly shook his head.

"You must also learn the golden rule." Joshua leaned forward, "The girl is always right."

"That's not fair!"

"Doesn't matter. Point is, she's right you're wrong. So it's your job to apologize."

"Even if I walked up to her to do that, Carla would probably shred me." grumbled Joshua.

"Well, you'll just have to trust Carla not to do that. Now I gotta go. Good luck kid." The attendant quickly exited.

"Wait! But Carla isn't the girl! She's the cat!" Joshua saw the man disappear into another train car. He then threw his hands up in the air in frustration

before sinking back into his seat.

"That makes no damn sense."

….

"Wendy what was with that outburst on stage?" Carla questioned.

"It was nothing." Wendy replied coldly.

"Don't tell me you actually wanted to kiss him." Carla snapped.

"NO!" _Well… maybe._

Wendy's cheeks reddened and little and Carla sighed. The white cat looked over the opposite seat and saw Joshua sitting in their actual assigned compartment. His head leaning against the side of the train car.

"You need to go apologize to him." Carla said plainly.

"Why should I apologize to him? He's the one who embarrased me on stage!" replied Wendy.

"He may have, but he did the right thing. He made a fair point, I would've clawed him to death if he placed his lips anywhere near yours. And I won't even get started on what Erza would've done to him."

Wendy frowned a little before sighing.

"You may be right." she muttered.

"Then you know what to do." Carla finished. "Now c'mon, let's get in the proper compartment before we are confused for stowaways."

Wendy rose from her seat and opened the glass door to step out of the compartment. She the quickly moved over to the proper seats and opened the door. She turned after shutting the door and began to apologize when she heard a snore. She looked at Joshua and saw that he was asleep with his head resting against the window. Wendy stopped talking and sighed. It'll have to wait. She yawned and stretched her arms. She didn't realized how tired she was too. She slumped into the seat across from Joshua and very soon drifted off to sleep.

….

Joshua woke up to see a dark swampy landscape with deep red skies overhead. He knew instantly what this was. Another vision. Joshua silently made his way through the swamp, trudging through the muck and bogs at his feet. It felt like he was being drawn towards something. Eventually he came out of the thick swamps and stood before the massive yawning mouth of a dark cave. It's cavernous entrance was easily as tall as the guild hall and no light seemed to pierce it's shadows. Outside of the cave stood a group of thin, pale woman, disguised by tight fitting battle clothes and masks. Joshua was surprised, they didn't seem to see him as he approached the cave. Strange, someone always seemed to want to talk to him in these visions.

He walked towards the cave and stepped into it's darkness. As he shambled his way through the darkness he suddenly saw green lights appear all around him followed by the sound of metal clanking against stone behind him. Joshua froze and turned around to see someone terrifying. Stepping past him, as if he wasn't even there, was a devil looking creature with multiple bony horns coming out of the crown of his head. He had red and black colored skin, the black portions looking more like ink than his actual skin color. He wore heavy black robes over his torso, but not over his legs. Joshua's eyes widened when he saw the creature's legs. They were not flesh and blood. They were metal and machine like. In fact the entire lower half of this creature's body looked like a machine.

Joshua was curious now, he followed the creature closely as they came to a large chamber in the cave system. The chamber was lit dimly by pale green lights that shimmered against the cave walls. Joshua then caught his breath as he moved to the center of the chamber and looked around. He recognized this place. This was the cave from the first vision he had months ago.

"Have you found a suitable candidate?" said a shrill voice in the shadows.

"I have Mother Talzin. He is on the planet of Serenno." said the low yet venomous voice of the devil like creature.

 _Planet of Serenno?_ Wondered Joshua as he listened closely to the conversation.

"The home of Count Dooku. Who is this candidate?"

The conversation became muffled as the sound of static filled Joshua's ears. Joshua winced and looked down to see his wrists glowing a pale blue. The magic suppression cuffs, they were trying to block out the vision.

"Really?" questioned the shrill voice of this Mother Talzin, "How soon can you bring the boy here?"

"I can kidnap him as soon as you wish." replied the devil.

"Good." Mother Talzin finally emerged from the shadows.

Joshua's eyes widened at her appearance. She was wearing dark red robes and had a ghostly white face with dark orange irises in her eyes. Black lines contoured her facial features making her face look skull like.

"Move quickly, the Sith will soon be aware of your actions, Maul."

 _Maul? Sith? What is going on?_

Joshua then felt blinding pain in his head. He glanced down to see his wrists glowing an intense blue. Joshua grabbed his head as the worst headache he had ever felt in his life gripped him. He then yelled out in pain before the vision faded away completely.

 **And chapter! A bit of a slower chapter, more a filler one as well. I hope you guys like it. And what about that vision? What do you think is going on with that? Let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you guys enjoyed, have a nice day!**


	19. Chapter 19: Hex

**Alright, another chapter ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 19

Joshua gasped as his eyes opened and reality flooded back to his mind. His breathing was labored and quick as his chest heaved up and down. He ran the back of his across his forehead feeling cold sweat being wiped clean from his brow. Joshua slowly let his breathing return to normal before he leaned forward a placed his face in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. He took a few more deep breaths before sitting up again, relieved to see that he actually was back in the real world. There were no caves, no devils. Just the rumbling of the train car, the red vinyl seats, and the pale moonlight streaming in through the compartment window. Looking across, as if trying to further confirm that this was all real, he saw Wendy curled up in her chair with Carla lying down on top of her. Joshua sighed, this was a rough night. That was the worst vision he had yet. Even though he had ones where it felt like actual pain was being caused, this one was legitimately painful. He looked down and saw the skin underneath and around the magical cuffs he wore was red and raw. These things had literally suppressed the vision and made it far more painful and terrifying as a result. He wanted nothing more than to rip the cuffs from his wrists, sealed or not. But he knew he couldn't, not if he wanted to remain in control.

Joshua took another look at the peacefully slumbering Wendy before quietly rising from his seat and exiting the train compartment. The entire train car was quiet and dimly lit by a few lamps along the walls. Joshua took a look at a clock sitting above the exit of the car and saw the time, 3:00 am. He shook his head before walking out of the exit and standing on the portion of the train that allowed passengers to get some fresh air between cars. His arms rested against the iron guardrail as he leaned against it, breathing in the crisp morning air. He looked across the green hills to see the forest he loved approaching slowly. They'd be in Magnolia soon.

"Is everything ok?" he heard a sleepy voice ask him as he leaned against the railing.

"Hm.." Joshua glanced behind to see Wendy rubbing her left eye and yawning, "I'm fine, just needed some air." He folded his hands and continued to gaze out and the gorgeous Fiore landscapes.

"You don't sound like you're fine." Wendy replied before yawning again, "Bad dream?"

"You could say that."

"Need to talk about it?"

Joshua quietly shook his head. He hadn't even told Erza about any of these visions. They were too terrifying and painful for her to even know. He didn't want to worry her. And he didn't want to worry Wendy either.

"It was just a nightmare." he looked back and saw Wendy's drooping eyelids, "You should go back to sleep before you fall over standing up. I'll wake you up when we get to Magnolia."

"If you say so." Wendy yawned. Before she left to go back to their compartment Joshua turned around and looked at her.

"Hey Wendy, before you go."

"Hm." she said with one eye closed and the other barely open.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the play. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that." Joshua apologized.

Wendy nodded before stretching.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry... *yawn*... for getting mad at you." she muttered, "Goodnight."

"Night." She heard Joshua say softly as she entered the train car.

Wendy quietly opened and closed the compartment door and sat down in her seat beside Carla, who was still snoozing on the vinyl seat. She glanced back to the doorway. Maybe she should stay with Joshua. He seemed really upset by whatever nightmare he had. But she decided against it. He wanted his privacy, it was probably best to give it to him. She yawned one more time before setting her head back down on the seat cushion and drifting off to sleep.

…..

The chatter and cheerfulness in the guild hall was normal once again today. People went to and from the request board at regular rates. Wizards drank and ate, some lounged about in the new pool that was built after the Phantom Lord attacks. Erza just sat in the same booth she always did. And as always she was thoroughly enjoying some strawberry cake. Natsu and Lucy soon barged into the guild hall, the two being noisy as ever.

"You need to quit sneaking into my house!" Lucy scolded the pink haired dragon slayer.

"But you house is so comfy." replied a still sleepy Natsu as he trudged forward.

"It is my place for privacy!" Lucy shouted.

"You should've known there was no such thing as that when you joined Lucy." commented Happy as he floated beside the two.

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms while the two walked over to Erza's booth. Both quickly sat down and, just as quickly, Natsu yawned and smacked his head against the table falling asleep instantly.

"Someone's tired." commented Erza.

"Natsu trained all day yesterday." Happy replied.

"He obviously pushed himself too hard." Lucy continued as she crossed her legs. She looked around the guildhall and noticed the absence of Joshua and Wendy, "Say, when do you think Josh and Wendy will be back?"

"And Carla?" Happy added.

"Given how our job for Rabian went, I assume they won't be back for several more days." replied Erza with a slightly worried tone.

"You don't think they can handle it do you?" asked Lucy.

"I didn't say that."

"May as well have." replied Lucy, "They'll be fine Erza. It's just an acting job."

Erza frowned, "I still consider it one of the most taxing job requests I have ever done." she slid her fork into her mouth and greedily munched on a piece of cake.

"Is that because of how many shows we did, or because you were paralyzed with stage fright the whole time?" Lucy teased.

Erza glowered at her, "We do not speak of that."

"Oh really?"

Erza gave her a death glare that permanently shut up the blonde before the doors to the guild hall opened once again.

"We're back!" cheered Wendy as she waved to everyone that was in the guild hall this early in the morning.

"Already!?" mumbled Lucy.

Erza looked over and smiled at the cheerful Wendy before she saw Joshua stagger in. He looked absolutely exhausted. His shoulders were sagged forward and arms were hanging loosely out in front of his hunched over form. He yawned before dragging himself over to Erza's booth, sitting down, and smacking his head onto the wooden table. Erza smirked a little.

"So how did it go?" she asked.

"So… tired."

"How many shows did you do?" asked Lucy.

"One." replied Joshua sleepily.

"ONLY ONE!" yelled Lucy. "Did you guys do a bad job or something?"

"Actually, the crowd loved it." Wendy admitted as she sat down beside Lucy, "Even though Joshua completely froze up during the show."

Erza laughed aloud.

"You know Erza, you shouldn't be laughing after how badly you froze up when we went."

"WE DO NOT SPEAK OF THAT!" she roared causing Lucy to shrink into her seat and hide from Erza's angry glare.

"So how did you two manage to get away from that wack job so quickly?" asked Gray as he walked over with Juvia trailing behind him.

"Well… um…" Wendy poked her index fingers together nervously, "We had a disagreement about the story."

"Understatement of the year." grumbled Joshua before he turned his head over to looked at Erza, "It was a love story."

Erza's eyes widened while Lucy smiled at Wendy and Joshua.

"Oh, how cute!" Lucy smiled, "So, what love story? Tell me!"

"A rewrite of a Tremblespeare play." Wendy explained, "He called it Ray and Julie."

"Oh how romantic!" Lucy said as she placed her hands on her cheeks and closed her eyes imagining what it would've been like to be in such a classic romance.

"Blah!" Joshua uttered.

"So, did you two kiss?" asked Lucy.

Wendy was taken off guard by the question while Erza glared down at Joshua. Joshua just yawned some more.

"No, wouldn't… *yawn*... do it." he said.

"But the story practically requires it!" exclaimed Lucy, "It does the story a great injustice if-"

"Lucy," The blonde wizard looked up to see Erza's death glare again, "They are ten." growled the red head.

"Oh," shook Lucy, "Right."

"What are we talking about?" asked Natsu as he finally started to wake up.

"The job Wendy and Joshua went on." replied Happy.

"Oh, did you win the fight?" asked Natsu.

"There wasn't a fight Natsu." deadpanned Wendy.

"There better not have been. Joshua can barely use his magic as it is."

"Don't need to remind me," Joshua said gloomily before he remembered what he wanted to do, "Hey Erza."

"Yeah."

"Can you train me more in swordplay and hand to hand stuff? You know, since my magic kinda… sucks right now." he asked.

Erza smiled, "I'd be happy to. We can start now if you want to."

Joshua grinned, "Sure, but first," he looked over at the bar and saw Gramps take his usual seat, "I need to talk to Gramps about something."

Erza nodded, "I'll be out in the yard when you're ready." she took another bite of her cake as Joshua slid out of the booth and walked over to Master Makarov.

"Hey Gramps!" Joshua said as he jumped up onto a barstool.

"Good Morning my boy." Makarov replied with a warm grin, "How was the job?"

"Eh." Joshua shrugged, "25,000 jewel in my pocket. Can't complain too much."

Makarov nodded, "Indeed."

Joshua sat there quietly for a moment debating whether or not he should actually talk to the old man about what he wanted to talk to him about. Joshua gulped down his fear and made up his mind.

"Hey gramps, can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Makarov glanced over and saw the serious look Joshua was giving him, "Sure." he replied before hopping down from the bar counter, "Follow me to my office."

From across the room, Erza watched as Joshua followed Makarov upstairs to the guildmaster's office. His expression was sad and very serious. Joshua was hardly ever those two things. Erza looked over at Wendy who was happily sitting quietly in the booth.

"Wendy, did something else happen on the job?" asked Erza.

Wendy looked at the red head. Something else did happen, on the train ride home. But she wasn't sure if she should say anything. Wendy bit her lip.

"Wendy, you know you can tell me anything right?" Erza said reassuringly, _If Joshua actually did kiss you he is in for a long day though._ She thought internally.

"Anything?" Wendy asked.

Erza nodded.

Wendy took a deep breath, "Joshua had a bad nightmare on the train ride home." she explained, "That's why he looks so tired. He couldn't get any sleep."

Erza was partially relieved but at the same time somewhat concerned. It wasn't like Joshua to let a bad dream get to him. That hadn't happened since, Erza blinked, since he first arrived at the guild. She remembered how terrified he was then and how closed off he was about the whole thing. He refused to even tell her what the dream he had then was about.

"Did he tell you what happened?" she asked Wendy.

Wendy shook her head, "He told me not to worry about it. But he was clearly upset by it. Upset enough to wake up and walk out to the open air platform alongside the train car to get some air in the middle of the night."

Erza frowned then looked back up to the Master's closed office door. She now had an idea as to what they might be discussing in there.

….

Makarov climbed into his seat behind a small desk and leaned forward on the wooden table covered in papers, mostly repair bills. Joshua quietly shut the door behind him before taking a seat across from him. Makarov observed the boy as he moved. He looked unusually troubled.

"Is there something bothering you Joshua?" Makarov asked.

Joshua nodded as he sat, "Yeah."

Makarov waited for him to continue but he didn't, "Can you tell me what?"

Joshua hesitated before he whispered something barely audible to the Makarov's old ears, "I'm having… visions."

Makarov's eyes widened slightly, "Visions?"

Joshua slightly nodded with a bowed head.

"How do you know they aren't just dreams?" asked Makarov.

Joshua shifted nervously in his chair. He was obviously very uncomfortable discussing this.

"Cause I can somewhat control what I do in them. And… and one of the people in a vision I had told me that what I was experience then was a vision."

"A person in the vision?" Makarov leaned back in his chair, "Who was this person? Was it someone familiar?"

Joshua shook his head adamantly, "Complete stranger."

"Did he have a name?"

"Yeah. He said his name was Qui Gon Jinn."

 _Strange name._ Thought Makarov. He didn't quite know what to make of this. So he decided to keep asking questions.

"How many of these visions have you had?"

Joshua leaned his head back and silently counted. "Six I think. Could be more though."

"And when did they start?"

"I had one when I arrived here at the guild months ago. Then I had one at Akane Resort before Erza was taken to the Tower of Heaven. One just sleeping at random, actually two like that. One on the train ride home with Wendy. And…" Joshua gulped, "One when Laxus…"

Makarov closed his eyes, "When Laxus nearly killed you."

Joshua nodded.

Makarov cleared his throat, "What exactly happens in these visions?"

"Depends on the vision."

"Have any been about say, the future?"

Joshua shook his head, "No, all of them seem to have been in the past and one I had showed me what was happening as I slept."

Makarov nodded, "I remember you telling me once that you had no clue about where you came from nor who you were other than your name. Do you think these could be lost memories? Relics of your past?"

Joshua cocked his head to the side as he thought about it, "It's possible I suppose. Two definitely seemed very familiar." His expression darkened, "But they were also the most terrifying ones."

"What happened in them?"

Joshua explained the two visions that involved the dark cave and pale women. He described everything in detail, just as he saw it and heard it. Makarov's expression darkened as he heard the terrifying details.

"Hmm…" Makarov rubbed his chin, "I'm not sure what to tell you Joshua. I'm… I'm not really an expert in this sort of thing."

"Is there one?" asked Joshua.

Makarov shook his head, "Such magic is lost to time. The closest thing to it is probably Cana's tarot card reading magic." Joshua bowed his head. He wasn't going to get much answers on this, "Have you told Erza about this yet?"

"No." Joshua replied quickly, "I don't want her to worry about them."

"It may be wise that you talked to her about it." Makarov stated, "She's traveled the whole continent after all, maybe she picked up a thing or two. Talk to Levy and Cana as well. Levy could probably do some research for you and Cana, well… she can at least say something to contribute positively to this." Makarov jumped down from his seat and patted the boy on the shoulder, "Don't dwell on such things too much. For all we know, they are just bad dreams. Stick to the present my boy. It's a far better place than the past."

Joshua nodded and walked out the door as Gramps opened it for him.

"Joshua!" called Erza as she starting walking out to the training yard, "You coming?"

"Um… yeah!" Joshua raced down the stairs and followed her out to the yard while Makarov retook his seat. Surprisingly, Levy sat next to him and sighed.

"What's up with you?" asked the Master.

"Ugh." she replied.

"Trying to avoid Jet and Droy?"

Levy nodded before she saw Cana slide a beer bottle over to her.

"It helps." Cana quiped.

Levy just shook her head and nudged it away.

"Levy."

"Yeah." she said quietly.

"I have a new mystery for you."

The blue haired wizard's eyes lit up and she looked up at Makarov, "What is it!?" she asked excitedly.

"Joshua, he's been having strange dreams." Makarov described them to her, including the names of different people and creatures he saw in the visions, "Think you can do some research on it? On the down low."

"Of course." Levy replied with excitement, "This truly is an interesting mystery."

 _It sure is._ Thought Makarov before the sounds of yet another brawl broke the calm feeling in the building.

….

"Ready Joshua?" Erza shouted from across the training yard.

Joshua saluted her with a sword he was borrowing from her. After all, his was shattering when battling the Oracion Seis. He then lowered himself into his normal fighting stance pointing the blade at Erza as it rested parallel to the ground.

"Ready." he replied.

Erza smiled and charged forward with Joshua following suit. The blades clanged in the air as they locked together at the outset. Erza the quickly kicked out a leg, sweeping Joshua's feet out from underneath him. The boy landed heavily in the dirt causing a small cloud of dust to drift upwards. Joshua widened his eyes as he saw Erza's sword descending fast. He quickly deflected it then rolled out of the way of another strike before jumping back to his feet.

It was a lot harder to fight now than before. Before his magic got suppressed it felt like he could channel his magic to make himself faster and stronger. Now that he was so massively restrained he suddenly realized how much he relied on his magic to make up for his physical limitations. He frowned, those were limitations he had to break through. He deflected another thrust from Erza.

"So Joshua, what was that nightmare you had about?" asked Erza as they continued to slash and parry each other.

Joshua's eyes widened, "How did you find out about that?"

"Wendy."

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "So she's a talker." he mumbled. _Note to self, do not tell her secrets._ "It was nothing Erza. Just a bad dream."

"They don't usually make you that upset." Erza replied as she blocked a swing from Joshua's sword, "Something must've happened?"

Joshua frowned, "I said it was nothing." he growled.

Erza now had the distinct feeling that he was hiding something from her. But why?

Joshua had listened to Makarov's advice and considered it. But he decided not to follow it. Erza worries enough about him already, he didn't want to add anything else to the worries. Especially something as strange as his visions.

"Joshua, you don't have to hide things from me." Erza said kindly as she threw a punch with her free hand.

Joshua dodged the punch but barely blocked the sword that followed it. "I'm hiding this from you on purpose." Joshua grunted as he struggled against Erza's expert movements.

"Why?"

"Becuase." Joshua breathed before blocking a low strike.

"That's not an answer." Erza said with some unease in her voice. Her concern was growing more with each word.

"It's the only one you'll get." Joshua said stubbornly.

"Do I have to beat it out of you?" Erza frustratingly replied.

Joshua was about to respond back when he felt sharp pain, like needles poking through his skin, on his wrists. He winced and dropped his sword before stumbling backwards a little. He looked down to see the cuffs glowing a dull blue. Erza's eyes narrowed at the glowing cuffs.

"Joshua, what is that?"

 _This only happens with a vision? But I'm not having-_ Joshua looked past Erza. His face turned ghost white. Standing behind Erza was one of the robed pale women he saw at the caves in his vision.

"Erza! Watch out!" he shoved her out of the way and threw a punch… at empty air. Joshua blinked.

"Joshua, what's going on?" Erza asked as she stored her sword.

Joshua looked over and his face paler than she had ever seen. Then she saw a horrifed look come across his face as he looked at her. He gasped and tripped backwards, his chest heaving up and down as he began to panic. Erza rushed forward.

"Joshua!"

"TALZIN!" screamed Joshua. Erza was gone, in her place wearing the same armor was a face he was terrified of seeing. His eyes were wide and pupils were dilated as he shoved himself away from Erza and scrambled across the ground.

"Joshua it's me."

 _It's me, your creator._ Hissed the skull faced creature that was Talzin.

"GET AWAY!" screamed Joshua.

"Erza, what is going on?" asked Makarov as he rushed outside with Wendy, Natsu, and Lucy by his side.

"I don't know Master!" Erza shouted back. Suddenly Joshua rose and grabbed his sword before swinging it in a wide arc at Erza. Erza noticed and barely dodged in time, the sharp edge of the blade trimming some hairs from her head.

"Joshua!" exclaimed Makarov, "Enough of this!"

Joshua heard another voice.

 _You know what to do Joshua._ Said the voice of the old geezer that rang through his mind.

 _Listen to him my creation._ Hissed the shrill voice of the creature named Talzin.

Suddenly Joshua's vision blackened out. All others around him faded away and he stood alone in front of a man with many sharp horns sticking out of the crown of his head. It was that creature with the metal legs! The aura he gave off was one of menacing and terrifying power. He looked older than the previous vision Joshua had. His legs were much more streamlined, bu this back was also slightly hunched over as he leaned against a cane. The creatures eyes, which were closed, opened revealing anger filled crimson eyes.

"I have found you." Maul growled.

"AHHHHHHH!" screamed Joshua loudly as he flopped to the ground.

Makarov looked down and saw the magic cuffs on Joshua's wrists glowing a brilliant blue that was growing more and more vibrant as he writhed on the ground. He then saw Erza on the verge of tears as she tried to get through to the boy. Now more wizards were gathering outside to see what the commotion was all about.

"Jet!" Makarov yelled at the lone wizard in his guild that used speed magic, "Get Porlyusica. Tell her it's an emergency." _Hopefully she'll know what to do._

The cuffs now became solid blue. Not a hint of stone color on them. The skin around them was starting to bleed and grow raw. Whatever power the cuffs were straining against was immense. Makarov's eyes widened along with others around him as she saw large boulders lift into the air around them. The stone ground they were standing on began to shake and stone tiles rose around the wizards. Makarov saw the wood frame of the guild hall begin to splinter and the stone walls began to crack. Whatever this incredible and dark power was, it was tearing up the guild hall.

"NATSU! Knock him out!" shouted Makarov quickly. The dragon slayer rushed forward and before Erza could stop him landed a flaming fist onto the boy's face. The stones immediately dropped to the ground with a heavy thud and the splinters in the air tapped to the ground.

Erza pulled the limp boy up into her arms. Whatever that was, was not normal. Not in the slightest.

….

Joshua writhed on the hidden ground. Eyes wide as he saw images fly by his vision. He saw the caves fly by his wide eyes, the weird temple in the middle of that massive city, the lava land he once visited. Then he saw places he had no clue about. A large palace like building rested on a cliffside in a mountainous land covered in forests. There was a family sitting next to a small crib with a baby in it. The pleasant scene faded as soon as it came and Joshua now stood outside of Fairy Tail. He saw Wendy running towards him in the middle of an absolute downpour of rain. He looked up and saw the clouds swirling and spiraling overhead before the entire guildhall was lifted into the sky and up into a bright light in the eye of the storm along with the rest of Magnolia. He saw a masked wizard standing in front of him.

"I'm counting on you Joshua." said the masked man Joshua recognized.

It was Mystogan. The vision passed quickly. Joshua felt the cuffs burning through his skin.

He was now back in the massive city with towers that stretched into the sky. He looked around and saw he was in a dark office of some sort. He quietly walked forward only to hesitate as a chair behind a large, sleek looking desk turned. Joshua felt the air around him grow as cold as ice. The very life in the air seemed to be drained as he stared at the decrepit figure in the gray, tall backed seat. The figure was covered head to toe in dark robes, with a deep hood concealing his features.

"There you are." croaked the figure, "I finally know what you look like."

The cuffs searing pain became too much. Joshua yelled out then all sight left him.

….

Erza paced back and forth outside of the infirmary doors. Porlyusica was adamant that no one was allowed in the room while she worked this time. She said something about a darkness before her voice fell under her breath and she shut the door on Erza. The only person she allowed in was Makarov and surprisingly Wendy. Wendy eventually revealed to Erza that Joshua was having some sort of fever and she was using her sky magic to heal it up as it flared up. The door opened and Erza stopped pacing. Wendy stepped out again.

"Erza, Makarov and Porlyusica are letting you in now." she said quietly.

"What about the rest of us?" asked Natsu.

"Yeah Wendy. What exactly is going on?" asked Macao.

Wendy didn't reply she just took Erza's hand and pulled her into the room quickly shutting the infirmary door behind her. As soon as she entered, Erza rushed over to Joshua's bedside. She knelt down beside it and was about to place a loving hand on his forehead when it was slapped away by Porlyusica.

"Don't touch him. It could trigger another reaction." the old healer said firmly.

Erza's temper flared slightly but then she saw the deadly gaze Porlyusica was giving her. If there was one person in the world more terrifying than Erza when angered, it was the old woman. Even Erza knew when to stand down when around her.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly.

Porlyusica closed her eyes, "I analyzed him. He's having some form of traumatic brain activity."

"Brain activity?"

"Dreams." Porlyusica simplified, "Traumatic ones. That is the best theory I have for this. His brian is confusing these dreams for reality. That's why he had that outburst in the yard."

"Becuase of dreams?" questioned Erza.

"Erza." Makarov said softly, "Joshua believes these dreams to be visions. Visions of his past." Erza's eyes widened before she looked down at Joshua's pale face, "He told me about them just a few moments before he went to the yard with you. One of the people in his visions bears the name he called you."

"Talzin." breathed Erza, "Who is that?"

Makarov shook his head, "Someone inhuman from what Joshua described of it. I've already got Levy pouring through texts looking for any sort of information."

"These behaviors," Porlyusica continued, "They are typical of a very powerful hex."

"Hex!?" exclaimed Erza, "But, those are forbidden spells! Even dark guilds forbid their use due to the sheer amount of pain and horrors they inflict!"

"I know that." replied the old woman softly, "I feel whoever this Talzin is, placed one of Joshua long before the boy ever set foot in this guild hall."

"What is triggering it to cause this?" asked Erza fervently.

Porlyusica shook her head, "I don't know. Hexes are very complicated, very unknown, and very secretive."

Makarov nodded, "Usually the details of such a heinous magic are known only to the caster." the old master explained, "Without this Talzin here to explain we will never know what is causing this?"

"It could be the cuffs." Wendy suggested.

"Why would you think that?" asked Porlyusica.

"Well, ever since he had those things placed on him, he's been having these episodes. According to what he told you Master, he had one at the Tower of Heaven that he described as being just as intense as the one he had on the train."

Makarov nodded, "Entirely possible. But removing them, it will be difficult."

"WE MUST!" declared Erza.

"They are sealed on child." Porlyusica said, "A magic council seal no less. Near impossible to break." The old woman sighed, "We will just have to wait and ride this out. I'll stay here and keep an eye on him."

"Thank you Porlyusica." said Makarov gratefully.

"Just make sure all of those humans stay away from me. Only You, Wendy, and Erza are allowed to see him until I say so."

All three nodded.

"Now out. I must conduct more tests to try and determine what the magic behind this is."

Erza and Wendy quickly bowed then left. Erza turned to get one last look at her little brother before the door shut quietly.

….

The robotic legs clanked against the stone ground of the cave. Scorch marks dotted the walls from a battle long since past. The creature known as Maul leaned on his cane and moved forward with a surprising amount of power. He breathed in the foul air of the cave and smiled.

"I'm home mother." he called into the dark cave, his growling voice echoing off the cold walls.

A green smoky, cloud swirled around the cave and soon a ghostly apparition appeared.

"Have you found him?" asked Mother Talzin as her phantom form floated in the dark air around Maul.

"Your hex finally activated after all of these years." growled Maul.

"Well, it was incomplete. I wasn't able to set a proper timer before the Sith and his soldiers arrived." replied Talzin's shrill, ghostly voice, "Has his location been revealed to you?"

Maul smiled darkly, "Yes."

 **And chapter! Another filler one but one I feel contains a lot of info about what possibly happened in Joshua's past. Also, it gave you guys glimpse of the Edolas arc with Joshua's first vision into the future. Anyways, what did you guys think of this chapter? Let me know what you think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	20. Chapter 20: Everything is Backwards Here

**Alright! No class tomorrow so I can actually stay up late and crank out a chapter! Woohoo! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 20

Dark storm clouds rumbled over Magnolia as the rainstorm began to settle over the city, trapping the many wizards of Fairy Tail inside of the guild hall as nature's fury was thrown against the city. Wendy sighed as she stared out the window next to her booth, fogging up the glass with her breath.

"It's really coming down out there." commented Gray as he leaned forward to get a better look outside.

"I'll say." Gajeel spoke up from the booth next to Wendy's, "I might rust away if I go walking out there."

"I don't think that's really possible." Gray commented. He saw Wendy shift in her shift before she looked worriedly over at the closed infirmary door. Gray frowned slightly before nudging her shoulder.

"Hey, cheer up. He's gonna be fine." Gray reassured her, "Joshua's many things, and one of them is definitely tough."

Wendy nodded before staring out the window once again as trails of water, like tears falling from and eye, dribbled down the glass windows.

The slow rumbled of thunder caused the stone walls of the guild hall to shudder. The entire guild quieted for a moment.

"It's only getting worse." Gray sighed before he heard a snore. He looked across the booth and saw Natsu leaning against the wall sound asleep.

"How can he sleep through this?" questioned Lucy as another clap of thunder shook the guild hall.

"I don't know. Not many people can fully comprehend that guy." Gray replied.

"What'd you say stripper?" Natsu woke up suddenly before immediately snorting then falling back asleep.

"That flame brain woke up just to pick a fight with me!" Gray yelled dismayed.

From inside of the infirmary, Erza couldn't help but smile softly as she heard those two loudly arguing. Her smile faded quickly though when she heard Joshua groan and stir momentarily beneath the white sheets he was wrapped in. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead and soaked his hair as the fever continued to ravage his small form. She closed her eyes and leaned forward in her seat placing her face in her hands before wiping her face.

"In all my years Erza, I've never seen you this distressed about a comrade." mumbled Porlyusica as she mixed some potions together in the far corner.

Erza shrugged, "I'm just worried. A hex is not something to take lightly."

"Indeed it isn't." the old woman replied, "Do you hold feelings for the boy?"

"Of course. He's practically my little brother." Erza replied without hesitation.

"Interesting." Porlyusica finished mixing a red and blue potion before a puff of purple smoke poofed into the air. She held the newly mixed formula towards the light, peering deep into the vial. "Let's try this one." The old woman moved towards Joshua's bedside. "Tilt his head forward."

Erza gently placed a hand underneath Joshua's head. Instantly his face screwed up into a painful expression. Erza fought back every urge to let him go, she had to help Porlyusica. The healer placed the vial up to Joshua's lip and let the purple liquid drip down his throat. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then Joshua's eyes shot open and the screaming began again. Erza gasped and let his head fall back into the pillow. Joshua screamed for a few more moments before his eyes drooped and he blacked out from exhaustion.

"Well that didn't work." Erza sighed.

"It did." Porlyusica replied causing Erza to snap her head back up and stare at the old woman. "That wasn't a healing potion."

"What was it?"

Porlyusica's face became grim, "That potion was a mixture that I designed to detect harmful magics and what could be triggering them." she glanced over at Erza, "Every time someone he cares about touches him, the Hex seems to activate."

Erza's eyes widened, "What, but that makes no sense."

"Hexes normally don't." Porlyusica replied. The old woman walked around the bed and sat down next to Erza, "I'm going to need a sample of your hair."

"Why?" asked Erza.

"I'm going to try and synthesize some form of antidote. Or at the very least, something that can counteract the hex for a period of time. But I need the trigger, and since it happens to be you, I'll need a hair."

Erza didn't even hesitate. She requiped a pair of scissors into her hand and cut off two locks of hair for the old woman.

"Use as much as you need."

"Thank you."

Porlyusica took a deep breath. She walked over to her makeshift alchemy table and ran over some of the vials and ingredients she had before slamming a frustrated fist down on the table, causing Erza to jump.

"Damn, I need more ingredients." The old woman moved quickly and burst out of the infirmary doors. "Wendy!" she shouted.

The blue haired girl was dragged away from staring at the window as she looked over at Porlyusica. The old woman handed her a sheet of paper.

"I need all of these, as soon as possible."

"Did you find a way to help him?" asked Gray.

Porlyusica frowned, "Maybe. I won't know until I have those ingredients. That's why I need them now."

"I'm on it!" Wendy jumped down from the booth, "C'mon Carla, let's go find these ingredients."

Carla didn't respond. Wendy frowned and looked back at her friend. Carla was just staring off into space with wide eyes. Her white hair was standing on end and her pupils were dilated.

"Carla? Are you ok?"

Carla blinked then shook herself out of the strange stare. "O-of course child." Carla jumped down from the booth, "Ingredients correct?"

Wendy nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's go find them."

Wendy took a deep breath before pushing the heavy guild hall doors open. The raging wind swept into the guild hall causing the lights inside to flicker and the temperature to drop significantly. Wendy shivered before forcing herself out into the storm. She quickly shut the guild doors behind her and stepped out into the rain. Within seconds she was soaked to the bone, her green dress completely drenched. Carla's hair was matted down against her body as the rain soaked her as well. The two pushed forward against the strong winds as they tried to reach the herbalist shop nearby. After struggling against the howling wind and freezing rain they reached the door of the herbalist only to see a massive closed sign hung up in the doorway.

"Oh no." mumbled Wendy letting her shoulders sag, "He closed up early today."

The sound of wooden poles clacking together bounced around the buildings around her drowning out the sounds of large rain drops plopping into the small streams that made up the stone streets. Wendy looked around and saw a blue masked figure trudging through the rain from down the road. On this figure's back was several magical staves that rattled against each other as the wind pushed them left and right. The masked man walked up to Wendy and stopped.

"If you stay out here much longer you'll catch cold." he said with a muffled voice.

Wendy's eyes widened. She recognized that voice. It was from a long time ago, "Jellal." she whispered.

The man removed his mask revealing blue hair and pale skin. He smiled slightly down at her, "It's good to see you again Wendy." Wendy rushed up and hugged him.

"I thought you had been taken away to jail!" she cried.

The man's eyes sighed, "That wasn't me. That was this world's counterpart to me."

Carla narrowed her eyes, _Counterpart?_

"My name is actually Mystogan." he said quietly. Suddenly he grunted as if in pain and dropped to a knee in the rain.

"Jellal!" Wendy exclaimed. She quickly summoned her healing magic to begin healing him only to find that he had no injuries whatsoever. Her magic faded and she looked at his bowed head, "What's wrong. Why are you in pain?"

"I couldn't stop them all." he gasped.

"What?"

"The anima's. I couldn't keep them at bay. I failed my mission." He looked up at the sky, Wendy followed his eyes to see the clouds above them swirling into a vortex over the town.

"What is that?" Wendy trembled as an ominous feeling took hold.

"Listen to me Wendy. You need to evacuate, before the anima activates." rasped Mystogan as he struggled to stand before grabbing his left side. "It's not safe here anymore."

"But, why not? What about the guild!?" Wendy cried.

Msytogan closed his eyes, "They will soon all perish." he said solemnly.

"What!" Carla gasped before Wendy took off running back to the guild hall. "Wendy come back!" shouted Carla.

"No, Wendy…" Mystogan winced, "You must run."

Wendy raced through the rain, her feet splashing in large puddles. She had to warn everyone. Wendy skidded around a corner and saw the guild hall in sight. As she got closer she saw a bright ligh emerge from the vortex in the sky. Wendy gasped as the guild hall began to flicker then distort in front of her before being turned into a shower of sparks and thrown up into the swirling clouds. The bright light intensified and Wendy quickly shut her eyes. She didn't open her eyes for a few moments. She took a shaky breath before letting her eyelids slowly crack open. As they opened she saw what looked like a completely alien world around her. The entire city, down to the very last pebble, was gone. The only thing remaining was a dull grey colored soil and clusters of bubbles that floated in the air.

"N-no." Wendy felt tears build in her eyes as she fell to her knees, her body slightly sinking into the film of dust and soil on the ground, "I was too late." She felt the tears start to dribble down her cheeks.

"AGH! SO MUCH DUST!" shouted a loud voice that made Wendy forget all of the hopelessness that was forming inside of her.

Wendy's head whipped over to see Natsu coughing grey clouds of dust out of his mouth while Happy slowly shook himself out of a pile of the grey soil. Wendy grinned widely and ran towards him, tackling him to the ground.

"Natsu!" she yelled.

"Wendy!" Natsu shouted as he was tackled to the ground. Wendy embraced him before she let him stand back up. Natsu shook off some dust from his waistcoat before placing his hands on his hips and looking around, "Where did everyone go?"

"I can explain that." Carla said softly as she walked up to Wendy, Natsu, and Happy. Wendy stared at her friend. "You see… there has been a… burden I've been carrying since I was born in this world." Carla said quietly. The cat rubbed her right arm, "Me and Happy are not from this world."

"HUH!" both Wendy and Natsu exclaimed.

"I was not aware of this!" Happy shouted completely stunned.

Carla nodded, "We come from a world. I believe it's called Edolas. The queen of that world sent me and Happy on a mission here. What it is I do not remember." explained Carla, "But if we are to rescue our friends we need to fly up into the portal, and fast."

"Then what are we waiting for!" Shouted Natsu, "Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

Both Carla and Happy gripped their dragon slayer's backs and raced upwards into the sky disappearing into the swirling vortex of clouds.

….

Mystogan looked around the barren landscape. His heart was heavy as he trudged through the dirt and dust. He had failed, he had failed them all. They were all taken. He bowed his head and dropped the staff he was carrying into the dust. How could he call himself a wizard when he let his comrades down?

*SNORE* Mumble mumble mumble.

Mystogan's eyes widened and he glanced forward. Gray dust poofed up from the ground before settling back down on whatever was blowing the cloud upwards. Another snore, and then another poof of dust. Mystogan picked up his staff and walked forward. He stopped beside a small lump in the dust and reach down to grab it. He felt his hand grip a small, skinny arm which he quickly lifted out of the dust. Mystogan smiled a little as he pulled a brown haired ten year old out of the dust.

"You are full of surprises." he said quietly.

Mystogan tried to gently wake up the kid but soon realized something was wrong. He felt the boy's head and removed his hand quickly. The kid had a scorching fever. Mystogan acted quickly and removed Joshua's blue shirt. He stopped moving as he stared at strange green glowing glyphs etched in the boy's skin. Mystogan did not recognize the language but he could tell what type of magic it was. He cringed then scowled deeply.

"A hex." He snarled.

Mystogan dug around the pack he had on his hip and pulled out a bottle of orange pills. He nodded, these should help somewhat. He tilted Joshua's head up and placed a pill into the boy's mouth. Mystogan waited a moment before Joshua started coughing. The boy's hazel eyes slowly opened.

"Wha- where." Joshua's blurry vision cleared and he saw a head with blue hair and a tattoo on around his right eye. Joshua punched the face hard sending Mystogan sprawling into the dust. The boy jumped up to his feet and, with great difficulty, called his sword from it's requip space.

"ALRIGHT BLUE HAIRED BASTARD!" shouted Joshua angrily, "You wanna take me on now then let's do it!" Joshua then noticed the area around him was void… of everything. The guildhall was gone, and so was Magnolia. He looked at the blue haired man suspiciously, "Where am I?"

Mystogan groaned as he got up rubbing the large welt on his cheekbone. The kid could throw a heck of a punch, "Relax Joshua. I'm not Jellal, I'm Mystogan."

Joshua looked at his outfit before mouthing the word 'oh'. He stored his sword, "Sorry about punching you." he apologized.

Mystogan rose to his feet, "Don't worry about it."

"So-"

"I don't have much time to explain." interrupted Mystogan, "I need you to take this pill." he flicked a white ball shaped pill into Joshua's hand.

"What is it?"

"A pill that will allow you to use magic in the world you're about to go to."

"Huh?"

Mystogan sighed, "Just take the damn pill."

Joshua frowned before popping the pill into his mouth. "I don't feel any different."

"Good, that's the point." Mystogan surged forwards and grabbed Joshua roughly by his shirt neck, "Sorry about this. But I'm counting on you Joshua."

Joshua was about to fight back until he heard that last sentence.

 _I'm counting on you Joshua._

"The vision." he mumbled under his breath before Mystogan heaved the boy up into the vortex of swirling clouds.

…..

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" *WHAM!*

Joshua crashed through a wooden roof and belly flopped on a wooden floor. He blinked for a moment before groaning and muttering some curses under his breath. He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and shook his head trying to shake out the fog that was in his brain.

"That's gonna leave a mark." he grumbled.

The feeling of a whip wrapping around his body suprised Joshua and caused him to yelp before the thing tightened and spun him through the air. He then felt two pairs of strong hands grab him roughly by the undearms and hold him in place.

"We got him Lucy!" said a voice Joshua recognized.

 _Jet?_

"Yeah, show this punk what we do to intruders!"

 _Droy?_

Joshua looked over at and saw both his guildmates. But they looked way different. Jet had scars all over his face and was surprisingly muscular while Droy was wearing cool shades and a luxurious white coat. He narrowed his eyes at the two.

"Since when did you two start looking so cool?"

"Shut up!" growled Jet menacingly.

"Hey let him go!" shouted a girl's voice that Joshua recognized instantly. Joshua looked to his right to see Wendy walking towards him along with Natsu, Happy, and Carla.

"Why?" asked snarled another voice that Joshua recognized but he just couldn't believe how terrifying it sounded now.

Joshua stared forward and saw Lucy, or what he though was Lucy. The blonde was wearing a skin tight, black outfit trimmed with gray and metal shoulder pads covering her shoulders.

"He's an intruder."

"He's with us!" Wendy replied.

"How can we know for sure?" growled Jet.

Joshua rolled his eyes. He still was trying to process a suddenly cool Jet, "Fairy Tail stamp, left shoulder." Droy pulled up Joshua's blue sleeve and saw the blue fairy tail guild mark proudly stamped on his shoulder.

"Looks real enough." Droy said coolly.

"Alright," sighed Lucy, "Let him go."

The hands released their grip on his and he felt his feet hit the ground. Jet and Droy were holding him in the air!? He hadn't even noticed.

"Thank you." Wendy bowed.

"Yeah, thanks Scary Lucy." smiled Natsu.

"Stop calling me that." grumbled Lucy as she folded her arms and grit her teeth.

Joshua finally got a chance to look around his surroundings. It looked like the guild hall, only in a really wierd way. Everyone was acting differently too. Levy was acting like an asshole jock as she sat at the bar, Nab was making decisions, Wakaba didn't have a cigarette in his mouth, Elfman was crying like a baby after getting yelled at by Levy.

 _Something's off._

Then Joshua knew he must be dreaming. He saw Cana, wearing a modest pink dress and sun hat. There was no bikini top, no leather pants, and no barrel of alcohol. Joshua's eye twitched. That was not right. He then saw Gray and his jaw dropped. He was covered head to toe in winter clothing, earmuffs included, and was standing the closest to the roaring fire in the center of this strange guildhall.

"Um Natsu, how hard did I just hit my head?"

"Not too hard. Why?" replied the Dragon Slayer.

"Because all of a sudden I'm seeing things." Joshua started, "Levy is not being a nerd, Jet and Droy are somehow cool, Lucy is actually scary,"

"You all are cruisin for a bruisin." She snarled.

Joshua gulped then looked at Gray and Elfman, "Gray isn't stripping… and Elfman," The burly man looked up with tear filled eyes and a stuffy nose, "Is now a pansy."

"I'm not a pansy!" he cried before running off to a corner in the room.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Joshua finished as he glanced back over at Wendy and Natsu.

"Yup, this is the guild Joshua." replied Natsu.

Gasps broke out around the guild followed by mutters and fearful expressions as everyone in the guild hall stared at Joshua.

"What are you looking at?" Joshua said as he looked over at Gray who yelped fearfully and hid behind a very different acting Juvia. Joshua shook his head and a tick mark formed on his head, "Can someone please explain to me what the actual fuck is going on!?"

….

Joshua took all of the information in with wide eyes and gaping mouth. He heard Wendy and Carla finish explaining how he they had all been sent to basically a parallel universe called Edolas. He just couldn't believe it. Joshua rubbed his forehead.

"My brain hurts."

"You are not alone." remarked Natsu.

"So wait," Joshua looked around at the still fearful Fairy Tail wizards, "These are this world's version of our friends?"

Wendy nodded.

Joshua blinked, "So, where am I at?" he asked suddenly, "I want to meet myself! Oh, and Erza! I definitely wanna meet her!" He snickered a little, "Maybe she isn't as scary and I can pull some pranks on her for a change."

Joshua heard some more murmers followed by some gasps.

"Alright, what's the big deal. Something wrong with what I just said?"

The Edolas Lucy sat down across from Joshua, "You and Erza are not part of our guild in this world."

Joshua's smile faded, "So, where are we?"

"You and Erza-"

"THE FAIRY HUNTER HAS FOUND US!" shouted Levy loudly.

"Pull the lever!" shouted Lucy back, "Every get ready!"

Joshua felt like his stomach flipped end over end as the entire building suddenly jumped off of the ground and soared through the air. He blinked then felt his cheeks puff out. His face turned pale and he drooped forward.

"Ugh…" he moaned, "My stomach doesn't like me right now."

The flipping building finally landed with a loud thud. As soon as they landed Joshua leaned to the side and barfed his guts up on the wooden floors, causing Edo-Lucy to laugh out loud.

"Yup, you definitely aren't from here if you can't even handle that!?" she roared while holding her stomach.

The others around her laughed nervously along with her.

"That was too close." mumbled Levy as she sank back in her seat and kicked her feet up.

Joshua pulled his head back up and shook it quickly before burping.

"All better." he breathed. He looked back at Edo-Lucy, "You were saying?"

Lucy's laughter faded and her face fell into a serious expression once again. "The Fairy Hunter. That is Erza Knightwalker."

Joshua stared hard at Edo-Lucy, "Fairy Hunter." he repeated and she nodded, "I may be clueless sometimes but I'm not stupid." he took a deep breath, "She's a villan in this world isn't she?"

Edo-Lucy nodded slowly, "Her and her army have hunted our guild and all others to near extinction."

"She even personally killed our master." Jet said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

Joshua grimaced, "I'm afraid to ask."

"You are also an enemy in this world. You are known as the Phantom, Joshua Knightwalker."

Joshua raised an eyebrow and Lucy glanced across the table at him, "You don't seem too shocked."

"I am, but," Joshua grinned, "I've got a badass nickname!"

The others in the guild fell backwards, stunned by Joshua's happy declaration. Joshua looked over at Wendy and Natsu.

"You guys can call me that if you wish." he smiled.

"Not happening." Wendy replied.

"You wish." Natsu said.

Joshua frowned at them then grumbled some things to himself before remembering. He had a last name in this world. Knightwalker, it was the same as this world's Erza.

"Hey Scary Lucy."

"Stop calling me that." she growled.

"Sorry." Joshua quickly apologized. Scary Lucy was genuinely scary. "Am I like Erza's sibling in this world or something?"

Lucy shook her head, "No."

"Then what am I to her? Aren't I the same age as I am now?"

Lucy shook her head again, "You are the same age as the Fairy Hunter."

"Then if I'm not her brother then am I-" Joshua's eyes widened and his pupils shrank. His fingers began to tremble, "I-I'm- I-"

Lucy nodded, "You're her husband."

Natsu and Wendy's jaws dropped and Joshua stopped muttering.

"Eh!"

…..

"Has he not left that corner all day?" asked Wendy as she looked over at Joshua rocking back and forth in the corner of the guild hall.

Natsu shook his head, "He keeps muttering that this is all a nightmare and not real."

Edo-Lucy scowled, "He better realize it's real."

"Look who's the pansy now!" accused Edo-Elfman.

"FUCK OFF CRYBABY!" shouted Joshua back before he started rocking back and forth again as Elfman started crying a little again.

Wendy sighed and stood up, "One moment." she strode towards Joshua.

"What's she gonna do?" asked Edo-Lucy as she watched.

Nastu shrugged, "Dunno."

*SLAP*

"SNAP OUT OF IT JOSHUA!" shouted Wendy at the top of her lungs causing Joshua to feel like he was shrinking. The boy gulped and stared up at the Sky Dragon Slayer, "This is real. You, Earthland you, is not married to Erza Knightwalker. Your alternate self is."

"It's still gross!" replied Joshua.

"Doesn't matter." Wendy replied forcefully, "You need to suck it up, be a man, and help us get our friends back." She placed her hands on Joshua's face, "We need you to help out with this."

Joshua stared at her brown eyes before closing his own and nodding slowly.

"For a quiet girl, she can get people motivated." observed Edo-Lucy.

"I guess." replied Natsu. "By the way, any idea where our friends are?"

Lucy stared seriously at the pink haired wizard, "Most likely the capitol of the kingdom. But good luck getting there without getting caught."

"Why?"

"Magic is outlawed in Edolas. Anyone who uses it will most likely be killed on sight by The Fairy Hunter." replied Edo-Lucy, "So you can't fight. Next, we got reports of a massive lacrima being transported to the capitol. That lacrima most likely contains your friends. It is under twenty four hour guard by some of the kingdom's best soldiers. So you can't break them out." Natsu narrowed his eyes at Lucy, "You can't win."

Natsu slammed his hands down on the desk, "You're wrong." he growled, "We will save our friends. Even if we have to do it alone! Joshua, Wendy, Happy!"

"Aye!" they all said in unison.

"C'mon, we got a job to do."

….

Three figures walked along the catwalks of the palace in Edolas. The shadows of floating mountains and islands blotted out the sun's rays on occasion providing some much appreciated shade to the three figures as they traveled outside of the palace. The first figure was a man wearing military styled clothing but no armor. He had a white cape draped over his shoulders. He also had dark purple hair with a streak of white hair hanging over his forehead. The second figure was another man with a incredibly distinct cleft chin. He had blonde pompoudor styled hair with sideburns that strecthced down the length of his face. This man was taller than the first and was clad in light pink armor with a sword strapped to his hip.

"Aw c'mon Sugarboy." said the first man, "I guarantee I'd win in a fight."

The blonde chuckled lightly, "You said that before I beat you last time."

"Would both of you stop with the childish arguing." scolded the slender woman between them.

This woman had deep scarlet hair that ran down to her mid back. She wore a very alluring outfit that revealed much of her stomach and legs. Like the other two, she wore a white cape over her shoulders, signifying her command over one of Edolas's five armies.

"Aw Erza. You don't have to be so cruel." sighed the first man, "Me and Sugarboy are just reliving our friendly rivalry."

"If you can even call it that, Hughes." replied Sugarboy haughtily.

Erza Knightwalker just rolled her eyes. These two were always so immature.

"By the way Erza, how goes the Fairy Hunt?" asked Sugarboy.

"Just fine."

"You should've destroyed them by now." wheezed an elderly voice behind them.

All three captains turned to see a very short elderly man shuffling up to them. The man had sagging skin and tufts of white hair on the top of his head. Most of his body was hidden beneath his ornate cape.

"Byro, I didn't notice you there." Erza replied casually.

Byro made a wierd wheezing laughing sound, "Of course you didn't. You may be losing a step. No wonder you can't destroy the Fairy Tail guild."

Erza frowned at him, "Are you doubting me?"

"Maybe." wheezed Byro, "And so is the king."

"What is this about the kind doubting Captain Erza?" asked a deep muscular voice that was now approaching them.

This voice belonged to a large cat man with black fur and a large sword strapped to his back. The cat man also wore steel armor over his body including a knight's helment with the facemask drawn up over his head, revealing his panther like face.

"Pantherlily. Back from you mission already?" said Hughes as he smiled at his fellow captain.

"Unfortunately." replied Pantherlily. "You were saying Byro."

"Erza here can't seem to finish off the Fairy Tail guild." Byro wheezed, "So, to deal with this internal conflict, King Faust has called in… how do you put it… the big guns?"

The other captains' eyes widened.

"You don't mean he has returned!?" gasped Hughes.

"Has he conquered the Alvarez republic already!?" Sugarboy said stunned.

Pantherlily said nothing. Only nervous sweat slowly beaded beneath the fur of his forehead. Meanwhile, Erza got over her shock and smiled.

"I can't wait to welcome him home."

"How many hearts did the Phantom devour in battle this time, Byro?" asked Sugarboy with a twinge of fear in his voice.

"Oh many." cackled Byro, "So many, that his letters state he may not have room to feast on fairy hearts once he does return."

Pantherlily frowned, "His intervention is not necessary. Erza can handle the Fairy Tail guild just fine without his barbarism coming into the picture."

Byro's face turned angry, "Tell that to the king then! But I doubt he'll listen. He wants these rebellions quelled, and he now believes that Joshua is the only solution."

Erza smirked and began to walk away from the rest of the group.

"Where are you going?" asked Hughes.

"Home, I want to be ready for him. After all, he is always very punctual despite his," She glared over at Pantherlily, "Barbarism."

Erza Knightwalker quickly strode away from her fellow captains. She was happier than she had been in a long time. Her best friend, her love was finally coming home, after years on the front lines against the last nation that resisted the great kingdom of Edolas. She had been waiting for so long. Erza quickly raced up the steps of a castle tower towards her chambers and pushed the doors open.

The curtains were drawn and there was no light in the room. She didn't leave it like that. The curtains were always open in her room. She liked the fresh air.

"Erza…" said a powerful voice that still boomed off of the castle walls despite it being spoken in a whisper, "I'm home."

Erza grabbed a candle from the table near the door and lit it. Sitting in a chair, legs cross and hands folded was a shadowed out figure. He wore black leather armor along with black boots and black gloves. His face was as pale as a ghost's and his features were incredibly thin and bony. Just as she remembered him. She smiled and swayed up to him before looking deep into his red eyes. He wasn't just on time, he was early.

"Welcome home, Joshua Knightwalker."

 **WHAT A TWIST! The Edolas arc has begun and already some interesting things have started in the modified arc. I wonder what will happen next? Let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	21. Chapter 21: Lesson and a Lightsaber

**It's the weekend! Finally! Let's kick it off with a new chapter!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 21

Natsu, Joshua, Wendy, Carla, and Happy began to march towards the small doorway that was the entry and exit for the Edolas Fairy Tail guild. All of them had one thing in mind. They must save their friends, no matter what. Joshua was bringing up the rear when he suddenly felt a strong hand grab the back collar of his shirt and yank him back. He cried out before falling backwards causing the others to turn back and glared angrily at Edo-Lucy, the one who had yanked Joshua back.

"You all are a bunch of idiots." she grumbled as she put her hands on her hips, "You can't just go traveling to the Royal City without a plan."

Carla nodded beside Happy, "I agree. We need to know what we could possibly be dealing with."

Joshua got up and rubbed his neck, "You didn't have to yank so hard." he mumbled before standing up. "You could've just said something you know?"

Edo-Lucy shrugged, "It was funner my way."

Joshua frowned, "Alright, let's come up with a plan then." he looked over at Natsu and Wendy, "You two, get a good look at a map." He began to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Wendy.

"To think." replied Joshua before opening the door and stepping out into the daylight.

Edo-Lucy stared at the kid as he quickly shut the door behind him.

"What's got into him?" she asked.

"Erza is the closest person to him." explained Wendy, "To hear that she is a villain in this world, and to also hear that our Erza has been captured, must be very hard for him."

Edo-Lucy frowned, "Well, if you all are actually going to do this, you better hope he is not a weak link."

Natsu glanced angrily over at Edo-Lucy, "If there is one thing Joshua isn't, it's weak." Lucy was taken off guard by the anger she saw on Natsu's face, "That kid, has been to hell and back. Just like our Erza. And he's lived to tell the tale." Natsu balled up his fist, "Never underestimate him, or call him weak. Never again."

Edo-Lucy was actually shaking a little bit at the fury in Natsu's eyes. Wendy smiled a little at Natsu's statement. The blonde then closed her eyes and sighed before walking away to talk with the Edolas Cana.

"Say, where is a map?" asked Happy.

"I can help with that." smiled a white haired woman. Happy's eyes widened before tears came into them.

"Happy what is it?" asked Carla.

"LISANNA!" cried Happy as he lept towards the short haired young woman.

Natsu stopped mid walk and turned sharply around, eyes wide, but then he remembered. This was another world, a world where it was entirely possible she never died. His face fell a little as he walked over and helped pry Happy off of the girl.

"Happy, she's Edolas Lisanna. Not ours." he explained to a shocked Happy, "C'mon buddy, let's find a map while we wait on Joshua."

Happy looked down at the ground, "Aye sir."

….

Joshua sighed as he walked away from the tree shaped guild hall. There was a lot of information he was trying to take in right now. This was a whole new world, universe even. Everyone was a parallel of their Earthland self that he knew. Erza and everyone else is most likely captured in the royal city, the Erza in this world is evil, and so is he. The Phantom and The Fairy Hunter, they would no doubt be tough opponents. Joshua frowned and kicked a pebble in front of him. This mission, it would require one thing people in Fairy Tail are not good at, stealth. He was just as bad too.

"Damn…" he mumbled before sitting down with his back against a large boulder, the guild hall still within his line of sight.

This was too much. He honestly didn't know what to do right now. They couldn't just barge in the front door. Natsu and Wendy had no magic. They told him as much when he arrived. Mystogan said the pill he gave Joshua would allow him to use magic, but he couldn't take on a Kingdom alone. He glanced down at the stone cuffs on his wrist. He probably could barely use it even if he tried.

" _Boy, you still doubt the Force's powers."_ snapped a low, sophisticated voice that surprised Joshua but then made the kid's face screw into an anger filled expression.

"I thought I told you to beat it." Joshua mumbled.

" _You really thought I'd actually leave."_ laughed the old geezer in Joshua's head, " _No, after all, I have invested far too much in you to just let you be."_

Joshua frowned. So he was just an investment. That was reassuring, "What do you want?" Joshua snapped lowly, trying to shorten the conversation.

" _You still lack patience. Even for someone with your abilities, it'd be a good thing to learn."_

"Quit berating me and start telling me what you want?" Joshua snarled as he bowed his head and rested his arm on his knees while the other leg was stretched out on the ground.

" _Very well, I wish to teach you."_

"I don't want to learn." Joshua replied.

" _Not even if it would save your precious big sister, Erza?"_

Joshua scowled. This guy knew just the right buttons to push didn't he?

"You've got five seconds."

" _There is a power a Sith can easily use."_

"What is a sith?" asked Joshua.

" _You. That is what a Sith is. A being who can use the Force to it's fullest potential. Refusing to be bound by chains of any kind."_ explained the old geezer. " _But that can all be explained later, for now, I wish to teach you something rather basic. I am going to teach you how to hide within the force."_

Joshua's eyes widened, "Hide within my magic?"

" _How many times must I say it is not magic. It's the Force!?" sighed the geezer. "No matter, listen and do as I say."_

"Question," Joshua interrupted, "Before I start this, how will this help me right now?"

" _I have heard everything you have heard. This is a stealth mission is it not?"_

Joshua nodded.

" _Then this technique I will teach you is perfect. It will allow you to hide your physical form within the Force. The only way someone would be able to find you, is if they bumped into you, or sensed your force signature. Which none of these insignificant beings are capable of doing."_

Joshua looked up at the guild hall. The wind blew by causing some dirt to drift up and swirl about. Joshua thought about the geezer's proposal. The last time he got this guy's help, it ended badly. He really didn't want to listen to him. Everytime he did, someone would get hurt. But, he needed some way of being stealthy. He needed this technique in order to save Erza. Joshua resigned himself, he really had no choice.

"Alright, let's begin."

….

"Man, Joshua's been out there for a long time." commented Natsu as he looked out one of the small guildhall windows.

The sun had set hours ago and Joshua still hadn't returned back. He was actually starting to get concerned. He knew if anything happened to the kid while under his watch, Erza wouldn't let him live to see another day. Natsu gulped, that was not something he was looking forward to.

"Wendy!" he called. The blue haired girl looked over from the bar where she was chatting with her older Edolas counterpart.

"Yeah!"

"Let's go find Joshua. He's been out way too long."

Wendy's eyes widened as she finally noticed it was dark outside. Wendy nodded and followed Natsu out the door. What she saw took her breath away. Stars of all different colors and sizes filled the night sky like a million gems in the blackness. The moon of Edolas was massive and glowed a pale yellow as it shined its dim light down onto the world. It was a breathtaking sight. She then looked around and her awe grew even more. Natsu was shocked as well. All around them, boulders floated lazily in the air. Tree shook even though there was no wind, and streams of dust and dirt spiraled around as if gravity didn't exist.

"What the heck?" Natsu said.

"Hey what's going on?" asked Edo-Lucy who stepped outside to see why they were leaving so suddenly.

Edo-Lucy gasped at what she was seeing. Rocks don't float. Same with dirt. And trees don't shake when there is no wind. What was going on? She looked around warily. Was this some kind of trap set up by the Royal Army? She grasped the magical whip on her hip, readying for anything. Her brown eyes scanned the environment, looking into every shadow for any sign of an enemy. She then saw a young boy, sitting next to a floating boulder. His legs her crossed and eyes closed, hands resting on his knees. He looked incredibly serene as he sat there. The other two, Wendy and Natsu, saw him as well.

"There he is." Natsu said before cupping his hands around his mouth, "Hey Joshua!"

The boy's eyes opened. Lucy just caught a hint of crimson before the red color faded away and was replaced by hazel. She grit her teeth. The Phantom had crimson eyes as well. Something was not right about this kid. She jumped when she heard large booms. Lucy whipped her head around to see the boulders gently falling to the ground along with the dirt. The trees then stopped rustling and the ominous feeling she had only grew as she realized, this kid from Earthland had caused all of that!

"Hey Nastu!" he smiled, "I must've lost track of time."

"What were you doing?" asked the dragon slayer as he walked up to the kid.

Joshua rose to his feet and dusted off his pants.

"I was learning." he commented, "Check it out!" Joshua built up his magic around him. Natsu waited, nothing was happening. Out of nowhere, Joshua completely vanished.

"WHAT THE!?" Natsu yelped.

Edo-Lucy and Wendy's eyes widened as well. Where did he go? Natsu sniffed the air. He smelled Joshua. He was standing in the exact same spot as when he disappeared.

"I can smell you." he smirked as he crossed his arms, "Neat trick though!" Natsu then got an awesome idea, "Can you teach me that!? It'd make pranking Erza so much easier!"

Joshua reappeared causing Edo-Lucy and Wendy's jaws to drop, "Maybe." Joshua grinned, "It was difficult to figure out though. That's why I was out here so long." Joshua the cracked his knuckles, "But now, I've got a plan."

"Do tell." commented Carla. _How many powers does this boy possess?_

"Well, this new power I have. It can allow me to sneak around people, as long as they don't bump into me or sense me in any way. I can easily sneak into the Royal City and figure out where our friends are once we're inside by using my sensory magic." Joshua explained, "Once that is done, I will get you guys into the city and you can do what you do best," Nastu waited, "Break things until the mission is complete and get our friends out."

Natsu grinned widely revealing his sharp canines. He pounded his right fist into an open left palm, "Leave the sneaking to you and I get to blow stuff up. I like it." grinned Natsu.

"One problem. How are you going to fight the Royal Army? You don't have magic, with the exception of the kid of course."

Joshua smiled, "Already thought of that," Joshua walked up to Lucy and pointed at her whip, "It's a magical item right?"

"Yeah."

"Then magic in this world revolves around the use of magical items and tools?"

"How else would you use magic?" asked Lucy as she crossed her arms.

"Well," Wendy replied, "In Earthland, all wizards have magical power with their own bodies. That allows us to cast spells."

Edo-Lucy's eyes widened. "That's… actually really impressive."

"Yeah, but that's also our weakness," Joshua continued, "No magic equals us being powerless. So, we will need magical weapons in order to pull this off." Edo-Lucy grinned a little, this kid had some guts, "I'm guessing you know where to get some?"

"Oh yeah." Grinned Edo-Lucy, "Louen. It's a town maybe a day from here. But we better leave soon, who knows what kind of timetable we are on right now."

Joshua nodded, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going."

Joshua started walking with Natsu before Edo-Lucy grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back again. Joshua fell backwards and landed heavily on the ground once again. Joshua growled and jumped to his feet.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!?" he shouted angrily as he rubbed his back.

Edo-Lucy grinned, "Why walk, when we can drive?"

"Huh?" Natsu, Wendy and the others said together.

The low rumble of an engine grew closer. Edo-Lucy's smiled even wider, "He's right on time. As usual."

Joshua looked down the dirt path that led to the tree guild hall. Approaching them at high speeds, was the most advanced looking magic mobile Joshua had ever seen. The vehicle was compact and red in color with a large engine popping out of the hood and long exhaust pipes running along the sides. A flame pattern was painted onto the vehicle as well. The magic mobile drifted to a stop, kicking dust up as it screeched to a halt. The doors opened, Joshua and Wendy's jaws dropped. Sitting behind the wheel, was a pink haired young man with goggled on his head, a red jacket and blue pants. The man grinned at them with sharp canines.

"How's it going." he said coolly as he rested his elbow on his car seat and winked at Edo-Lucy.

"Right on time you grease monkey." Edo-Lucy commented, "Earthland Natsu and friends," She gestured towards the man behind the wheel, "Meet Natsu Dragion, driver extraordinaire."

"Thanks for using my full title, Luce." smirked the Edolas Natsu.

Joshua snorted a little as he stifled some laughter. Edo-Natsu narrowed his eyes at the kid, "What're you laughing at."

Joshua covered his mouth but couldn't help it. He pointed at the Earthland Natsu and howled with laugher, "You are so dead!" laughed Joshua as Natsu trembled staring at the vehicle.

"Why is he so dead?" asked Edo-Lucy.

"Our Natsu has really bad motion sickness." replied Wendy.

"Please...don't... don't put me in that thing." Nastu whined.

Joshua snickered and pointed a finger at him. The cuffs on Joshua's wrist glowed blue as they suppressed most of his power but he didn't care. This was going to be worth it. Joshua ignored the stinging sensation and lifted Natsu using his telekinesis. He then quickly threw the screaming Natsu into the back seat of the vehicle before yelling at the other to hop in fast before he can get out. After all, they didn't have a whole lot of time.

Once everyone had piled into the surprisingly spacious vehicle, Edo-Natsu turned back to look at the Earthland wizards in the back seat.

"Strap yourselves in." he grinned wildly, "We're gonna be using max speed."

He grabbed the shifter and threw the vehicle into gear before stomping on the gas pedal. The vehicle lurched forward then accelerated at an alarming speed. The magic mobile was accelerating so quickly that Joshua felt like his body was being pressed back into his seat. The boy wasn't fazed though. On the contrary, he thought this was awesome. The rush was amazing. He threw his hands in the air and laughed as the car raced away from the guild hall that quickly disappeared in the distance.

"Natsu hang in there." Wendy said as she patted Natsu on the back.

Joshua looked at his comrade. The guy was already out of commision, cheeks puffed out, pale skin, and limp. Joshua chuckled a little while Edo-Natsu glanced back at them. He kinda liked the brown hair kid. He knew a good thing when he saw it, he was really enjoying his hot rod. He then looked over at his Earthland counterpart with disgust. How could he possibly be motion sick? It was disappointing.

"We should arrive at Louen in a few hours." Edo-Natsu commented, "Just kick back, relax," he heard Natsu blurp, "And do not throw up on the leather seats."

….

"Louen in sight!" Edo-Lucy shouted as she peered ahead of them through the windshield. "Park on the outskirts and wait for us. We got to make a run into town."

Edo-Natsu nodded and pulled the car to a stop behind a large rock formation. He looked back at the Earthland wizards, "Alright get out." he said rudely.

Like a bullet, Natsu jumped out of the vehicle and kissed the firm ground at his feet.

"Solid, unmoving ground!" he sighed happily, "Thank God!"

Joshua stepped out before extending a hand out to Wendy to help her out of the vehicle as well.

"Thanks." Wendy smiled.

"No problem."

"About time someone in the guild showed manners." Carla complained while she watched Joshua help Wendy out of the vehicle.

"Would you like help out as well Carla?" asked Happy.

Carla lifted her nose in the air, "As if I'd accept help from you Tomcat." she jumped gracefully out of the vehicle while Happy face planted on the ground.

"Alright everyone. Follow me, and keep your guard up. The Royal Army could strike at any time." Edo-Lucy ordered.

The others nodded and quickly followed her into town leaving Edo-Natsu alone with his hot rod.

Louen was a strange looking town. Unlike Magnolia, everything here was a round shape. It looked like not a single building had an edge or corner to it. Joshua raised an eyebrow, it looked weird. He quickly trailed behind Edo-Lucy as they crept through alleys towards an abandoned storefront.

"Magic may be illegal in our world. But that doesn't mean there isn't a black market."

Edo Lucy glanced up and down the street before waving the others after her and into the abandoned store. She then tapped a floor tile and pressed it down. A set of hidden stairs was revealed by a false wall and they all quickly descended down into the dingy black market magic shop.

As they entered the shop they saw a bunch of strange magical weapons and items stacked on dusty shelves on the walls. The old shopkeeper greeted them cheerfully once he saw Lucy and invited them to look around. Natsu quickly found a magical fire sword that he instantly fell in love with. Wendy just a few moments later, discovered a tiny tube that was actually at type of air cannon. Joshua meanwhile was sifting through some magical items on a shelf he could barely reach. Nothing was finding his fancy. They all looked so old and unreliable. Maybe he should just use his sword. He sighed and was about to turn away and look on the other side of the store when he saw a glint of silver on the top shelf. Joshua raised an eyebrow, he hadn't seen that thing there. He outstretched a hand and strained to use his telekinesis. The silver thing shifted then flew quickly into his open hand. Joshua's hand clasped quickly around the item and his eyes widened. He was holding a slender silver cylinder. He recognized what it was, that Ventress lady used something like this at the Tower of Heaven.

"Hey! How did you find that!?" asked the Shopkeeper.

Joshua ignored him as he inspected the cylinder. It was ancient and had a very archaic design compared to what Ventress had used against him. It was much bulkier as well. Joshua looked over at the shopkeeper.

"How did you get something like this?" he asked.

"I inherited it from my father. And his father before him, and so on and so forth. But I never learned what it did or how to use it. My father was… he was taken by the royal army before he told me it's secrets." The man closed his eyes.

"How much?" Joshua asked quickly as he ran his hands over the metal.

"It's pracitcally priceless!?" gasped the shopkeeper.

"I'll pay 40,000 crowns for it." Edo-Lucy said quickly. "And 10,000 for the air cannon and flame sword."

"Lucy, why do you need such weapons."

Edo-Lucy grinned at him, "We're gonna take it to the kingdom, that's why!"

The shopkeeper widened his eyes. They were actually going to fight back! But that was crazy! He looked at the determined faces of her friends.

He then looked at the silver and black cylinder in the boy's hands, "Very well. But you don't have to pay for it."

"What?" asked Lucy.

"Consider it repayment for helping with those soldiers that tried to come through here a few days ago." the shopkeeper replied.

"Thanks!" they all replied before the sound of heavy footsteps echoes above them.

Everyone grew silent immeadiately and listened. They could hear muffled voices overhead.

"They went in here!" they heard a muffled voice say.

Edo-Lucy gulped. It was the army. She rested her hand on her magical whip.

"A false wall!" the voice shouted no longer muffled.

"Alright." whispered Natsu, "time to see what this can do." he grinned as he preppared to activate his fire sword. Joshua's left hand fell on Natsu's weapon and gently pushed it away as the boy stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" hissed Natsu.

"Save the magic. It's very limited." Joshua replied as he shifted his grip on the silver cylinder.

"And yours isn't?"

"Nope." Joshua whispered, "This sword, is not magic." He had no clue what it was powered on. But he knew in his gut it wasn't magic.

The soldiers charged down the stairs and burst through the entryway. The soldiers wore round metal helmets with faceguards. They had shoulder pads and thin gauntlets on their arms as well. What caught Edo-Lucy's attention however was the color of their tunics. They weren't the normal blue color the Edolas army wore. They were blood red. Only one army wore different colors than the others.

"The Phantom's soldiers!" exclaimed a terrified Edo-Lucy. She was about to activate her whip when Joshua confidently stepped forward.

"Freeze. Or be killed." growled one of the soldiers as he lowered his magical spear and powered it to fire a red magical beam at them. The other ten soldiers followed suit.

 _Hey geezer._

" _What?"_

 _What is this thing in my hand called?_

" _That-" The old man was silent for a moment, as if stunned that Joshua had found such a weapon, "Is a lightsaber."_

 _Can it block magical blasts?_

" _Possibly."_

Joshua grinned as his eyes glinted crimson for a moment. These were the soldiers of the kingdom that had capture Erza. His face became filled with anger. They would pay.

"Fire!" shouted the leader of the soldiers.

Edo-Lucy screamed in fear as the red magic beams leapt from the tips of the spears. Joshua lifted his head and pressed the button on the cylinder. In the blink of an eye a white beam of light emerged from the cylinder and hummed in the air. Joshua swung quickly, pretending that the magic beams were other swords. He felt the first beam impact with his weapon and saw it launch back at the soldier that fired it, striking the man and sending him falling to the ground. Joshua grinned, this was a fair fight now. He moved quickly, deflecting shots back at the enemy and watching them crumple quickly to the ground.

Joshua took a deep breath as the last one fell before looking back and seeing the stunned stares of Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, and the Shopkeeper.

"I think it's time we got out of here." Joshua said as he pressed the button on the cylinder sending the white light back into the hilt.

The others nodded and they quickly raced up the hidden stairs and out of the shop.

"There they are!" shouted some more soldiers.

Joshua reactivated his lightsaber, as the geezer called it and raised it in a defensive manner. He wasn't sure if he could do much though. There was a lot of soldiers running at them, way more than he could probably defend against. He tightened his grip on the hilt. This wasn't going to end well.

"OPEN GATE OF LION: LOKE!" shouted a woman's voice over the clamor of soldiers.

A doorbell sound rang out around them and suddenly a man appeared in a suit and shades. He had wild orange hair on top of his head and gave off an aura of power.

"It's good to see you guys are ok." he smiled at Joshua and the others.

"How!?" exclaimed Joshua.

"Natsu! Wendy! Josh!" shouted a familiar voice. Joshua looked to their left and saw the Earthland Lucy racing towards them from an alley. She quickly stepped up next to the others and smiled at them, "You guys are ok!"

"Yup!" smirked Natsu.

"Not for much longer if we don't get out of here." Joshua replied.

"How many can do you think you'll get with that glowstick kid?" Loke asked.

"More than you can get with your glowing hands."

"Wanna bet?"

"Last person who betted against me had to do a centerfold for Sorcerer's weekly." Joshua smirked, "You sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah, I'll reconsider that."

Silence for a moment.

"Loser buys the other dinner." Joshua suggested.

"You're on!"

….

Sunlight streamed in through the windowed doors of the large bedroom. The pale, bone thin figure in the sheets winced as the sunlight hit his closed eyes. He let his eyelids open and winced. It was so damn bright. He frowned and sat up feeling an arm slip down his bare chest. He looked to his right and saw a red head nestled up against him. The man smiled slightly. He barely ever felt happy, but these were the few moments that he did. He bent his head down and placed a kiss on the woman's forehead before throwing the sheets off of him and standing up.

Scars lined his entire body. The scars of war ran deep into his skin and gave the only kind of color to his incredibly pale skin. He stretched out his bony arms and yawned momentarily before walking towards the balcony and staring out at the royal city before him. It was a sprawling metropolis now, very different from what he remembered it. He remembered it being a battleground as the Alvarez Republic invaded. That his first day as a commander of a royal army. Erza's first day as well. They had saved each other's lives that day. And they were saviors of the kingdom as well. They were able to hold of Alvarez's legions until Pantherlily finally arrived with his 1st army and brought down Edolas's fury upon their enemy. At that battle, he discovered how delicious a human heart tasted. They had run out of food a few days before Lily finally rescued them all. So he resorted to the next best thing, human hearts. After all, there was a legend in Edolas that the only organic thing capable of containing magic other than an Exceed was a human heart. He could personally confirm that legend. It's all he had ever eaten since, and he had not died, but instead grown stronger despite his somewhat frail appearance.

Ever since those fateful days, the man had been leading the counterattack, then conquest of the Alvarez republic. A very successful conquest at that. He had never lost a battle and was within striking distance of their capital when he was called back here. The king couldn't seem to keep the people under foot. Especially this Fairy Tail Dark guild. They were troublemakers and they had to be dealt with.

A knock was heard at the bedroom door. The man looked back at the door as Erza stirred under the sheets. He frowned at the door. The guards knew better than to disturb them this early in the morning. Another knock and the man grit his teeth. Someone was about to have the worst morning of their lives. He grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open to see a small girl standing there.

"What?" The man said with a venom in his voice that made the girl tremble.

"Um, sorry to disturb you General Knightwalker sir! But King Faust wishes to meet with you immediately!" she bowed repeatedly.

Joshua Knightwalker sighed. What an annoyance.

"Very well. Let me get dressed."

He quickly closed the door and walked over to the dresser.

"Who was it?" asked the sleepy voice of Erza Knightwalker behind him.

Joshua threw on a dark shirt to go with his black pants then donned the red coat that signified him as a military general.

"King Faust." he replied, "Who else?"

"What does he want?"

"A meeting. Just with me." He walked over and kissed her lightly, "I won't be long."

"You better not be."

Joshua Knightwalker nodded and walked out of the room.

"Just follow me sir."

The little girl saluted then began to frantically run down the hall leaving the general in the dust. Joshua sighed and grumbled to himself as he slowly strolled behind her. He knew perfectly well where the throne room was.

After a few minutes of walking the palace halls he came upon the throne room where King Faust, the bearded, elderly king of Edolas lounged on his throne. Joshua approached the ornate thrown and bowed to his king.

"You wished to speak with me?"

"Yes." replied the old yet still strong voice of King Faust, "I want to know what you think of the latest lacrima we obtained from Earthland. Have you seen it yet?"

"I saw it as I came into the city." Joshua replied, "It was most impressive. It might even power Edolas for a decade."

"That is the hope." replied Faust as he rose from his chair and signaled for his finest general to walk with him, "We are going to use it to end Extalia."

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "Why do that?"

"The lacrima will fuse with those damn Exceeds. When that happens those false gods will be ripped apart and turned into magical power." Faust explained, "Such a monumental event would allow us to have never ending magic power!" he declared triumphantly, "That is what Byro tells me."

"Byro is an old fool." Joshua snarled.

"Hm."

The general looked at his king, "There is no such thing as everlasting magic power. Such a thing can never exist. Doing such a thing would waste the power we have already gained." he explained, "However, those lacrima. They contain the friends of certain insurgent cells in the kingdom."

"So?"

Joshua grinned evilly, "So, we use them as bait. Draw these terrorist out of hiding then destroy them. After all, there is nothing they wish to do more than save their precious friends."

Faust rubbed his chin uncertainly.

"Afterwards, you will have no more rebellions. At least none that can't be quelled quickly." Joshua continued, "Then you can feel free to use magic as you please, even direct our magical fury at Extalia if you so please. I honestly could care less for those furballs." He stopped walking, "I just want to complete my task before we do anything against them."

Faust nodded, "It makes sense. But how would you get those dark guilds to fall for the trap."

Joshua was about to reply when one of his soldiers ran up to him and quickly bowed.

"Sir! Report from Louen!"

Joshua exhaled, "Continue."

"Our division there has located some insurgents. They have attempted to engage them but have been beaten back."

"My men do not get beaten back." hissed the general, "Who is causing this?"

"Um… a boy sir."

Joshua glared at his soldier, "A boy?"

"Y-yes s-sir!" quaked the soldier as he saw the murderous glare directed at him, "He's using magical abilities we've never seen before."

"Details." grumbled Joshua.

"U-um, he is moving stuff with his mind a-and he has a laser sword, like your own sir."

That got Joshua Knightwalker's undivided attention. "Who is this boy?"

"We don't know sir. But he bears the Fairy Tail guild mark."

"Who is he with?"

"Three females. Two of them blonde woman roughly eighteen in age. One girl roughly ten years of age, blue hair, a male with pink hair about eighteen years, and two exceed."

"Exceed?" questioned King Faust.

Joshua recognized those descriptions. He remembered a certain queen describing them to him as targets to be eliminated by the Exceed in Earthland. He even suggested the idea of implanting the mission into the minds of the Exceed chosen to eliminate the pink haired male and blue haired girl. After all, it wasn't just King Faust that sought his military expertise.

"Hair color of the Exceeds accompanying them?"

"One is light blue, the other is white like snow."

Joshua's lips parted into an evil grin, _Perfect. The little princess has returned home._ "Execute order 17." Joshua ordered quickly. The guard's eyes widened.

"O-order 17?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" snarled Joshua.

"N-no sir! It will be done sir!" the guard saluted then raced away.

"Order 17?" questioned Faust.

"Yes, an order that activates some lacrimi I personally keep for… nefarious purposes. One such purpose is activating a hidden order in someone's mind. The white haired exceed traveling with our little rebels just so happens to have one of those hidden orders in her mind. When the Lacrima activates, it will trigger a mental map in her brain. She will interpret it as some form of precognition when in actuality it will be my preprogrammed orders leading her directly to us. Along with her companions." Joshua stared at an amazed Faust, "That is how we will get the rebels to take the bait."

Faust was amazed. This is why this young man was his top general.

"Is there anything else you need your highness?" asked Joshua.

Faust shook his head, "No. You may have your leave."

Joshua bowed and walked back towards the halls and stairs that led back to Erza's room. It had been years since he had been home. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

 **And end chapter! This is starting to get interesting, I wonder what will happen next. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	22. Chapter 22: The Phantom

**Alright everyone! I've got a new chapter ready! Before we begin though I just want to thank all of you guys for reading and enjoying this story. It is amazing to see how many people are reading and it continues to motivate me to give you even better stories. With that being said, let's begin!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 22

Erza Knightwalker walked along the catwalks of the palace. She had just been to a meeting with her officers discussing more ways to eliminate the dark guilds that terrorized Edolas. Then she went to inspect her own soldiers and make sure they were actually ready for any sort of battle that could happen. She then trained for a couple hours. Yet, she was still very bored despite all of the activities she was doing. She loved the thrill of battle, it was an adrenaline rush that made life worth living. Being stuck at the palace for no good reason was really irking her.

"You look like you're in a foul mood today." said a voice that made the Edolas Erza smile.

"It just got a little better." Joshua Knightwalker strode up beside her, "Finally done meeting with Faust?"

Joshua nodded, "That ended a while ago. I went to inspect on my men for a little while."

Erza nodded, "That's good. How are they looking?"

"Strong as ever." Joshua replied, "They are all veterans, and I trust every single one of them with my life."

"Why trust a lowly soldier with your life?"

Joshua's smile fell a little as he looked back at his wife.

"I mean, they are just soldiers after all. They should be expendable."

Her husband closed his eyes and shook his head, "No, they shouldn't be."

"You sound like Pantherlily now." commented Erza.

"Well, he's right. Treat your men right and they will fight with you to the bitter end." Joshua explained, "Besides, I may be a heartless bastard, but I will never be that way to people who have earned my respect. And every one of those soldiers has earned that."

Erza saw his face drop slightly, "Alvarez was that brutal?"

Joshua glanced over at her, "You have no idea. When an enemy has their backs to the wall, they will do anything to cause as much harm as possible."

Erza remembered the scars on his body. They weren't there when he left years ago. It made her shake with fury to think what those snakes in the Alavarez Republic tried to do to him on the battlefield.

The sound of metal boots hitting pavement approached them. The pair stopped walking and waited as a soldier wearing the red tunic of the Phantom army ran up to them.

"More reports from Louen sir!"

Joshua nodded to him.

"We have sealed off the town and the rebels are on the run inside of the city. They have no exits available to them, but they keep eluding us sir."

Joshua sighed, "Alright then." He looked over at Erza, "I think it's time we dealt with this personally."

Erza smirked at him, "I agree."

The two followed the messenger down the catwalks and towards the air station. Waiting for them was an airship powered by magic with dozens of soldiers in both blue and red tunics quickly boarding. Those who remained outside saluted the two commanders as they entered the ship and made their way to the bridge. Joshua watched the building below them shrink as the airship lifted into the air around them.

"Make for Louen town." he ordered the pilots, "There are some rebels that need to be dealt with."

…..

"RUN FASTER!" shouted the Earthland Joshua at Earthland Lucy as the blonde in front of him struggled to keep up the sprinter's pace.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Lucy shouted back at the ten year old before suddenly feeling a pair of arms pick her up.

"I will carry you." Loke said to her as he picked up his own pace. But somehow Joshua raced past them, his quickly moving feet kicking up dust and dirt.

"Loke, I think we really underestimated how many we could handle!" Joshua shouted with wide eyes as the group rounded a corner and raced down another street.

"You can say that again!" shouted the lion spirit as he carried his celestial wizard.

In front of them, ran Edo-Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla. All of them were equally panicked as they suddenly realized just how many soldiers there actually were in this town. Natsu had already used up all of the magic in his fire sword and Wendy couldn't seem to figure out how to open her air cannon. Joshua and Loke were able to hold off the waves of guards for several minutes but it soon became very apparent that if they didn't start running they would be caught.

Blasts of red magical energy fired at the group and Joshua quickly activated the dusty old lightsaber he had found, deflecting the blasts away before quickly deactivated the weapon.

"Oh no!" shouted Wendy.

Joshua looked ahead and saw the exit out of town was blocked off by dozens of soldiers. All of them had their weapons at the ready.

"Turn right!" shouted Edo Lucy.

The group quickly ducked into an alleyway as the red magical bursts flew behind them. As they ran through the alley Joshua saw an open doorway and signaled Edo Lucy in front of him. The blonde had already noticed the doorway and motioned for all of them to get inside quickly. As soon as everyone had piled into the small building, Edo Lucy shut the door and lowered the curtains on all of the windows. Joshua let out a relieved sigh before letting himself fall to his butt and rest on the floor.

"That...was tiring." he said.

Who would've thought that a lightsaber would be more difficult to use despite it being lighter than a normal sword. It took all of his concentration not to accidently cut himself or lop off a hand when he was using it. It was very easy to lose track of the brilliant white blade as he used it.

"Yeah," replied Loke before turning to Lucy, "Hey Lucy, I'm going to head home and rest."

"Go for it. I'll call Virgo or someone else if we need it." replied the Celestial wizard before Loke disappeared in a cloud of golden sparks.

Edo Lucy stared stunned at the sight, "What did I just see?" she asked.

"Earthland magic." breathed Wendy.

Edo Lucy's eyes widened. Earthland wizards were capable of doing stuff like that!? It was amazing. She then looked over at her princess like counterpart.

"So you must be one of the strongest in your guild like me?" observed Edo-Lucy to Earthland Lucy.

"Um well…"

Natsu and Happy laughed, "Lucy is nowhere near the strongest in the guild!" they roared.

"Thanks for the support!" Yelled Lucy angrily.

"Shut up." hissed Joshua as he placed a finger over his lips, "They are in the alley."

Edo-Lucy's eyes widened. How did he notice when no one else did?

"How-"

"My magic. It's heavily suppressed right now but I can still slightly use it." Explained Joshua, "One of the abilities I have is Sensory Magic. It allows me to sense people and places around us."

"That's handy." whispered Edo Lucy.

"You've got no idea." Lucy inputted.

Edo Lucy looked back at the kid and saw that his eyes were closed. A strange buzzing feeling started crawling all over her skin causing her to panic slightly before she felt Natsu put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's just his magic. He's sensing where all the guards are at."

"He's probably trying to figure out an escape route." Whispered Wendy.

"SHUT UP!" hissed Joshua, "I can't focus."

Joshua stopped talking and his breathing slowed. He was starting to get really good at this particular ability. But the cuffs really made sensing things accurately difficult. His sight extended fuzzily out of the building they were hiding in. The guards had moved out of the alley and were racing through the city streets searching for them. That was perfectly normal, they'd just have to wait for an opening then. Joshua furrowed his brow as he saw it approaching. A large airship was starting to descend towards the city. The airship landed silently and gracefully and a ramp descended down from it. Soldiers wearing red and blue tunics stood at attention as a figure descended. If Joshua could widen his eyes while using this technique he would've. Descending the ramp was none other than Erza. But she looked different. She didn't have that warm feeling that she usually had. Instead she felt cold and evil. It then clicked, this was the Edolas Erza, Erza Knightwalker. Joshua gulped, this was bad.

"What is it?" asked Edo-Lucy.

Joshua didn't reply. He was still concentrating as hard as he could. The cuffs on his wrist were glowing a dim blue as they attempted to bury his magic power. He saw a second figure appear from the belly of the airship. Joshua caught his breath as a wave of cold and evil washed over him as he sensed this new figure. It was incredibly disturbing how intense this darkness was that blanketed this second figure. The shadows of the ship faded away and Joshua finally got a good look at the second person. It was a man. But he didn't look human, yet he was. He was bone thin, cheeks hollow and eyes sunk deep into his face. It looked like he hadn't eaten anything in his life. His eyes were a deep red and his skin was as pale as snow. He wore black leather armor over his upper body and black pants with a red cape dangling from his shoulders.

 _"_ _Report."_ said the black clothed man to a soldier.

 _"_ _They are still in the city. But they are hiding somewhere. We're beginning to search the various buildings."_

 _"_ _Where were they last seen?"_

 _"_ _An alleyway in the southern section of the city."_

" _Have those buildings been searched?"_ asked the Edolas Erza.

The guard's eyes widened, _"Um, no."_

The black clothed man stiffened his jaw, obviously frustrated with this soldier, _"What are waiting for then. Sweep the area, capture is the main priority. Kill if you face too heavy of resistance."_

Joshua opened his eyes and glanced over at Edo Lucy. Fear evident on his face.

"We need to get out of here, fast." he whispered to her.

"Why?"

"Knighwalker has arrived." Joshua replied as he rose to his feet preparing to make a break for it.

Edo Lucy's fear filled eyes widened, "Which one?"

Joshua looked over at Edo Lucy, "Both."

 _BOTH!_ Edo Lucy began to shake uncontrollably. "That's impossible! The Phantom is battling the Alvarez Republic."

"Well if how you described him is accurate, then I just saw him get out of an airship with Erza Knightwalker." Joshua saw the intense terror on Edo-Lucy's face, "Scary Lucy,"

"What?" she trembled.

"Why are you so scared?"

Edo-Lucy gulped, "You have no idea. We are in deep shit if he's here. It's one thing to battle the Fairy Hunter, it's another to try and resist the Phantom."

"Care to explain why?" asked Natsu as he folded his arms.

Edo-Lucy took a deep breath, "Not now. We need to run. When we get out of the city, I will explain."

"We're going to have to bull rush the nearest exit." Joshua explained, "Then run for the hills. Forget about getting back to the magic mobile. Once out of the city, aim to find the best hiding spot possible."

Everyone nodded and Joshua gripped the doorknob.

"Alright, everyone ready?"

"Ready." they all whispered.

Joshua nodded and pulled the door open.

"Leaving us so soon?" said a cold voice in the doorway.

Edo-Lucy face grew as pale as a ghost as she saw who was standing in the doorway. Joshua's eyes followed the black clothes up to the man's face and saw the skull like features of Joshua Knightwalker standing in front of him. Edo-Lucy fell backwards and scrambled to a corner of the room while Joshua backed up and his older counterpart stepped into the building. Joshua's eyes widened as he saw the silver cylinder in the man's right hand. Natsu and the others took a step back as well. There were very few people who could scare Natsu just on appearance alone. But this guy was now one of them.

The Phantom frowned and pushed a button on the silver cylinder. A red beam of light pulsed out of the cylinder and crackled in the air, energy arcing around the main beam in an unstable manner.

"You can surrender or die." he said lowly.

Joshua gulped and gripped his lightsaber, holding it out in front of him like he would his rapier and activating it.

"Joshua!" exclaimed Wendy.

"Run you guys! I'll hold him off!" he shouted.

"How noble." commented the Phantom before reaching back and swinging his red sword at Joshua.

Joshua reacted quickly and met his red blade in the middle. His eyes widened in surprise as he felt the force behind the strike. Despite how frail this guy looked the swing was incredibly strong. It was like having an arm wrestling match with a body builder as he struggled with the Phantom in a blade lock. Joshua glanced back and saw his friends still gaping at him.

"IDIOTS!" he screamed, "RUN!"

He didn't have to say it twice. Edo-Lucy grabbed Wendy and Natsu's arms before running towards the back door. Just as they were about to reach the door it was shoved off of it's hinges and forced across the room.

"Going somewhere?" laughed the voice of Erza Knightwalker as she stood in the doorway. Guards streamed in from the back doorway and quickly surrounded Joshua's friends.

"You are beaten kid." growled The Phantom, "Surrender."

Joshua was about to reply with his usual snarky comment when the sound of a horn blaring in the air distracted him. Suddenly, the far wall was smashed inwards and a red magic mobile burst in and crashed into Erza Knightwalker and her soldiers. Joshua felt the blade lock end and The Phantom swung a powerful fist at him as he shoved Joshua's blade out of the way. The blow his Joshua on the jaw and sent him flying into the wall. The wall caved in and buried Joshua under a pile of rubble.

"Joshua!" Wendy shouted while Natsu balled his fists up tightly.

The doors to the magic mobile opened and Edo-Natsu was seen behind the wheel.

"Come with me if you want to-"

A red flash slashed through the magic mobile and caused the car to explode. The building was obliterated with a loud bang. After several moments of silence Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, and Edo-Lucy pulled themselves out of the rubble, shaking dust off of their bodies.

"Natsu!" shouted Edo Lucy as she searched for her comrade.

"Luce, run." whispered a voice, "*ACK*"

Edo Lucy's eyes widened as she saw the phantom holding Natsu Dragion by the throat.

"You," The Phantom's eyes glared hatefully at Edo-Natsu, "I've been looking forward to dealing with you. And you've made me hate you even more by hitting my beloved with your damn car."

Edo-Natsu struggled against the Phantom's iron grip.

"LET HIM GO!" shouted Earthland Natsu as he charged forward. The Phantom glanced over and in a lightning fast motion, activated his red sword and drove it through Natsu's stomach.

"NATSU!" screamed Lucy and Happy as the dragon slayer gasped and stumbled back clutching his stomach before falling backwards.

Lucy grabbed her keys and was about to summon one of her spirits when she felt a blade press against her throat.

"I wouldn't try it." snarled Erza Knightwalker.

Lucy began to tremble as the cold metal shifted slightly and opened a shallow cut in her neck. Her hand fell and her keys stayed at her hip.

"No more distractions."

The Phantom looked back at Edo Natsu as the pink haired driver gasped for air and struggled against the Phantom's hand around his neck. The Phantom's ghostly face broke into a psychotic smile.

"Do you know what one of the most delicious things in the world is?" Edo Natsu grunted, "A still beating heart."

The red blade touched Edo Natsu's chest and began to dig into his body. The driver's eyes widened and he tried to scream out but couldn't as the Phantom's grip grew tighter.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T!" screamed Edo Lucy.

The psychotic smile never left The Phantom's face, "I'm rather hungry today. Your heart will provide a good meal." he finished cutting and placed the blade back onto his hip.

"NOOOOO!" Edo Lucy wailed.

Edo Natsu stiffened as The Phantom's gloved hand ripped into his chest and pulled out his heart. Erza Knightwalker stared wide eyed at the scene. She knew what her husband ate, but she had never seen him do it before. And she had never seen him act like this. He was usually very calm and collected. Hell, he was surprisingly the most humane of all of the generals with the exception of Pantherlily. That was her opinion. But to see him be this terrifying. It made her stomach flip.

The Phantom clenched the thumping heart in his hand. His eyes were wide with mad glee. He glanced over at the horrified faces of Wendy, Lucy, and Edo-Lucy.

"Like an apple." he growled before sinking his teeth into the muscle.

Edo Lucy couldn't take it anymore. Her mind collapsed and she fainted in Wendy's arms. Wendy stared in horror as she watched the Edolas version of Joshua devour Natsu Dragion's heart. After several moments of the horror, the Phantom finished and grabbed a clean white cloth from his pocket, wiping the blood from his face before flinging the cloth at his prisoners.

"His death is on your hands." he said grimly. More guards rushed towards the group. The phantom snagged Lucy's keys from her and placed them in his pocket before looked at Erza Knightwalker, "Take them prisoner."

"What about that boy?" she asked lowly as she looked at the unchanged pile of rubble in the corner.

"Let him stay buried. He won't bother us anymore." the Phantom replied, "Guards take them to the ship. We head back for the Royal city immediately. I wish to interrogate these prisoners."

"And the Exceeds sir?"

The Phantom stopped walking. He had forgotten about them. "Make sure they get back to Extalia. After all, we have no authority to take them prisoner. I'd rather not have Extalia come down on our heads for that."

"Yes sir."

Erza Knightwalker stared at her husband as he casually walked away from the bloody scene. She thought he was the same as when he had left after the invasion of the Royal City. But after seeing what just happened, she felt an emotion that she never thought she'd have when around him, fear.

….

 _Geezer, you are a lifesaver._

" _Not many have called me that in recent years."_ Said the Old Man's voice in Joshua's head.

 _That technique. It allowed me to hide from that…_ Joshua remembered the monster he had just face, _Thing._

 _I'll admit. That man was rather disturbing to look at. Amazing to think he is your counterpart._

Joshua let his magic power drop as the cuffs began to cause him too much pain once again. His body became visible again, but he was still buried in rubble. Joshua gritted his teeth, fighting off the pain the cuffs were causing him and he used his powers to push the rubble off of him. Joshua shook dust off of his head as he tried to reorient himself. The man was gone and so were his friends. They were heading for an airship right now.

 _Alright time to-_

Joshua saw the body on the ground with a gaping hole where the heart should be. The teen's eyes were wide open, the blank stare of death apparent in them, and his mouth was open as if in an eternal scream. It was the Edolas Natsu. Joshua gulped and walked over to check if he was possibly alive.

" _There is no point boy."_

Joshua grit his teeth and felt some tears in his eyes. It was the first time he had ever seen a friend die. And it had to be in this horrible way. He wiped the water from his eyes and stood up muttering a silent prayer for the fallen wizard. Joshua felt incredible anger rising inside of him. He glanced around and saw the airship towering over the low buildings of the town. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before hiding himself in, what the old man called it, the Force.

 _They will pay._

" _Yes, they will. Use your anger and hatred, and you will destroy your enemies."_

 _Quit with the lecturing. I already know, you've told me a million times._

And for the first time ever, Joshua actually agreed with the elderly voice in his mind. However, he shook his raging anger out of his mind. He had to focus, sneaking onto that ship was priority number one. Saving his friends was next. Saving all of friends was next. He thought of Erza and how she could have already faced that monster that killed the Edolas Natsu. Joshua approached the airship as it began to lift the ramp. He silently jumped up onto the ramp and snuck into the ship's deep shadows. He was their last shot. He couldn't waste it.

….

Joshua Knightwalker sat quietly in his quarters. They were not Erza's, he had his own as well. He had a feeling she didn't want to be around him right now. Not after seeing him end that rebel's life in such a way. He couldn't blame her. The bloodlust overtook him, he couldn't control it any longer. He mentally kicked himself. That was the last thing he ever wanted his Erza to see him do.

"Sir." a soldier quietly walked into his room. "You requested a guard."

Joshua looked up at the man. He put his feelings to the side for now. He'll talk to Erza about what happened later. Right now, he had some interrogating to do.

"Yes, fetch me one of our new guests."

"Which one sir?"

Joshua tilted his head to the side slightly. "The blonde with the black outfit." He grabbed a wine glass that was on a table next to him and filled it to the brim with red wine, "She's the weak link."

"Yes sir!"

Joshua leaned back in his chair and crossed his left leg over his right. He swirled the wine in his glass before putting it to his pale lips and taking a big gulp. He cringed slightly. It had been years since he had consumed anything that wasn't a human heart. It didn't taste the same. But damn, he needed a good drink. He downed the first glass quickly before pouring himself another. As he started to sip on it, the door opened once again and a pair of guards dragged the Edolas Lucy into the room and threw her to the floor.

"Be gentle." Joshua scowled at the guards.

"Oh, sorry sir!" they both apologized fearfully.

"Leave."

"Yes sir."

The door shut quickly. Edo Lucy looked at the Phantom with a terrified stare. What was he going to do to her? He had already killed her best friend. The only thing he could do now was torture her? What would he do?

The Phantom looked over at Edo Lucy and closed his eyes before motioned to a chair that was across from him, "Take a seat, please."

Edo Lucy blinked. Did he just ask her to have a seat, with a please? She gulped and trembled as she sat down in the amazingly comfortable chair.

"Do you drink wine?" asked the Phantom.

"H-huh?"

The Phantom sipped his glass then stared at her again, "Do you drink wine?"

"U-um, not often. But I don't mind it." she replied quietly.

The Phantom nodded, he stood up and walked over to cupboard. Edo Lucy braced herself. What was he grabbing? A torture tool? A weapon? A Poison? Her eyes widened as she saw him grab a bottle out of the cupboard and toss it to her. It was a beer bottle.

"You look like a beer girl." he said quietly as he took a seat across from her once again. "Relax and drink up. I'm not going to lay a finger on you."

Lucy hesitated. He wasn't going to torture her? Why? She glanced down at the bottle and twisted the cap off before taking a sip.

"Good?" asked the phantom.

She nodded ever so slightly. Before staring at him. This was not what she was expecting. The Phantom was legendary for his cruelty. Why was he being like this?

"What's going on?" she asked quickly, "Why are you not-"

"Torturing you, taking your heart out and devouring it?" finished the pale man.

"Yeah." breathed Edo Lucy.

The Phantom shrugged and set his wineglass down, "In my years of war. I have found torture to be a very… inefficient form of interrogation. I have found, that you get much farther when you treat the prisoner like an actual human being."

"You didn't treat Natsu like a human being!" she shouted at him.

She was shocked when she saw him frown and close his eyes.

"Did you know I've been trying to stop eating hearts?"

Edo Lucy looked at him stunned.

"War changes your perspective on life. Especially on the lives of others. Years ago I would've gladly tortured you, eaten your heart, then moved on to the next victim. But," he took a breath, "After years of fighting in Alvarez, after years of seeing good people die, I began to see what I had become. And I hated it. I started to want to reform myself. I began treating my men with the respect they deserved. I treated my enemies with just as much respect as well. Then I decided to stop eating the hearts of those I defeated in battle. But when you eat hearts for so long, it becomes a sort of… addiction." he leaned forward, "I would have much rather taken your friend prisoner. But I lost control of myself, and for that I apologize." He leaned back again, "But I know that an apology will never be enough."

"You're damn right." Edo Lucy snarled, "How do I know you aren't playing me right now?"

"You don't." he replied, "You're just gonna have to trust me. And I am going to have to trust you. That is the nature of interrogating and negotiating."

"Negotiating?"

The Phantom nodded, "I am going to offer you a one time offer. Reject it, and there is nothing I can do to spare your guild from the wrath of King Faust."

Edo Lucy stared wide eyed, "Does the king know about this offer?"

The Phantom shook his head, "He thinks I'm torturing you senseless right now."

"Then how will you get him to agree to anything that goes down here?"

A smirk spread on the Phantom's face, "Faust knows better than to go against my judgement. He may have a crown, but the amount of power he commands over me, is zero."

"Then why follow him?"

The Phantom sighed, "For a girl. That's why. It's alway for a girl." Edo Lucy realized he was talking about the Fairy Hunter, "She's so loyal to that old man that she would never betray him or leave his army. And I won't leave her. So, I decided to make the best of my situation. And that is some advice I am going to give you now."

"Make the best of my situation?"

"Correct. Here is my offer."

He pulled a drawer out from the table next to him and pulled out a sheet of paper and pen. Then he pulled out a pair of glasses and placed them over his eyes. Edo Lucy's eye twitched slightly, the most feared man in the Kingdom needs glasses to read!?

"You will reveal to me the location and identities of all remaining rebel cells and dark guilds so that they may be apprehended and put to trial." he said firmly. Edo Lucy was about to shout hell no when he continued, "In exchange, a full pardon will be granted to every member of the dark guild known as Fairy Tail. You will be allowed to assimilate back into society and live peacefully without any fear from the kingdom."

Lucy gaped at him as he handed her the paper to look over as well as the pen. She looked down and saw that he had already signed it. It just needed a signature of a member of Fairy Tail. She stared wide eyed at the paper. This was freedom, this was a way everyone in the guild could live peacefully. There would be no more death, no more sorrow. They'd be free. But then the image of her best friend's heart being ripped out by the man in front of her returned to her mind. Her grip on the paper tightened and it crinkled in her hands and drops of tears pelted the paper.

"No." she whispered, "Not after what you did."

She heard the Phantom sigh, "Very well then." he rose and opened the door ordering the guards to take her back down to the dungeons, "I can no longer help you or your friends. You are at the mercy of the king. And you have now condemned all of your friends to a horrible death."

"No!" she snarled, "We will beat you! And we will be free!" she shouted as the guards dragged her away.

The Phantom grimaced then shook his head. What a foolish girl.

…

"This sucks!" shouted Natsu as he pulled at the iron bars that made up his and Wendy's cell in the castle dungeons, "LET ME OUT!" Nastu winced as he felt the pain from the wound The Phantom had given him.

"Take it easy Natsu. You're still hurt!" said Wendy sadly as she sat against the wall. "I don't have my healing magic either. We're lucky they decided to treat you."

Natsu snarled angrily before gripping the bars once again and giving one last tug before letting out a frustrated sigh and sitting back. Wendy tucked her knees up to her body and thought about what had just happened today.

They had just lost two friends today. She wasn't able to sense Joshua's magical presence before they were taken. That only meant one thing, he was gone as well.

"I DON'T CARE!" Roared Natsu angrily, "I am going to make those bastards pay for what they did to our friends!"

"Me too." said a voice out of nowhere.

Natsu blinked and looked quickly around the empty cell and halls.

"Who said that!?" he asked.

"This is too much fun! Haha! I can pull off some legendary pranks with this!" laughed the voice.

Wendy's eyes widened. She recognized that voice. The blue haired girl scrambled towards the bars of the cell.

"Joshua!" she gasped.

Out of nowhere the brown haired ten year old appeared in front of them with a smile.

"Hi!"

Natsu yelped and fell backwards before shaking an angry fist at Joshua, "Warn me next time! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"How are you alive?" asked Wendy a little teary eyed, "I couldn't sense your magic!"

"Got lucky I suppose." grinned the boy, "Hold on you guys! I'm going to bust you out."

He grabbed his saber but then he felt Natsu's hand grip his wrist.

"Not yet."

"Huh!? Why not?" asked Joshua.

"We can't beat that Phantom guy. Not with our magic power the way it is. We'll need help." Nastu admitted.

Wendy and Joshua stared at the dragon slayer wide eyed. Was he actually using strategy!?

"You need to find our friends and break them free first."

Joshua's face grew downcast, "One problem." he mumbled.

"What?"

"I heard the soldiers talking as we flew into the city. Our friends have been…" Erza has been. Joshua sniffled, "They've been turned into a giant lacrima."

Natsu's eyes widened, "WHAT!?"

"They're going to use them as a power source. And I don't know how to turn them back." Joshua sniffled, "I was hoping maybe you knew."

Natsu's face saddened, "I don't. But that doesn't matter. You are free and they don't know you are here. You can figure out a way I know you can!"

Joshua looked up at the determined dragon slayer's face.

"After all, you've figured out more difficult situations than this." Natsu grinned.

Joshua smiled slightly, "I guess."

"Now, what would Erza do?"

"Other than bust down the front door and go in sword brandished?"

"Yeah, don't do that. You'll get caught." sweat dropped Wendy.

"She'd try to get a lay of land. Ask around about the lacrima and see if anyone knows anything about how to change it back." Joshua looked at Natsu and Wendy, "I will come back for you guys."

"You better." grinned Natsu, "Good luck kid!"

Joshua gave them a thumbs up before disappearing once again, causing Natsu to jump.

"I'm never going to get used to that." he sighed.

Joshua sneakily walked out of the castle while hiding in the force. He bit back the pain of the magic cuffs until he was alone and a safe distance away from the palace. With a gasp he let his magic go away and reappeared. He felt so tired. That power took way more out of him than he thought it did.

"Well I'll be damned." said a gruff voice, "I never thought I'd see you here kid."

Joshua's eyes widened. He looked to his left in the alley he was in and saw an hooded and cloaked figure.

"Gihi." Joshua recognized that chuckle, "It's good to see another friendly face."

The figure threw back the hood revealing long, wild black hair and a face covered in iron piercings.

Joshua grinned at the figure, "Gajeel!" he exclaimed.

"How's it going kid?"

"But how did you escape whatever took our friends?"

Gajeel placed his hands on his hips, "I immediately noticed what happened and heroically jumped into the portal above the town in order to save everyone." he said proudly.

"Mystogan threw you in here too." Joshua deadpanned.

"Cut me a little slack brat!" snapped Gajeel. He then crossed his arms, "Yeah he did."

"Well, do you not have magic either?"

"Huh, no, I have my magic."

"The pill?" asked Joshua.

"That thing tasted terrible." replied the iron dragon slayer.

Joshua laughed lightly, "Yeah maybe a little."

Gajeel motioned for Joshua to follow him, "I've got a contact here that is helping me out. I'm sure he'd be happy to meet you."

"Who is it?" Joshua asked.

"He's a famous reporter known for causing trouble with his amazing words."

"He's you." Joshua sweatdropped.

"How did you know!?"

"He sounds like the exact opposite of you. You like to cause trouble with your fists."

Gajeel smirked,"Gihi, well you're not wrong."

Joshua walked alongside of Gajeel as they made their way through the city. Joshua then felt his stomach grumble loudly. He looked sheepishly up at Gajeel.

"Please tell me he's got food."

 **And chapter! Wow, that was a big one! Now, about the death in this chapter. I felt like I had to show how terrifying the Phantom actually was. I also wanted to give the Edolas Fairy Tail a better motivation to overthrow the kingdom other than the power of friendship (there's nothing wrong with that but I felt like avenging a fallen comrade was a much stronger motivation). Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed. Have a nice day!**


	23. Chapter 23: When Did You Get So Smart?

**It's the weekend, so you guys know I'm going to punch out chapters super quick cause I actually have a lot of time on my hands right now. So here is another for you all! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 23

Joshua and Gajeel carefully moved through the crowds of people that choked the streets of the Edolas Royal city. All around them people were doing things that Joshua never expected in a dictatorship. They were all smiling, laughing, and enjoying life. There were attractions everywhere. You name it, candy shops, fancy restaurants, haunted houses, fun houses, Joshua was convinced that at one point he saw a group of clowns standing next to a sign that said, 'rent a clown'. It should've been a slightly comforting sight to see. Generally, when people are happy Joshua felt much safer. But this was different, this was a false happiness shared by only a few. He remembered what Louen town was like. It was nothing like this.

"This place is like a never ending festival." Joshua mumbled as he glanced around at the colorful clothing and people.

Gajeel nodded, "They have no idea how horrible their leaders are. Ignorance is bliss I guess."

"Definitely." Joshua confirmed as they walked towards a large blue apartment building. Gajeel glanced around before opening the door and guiding Joshua up the flights of stairs to the top floor.

"Why, is everywhere we have to go, involve climbing stairs to the top of something?" complained Joshua as they reached the top floor.

Gajeel ignored the complaint and quickly rapped his knuckles on one of the doors.

"Just a second." said a voice that vaguely sounded like Gajeel's but at the same time wasn't as gruff and sounded far more educated.

The door opened and standing on the other side was a tall man, same height as Gajeel in fact. He wore a blue pinstripe suit with a white shirt underneath and a fadora ontop of his curly black hair. A pair of glasses was on his face and he held a pen and notepad in one hand. The man glanced past Gajeel and over at Joshua.

"Who's the child?"

"A friend of mine, me." Gajeel replied as he and Joshua were invited into the apartment.

The inside was nicely furnished. It had a few expensive looking pieces of furniture including a fancy wood desk near a window on the far side of the room. The desk was barely visible though as it was buried under mountains of papers. Joshua then looked to the left wall of the apartment and saw a massive interconnecting web of papers and string. The string went from paper to paper, each paper had a different note on it and a drawing of a certain person. At the very center was an elderly looking man with a large hat on his head, and long flowing beard that covered most of the face.

 _That must be the king._

Joshua followed the strings to five other pictures. One was a man with a spiky haircut. He looked fairly young based on the drawing and held a wand like item in his hand. The next was a very strange looking drawing of a man with a pompadour hairstyle and armor that was shaded pink. The third was a massive cat like creature that looked really cool in Joshua's eyes. Then he saw the two that made his blood boil, Erza and Joshua Knightwalker. The last was an elderly man as well who really looked like a creep.

"Impressive little web." Joshua commented as he looked closer at the different notes connecting varying theories, both plausible and entirely outlandish.

"I'm an investigative journalist. Weaving webs is what I do best." commented the man in the suit.

"Wait a moment! That means," Joshua stifled some giggles, "You're the Edolas Gajeel."

"Why is that so funny?" asked Edo-Gajeel politely.

Joshua giggled some more, "You are the total opposite of Gajeel, and it's hilarious!"

The Earthland Gajeel glared over at Joshua while Edo-Gajeel titled his head to the side slightly, "Is that a compliment?"

"With that kid who knows?" growled Gajeel. "Before you asked Mr. Giggles,"

"HEY!" Joshua shouted angrily.

"His name is Joshua."

Edo-Gajeel's eyes widened and sweat formed on his brow which he quickly wiped away with a hankerchef. He wiped his glaces with the same hankerchief and pressed them back onto the bridge of his nose.

"So, you're telling me that this little kid is Earthland's Phantom?" he asked Gajeel.

"I guess."

"He doesn't look anything like him." Edo Gajeel observed.

"That's cause unlike my counterpart I really enjoy food." Joshua replied, "Speaking of which, where is the pantry. I need to conduct a raid."

"Me, don't tell hi-"

"Next to the stove, middle cupboard."

Gajeel face palmed, "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why not? He's a little kid. It's not like he can eat everything I have."

An hour and a half later Edo Gajeel stared stunned and slack jawed at Joshua as he sat across from the kid at the dining table. Joshua let out a loud belch before sighing completely satisfied. In front of him was a pile of dishes that nearly reached the chandelier that dipped about three feet above the table. Joshua rubbed his round stomach and burped again.

"Man, Edolas food is good."

"That was my food for the entire month." whimpered Edo Gajeel.

"I warned you." Gajeel replied.

"Ahhhh." Joshua breathed out, "If only I had time for a food coma this day would end just fine."

"But you don't kid." Gajeel said gruffly, "We need to figure out a plan to rescue our guildmates."

Joshua sat up straighter and nodded, "What ideas have you all come up with?"

"Not much." commented Edo Gajeel, "I've been observing the Lacrima from afar, writing down information that would help you guys out. The major problem though is not the royal guard, you two are wizards you should be capable of handling them easily."

"Right, the problem is changing the lacrima back to our friends." Gajeel finished, "and we're stumped on that one."

Joshua rubbed his chin and leaned back in his chair. "The lacrima is pure ethernanos correct."

"Huh?" remarked Gajeel.

"Why yes it is." Replied Edo Gajeel.

"I wonder." _That may just work!_ "Can you guys get me close?"

"How close are we talking?" asked Edo Gajeel.

"Close enough to touch it."

Edo Gajeel gulped, "I don't know if that's possible. The guards won't let anyone near it, not unless they have a very good reason."

Joshua frowned. _A very good reason?_ He hummed as he thought for a moment.

"I got it!" he leaned forward and spoke in a low whisper to the Gajeel's, "Here is what we are going to do."

….

Joshua and Erza Knightwalker strolled leisurely along the catwalks of the palace. They were finally having some much needed time along. And it was needed. Joshua could tell that the events of today, especially when he devoured that rebel's heart, were really bugging his beloved. Erza had been silent for the entire time they had been walking. The sun was beginning to set over the kingdom and soon it would be too dark to travel the catwalks. And Joshua was growing tired from the long day. The bone thin man stopped walking and leaned against the railing of the catwalk staring down at the sprawling city below.

"I can tell something is bothering you." he said calmly as Erza leaned up against the railing as well.

"I'm that easy to read."

"You're like a book." smiled Joshua.

Erza laughed lightly, "I should probably work on that then." her smile faded a little, "But yeah, something is bugging me."

Joshua frowned, "Is it what happened back in Louen?"

Erza bowed her head and Joshua sighed. He hated seeing her like this. He let his hand fall to her chin and he gently lifted her face up.

"What you saw today, was something that I had hoped you'd never see." he said softly, "I'm sorry for what happened."

Erza smiled a little, "You've definitely changed. You used to never apologize for anything." Her smiled drifted away from her face again, "It makes me wonder what else about you has changed."

"Hm?"

Erza took a breath before continuing, "You… you aren't the same person I married before you left to destroy Alvarez. The man I knew, he was one of the most feared people in the universe. He would never apologize to anyone, much less his enemies."

Joshua grimaced, "You found out about the interrogation then."

"How could you be so lenient towards those terrorist? Especially that one! After what she tried to pull at the battle for this city!" Erza snarled quietly, "Are you really trying to make peace with people who nearly killed me all those years ago? Have you changed so much that you've forgotten that?"

Joshua grimaced and looked back out at the city, "I have never forgotten that." he practically whispered, "I just… I no longer see the point of all of this fighting." Erza's eyes widened, "You have only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to war, Erza. Rebellions are nothing but mere skirmishes. They don't leave thousands of dead. They don't leave scars that you can't see. They are just happenings, quick bursts of action that fade away and don't return for several weeks." he looked back at his wife with a steely gaze, "Real war. War like you have never seen, war like I saw against Alvarez, is a hellscape. I saw tens of thousands die within just a few months. Many of those deaths I caused."

"That's a good thing! You were destroying the enemy." Erza replied.

"I wasn't talking about Alvarez." Joshua said quietly, "At first, during the opening stages of the war, I would send wave after wave at the enemy. And every wave I sent, came back with fewer and fewer men. Eventually, I decided to lead some men myself. I was frustrated with the lack of results and was cursing my men before I went." He began to tremble, shocking Erza, "I-I saw things that day, that would make the most hardened soldier in your ranks cry like a baby. I sent men into the jaws of death, callously, without a care in the world. And for what!?" Joshua voice was beginning to rise, "So the king can boost his ego! Make it seem like he is super powerful!"

His fist were clenched tightly, to the point where his already pale knuckles were growing translucent.

"You did it to get back at Alvarez for daring to attack us." Erza quietly replied still stunned by the sudden outburst of emotion from her husband.

"They were beaten before I even set foot in their land." Joshua growled, "That battle was a last desperate effort from a crumbling state. All of that death… it was meaningless. So, I resolved to not kill unless absolutely necessary. I stopped consuming hears, or at least tried to. I failed in that regard today." Erza listened carefully to him, "I started- I started to consider life, any life a precious thing, even an enemy's." Erza stared at him wide eyed, "Once I started doing that, I started truly winning. My men grew to love me. My enemies grew to fear me, not in a monstrous way, but in a respect sort of way. And I returned that respect to them. The enemy lost their resolve to fight when they saw me at the front, not because they were terrified like all of the news writers would say, but because they knew that they would have a better life in my ranks."

"What?"

"Nearly every soldier in my ranks, was once an Alvarez Republic soldier. The men I left with, at least ninety percent are dead. I had almost convinced the Republic into a peaceful end to the conflict when I was called back. They had been swayed by how their soldiers and civilians suddenly came not to fear me, but to desire that I take their town and end the war. They knew that I would no longer blaze in and slaughter everyone, but rather try to build them up again. Make them love Edolas, not through fear, but kindness." Joshua took a deep breath, "All of that occured, because of that terrifying revelation I had that one day I decided to lead the charge into battle. So yes, you can say I have changed greatly. But I hope to the very core of my being that I have changed for good."

Erza gaped at her husband. Who was this person in front of her? "So, so all the reports you sent back. Everything King Faust heard, was a lie?"

Joshua frowned then nodded, "The only time any of those were true, was the first year of the war."

Erza began to shake. Not with shock, but now with anger.

"You, you betrayed the King's trust!"

"Erza-"

"DON'T ERZA ME!" she yelled angrily slapping his hand away.

"You were never upset about me devouring the heart today were you?"

Erza looked angrily at Joshua, "No, I was actually sort of relieved. I thought you had completely changed. But that relief was false." Joshua stared silently at her, "You are nothing now, but a coward,a traitor, and a liar!"

"U-um, sirs." quaked a guard that had stumbled on them.

"WHAT!" roared a furious Erza Knightwalker.

"The King, h-he is c-calling a general military council. They are waiting on you two."

"Fine!" Erza stormed off towards the council room leaving Joshua Knightwalker standing silently alone on the catwalk.

"Sir are you-"

"Yes, I am soldier. Just give me a moment." Joshua Knightwalker whispered as he bowed his head over the catwalk railing.

"Yes sir!"

As the guard walked away he swore he heard something that he never thought he'd ever hear from the Phantom, silent crying.

….

The next day came quickly. Joshua and the Gajeel's rose early and began to set the plan into motion. Joshua grabbed a cane and an old gray cloak from Edo-Gajeel's large wardrobe as well as a set of large sunglasses. Gajeel from Earthland hopped from rooftop to rooftop observing the area from above as he neared the lacrima all the while staying alongside Edo-Gajeel and Joshua as they made their way through the crowded streets.

"I can't believe this is your plan." whispered Edo Gajeel down to Joshua.

"Well it's the plan. Work with it." Hissed Joshua as he tapped the cane in front of him and looked straight ahead through the sunglasses. Edo Gajeel had his left arm wrapped around Joshua's right, pretending to guide him along.

"Make way! Blind kid coming through!" announced Edo Gajeel as the crowd grew thicker.

The crowd made some space for Joshua as they drew closer to the massive lacrima in the city's main plaza near the palace. Eventually they made their way to the front row of the massive, cheering crowd. Joshua peered through the sunglasses and saw the lacrima in front of him. The blue crystal was absolutely massive! It towered over the crowd and jutted high above the stone columns that decorated the plaza. Joshua grimaced slightly, Erza was in that Lacrima. He had to find a way to get her out.

"Excuse me, soldier." Edo Gajeel addressed one of the guards in front of them, "Is it possible to allow my nephew to touch the crystal, so he can know what our salvation looks like?"

 _Nice move Nerdy Gajeel!_ Joshua thought internally while pretending to have a completely vacant stare.

"Well… I'm not supposed to-"

"Let the kid go up to it." said a voice that caused Joshua's anger to swell. Joshua moved his head to look at the voice as if he was actually blind. Joshua saw the man behind his glasses. The bone thin, black clothes figure of Joshua Knightwalker, "Gajeel, I had no idea you had a nephew."

"Oh yeah well," Edo Gajeel nervously rubbed the back of his head, "He very rarely visits. The city is a bit dangerous for him. After all he can't use magic or fend for himself in any way."

 _Hold it together Nerdy Gajeel!_

 __The Phantom smiled a little, "Well he will be perfectly safe with me. I can't let you by the guards, but I can let the boy through as long as he's with me."

"O-oh right sure!" panicked Edo Gajeel, "Thank you so much!"

The phatom's thin bony fingers grabbed Joshua's shoulders and guided him forward to the Lacrima. Soon he was just a few inches from the blue crystal.

"It's right in front of you kid. Go ahead and touch it."

Joshua gulped and placed a hand on it. He then summoned as much of his sensory magic as he could. He had never tried this before, but he was really hoping it would work. He let his sensory magic surge into the crystal. The sight of the ethernanos bouncing around in the crystal filled Joshua's vision. Then his vision zoomed in at and incredible speed to the point where he was seeing the very building blocks that made up the ethernanos. Joshua quickly committed it to memory. He then heard the phantom whispering in his ear.

"I know who you are." he whispered lowly in his ear.

Joshua's heart practically stopped as his normal vision returned and he stared fearfully forward at his reflection in the crystal.

"I will let you see this gem of ours." The Phantom snarled in his ear, "Only so you can know that this is your precious friends. They will be harvested, and they will die. And there is nothing you can do about it."

"Why?" Joshua whispered while trembling, "Why are you doing this? Is it really for everlasting magic power?"

"No, I could care less about that." hissed the Phantom, "I'm losing someone I love dearly. I'm losing them because I have changed too much from what I once was. So, if the monster that is the Phantom is the only way for me to keep her, then I will let the Phantom rampage once again on this world. And if you try to stop our plans in any way, I will crush you under my boot, then before I kill you I will take those friends of yours in our dungeons, and I will slowly remove their hearts and devour them before your eyes. Then I will pluck your eyes out and eat those as well, I hear they are quite tasty. Therefore the last thing you will see is your friend's lifeless bodies. Only after all hope in you is gone will I grant you the sweet release of death and devour your heart as well."

Joshua began to shake both with terror and unending hatred. The Phantom stopped whispering in his ear and guided Joshua back to Edo Gajeel.

"Enjoy the festivities."

"W-we will! Thank you sir!"

Edo Gajeel stammered before quickly guiding Joshua away from the front row and into the crowd. They immediately raced back to Edo Gajeel's apartment and burst into the door. Gajeel had already beaten them back.

"I hope that was worth it kid." Edo Gajeel said to Joshua, "We almost got caught by the Phantom."

"We did." Joshua's voice shook with fear.

The Gajeel's eyes widened.

"He recognized me." Joshua trembled, "H-he said if we tried to do anything he would eat the hearts of Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy while I watched. Then he would eat mine."

"Don't listen to him kid." growled Gajeel. The iron dragon slayer dropped to a knee so he was eye level to the terrified and teary eyed Joshua. He awkwardly placed a hand on Joshua's shoulder, "Uh, look at me."

Joshua sniffled and raised his head to look at Gajeel.

"You can do this." Gajeel said, "I'm damn sure everyone in our guild believes that as well. Don't let him get to you. You need to be strong. Not just for our friends, but for Erza."

Joshua's tear filled eyes widened.

"You need to be strong for you big sis kid. She needs you now. Can you do that?"

Joshua sniffled once then nodded. He wiped his eyes of tears. "I need a pen and paper."

Edo Gajeel pulled out his notepad and handed Joshua his pen. The kid began to draw a series of circles and lines that connect the circles in a pattern. It was a strange prism like structure that he was drawing. Joshua finished in a few moments and held the paper up to show the Gajeel's.

"This is the structure of the ethernanos in the lacrima."

The other's eyes widened, "Whoa!?"

"When did you get so smart kid?" asked Gajeel.

"Erza is very strict about education. Haven't you heard about the time she taught Natsu to read in three days." Gajeel widened his eyes, "I may be clueless, but I'm damn sure not stupid." Joshua then pointed at the ethernano diagram. "Look closely, notice something missing."

Both Gajeel's scanned the drawing.

"I don't get it." said Gajeel gruffly.

Edo Gajeel's eyes widened, "A major part of it is missing!"

"HUH!?" Gajeel looked harder at the paper. The structure looked complete to him, "I don't see it."

"Correct Nerdy Gajeel." Joshua replied, "These ethernanos are missing a key defensive structure. Specifically the one that can help it maintain it's structure when struck by Dragon Slayer magic."

"I see!" exclaimed Edo Gajeel.

"What!?" Gajeel growled as he tilted his head to the side completely confused.

Joshua sighed and pointed at Gajeel, "You hit," he pointed at the drawing, "This goes boom," He then let his hand fall to the side, "our friends come back."

It suddenly clicked in Gajeel's head, "Gihi!" he grinned, "So you're telling me I just have to break this thing and we get our friends back."

"Yes." Joshua replied, "But specifically dragon slayers. That magic will break the ethernano bonds and cause it to structurally fail, releasing the spell and freeing everyone."

"Alright!" cheered Gajeel, "You are a genius kid!"

"Like I said, clueless but not stupid." Joshua smirked, "And you should thank Erza. She's been drilling this stuff into my head during my free time since I arrived at the guild."

"But we got another problem," Interrupted Edo Gajeel, "What about your friends who aren't in the lacrima, but captured in the dungeons?"

Joshua's face turned angry, "Leave that to me. I can sneak back in, and I'll bust them out." His fist clenched, "And if anyone tries to stop me, I'll destroy them." He let his muscles relax as he tried to calm his rage, "Now, we must act now. They could be harvesting this magic at any time."

"Right." Gajeel replied, "Hey me,"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure civilians are out of the way when the fighting starts. I'd rather not have innocents get hurt."

"Right." Edo Gajeel replied.

"And, send a message to this world's Fairy Tail." Joshua ordered.

"What should the message say?"

Joshua walked up to the door and placed his hand on the doorknob, "Tell them, that this is their chance to avenge Natsu Dragion." With those last words he threw the hood over his head and stepped out of the apartment, hell bent on rescuing his friends in the dungeons.

"A battle." smiled Gajeel, "I'm looking forward to it."

"Indeed," Grimaced Edo Gajeel, "Let's get to work."

….

Another damn meeting. What was this the third in the past two days. The Phantom huffed, irritated by not having an opportunity to talk to his wife yet. She was avoiding him and he really wanted to clear things up with her. Above all else, he didn't want to lose her. She was the one good thing he had in this life. The Phantom barged into the council room.

"Late again Knightwalker." wheezed Byro from his chair beside King Faust.

"Shut your mouth old man." The Phantom growled menacingly causing the elderly general to cringe in fear. "This meeting better be good."

"It is." smiled Hughes from his seat, "We possibly have another source of magic power."

"Oh really?"

"Hughes is correct." Sugarboy said as his skin somehow began to sparkle. That man really irked the Phantom, "We are going to extract the tremendous magic from the Earthland dragon slayers and use it to power our newest plan."

"That being?" asked The Phantom.

"General Joshua." started King Faust, "The time for me to reveal the true reason why I called you back home." The Phantom leaned back as he listened, "It is time these angels above us, those false gods known as Exceeds, were destroyed."

Erza Knightwalker's eyes widened along with Pantherlily's.

"What?" growled Pantherlily, "You intend to attack Extalia!"

"Yes." snapped the King, "With the power of the dragon slayers, those cats and their tyrant Queen Chagot will stand no chance!"

Suddenly a low chuckle began to come from The Phantom's lips. He had let go of all restraints after last night. There was no point to try to change if he would lose what was precious to him. He grinned madly at Faust.

"I look forward to tasting that Queen's heart when I rip it out of her body." he smiled maniacally.

Pantherlily's eyes widened. Next to him Erza let her shoulders drop as she let out a relieved sigh.

"Good. Byro,"

"Yes my lord?"

"Begin the magical extraction. General Joshua, I will inform you of when the extraction is finished. You will then use the magic power to destroy Extalia."

"One condition." The Phantom said quickly. Faust glared across and Erza braced herself for some sort of speech about the values of mercy, "When the dragon slayers are sucked dry," he looked over at Byro while Erza's eyes widened and a grin formed on her face, "Their hearts are mine."

….

Erza waited impatiently in her quarters. She paced back and forth trying to absorb what had occurred at the meeting when the door burst open revealing the bony figure of her husband.

"Joshua." she breathed.

"Erza." he snarled before he rushed up to her and grabbed her roughly by the hips, "This version of me better?"

Erza smiled up at him, "I knew you were still in there somewhere." she leaned her head up and kissed her husband before every candle in the room was blown out by an ice cold breeze.

 **The showdown is approaching! Joshua is on a collision course with Byro as he races to rescue Natsu and Wendy. Gajeel is going to break the lacrima. The battle is almost here. I'm super excited to write it! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	24. Chapter 24: Joshua vs Joshua

**Alright, new chapter ready to go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 24

The palace stood tall in front of Joshua as he hid himself in the Force and slowly approached the massive palace doors. He pressed his hands against the large doors, the guards next to them completely unaware that he was standing right next to the doors. Joshua glanced at the two unsuspecting guards. He couldn't open the doors yet, they had to be taken care of. In a lightning fast motion, Joshua slammed his fist into the left guard's helmet, denting the metal and causing him to blackout. The guard on the right panicked as he saw his comrade suddenly slump to the ground. But he soon followed as Joshua planted his fist into the guard's stomach before bringing his knee up to the guard's metal facemask, denting the facemask inward and knocking him out. Joshua quickly moved away from the guards limp forms and carefully pushed the castle's massive doors open.

The interior of the palace was dark, none of the lamps that lined the pillars holding up the ceiling were lit. Joshua narrowed his eyes and scanned the shadows around him. He knew no one could see him, but that didn't mean they couldn't hear him. He needed to keep himself hidden if he was to have any hope of breaking Natsu, the two Lucys, and Wendy out. But he didn't know where the dungeon was. If he had to take a guess, it was in the basement of the palace. But where in the palace was this basement?

The sound of armor clanking in a nearby hallway got Joshua's attention. He smirked from under his hood. He'll just ask one of these poor chumps. Joshua crept towards the hall and saw the two guards on patrol coming down the hallway. Joshua moved quickly. Keeping himself hidden he knocked out one guard before kicking the second in the stomach. Joshua then disarmed the second guard and knocked him to the ground. The guard cried out as he felt the invisible thing that had just attacked him and his partner grip the back of his tunic and begin dragging him away. Joshua dragged the guard as he ascended some stairs. After going up several flights he found a large enough window. Joshua heaved the guard up and held him at arm's length out of the window, the ground was hundreds of feet below the terrified soldier.

"L-let me go! Please!" screamed the terrified guard as he grabbed an invisible hand that tightly gripped his tunic.

"First you will tell me where the Earthland prisoners are!" snarled Joshua.

"Wha-what! The prisoners. Why why-"

"Answer me!" Joshua snapped as he feigned dropping the guard.

The guard's eyes widened and he began to sing like a canary. Turns out, the dungeons were in the basement of the West Tower. Joshua grinned as he was told where his friends were. But the guard began to talk even more.

"They are going to extract the magic power from the Dragon Slayers to power the Dragon Chain Cannon! That's all I know I swear!" the Guard shook as his legs swung in the air.

Joshua's eyes widened. They were going to do what? His anger swelled in him.

"Will you let me go now?" The guard asked fearfully.

Joshua's eyes glinted crimson. This guard helped the people who took away Erza and who were planning to hurt Natsu and Wendy. He snarled at him.

"Very poor choice of words."

Joshua let the guard go and the soldier screamed the entire way down. Joshua looked down as the soldier smashed into the stone ground startling the other guards patrolling the area. The boy scowled before turning away and marching towards the West Tower.

….

Wendy winced as the iron chains were tightened around her wrists. The chains dug into her skin as her body hung from a large stone with a dragon skeleton design carved into it. Natsu was tied up in the same manner, except his legs were chained back as well. Below them was the elderly man that had dragged them out of their cells. He was fiddling with a strange tube looking machine.

"What are you going to do to us!?" Wendy demanded to know.

"You two have the great honor of providing Edolas with your immense magical power." wheezed the elderly man, "This machine here will suck you dry of all your dragon slayer magic. It will then be used to power our kingdom for years to come."

"You can't do that!" yelled Natsu

"Oh but I can. And I will." wheezed the short old man, "your magic will bring about the golden age of Edolas. As well as the end of those false gods known as Exceed." The old man held the massive tube toward Wendy, "Warning, this will be painful."

The old man began to cackle as the machine switched on. A red glow surrounded Wendy and the stone she was strapped to began to glow as well. Wendy winced as she felt he magic being forcibly pulled out of her body. It was so painful. She grit her teeth trying her best not to give the old man the satisfaction of hearing her scream. But it became to much.

….

Joshua moved down the stairs and reached the basement of the west tower. A trail of guards either wounded or dead lay behind him. His eyes flashed crimson whenever he met one of those guards. When he finally reached the basement he let his hiding technique fade away. As soon as he reappeared he felt intense pain in his wrists that he was ignoring the entire time he was sneaking into the castle. Joshua dropped to a knee for a moment and hissed in pain as he rubbed the raw skin around the magic cuffs.

"Alright, no more for now." he winced as he stood back up and rolled his shoulders.

He heard the sound of a girl shrieking down the long hallway he was in. Joshua's eyes widened. He recognized the scream. It was Wendy.

"DON'T HURT HER! TAKE EVERYTHING FROM ME BUT DON'T TOUCH HER!" he heard Natsu yell desperately over Wendy's pained screams.

Joshua grit his teeth and his jaw began to creak from how hard he was clenching it. His fist tightened and he grabbed the lightsaber from his cloak pocket and stormed forward. Joshua could hear her screams growing louder as he sprinted forwards. His anger swelled with every ear splitting cry from her. Joshua then came into a large cavern inside of the dungeons. He stared shocked at what he saw. Wendy and Natsu were chained up against two massive stones. Natsu was struggling against the chains with everything he had while Wendy screamed as a red glow surrounded her. Joshua could feel it. Her magic, it was fading away, and fast. If she lost all of it- Joshua let out a hair raising yell.

Byro jumped as he heard an inhuman yell from behind him. It sounded like a beast roaring in anger around him, the sound echoing off the cavernous walls of the Magic Extraction Chamber. He saw the pink haired boy stop struggling and stare stunned behind Byro. The old man raised an eyebrow and turned around.

"What is the- *ACK*"

Byro stared into the glowing crimson eyes of a brown haired child. The eyes practically bore into his body as he felt the hatred behind them. He then felt the pain in his chest and looked down to the see the hilt of some sort of weapon buried in his heart. Byro croaked on last time before dropping to the stone tiles dead.

Natsu stared in shock at Joshua as the boy breathed heavily trying to calm himself down. The crimson in his eyes faded and so did the blue glow that blanketed the magic cuffs on his wrists. As the crimson in his irises faded Joshua rushed forward and used his lightsaber to cut the chains from Wendy's arms. He quickly deactivated the lightsaber and just barely caught the near unconscious girl.

"Wendy." he said quietly.

Wendy looked up through blurry vision, "You came back." she whispered hoarsely.

"Sure I did. I told you I would!" Joshua replied.

He lifted her up and set her up against the large stone so that she was leaning against it. He then moved quickly and cut Natsu down as well.

"Wendy!" he cried as he moved past Joshua and up to the injured girl. Joshua moved up next to him as well and knelt down beside her.

"How are you feeling?" Joshua asked.

"How do you think?" Wendy replied wryly before coughing, "It hurts a lot."

"Don't worry Wendy. We'll get you out of here." Natsu promised.

The sound of a lightsaber thundering to life with a loud crackling sound echoed around the chamber. Joshua's eyes widened as he turned away from Wendy and looked to the entry of the chamber. Standing in the entryway was a black clad man with a bone thin body. His eyes were blood red and he stared furiously down on the group of Fairy Tail wizards.

"I thought something was wrong." he growled as he held his crackling red saber to the side, "As soon as I saw the fallen guards I knew I had to check and see if the prisoners were secure. And it looks like it's a good thing I did."

The Phantom began to stalk towards them, the red saber's energy arcing around the main shaft of light. Natsu was about to stand to fight the evil man when Joshua shoved him back down with a strong hand.

"You don't have your magic. You wouldn't stand a chance."

Joshua rose to his feet and palmed his own lightsaber hilt in his hands, feeling the anciently designed weapons corners and edges in his fist.

"Joshua-"

"Get Wendy out of here." Joshua cut of Natsu, "Find both Lucy's and break them out as well. Then get out of the castle, Gajeel will find you guys."

"Gajeel is out there." whispered Wendy as she fought to stay awake.

"What about you!?" Natsu asked.

Joshua glowered at his Edolas Counterpart that had stopped moving forward and stared down the three with a psychotic grin.

"I'm going to deal with my adult self." Joshua grumbled.

Joshua pressed the activation button on his saber and the white blade hummed to life.

"I'll give you an opening to run. When you see it, go!" Joshua ordered.

"Joshua wait!"

The boy ignored Natsu and charged towards the Phantom. The Phantom's grin widened as the adrenaline of battle coursed through his veins. He raised his unstable blade in front of his body and caught a long, sweeping strike from Joshua's saber. The blades locked together in a bright display of light and sparks. Joshua grit his teeth as he struggled against the Phantom's surprising strength. The Phantom grinned from ear to ear the entire time. He then shifted his feet and shoved Joshua's blade away before swinging his blade to Joshua's left. Joshua ducked under the red sword and brought his fist into the Phantom's ribs. The Phantom gasped as Joshua's fist hit his bone thin body and set him stumbling away.

"Now Natsu!" Joshua shouted as he leapt and the Phantom and locked blades with him again as he tried to hold him in place.

The pink haired teen picked up Wendy and sprinted forwards past Joshua and out the exit. The Phantom scowled as they ran.

"Pay attention creep!" Joshua broke the blade lock and swung at his counterpart's face.

The Phantom casually deflected the swing away and spun to deliver his own blow. Joshua blocked and stabbed forward in the fencing style he specialized in. The change in approach caught his counterpart off guard and caused him to awkwardly sidestep the thrust. Joshua then backhanded his counterpart causing him to stumbled backwards and into the tunnel that led to the magic extraction chamber. Joshua felt the power rising within him as he embraced his anger and hatred for his own counterpart. His eyes faded from Hazel and burned a bright crimson. The boy rushed into the tunnel and raised his sword over his head bringing it down with a mighty cry. The Phantom scowled and caught the sword with his own ensuing another battle for dominance.

"You are better than I thought." scowled the Phantom as he muscled against Joshua's sword. "What's your name kid? I wish to know the name of my next worthy victim."

Joshua frowned, "You haven't figured it out yet?"

The Phantom narrowed his eyes.

"I'm you!"

The Phantom's stared at Joshua with shock. This little brat, was his Earthland counterpart! He shook his head in disbelief.

"Huh!?" he said with a confused look on his face.

"Well one thing's for sure, you are as clueless as I am." Joshua smirked before breaking the blade lock and exchanged blows with his counterpart.

The Phantom glared at him angrily. The two's blades whirred around the tunnel, slicing into the crowded walls and low ceiling like butter as they swung at each other. Their blades leaving molten gashes in the stone and rock around them.

"Regardless of if you are me or not." the Phantom snarled, "You failed to heed my warning. Now you will pay as I feast on your heart as well as your friends."

Joshua roared defiantly and the battle raged on in the narrow tunnel.

….

Gajeel jumped from rooftop to rooftop as he raced towards the massive lacrima in the city plaza. He had to act quickly, the ceremony it seems is actually taking place today. He saw the lacrima starting to tower over the buildings ahead of him as he got closer to his target. Gajeel grinned and jumped from the final roof.

The lacrima was glowing brightly as the different priests of Edolas pointed their magical staffs at the crystal and prepared to send it's magic flowing into the air. Suddenly a wild black haired man roared out in triumph as he leapt from a building nearby. The crowd around the lacrima gasped as the man's arm transformed into a chainsaw like sword. The figure pounced onto the top of the crystal and drilled his sword arm into the lacrima. The lacrima cracked instantly and the glowing turned into a brilliant light. Gajeel closed his eyes as he jumped away to avoid being blinded. The sounds of the lacrima cracking and slowly shattering filled his ears. The crowd screamed in terror as they looked on. Gajeel opened one eye and stared as blue light enveloped the crystal.

With a final resounding crack the lacrima shattered and Gajeel's eyes widened.

"No way!" he gasped in disbelief.

The lacrima had broken, but instead of the entire town of magnolia being released by the lacrima, two lone figures stood in the center of the plaza. One was shirtless and had raven colored hair, the other was armored and had scarlet colored hair. Gajeel stared stunned. That massive crystal was just the magic power of Titania and the Ice Prick!

Erza opened her eyes and stumbled forward before catching herself. She rubbed her head and looked around. This wasn't the guild hall. It was some sort of city. Not a city she had ever seen before. What the hell was going on!?

"Halt in the name of King of Edolas!?" Shouted some guards as they rushed towards her and Gray.

"Edo what?" muttered Gray as he rubbed his eyes.

Erza saw that the guards intended to harm them so she smirked and began to call on her requip magic. She concentrated… and concentrated...and concentrated. Erza looked at her body.

 _What is wrong with my magic!?_

"IRON DRAGON CLUB!" shouted a gruff voice that Erza recognized.

The redhead twirled around to see Gajeel launch his club like fist into a group of guard. The wild black haired man stepped in front of Gray and Erza and fought off every guard. When all of them were taken care of, Gajeel turned with a wide grin to Erza and Gray.

"Welcome back you two."

"What the hell?" Gray grumbled, "Where are we? Where's the guild hall?"

"Gajeel, what is going on?" asked Erza.

"Not a whole lotta time for explanations. So I'll give you the short version."

Gajeel told them about how they were in a parallel world to Earthland called Edolas and how this world had limited magic power. He told them how everyone had been turned into a lacrima except for Joshua, Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Happy, and Carla and how the evil king of this world intended to use the lacrima to power their world, destroying everyone in the process. Erza and Gray stared stunned a Gajeel.

"That explains why my magic isn't responding." Erza said.

"HEY! GUYS!" shouted a familiar voice.

The three fairy tail wizards turned to see two Lucy's and Natsu sprinting towards them. Erza's eyes widened. In Natsu's arms was a heavily injured Wendy.

"Salamander!" called Gajeel as he waved at them. The group ran towards Erza and stopped panting heavily as they reached the platform in the plaza.

"Natsu, what happened to Wendy?" Erza asked as she helped him gently place the sky dragon slayer down on the ground.

"They were sucking out our magic from our bodies. They started with her. They almost killed her." Natsu growled. Erza's brow furrowed as anger filled her, "If it wasn't for Joshua, she'd be dead. And most likely me too."

 _Joshua!_ "Where is he Natsu!?" Erza demanded as she tightly gripped the dragon slayer's shoulders.

"He's still down in the dungeons battling the Phantom." Natsu explained.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Gajeel, "He's taking on that monster all by himself!"

"Monster!?" Erza exclaimed.

"Yeah," Gajeel growled lowly, "That guy is possibly the most powerful wizard in this world. And he is as ruthless as they come. From what I learned, he kill for fun and eats the hearts of his victims once they are dead."

Erza glared furiously at Natsu, "And you left Joshua to fight this man all alone! Even though his magic is so suppressed that he can barely use it to help himself!"

"I had no choice Erza! I don't have my magic right now! I would've been no help!" Natsu shouted back shocking Gray and the others with his defiance to Erza, "I did the only thing I could. I got Wendy and Lucy out of there."

Gajeel blinked, "Speaking of magic." Gajeel reached into his black shirt and pulled out a bottle of white pills, "That Mist gun guy."

"Mystogan." deadpanned Gray.

"Yeah him, he gave me and the kid one of these pills before we ended up here. They will let you use your magic in this world." he tossed each wizard a pill, "Warning you they taste terrible."

Natsu quickly popped a pill in his mouth a gagged as the taste hit his tongue. He quickly swallowed it and suddenly felt a roaring fire in his belly. The dragon slayer grinned wildly and slammed his fist into his palm causing a small burst of fire around his hands.

"Alright, I'm back in action!" he cheered.

Erza tested out her magic as well as she quickly requiped a sword into her hand. "Good. Where is the dungeon?"

"The west tower." explained Natsu.

"There are the rebels!" shouted a group of guards led by a giant cat man, "Stop them!"

Another group of soldiers appeared this time led by a man with purple hair and a lock of white hair hanging over his forehead. They were followed by a third group led by a large chinned man wearing pink armor.

"Go get the kid Erza." Gajeel growled, "We can handle guys."

"Yeah." Natsu grinned, "I'm all fired up!"

"Lucy get Wendy somewhere safe." ordered Erza.

"Um, which one." the two Lucy's said together.

"I don't care just do it!" roared Erza as she managed to even scare Edo Lucy. "I'm off to the dungeons."

"Alright everyone! You know the plan! Let's do it!" shouted Gray.

"Right!"

Erza raced away from the others towards the west tower. Behind her she could hear the sounds of battle beginning as the soldiers of this world clashed with her friends. Above her she heard some more shouts causing her to stop. Erza looked up to see hundreds of flyinig cats chasing a blue cat and a white one.

 _Happy! Carla!_

 __"STOP THE FALLEN, MEHN!"

Erza heard the catchphrase and her spine began to crawl.

 _No, no way. He-he's here to!_

"Attention all soldiers of Edolas!" said a loud voice over some sort of speaker. The voice was old but powerful as it rang through the palace, "Execute code ETD! Exceed Total Destruction!"

Suddenly the entire sky was lit up with blasts of blue light. As the blue lights streaked through the air they hit the cats chasing Happy and Carla. An intense blue glow enveloped the army of flying cats who all cried out it pain before turning into a giant, cat shaped lacrima. Erza stared up slack jawed before she realized, the lacrima was plummeting down towards her! Erza's eyes practically bulged from her head as she sprinted forward and heard the lacrima crash to the earth behind her, cutting her off from the others.

Erza payed the lacrima no mind and sprinted towards the west tower. Several groups of guards tried to stop her, but they stood no chance and she sliced her way through their defense. Soon she was racing down the steps of the west tower to the dungeons below.

As she sprinted down the tower she heard strange loud humming noises coming from the long tunnel that the stairs ended at. Flashes of red and white danced in the tunnel and every time they clashed, sparks would rain out around the figures holding the strange swords. Erza blinked through the bright flashes and saw Joshua engaged in a heated battle with a man clad in all black.

The man was a sickly looking one. He had dark brown hair and deep red eyes. His skin was as pale as you could possibly get and he was bone thin. Yet amazingly he fought with strong powerful swings that would send her little brother staggering whenever they landed cleanly against Joshua's own white colored blade. Erza grit her teeth. This man was daring to try and hurt him! Erza yelled and charged forwards.

Joshua blocked another powerful strike from the Phantom. His arms were exhausted and he was barely able to keep up with the furious pace and strength that his counterpart possessed. He was about to attempt to deflect another heavy handed swing when he heard a woman yell out. Joshua blinked stared wide eyed as The Phantom was picked up and tackled out of the tunnel and back out into the cavernous chamber at the end of the tunnel.

 _Who just?_ Joshua looked and saw flowing red hair on top of a body that was clad in armor. Joshua's crimson eyes faded and returned to hazel as he saw his big sister leaping off of the Phantom and landing gracefully a few yards away, sword drawn and ready for a fight.

"Erza!" Joshua yelled happily.

 _Erza?_

The Phantom shook the fog from his head before feeling cold steel dig under his bony chin. He blink and followed the steal up to the face of his wife. Only it wasn't her, it couldn't be. Firstly, she'd never dress this modestly. Secondly, she'd never raise a weapon against him, as much as they fought each other she knew that she would never be able to best him. Something was not right.

"Erza." breathed the Phantom. The redhead standing over him narrowed her eyes, "what are you doing?"

"How do you know who I am?" the earthland Erza demanded of the ghost like man.

"What are you talking about, you're my wife aren't you?"

Erza blinked. What he just say!?

 _You're my wife aren't you?_

Erza's jaw dropped and she stared down at the man in complete shock. Revulsion crawled up her spine, and revulsion usually reserved for the bulldog faced Ichiya.

"Eh." she muttered.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY BELOVED HUSBAND!" shouted a voice that was amazingly similar to her own.

Erza felt a spear slam into her armor, denting it and sending her sprawling on the stone tiled floor. Standing beside the phantom was Erza Knightwalker, magical spear in hand.

"Erza!" Joshua shouted as he ran forward, white lightsaber still activated.

He leapt into the air and was about to bring it crashing down onto the Edolas Erza was The Phantom activated his own saber and deflect Joshua's strike away, causing the boy to flip over the two and tumbled away.

"Good to see you sweetheart." commented the Phantom as he titled his head and felt his neck pop.

"You as well darling." Erza Knightwalker replied.

Erza gaped at the two. That was her, standing next to the enemy. And in this world, she was villain. And she was married to this phantom guy?

"Just what the heck is going on?" she asked.

"You are an enemy of the kingdom of Edolas!" Declared Knightwalker, "And because of your actions you have garnered the wrath of me, Erza Knightwalker, and my husband, Joshua Knightwalker."

Erza stared wide eyed. Her pupils shrank to mere dots in her head as she stared at the pair in stunned silence. Did she just say husband, Joshua Knightwalker!?

"Eh." she mumbled again before shaking her head, "What?"

"I know gross right!" she heard Earthland Joshua gag as he looked at the pair.

"You have no idea." Erza mumbled.

"Shut up!" Knightwalker shouted as she charged at Erza and clashed her spear with Erza's sword, "You will die for harming my beloved!"

Erza grit her teeth and shoved Knightwalker away from her before clashing blades once again. Erza jumped back and quickly requiped into her black wing armor. She brandished her twin black swords and rushed forward. Knightwalker pointed her spear at Erza.

"Mel Force!"

A gale like wind hit Erza and pushed her back momentarily. Erza then roared and charged again, as she got close she swung a fist and punched Knightwalker in the face. Knightwalker returned the favor and both quickly forgot about their deadly blades and began to try and beat each other with their fists.

Joshua got to his feet and pointed his blade at his counterpart who was watching the two Erza's battle.

"What are you waiting for!?" Joshua demanded, "Get ready to face me!"

The Phantom held out a hand to Joshua. A tick mark formed on Joshua's head.

"HEY! Take me seriously dammit!" Joshua yelled as he stomped his right foot.

"I can't." whispered the Phantom as he watched the two Erza's punch it out.

"Why not!?"

"This is the greatest cat fight of my life."

Joshua blinked.

 _Macao, you talk about catfights a lot? What is it?_

" _Oh well, a cat fight is when two really hot chicks get super pissed at each other and pretty much attempt to kill each other."_

" _Oh yeah Macao." Commented Wakaba, "And if you're really lucky you will see clothes come off. It's pretty hot."_

Joshua's jaw dropped and his face paled as he stared at his counterpart. His right eye twitched as he glared at the Phantom.

"GROSS!" shouted Joshua before rubbing his eyes, "I didn't want to see that! Get that image out of my brain!"

"If you survive me you will learn to appreciate a good catfight." commented the Phantom as he continued to watch. He was suddenly shoved into the stone wall that made up the cavern by an invisible force.

"Pervert!" Joshua shouted as he charged forward, saber drawn.

The Phantom snarled and met Joshua's blade with his own.

"So you wish to make your death come more quickly. Fine." snarled the Phantom. "I will not hold back any longer!"

The speed and intensity of the Phantom's fighting picked up to a degree that caught Joshua off guard. Joshua blocked a strong strike, stumbling backwards as his saber bounced off of the Phantom's red saber. The Phantom then moved lightning fast and kneed Joshua in the stomach. Joshua felt the wind leave his body then he felt a blinding, burning pain in his back. The Phantom's blade was digging into his shoulder blade. Joshua concentrated his magic and used his telekinesis to resist the blade, trying to keep the red laser from going further into his back. Joshua cried out in pain before extending his left had and pushing the Phantom back with his magic. Joshua collapsed to his knees and gasped for air. He winced as the burning in his back overwhelmed his senses.

"Joshua!" he heard Erza shout before she too yelled out in pain as Knightwalker hit her with a powerful strike from her spear.

 _Erza…_

" _Boy, you can't win this fight. You are too untrained."_

 _Geezer!_

" _Yes it's me," the old man's voice sighed, "Listen, if you wish to survive you must let me take over this fight now."_

Joshua took heavy breaths as he remembered what happened with Nirvana.

 _Like hell. You'll just try to hurt Erza again!_

 _ **Tyrannus is not allowed to go rogue like that again.**_ Growled a new sinister voice in Joshua's head. The boy shook slightly at the menace and power behind this mysterious new voice. _**You're only hope of survival is to let him fight this for you. The only hope your Erza has of survival is for Tyrannus to intervene.**_

 _Who are you!?_

 __" _No time to ask questions boy!"_

Joshua looked up and saw the Phantom grinning down at him.

"Time for your heart to be mine!" he grinned madly.

" _NOW OR NEVER!"_

 _Fine!_

The floor began to shake violently causing the Phantom to hesitate. The Phantom looked down and saw the blue cuffs the boy was wearing glowing an intense blue. The skin on the boy's wrist began to peel and bleed around the cuffs. Then the cuffs cracked and shattered away, crumbling to blue dust. He then felt an intense amount of power coming from the boy. It was a tremendous amount of pressure. In a sudden flash, blue lightning leapt from the boy's fingertips and slammed into the Phantom. The thin man yelled out in pain as he flew backwards once again. Lightning arced over his body as he hit the floor. The Phantom slowly rose and bit back the pain his body was feeling from that little suprise. He looked up ready to end the brat when he saw the boy's eyes. They were an intense crimson color and hatred poured out of them. The stare was alarming and it caused the Phantom to feel something he hadn't felt since the first year of the war with Alvarez, terror.

"Well now, the brat's stubbornness made that a close call." said a voice coming out of the boy's mouth that sounded nothing like the kid. It was much older and far more aristocratic in tone.

The boy activated the lightsaber in his hand, instead of a brilliant white coming out a deep crimson color made up the blade instead. The boy tilted to his head to the side and stretched momentarily before exhaling.

"It feels good to cut loose again." said the voice coming from Joshua's lips. He held his sword out to the side, "Now then, it's time you fought a true swordsman."

….

Across the cavern Erza battled against Knightwalker. Erza dodged a spear thrust and lashed back with her own sword strike, cutting into Knightwalker's side and sending her counterpart backing away. Erza was about to follow through when she heard a voice that caused her very being to go cold.

"It feels good to cut loose again."

Erza's blood went icy in her veins.

" _Tyrannus. Darth Tyrannus, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you Erza Scarlet."_

 _JOSHUA NO!_

 __Erza looked over at her friend and saw the deep hate filled crimson eyes that caused tremendous fear to crawl down her spine. She saw the remnants of the magic cuffs at Joshua's feet.

 _That monster is strong enough to break even those!_

 __"What is that Scarlet?" trembled Knightwalker as she too felt the tremendous and dark power emanating from the boy.

Erza gulped, "This is bad."

"Miss Scarlet." the monster inside of Joshua said as it looked over at her, "I can specifically sense your fear. The boy is quite attuned to your emotions." The older voice chuckled lowly, "I'm not allowed to try and kill you anymore though. My master won't let me."

 _Master!?_

 __"So we are allies now. I'll handle this pitiful excuse of a Sith." Tyrannus nodded his head towards the Phantom, "And you continued your wonderful little catfight."

"CATFIGHT!" Erza roared in disgust.

"Very well." Knightwalker replied, "I shall make this the last cat fight of your life Scarlet!"

The Edolas Erza charged forward and struck at Erza, taking her eyes away from the terrifying display of power that was taking place just yards away.

In a flash, Tyrannus had surged forward and gracefully brought his blade towards the Phantom's throat. The Phantom blocked quickly but was stunned by the power behind the strike. The Phantom grit his teeth and pushed the blade away before striking back. Tyrannus easily caught the blade with his own and flicked it away using the leverage of his sword. He then let his blade lash out as quickly as a viper. The Phantom was barely able to parry each lightning quick strike, each one precisely aimed at an area of his body that would've crippled him if it landed. He wasn't used to this, being on the defensive. It was a foreign concept to him. He struggled against the complex style he was battling against. The two red blades clashed in between the two combatants. The Phantom clenched his jaw and muscled against the blade. This monster was giving way. He was outmuscling him! He could do this! Then he saw the wide grin on the boy's face. In one lightning fast movement the boy flicked his sword out and the red blade slashed into the Phantom's left shoulder. The Phantom yelled out in pain before he felt the same blade cut into his thigh. The dark general of Edolas flopped to the ground, hand clenched over his thigh as he writhed in pain.

"Like I said. You may look like a Sith physically, but you are a pitiful excuse for one."

Tyrannus raised his blade for the killing stroke.

"Wait." hissed the Phantom.

The boy hesitated.

"Please do whatever to me. But please spare my Erza!" Tears began to form in the Phantom's eyes, "Please don't harm her!"

Tyrannus tilted his head to the side before an evil grin split across his lips.

"I think I'll really enjoy destroying a doppelganger of Erza Scarlet."

"NO!" cried the Phantom.

"NOOOOOOO!" Wailed Knightwalker as she broke free from Erza and raced towards the fallen Phantom.

Just as Tyrannus was about to bring down his saber the ground shook once again. The massive crystals that jutted out of the walls of the caverns began moving and the stones that Natsu and Wendy were once chained to began to glow orange. Tyrannus raised an eyebrow and lowered his sword to the side. What was the meaning of this?

Knightwalker scrambled to the Phantom's side and held him close as he winced in pain. Tyrannus scowled at what he was seeing in the cavern. Rising up out of the pit that was below the platform the were fight from was a massive dragon skull that glowing orange. It let out an earsplitting roar before launching up into the air with a bone like chain attached to the base of it's skull.

"They did it!" breathed the Phantom, "They fired the Dragon Chain Cannon."

"The what?" Erza cried.

The Phantom chuckled, "Your precious guild will be no more. Soon they will be smashed into Extalia and destroyed. Magic power will rain down from the heavens!" The Phantom began to laugh loudly, "It worked perfectly! Let the Exceeds fall. They will all die!"

"Joshua," said a voice that everyone in the room recognized. Stepping out of the tunnel was a figure with blue hair and a tattoo over his right eye. He wore blue robes that covered most of his body and carried several large magical staffs. "I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in someone in my life."

"Mystogan?" Erza said in a shocked tone.

"Ah, the blue haired bastard." Tyrannus chuckled, "The boy comes up with some creative names for those he despises."

The Phantom stared wide eyed at Mystogan. That was not possible! He couldn't be alive! Something switched inside of the Phantom as he stared at Mystogan. The fury and madness in his eyes faded.

"Erza, help me up right now."

"Why?"

"Don't you know who that is!? I've told you the stories haven't I?"

Erza Knightwalker shook her head.

"This is getting rather dull for me. The enemy is beaten and the boy has been screaming to let him have a go at the blue haired bastard." Tyrannus explained, "I'll be leaving now."

"Good." Growled Erza.

The crimson glow faded from Joshua's eyes and they were soon replaced with the kind hazel Erza knew. Joshua groaned then held his head.

"That makes me feel sick." he then blinked, "HEY BLUE HAIRED BASTARD!"

"How many times must I explain that I'm not the Jellal you know?" sweatdropped Mystogan.

Knightwalker helped the Phantom to his feet. The black clad general rested his weight on her and hopped towards Mystogan.

"Who is this Joshua?" Knightwalker asked, "Tell me!"

"Jellal." The Phantom said stunned, "Is that really you?"

Mystogan grimaced then nodded while Knightwalker's eyes widened.

"It can't be. You died."

"No, I was just pulled into Earthland by the Anima." explained Mystogan.

Knightwalker glanced down at her husband and some tears in his eyes.

"It is you my old friend." smiled the Phantom.

"FRIEND!?" cried Joshua, "Now hold on a moment-"

Erza clasped hand over Joshua's mouth, "Shut up. This is our chance to get out of here and help the others."

She struggled for a moment as she tried to drag Joshua out of the cavern. She eventually resorted to knocking him out, heaving him over her shoulder and walking out. Before she left she turned to Mystogan.

"I trust you can handle them?"

"I won't have to." Mystogan replied, "They know better than to attack the crown prince."

Erza blinked. _Prince!?_ She then shook her head. This was too much for one day. She sighed and walked out of the cavern. They had friends to go help.

Joshua Knightwalker gaped at Mystogan, "I just can't believe you are actually alive."

Mystogan frowned, "And I can't believe that my best friend from my childhood has become such a monster."

Knightwalker whipped her head back and forth between the two, "You mean this is the same-"

"Yes."

"But you said he died."

"I thought he did." replied Joshua Knightwalker, "His death, or what I thought was his death, is what ended up starting this dark path I have followed my whole life. But that no longer matters, becuase he is back now!"

Mystogan looked at the two Knightwalkers, "You two realize I'm here to stop my father right?"

"What?" gasped Erza.

"I thought as much." smirked Joshua, "You always enjoyed rebelling against your old man."

"Are you going to try to stop me?" Mystogan asked trying to get straight to the point.

"We will sto-"

"No." Joshua interrupted Erza Knightwalker, "No we won't."

"What!?" exclaimed Erza.

"I will not fight my best friend Erza." Joshua growled, "Even if he is on the other side. I will not."

"But he is the enemy! You will do it for-" *SLAM*

Joshua grabbed Erza Kightwalker's arm and slammed her hard into the ground. Erza glared terrified up at Joshua.

"I...will...not." he snarled lowly, "I've felt terrible for the past few days. I felt like a monster as I turned back to that terrible thing I once was. And I did that for you. Because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you! That was a mistake I regret with everything I have. I should've never tried to change for someone who refused to love me when I turned away from the old monster I was."

"Joshua." Tears formed in Erza's eyes.

The Phantom rose and limped towards Mystogan.

"I will no longer be a part of the violence." he grumbled. He rose his gaze to look Mystogan in the eyes, "I will help you stop you father. This madness must end before more lives are lost."

Mystogan closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm glad to hear that. But you will still face punishment for your actions once my father is overthrown."

Joshua grimaced, "Yes, I would expect nothing less."

Erza stared teary eyed as her husband limped away with Prince Jellal. She yelled out after him but for once, Joshua did not look back.

 **And Chapter! Wow! That was the longest chapter I have written probably ever! And what a fight too! I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you guys think. And as always, have a nice day!**


	25. Chapter 25: Battle of Edolas

**Hey everyone! I've got another chapter ready to go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 25

The sleek spaceship raced through the blackness. Inside of the cockpit was a blue alien wearing a large black hat. Tubes extended and coiled out of his cheeks and down to a sort of respirator hidden underneath his clothes. His red eyes were closed as he snored in the pilot's seat. All of the lights on the console in front of him blinked with small flashes of red, blue, and green before the cockpit began to whir to life once again.

"Unknown ship approaching." The computer buzzed, "Unknown ship approaching."

"Eh." The blue alien's red eyes flipped open and he rubbed his face while grumbling under his breath. "The hell is another ship doing this far out here. This is unknown space." He pressed a green button on the console in front of him, "Computer, give me a visual."

A blue hologram illuminated in front of the alien's eyes. The image showed an experimental star ship racing towards his own at breathtaking speeds.

"A star courier?" The blue alien narrowed his eyes. No this was something much different. The alien grit his teeth and grabbed hold of the controls. "Computer, release autopilot. I'm taking over."

A series of whirs and beeps echoed through the cockpit. The lock on the craft's controls turned off and the alien let out a satisfied sigh before quickly hitting the accelerator of his craft. The engines rumbled to life as his ship flew fast through space. The alien grinned as he looked at his computer and saw the courier losing ground on him.

"I outrun everyone." smiled the alien.

His ship shuddered. The alien's eyes widened as red bursts of flak surrounded his ship. Since when does a courier ship have blasters? The alien tightened his blue hands on the controls and struggled against the flak that was tossing his ship to and fro. A loud explosions ripped through the back of the ship and instruments on the control panel screamed to life.

"Power loss in engine two." The computer buzzed. "Fuel leakage in engine one."

The blue alien grit his teeth. His engines were gone.

"Damn." he grumbled before he returned control of the ship to the computer. The alien cracked his knuckles, "Looks like I'm doing this the hard way."

He placed his hand on the holster on his hip and drew his blaster. The alien turned around to face the entry to the cockpit and waited, either for the courier ship to blow him away or for his own ship to be boarded.

He was surprised to see that the unknown ship decided not to shoot him out of the stars. Instead the ship pulled up next his own. The alien watched as the black craft pulled up next to the loading bay of his own ship. The alien frowned and released the safety on his blaster before calmly pointing it at the cockpit's entry.

"Just another chump to learn the skill of Cad Bane." he grumbled.

He heard the airlock on the other side of the door hiss open. The sound of a pair of heavy metallic legs hitting the deck of his ship echoed throughout the craft.

 _A Droid?_

Bane's eyes widened as he saw a red laser slash into the metal door that separated the cockpit from the rest of the ship. The laser melted through the door leaving a large hole. Not large enough for anyone to fit through but large enough for Bane to catch a glimpse of a black robed figure on the other side. The bounty hunter's eyes widened as the door was ripped away by the figure, even though this stranger didn't even touch it. Bane recognized such abilities, though it had been years since he'd seen them in action.

"Jedi." he snarled.

The figure let out a low, amused chuckle before his lips parted, "Oh no, Cad Bane. I'm no Jedi. I'm something much worse."

The figure leg's clanked forward and the shadows fell away. Standing in front of Bane was a male Dathomirian. He had deep red skin covered in black tattoos as well as multiple horns poking up out of the crown of his head. The stranger's eyes glowed crimson as he grinned at the bounty hunter. Cad Bane's eyes widened in realization. He'd had a run in with this one years ago, back in the Clone Wars.

"Maul." he shook.

It was rare for Cad Bane to feel genuine fear. But this time, fear was warranted.

"Oh, I'm glad to see you remember me." grinned Maul as he moved forward with the assistance of a cane. "What is an old friend like you doing all the way out here?"

Bane gulped and did his best to hide his fear, "Collecting a bounty." Bane replied.

"Really?" Maul laughed lightly, "In unknown space! That's risky even for you."

Maul leaned against his cane and Bane got a better look at the Sith. He was older, much older than he last saw him. Then again that was almost thirteen years ago now, it'd make sense. If he had to guess, he was using that cane to compensate for his prosthetics aging on him. But despite Maul's crippled appearance, Bane could still feel the power emanating from him.

"Who are you on a hunt for?" asked Maul before leaning against the pilot's chair.

"I don't discuss my contracts." Bane snarled.

Maul chuckled before Bane felt an invisible hand latched around his whole body. The hand began to squeeze and Bane grunted as his bones began to bend.

"I love it when insignificant beings such as yourself choose the hard way. It makes things so much more entertaining."

Bane's eyes widened as he felt some ribs begin to crack.

"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to crush you first?" growled Maul lowly.

 _This isn't worth dying for._

"Alright, alright. Put me down." croaked Bane. The invisible hand let him go and Band fell to his knees. The blue bounty hunter winced as he stood back up and felt ribs shift.

"Well…" Maul grumbled, "Any time now."

"A planet. I'm hunting for a planet." Bane said.

Maul tilted his head to the side, "Strange, on whose orders?"

"Who do you think?"

Maul frowned, "The Emperor."

Bane nodded, "His attack dog came to me personally and requested that I find this planet." Bane pulled out a holo disk and turned it on. The estimate of what the planet possibly looked like appeared on the hologram. Bane saw Maul's eyes narrow.

"Interesting." Maul stopped leaning and grabbed the holo disk from Bane's hands, "What is this planet called."

"That Vader called it Earthland." Maul stared hard at Bane, "But it's location is unknown. I don't even know why he has me hunting for it."

Maul began to chuckle lowly. "My old master is as paranoid as ever. And rightfully so." He turned to Bane, "I know where this planet is. It's my destination in fact."

Bane's eyes widened.

"And I don't really want the Empire to know I've come this way. After all, the person I'm going to retrieve would make me an instant enemy of the Emperor."

"Who would that be?"

Bane backed up and subtly pressed a red button behind him. He saw that Maul didn't notice. Bane smiled internally, that button was a distress call to the one other Bounty Hunter he respected. He just hoped that damn Mandalorian would find him.

"The grandson of the infamous Count Dooku of course."

Bane stared at him in shock. The grandson of who!?

"What?"

Maul's smile went away and he sighed, "Oh dear. It seems I've said way too much." Maul glowered at Bane, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you now old friend."

Bane felt the fear rise out of him. He was no longer trying to hide it now.

"NO PLEASE DON-" The red saber sliced through his body separating Bane's neck and head from the rest of his body. Maul smirked as the blue body smoked and crumpled to the deck of the ship.

"No one must know that little secret."

Maul said lowly before he placed charges on the hull of Cad Bane's ship. The charges beeped as the timer began to count down. Maul casually leaned on his cane before moving back to the airlock. He calmly opened the airlock and stepped back into his ship, sealing his own airlock behind him. Maul moved slowly to his cockpit before sitting down and firing the engines of his craft to life. He looked down at his gloved hand and saw the holographic timer sitting at ten seconds. Maul grinned and jettisoned away from Bane's doomed ship. After ten seconds of racing away the ship exploded in a brilliant ball of fire behind him. Maul smiled gleefully, another one down. He then sped his ship towards the star system that was coming up.

"Poor Bane," Maul smirked.

A planet began to come into view. A beautiful planet with a clear atmosphere and green lands surrounded by sparkling blue water. His ship began to orbit the gem in outer space and Maul stretched out before heading descending his ship into the atmosphere.

"He was so close."

….

Joshua face screwed into a frustrated expression as he struggled against Erza's left arm that clamped him against her shoulder. Joshua pushed up against her shoulder and flailed his legs.

"Let me down!" he exclaimed, "I've got to take care of the blue haired bastard!"

Erza sighed, "Quit complaining and get ready for a different fight. Look up."

Joshua blinked and stared up at the Edolas Sky. The shades of purple and orange were being covered up by a large floating island with a giant crystal resting on top of the island. Joshua then saw the massive chain that was attached to the crystal's island. The chain stiffened before it began to swing the floating island towards a second island. The second island had a large city on it and hundreds of flying cats flying to and for in a panic over it.

"That's a lacrima." Joshua breathed at he stared at the island being moved by the Dragon Chain.

"Right." Erza frowned, "Those are our friends."

"WHAT!" Joshua shouted, "Let me down! We gotta stop that thing!"

Erza nodded and dropped Joshua from her shoulder. The boy deftly landed on his feet and sprinted towards the island with Erza right beside him.

"Question."

"What is it?" Erza asked.

"How are we going to stop that thing?" Joshua asked.

Erza blinked before looking back up at the massive island. How were they going to stop that thing? Several explosions broke out on the island followed by large iron clubs falling to the ground around Joshua and Erza. Both grinned.

"Look's like Gajeel is already working on that." Erza replied.

"You will be my cat!" they heard the gruff voice of Gajeel scream from the island.

"I think he's a little distracted right now." Joshua sighed.

"HALT! IN THE NAME OF THE KING!"

Joshua and Erza skidded to a stop and saw a large army of blue tunic soldiers charging towards them, weapons drawn. The two grit their teeth. Erza quickly requiped a sword while Joshua quickly activated his lightsaber. Erza looked over and saw that the saber was no longer red but had returned to a grayish white color.

 _What a strange sword!_

"Think we take them all?" Joshua asked as the enemies numbers swelled in front of them.

"I'm not sure." Erza replied as she tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword, "Only one way to find out."

"CHARGE MEN!" they heard the booming voice of the Phantom behind them, "Fight for me! Fight for Prince Jellal! Fight for your freedom!"

Red tunic soldiers sprinted past Erza and Joshua. The two Fairy Tail wizards watched in stunned silence as the red tunic soldiers rumbled towards the enemy. In a loud crash of steel and flesh the two armies slammed into each other. At the very front of the red tunic army, Erza saw a bone thin man clad in black leading the charge with a glowing red saber.

"I guess Mystogan changed my mind." Joshua commented.

"I seems so." Erza smiled, maybe the Phantom wasn't so bad. She looked back at the island as it neared Extalia. "We have to get up there somehow."

"No we don't." Joshua replied, "It's big, but maybe-"

Erza realized what he was thinking, "You can't seriously think you can stop an object that large!"

"Can't hurt to try." Joshua replied, "I'm going to have to really concentrate."

He was about to try and use his telekinesis when Erza grabbed his arms and lowered them.

"That will practically kill you. It'll consume too much of your magic." Erza stared down at the ten year old, "I'm not about to lose you."

Joshua blinked and shook his head, "You got any better ideas?"

"Maybe we could cut the chain."

Joshua stared wide eyed at Erza before looking at the dragon chain that was latched onto the island. "That won't stop the momentum."

"But it is something we can do from down here." she then pointed at the island.

Joshua looked up and saw hundreds, no thousands of flying cats pushing against the island with as much power as they could. In the thick of them all was Natsu and Wendy he battered the flying rock with their powers.

"It may be enough to help them out. We'll leave slowing it down to Natsu and the others."

Joshua nodded and activated his saber, "Let's do it!" He charged towards the chain with Erza by his side. The chain flew high in the air above them, too high for Joshua to leap up to.

" _Do not doubt the force. Let it power you."_

Joshua gathered as much magic power as he could and jumped up. Erza stopped running and stared in awe as Joshua flew high into the air. Joshua raised his saber over his head and with a loud yell brought it down on the Dragon Chain as hard as he could. At first the chain sparked and the power in the chain pushed back against the saber. But Joshua refused to relent. If he didn't stop this thing, then that island would hit Extalia. Everyone would be gone! Macao, Wakaba, Cana, Elfman, Mira, Natsu, Wendy. They'd all be crushed. Joshua shouted out and pushed harder against the chain. The orange power radiating around the chain split away from Joshua's saber. The white laser blade slashed into the bone like chain and slashed it apart. As Joshua fell back to the earth below he could feel his magic power being drained out of him. He'd used way too much to make that jump. He then heard a loud crash and saw Erza blasting her way through the chain with her Black Wing armor. She then raced towards Joshua and caught the boy before he impacted with the ground. Joshua groaned as the two landed onto the ground and the chain landed with a loud bam around them.

"Thanks for the save. The ground looks pretty hard." Joshua smiled up at Erza.

"How in the world did you make that jump!?" she asked the boy.

Joshua grinned then shrugged. He wasn't sure himself.

"Just kinda did it."

Erza's eyes widened slightly before she closed them and shook her head while laughing, "You never cease to amaze me kid."

Joshua grinned and looked past Erza at the flying island. His grin widened as he saw the island slow down and stop just feet away from Extalia. Erza looked up as well and Joshua saw the wide smile on her face as well. Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel did it! The Exceeds and dragon slayers had stopped the island!

"Well done Natsu." Erza smiled.

"Hey Erza."

The redhead looked down at the exhausted ten year old in her arms, "What's up?"

"I wanna go home and take a nap now." Joshua smiled before falling asleep.

Erza chuckled a little before falling onto her butt, "Me too kid."

She took some exhausted breaths before letting her requip fade away. She wore only her white blouse and blue skirt as she saw Natsu and the others race back down to the surface.

 _The rest is up to you Natsu._

….

The battle raged between the army of the Phantom and the armies of Edolas. Joshua Knightwalker grit his teeth and fought back the pain from his wounds as he took down enemy after enemy. Any soldier that dared to follow the tyrant he once called king, fell before his red blade. But despite his overwhelming power on the battlefield he knew he was losing. His men were heavily outnumbered. Even if they were willing to follow him to hell and back, they were not strong enough to take on these overwhelming odds. Slowly Joshua noticed himself and his men being pushed back by the Edolas army.

"JOSHUA!" roared an incredibly angry voice near him.

Joshua's eyes widened as he quickly turned and raised his sword to block the spear of Erza Knightwalker.

"I will destroy you, traitor!" she roared furiously before flipping over him and slashing at his back.

Joshua jumped forwards, narrowly dodging the spear before deflecting it again. Then another strike from Erza's spear rocketed towards him, but it was yet another simple blow to deflect away. As they fought amidst the cries of their soldiers, Erza Knightwalker began to notice that her former love was not striking back. He was just deflecting her as if silently taunting her by not deeming her worthy enough to fight back against.

"Fight back!" she shouted angrily before thrusting her spear forward.

Joshua quickly sidestepped the spear and Erza stumbled forward. Joshua's bony hand roughly grabbed the spear's shaft and he yanked it out of Knightwalker's hands. He then pointed the blunt end of the spear at her and jab her several times in the chest before smacking her over the head with the spear's shaft.

"Why do you have to be so crazy?" he grumbled as she fell backwards, her vision spinning from the spear cracking over her skull.

After a few moments she shook her head, cleared her vision, and jumped to her feet. Joshua still stood in front of her, spear in one hand, glowing red saber in the other.

"What are you waiting for?" she snarled, "Finish me off."

She closed her eyes and heard only the roar of battle in her ears as well as the low hum of Joshua's saber.

The Phantom looked around the battlefield. Men in both red and blue tunics were falling all around him. His eyes were wide as the flashbacks of Alvarez returned to his mind. He dropped the spear in the mud around him and lowered his head.

"No," he whispered, "No more."

The sounds of the current battle around him mixed with the hellish noises he heard in his dreams every night when he went to sleep. He opened his eyes and saw his men falling by the dozens to the unstoppable wave of Edolas soldiers. They were circling around him and fighting to the death. His men were falling for him. They were dying not for any sort of ideals or patriotism, but for him. They were surrounding him and Knightwalker in order to keep the Edolas army from getting their hands on him. Joshua grit his teeth, this was too familiar. This was like Alvarez. He shook his head.

"No more death." he whispered before grabbing a white handkerchief from his pocket.

He wasn't going to let any more of his men die because of him. Just as he was about to wave the white handkerchief and surrender and new chorus of voices rang out over the battlefield.

"CHARGE FAIRY TAIL!" shouted the loud voice of Edo Lucy as she raced towards the battle with her guild behind her, "FOR NATSU!"

"FOR NATSU!" shouted the dark guild behind her.

The small dark guild known as Fairy Tail crashed into the battle of red and blue. The whole scene was turned into complete chaos as Blue battled red and Fairy Tail wizards fought whoever was closest to their fists. Joshua lowered the handkerchief and stared around him. The Fairy Tail wizards, they were pushing the entire army back. He stared in awe as the guild he had once hunted as rebels saved his men's lives, even if they knocked out a few of his own men in the process.

"I thought I told you to finish me." Knightwalker grumbled as she struggled to her feet and glared at Joshua.

Joshua snapped out of his dazed and looked back at his love, "Why would I ever do that?"

Knightwalker's eyes widened.

"You may not love me anymore. But that doesn't mean I still don't love you. And I would never kill you. Ever." Joshua deactivated his saber as the battle drifted away from the two leaving them standing alone among the mud and bodies. "I hope you understand that."

Knightwalker looked at him stunned. Even after what she tried to do, he still loved her. She closed her eyes. That didn't make any sense.

"After all of this, I hope you forgive me for hurting you." Joshua said quietly. "And I hope you also know, that I forgive you."

Erza looked up at him with tears starting to form in her brown eyes. "Joshua…"

She then saw a large smile form on his face and he held out a hand to her, "I don't think this kingdom really wants us around anymore, I hear the countryside is very beautiful. Wanna go?"

Erza stared at him teary eyed, "I-"

A massive red beam of power raced through the air and slammed into Joshua Knightwalker. The Phantom's eyes went wide and his pupils dilated as the beam ripped through his back and out of his stomach. Knightwalker stared in disbelief as Joshua fell to his knees, blood dripping out of his body.

"I WILL NOT TOLERATE TRAITORS!" bellowed the voice of King Faust.

Erza couldn't even scream. She could feel her lungs trying but she couldn't. It was stuck in her throat and it only came out like a whimper as she watched her husband fall face first in the mud. Erza Knightwalker looked past Joshua's fallen form and saw a large robotic dragon emerging from a destroyed coliseum like structure. The Dorma Anim has been awoken. She dropped to her knees and stared in stunned silence as the forbidden spell marched towards her and her love.

"Knightwalker!" boomed King Faust's insane voice from the Dorma Anim, "You will pay for your treachery."

Erza looked up at the dragon and trembled. The power coming from this thing was enormous. She crawled to Joshua and turned him over. His eyes were wide and his gaze was vacant. Erza let the tears fall freely as she held his limp form.

"Please come back." she whimpered as she held him, "I'm sorry. I said it. Come back now! Please!" _You can't be! Don't die on me! Please don't!_

"He won't be coming back to you ever again!" Boomed the Dorma Anim, "He's a dead man. A fitting punishment for a traitor!"

Erza Knightwalker clenched her jaw and grabbed the silver hilt from Joshua's cold hands. She pressed the button and let the saber crackle to life in her hands. The red energy arced in unstable pulses as it emitted from the hilt. She looked down at Joshua and placed one last kiss on his cold lips.

"I love you." she trembled before placing him down and standing up.

She stared down the Dorma Anim. Her face was filled with fury as tears dripped down her cheeks.

"What are you doing now Captain Knightwalker?" asked King Faust.

"You killed him." she shook.

"Of course I did. He was a traitor!" bellowed Faust.

"No!" Erza pointed the saber at the Dorma Anim, "He was a true warrior of Edolas! And you will pay for killing him!"

Faust frowned from inside the Dorma Anim, "So be it. You will share his fate!"

….

Inside of the ruins of the palace, as the Dorma Anim rampaged outside, Mystogan walked into the largest room of the grand building. This room was his whole objective. He saw the stone pillar glowing blue in front of him.

"The Anima." he breathed.

Mystogan stopped moving as he heard someone approaching him from behind. The captain of the first magic army, Pantherlily, charged into the room. He was bruised from head to toe after his battle with the Iron Dragon Slayer on the lacrima island. But he had managed to escape. He figured his majesty was inside of the safety of the Anima room. So the large cat made his way there. But instead of King Faust he saw a stranger standing in the blue glow of the anima.

"Who are you!? Answer me!" demanded Pantherlily as he balled up his fist and bared his fangs at the stranger.

Mystogan smiled and turned around. Pantherlily's eyes widened as he saw the blue hair and tattoo over the right eye.

"Lily, it's good to see you again."

Pantherlily could believe his eyes, "Prince Jellal." he gasped, "You've returned."

Mystogan nodded, "I have."

Pantherlily felt tears build up in his eyes. The salty tears fell from his eyes and stained his fur as he looked at grown up version of the boy he had saved years ago.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to stop my father. In order to do so, I must take away the thing that gives him his power."

Lily's eyes closed, "you plan on using the reverse function on the Anima."

Mystogan nodded, "In order to save this world from the conflict that has always plagued it, I must rid this place of the root of all conflict, Magic power."

Lily gulped, "But that could destroy this world."

"When something is so broken that it can no longer be repaired, you must destroy it, pick up the pieces, and rebuild it." Mystogan replied. "That is the only solution left. Especially now that my father, in his madness, has activated the Dorma Anim."

"He What!?" Pantherlily exclaimed.

Mystogan nodded grimly before placing his hands on a set of controls in the stone in front of him. "The Dorma Anim is unstoppable. I don't even think the dragon slayers can bring it down. No doubt they are trying as we speak." The room rumbled around them and rubble rained down from the ceiling, "In order to stop the Dorma Anim we have to cut off it's magic power. And the only way to do that is to send all of the magic in this world to Earthland." Before Mystogan input the codes to begin the reverse anima he glanced back at his old exceed friend, "Are you going to try and stop me?"

Pantherlily frowned and then shook his head, "No. It's time this world learned to live without magic and end the wars that have plagued the people."

Mystogan gave Lily a small smile and nodded before putting the codes in. With a flash of blue light the anima activated and launched a pillar of white light into the dark skies above it. A whirlpool of clouds formed around the white light as an Anima was opened above the ruins of the Royal city. As quickly as it opened it began to suck all of the magic power of Edolas into its core. Lily stared in awe as he saw pure magic being pulled out of the very world and taken into the reverse Anima. Mystogan looked on grimly.

"It's going to take a long time to rebuild this world. I hope you will help me do it."

Lily looked back at Mystogan, "I will."

….

Erza Knightwalker cried out in pain as the Dorma Anim's magical missiles impacted against her and sent her battered body sprawling across the ground.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIRST!" shouted Natsu as he hammered the Dorma Anim's head with a fiery fist.

The dragonslayers had joined in on the fight almost as soon as the Dorma Anim appeared. At first all three were confused why Erza Knightwalker would be fighting her king. But when they saw the limp body of the Phantom in the mud nearby they understood and didn't even bother to question her. And she didn't question them. She was grateful the help as they four raged their battle against the mad king of Edolas.

Natsu yelled out in pain as the Dorma Anim threw him off of it's body and into Wendy. Gajeel then yelled out as the tail of the artificial dragon whipped him through the air and slammed him into the earth.

"Damn." Natsu clenched his fists, "How come we can't beat this thing!?"

"We're dragon slayers! This should be a piece of cake!" Growled Gajeel who was just as battered and frustrated.

"We can't even put a dent in it." Wendy gasped as she felt her magic power begin to dwindle.

Erza Knightwalker rose to her feet and glared angrily at the Dorma Anim. She barely had the strength the stand. Only the desire to avenger Joshua spurred her on. She raced forward once again and slashed at the armor that covered the Dorma Anim.

"Follow the crazy lady's lead." growled Gajeel before charging once again as well. As he approached the artificial dragon he sucked in ton of air, "IRON DRAGON ROAR!"

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"

"SKY DRAGON ROAR!"

The massive attacks slammed into the Dorma Anim and strained against the magical armor it was encased in.

"AHAHAHA!" cackled King Faust, "You cannot pierce the Dorma Anim's armor! Not while it has magic reinforcing it!"

The King's laughter faded though as he stared at the dials inside of the Dorma Anim. The magic power, it was plummeting. His eyes widened as he stared at the dial falling from full power to zero.

"WHERE IS THE MAGIC POWER GOING!?"

Erza Knightwalker looked up and gasped as she saw the magic of Edolas being sucked into a portal that resembled the Anima. She then stared at the magical armor of the Dorma Anim and saw pure magic seeping out of it and rising into the air.

"NO! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!"

Knightwalker looked up and saw the three dragon slayer wars pierce the center armor of the Dorma Anim. The king flew out the back of the artificial dragon as the powerful attacks hit him head on. Erza Knightwalker looked around her and saw the magical weapons of everyone, friend and foe, losing their magic to the Anima. Panic began to spread among the many people in the battle and in the city around them. Knightwalker looked down at the red saber and was surprised to see no magic leaking out of it. Was it not a magical weapon? She shook away her thoughts. She had one thing to do right now. Kill the king. She stumbled forward before limping towards the crumpled up form of King Faust.

"No," croaked the King, "How could I lose?"

"Faust."

The King's eyes widened and he looked over to see Knightwalker limping towards him, red saber crackling in the air. He stared fearfully at her as she stood over him.

"You...will...pay." she snarled as she raised the saber over her head.

"Erza don't!" shouted a voice. Erza Knightwalker hesitated a looked to see Pantherlily and Prince Jellal running towards her, "Don't kill him." yelled Lily.

"Why not?" she snarled, "He didn't show mercy to Joshua. He killed him!"

Mystogan and Pantherlily stopped in their tracks.

"What!?" gasped Lily.

Mystogan looked at Erza in shock then his eyes turned to Faust. His father looked over at him then back to Erza. His eyes filled with fear.

"What would he do?" he said quietly.

Erza blinked.

"What would Joshua have done?" Mystogan repeated as he looked back at Erza.

Erza grit her teeth and tightened her grip around the lightsaber in her hands. She trembled before yelling out and plunging the blade downwards. Faust closed his eyes and braced for the end. He heard the high crackling of the blade in his right ear. He opened his eyes and stared stunned at the red blade that was mere inches from his head.

"Leave." Erza growled, "And never come back."

She deactivated the saber and held it loosely in her hands. She looked over at Mystogan and Lily.

"What do we do now?" she asked as the battle ended around them. The magic was almost completely gone now and panic was spreading.

"We rebuild." Mystogan replied, "Together."

Erza Knightwalker closed her eyes and nodded.

"Um, Prince Jellal. How much of the magic does the reverse anima take?" Lily asked.

"LILY!" shouted Mystogan.

Erza opened her eyes and saw Pantherlily rising into the air surrounded by a yellow glow. Rising up towards the anima with him was all of the other Exceeds, the Earthland wizards, and the massive lacrima that slowly ascended towards the reverse anima.

 _Of course. The exceeds have magic in their very bodies. The reverse anima takes all magic, that must include them and the Earthland wizards._

Lily at first panicked but then realized this as well. He calmed himself down and looked back down at Mystogan, "I guess this is goodbye my prince." Lily grinned down at Mystogan as the vacuum of the reverse anima took him, "I know you will be a great king." and with that he was gone.

"HEY WHY AM I FLYING!" shouted a pink haired young man as he flailed his arms.

"What is going on!?" shouted many exceeds as they were taken by the reverse anima.

Erza Knightwalker and Mystogan watched as they wall were taken into the anima. Knightwalker then saw her Earthland counterpart in the air with a small ten year old in her arms. She narrowed her eyes and called out to her.

"SCARLET!"

Erza Scarlet looked down to see Knightwalker yelling at her.

"Take care of the kid! Cherish him with everything you got!" Knightwalker shouted at the top of her lungs, "Don't make the same mistake I made." she finished with a whisper.

Scarlet looked down and nodded at Knightwalker before the anima took her and Earthland Joshua. Within minutes, all magic in Edolas was gone. All lacrimas had disappeared, and the floating islands that relied on magic to stay in the air began to crash to the earth. As the world ended around them Erza Knightwalker turned to the new king of Edolas.

"You sure you can rebuild this place?" she asked.

"With help. I'm sure we can."

The two stood silently as the last few remanants of magic went into the reverse anima. With a flash of light the anima closed, taking all of Edolas's magic away. Erza Knightwalker suddenly felt the weight of today bear down on her. She felt her shoulders begin to tremble as she started to silently cry. She then felt an arm wrap around her and she felt Jellal embrace her.

"He wouldn't want you to cry."

"I can't help it. He's probably so ashamed of me." cried Knightwalker.

Jellal shook his head, "No." he ended the embrace and let Knighwalker rest her injured weight on his own, "He'd be proud of you."

….

Nastu yelled out as he fell to the earth below him. He landed heavily in the gray dust around him and rubbed his head.

"That hurt!" he winced.

"NATSU WATCH OUT!" shouted Happy as he flew towards Natsu.

Natsu blinked and looked up to see the entire guild hall plummeting down towards him. Natsu yelled out, his eyes bulging out of his skull as he tried to sprint out of the guild hall's shadow. He felt Happy's paws grab him and lift him into the air. The two narrowly dodged the guildhall as it landed back in it's space with a thunderous boom. The rest of Magnolia soon followed and in the blink of an eye, all of Magnolia returned to normal. Natsu glanced up and saw the anima portal close up above him. The pink haired dragon slayer stared up in disbelief before looking out at Magnolia from high above.

"Hey Happy, where are the others?" he asked.

"I see Erza and Joshua resting on the guildhall roof."

Down on the guildhall roof Erza sat and held a sleeping Joshua in her lap. She looked around and saw Magnolia return to it's rightful place.

"Agh! That hurt!" groaned Gray as he got up from the top of the roof.

Gajeel crashed down through the roof and into the main hall below while Wendy was gently dropped off by Carla beside Joshua, Erza, and Gray. Natsu landed down beside them as well.

"So, Mystogan was actually from that place?" Gray commented.

Erza nodded, "Prince Jellal was his actual name."

"Blue haired bastard." mumbled Joshua in his sleep.

"He really doesn't like Jellal does he?" Wendy sweat dropped.

"He'll get over it eventually. Joshua is like me, he's very good at holding grudges." Erza smiled.

Natsu bent over Joshua's sleeping form, "He's really wore himself out didn't he?"

Erza nodded, "Yeah." she then yawned as well.

The group looked out at the city as the sun over Earthland began to rise in the East, casting brilliant rays of orange and yellow over the sky.

"No one is gonna know what happened." Gray stated.

"Most likely they will think that it was all some strange dream." commented Carla, "They most likely won't believe us when we tell them what actually happened."

"It'll still make for a good story." smiled Natsu.

"Um guys…" whimpered a girl's voice.

"Hey who said that?" Gray asked.

Natsu blinked and looked down the roof to see Lucy hanging off of the edge.

"HELP ME OUT HERE!"

"Oh crap, I'm on my way Luce!"

The others laughed as they watched Natsu struggle to pull Lucy up onto the rooftop. Erza smiled as the sun came up over the horizon. She looked down at Joshua's peaceful form and remembered Knightwalker's words. She remembered how hard he fought in Edolas in order to save all of them. If it wasn't for him, they may have never made it back. She moved some brown hair out of his face and smiled wider.

 _You've gotten so strong Joshua._

 **And Chapter! So ends the Edolas arc! I may have a little brief opening in a future chapter showing what happened after the war in Edolas, but I'm still thinking about that. This was a beast of an arc to write. But now, the one I am most excited to write about is coming up, the Tenrou Island arc! There will be a filler chapter or two before the start of that one but I've got it planned out and ready to go! So be ready! As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	26. Chapter 26: Scarlet is His Name

**Ok, why not 2 chapters in one day on a weekday. Here we go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 26

Joshua frowned. This was not good, not good at all. He felt the sweat beading on his forehead as he looked at his situation. Across the table he could see Wakaba was in the same predicament. Macao was grumbling under his breath as he pondered what he should do next. Then there was Cana, with the greatest poker face on of all time. Joshua looked down at his hand. This hand would normally beat Wakaba and Macao, they sucked at poker. But with Cana in the game, he wasn't as confident. He saw the three aces and slightly gulped.

"Hey kid."

"Hm." Joshua looked over at Cana.

"I wanna make another bet."

Wakaba and Macao instantly blushed as they remembered the results of the last bet.

"Um…"

"Same one as last time for you. I win, you kiss a girl." Cana grinned.

Joshua blinked then sighed, "Fine. But if I win," he leaned back and thought for a moment.

He then let his magic run free as he decided to use that weird power he figured out he had a few weeks before Edolas. The one power he used to torment Macao when he got absolutely rejected by a girl. Joshua began to look into Cana's mind. He tilted his head, there was a lot of booze in her mind. Then he saw something that made his jaw drop.

"You have to tell him." he said.

Cana narrowed his eyes, "Tell who?"

Joshua glared back at Cana with narrow eyes, "You know who, starts with a g."

Cana's eyes widened and her pupils shrank, "H-how?"

"Whoa! Joshua just shocked Cana!" exclaimed Wakaba, "Someone get a photo of this!"

"Who's this mystery g person Cana?" Macao teased.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" the card mage roared.

"Well," Joshua stared back at Cana, "is it a bet?" _Please fold! Please fold! Please for the love of everything good fold!_

Cana stared at him. It wasn't an amused stare like last time. No this was an intense stare that very few could match.

"Fine." she growled, "But I will not lose."

 _Dammit!_ Joshua cringed.

The entire guild was gathered around the table as they watched Warren silently be the dealer. He played the final card on the table and glanced nervously over at all of the contestants.

"Alright! Show you hands!"

The guild hall went deadly silent. Not a single person moved and all eyes were glued to the match. Would Joshua defend his title as the best poker player in the guild? Everyone was waiting with bated breath.

"Wakaba has a pair of twos!" announced Warren.

Macao showed his hand. "Macao has nothing!"

"Don't rub it in." whimpered Macao.

Joshua gulped then put his hand down.

"A three pair of Aces!" announced Warren to some oos and ahs.

Everyone turned to stare at Cana. The card wizard's face was like stone. Emotionless. The poker face was still on. Joshua stared wide eyed as his heart raced. Then he saw Cana's face break into a devilish grin.

"Guess who's kissing a girl?" she cooed at Joshua.

"WHAA!"

"CANA HAS A FULL HOUSE!" Warren bellowed.

Cana grinned widely at the sulking Joshua, "Go on now, smoochy smoochy."

 _I knew that was not a good enough hand!_

The crowd dissolved and Joshua sat at the table with Macao and Wakaba.

"Hey your bet could've been way worse." Macao commented, "You get to kiss a girl. You know how many guys would love that bet?"

"It is worse than Cana's." sulked Joshua.

"How so?" asked Wakaba.

"I live with Erza… think about that." Joshua replied.

Wakaba and Macao looked at each other than cringed.

"I'll say good things at your funeral kid." Macao said.

"It was nice knowing you."

"Screw you guys!" Joshua snapped before jumping out of the booth while Macao and Wakaba roared with laughter.

Joshua walked around the guild hall and settled for sitting at the bar where Wendy and the Master were sitting. He took his seat and set his chin down on the counter top before sighing long.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked.

"I lost to Cana."

Makarov laughed slightly, "All luck runs out."

Joshua buried his face into the countertop, "I'm so dead."

"Why?" asked Wendy.

"Well-"

"WHO JUST TOUCHED LISANNA!" roared Elfman as he stood protectively in front of his little sister.

Turns out, after everyone returned from Edolas, there was a guild member Joshua never knew about. Her name was Lissanna. She was about the same age as Natsu and many thought she died on a mission with her siblings when in reality she was taken by an Anima portal into Edolas. Joshua vividly remembered the party that happened when she came back. That was one wild night. But ever since Elfman has been severely overprotective of his younger sister.

"Elfman I'm fine."

"A real man protects his sister!" Elfman bellowed.

"Elfman, it's not a big deal."

"WAS IT YOU DROY!" Elfman bashed his fist into the plant mage's face sending the poor guy flying into Gajeel.

"HEY WHO JUST THREW THIS WEAKLING AT ME!?" Gajeel roared as he bashed Droy's face in with his metal fists.

Gajeel then began to fight Elfman. Then Natsu jumped in just for fun. Gray got involved when Natsu bumped into him. Joshua's eyes widened as he watched the brawl grow larger and larger.

"This is one we should probably leave." Joshua muttered to Wendy who nodded.

The two ducked under a flying table that shattered against the wall before quickly running up the stairs of the guildhall and going outside onto the second floor balcony. The sun was beginning to rise high overhead, yet the cold chill of fall was still in the air. Joshua wrapped his cloak around him tightly before he saw Wendy was shivering. He let his shoulders sag before hand his cloak over to her.

"You need it." he said.

"Oh no! I'll be fine." she replied shyly.

"Take it. You're shivering for pete's sake." Wendy sighed and decided she wasn't going to win this argument.

"Thanks." she replied as she took the cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, "Wow, this is surprisingly warm!"

Joshua nodded, "Yeah, if you want I can try and find one for you."

Wendy thought about it but then shook her head, "No thanks, not really my style."

Joshua shrugged, "Oh well. Your loss."

The two leaned against the balcony railing as they looked out at the bustling city of Magnolia. The cold fall breezes whipped through the air causing Joshua to rub his arms as he tried to keep them warm. He then heard a loud slurping sound and saw Wendy eating the wind that was coming through. She quickly swallowed the air before tilting her head to the side.

"That one tasted weird."

"I don't know how I will ever get used to that." Joshua mumbled, "So what did it taste like?"

"Hm…" Wendy put a finger to her chin, "Kinda like pumpkins this time. Weird right?"

"If you can get past the fact that you just ate air then yeah it is weird." Joshua sweat dropped.

The two stood there silently for a little while longer. All the while they could hear the brawl inside growing more and more violent. Joshua looked over at Wendy and just stared at her for a moment before she caught him. Joshua felt his cheeks heat up before he quickly stared back out at Magnolia.

"What were you staring at?" Wendy asked.

Joshua blinked, "Um I-uh." He had to think of something quick, "Your Edolas bruises are gone."

 _DAMMIT JOSHUA!_

 __"Well yeah, Porlyusica took care of that." Wendy deadpanned.

Joshua sighed, "I'm glad she did." he then let something slip out of his mouth, "I was afraid I lost you there."

Wendy's eyes widened, "Huh?"

"Nothing!" Joshua quickly recovered. _First Cards now this! What the heck is wrong with me today!?_

 __"Did you just say you were scared you lost me in Edolas?"

 _No avoiding it now._

Joshua exhaled, "Yeah. When, I saw you chained up and getting your magic absorbed, I could sense it all leaving you." Wendy stared at Joshua as he looked forwards, "I sensed the pain you and Natsu were in. And it scared me, I didn't want to lose you." Wendy began to blush a little as Joshua told her this, "I mean cause you're my friend after all."

Wendy's world shattered and the blush faded away. Did she just get friend zoned?

"Yeah friend." She grumbled before staring at Magnolia as well.

Joshua tilted his head to the side as he saw her face change to a frustrated look.

 _Dammit!_ Joshua mentally kicked himself, _I hurt her feelings again! Don't know how but I did!_ Joshua's mind raced. _How do I fix this!? How do I fix this!?_

" _You gotta kiss a girl!"_ He heard Cana tease in his mind.

 _She did get really upset at the play when that didn't happen. Maybe?_

Joshua gulped. He had to pay up on that bet too. Cana payed hers up. And like Macao said, it could be worse… much much worse.

"Hey Wendy."

"Hm."

Wendy's eyes ballooned as Joshua planted his lips on hers. Wendy's faced turned as red as Erza's hair as Joshua kissed her for a brief moment before pulling away and sheepishly looking back out at the city.

"Nice weather we're having huh?"

"Eh…" Wendy said with a face redder than the reddest red.

"Well the brawl sounds like it's done! Gotta go!" Joshua said quickly before rushing away from the stunned Wendy.

 _What just happened?_ Thought Wendy.

Joshua raced down the stairs and sat back down in the barstool he was originally at. The brawl was indeed over. Erza ended it once again, after someone made the fatal mistake of destroying her strawberry cake. Cana was sitting at the bar and saw that Erza was nearby. She gave Joshua a mischievous look.

"Cana please don't!" begged Joshua.

"So Joshua, when are you gonna pay up and kiss a girl?" she said loudly.

Erza stopped in her tracks. She stood rigid in the center of the building before her head creaked terrifyingly around to glare at Joshua.

"What...did..she..say?" She growled with the most terrifying glare Joshua had ever seen.

Cana was about to laugh her head off when she saw Wendy walking down with Joshua's cloak in her arms. Cana took a swig of alcohol before she blinked. A light bulb turned on and all the alcohol in her mouth was spat out and hit the wall behind the bar.

"You didn't." she breathed as she stared at Joshua, then glanced to Wendy, then back to Joshua.

Joshua wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide.

"YOU DID!" Cana roared excitedly, "OH HOW ADORABLE!"

"What's so adorable?" asked Lucy from her hiding spot behind a booth.

"Joshua and Wendy… smoooooched."

 _I'm dead. D-e-d… dead._ Joshua felt a metal hand grip the back collar of his shirt and drag him out of the guild hall.

"CANA! Help me!" Joshua cried terrified as Erza dragged him to the doors. Cana didn't hear him, she was too busy freaking out with Lucy. "MACAO!"

"Ooooooh…." groaned Macao as he was draped over an upturned table.

"Stop struggling!" Erza snapped at him as she pushed the guildhall doors open, "We are going for a nice little walk."

"I don't like walks!" Joshua whimpered as the doors shut on him.

Erza continued to drag Joshua by the collar as his butt rubbed against the ground while she dragged him. Eventually, Joshua gave up struggling and sulked with his arms crossed over his chest.

"We're not going home are we?" Joshua mumbled as he stared behind Erza.

"Nope." she replied.

"Can you at least tell me where we are going? And how severe is the punishment this time?"

"This is part of it."

Joshua blinked. Dragging him around Magnolia was part of the punishment. If the goal was to make his butt as raw as possible from scraping along the ground then it was definitely working. He felt like he wasn't going to be able to sit for a week. Joshua glanced around and noticed the familiar main canal to his left. They were on Magnolia's main drag. And Erza was marching straight towards the town hall. Joshua only knew of two reasons she'd be going there. A, a job request, or B delivering a criminal. Joshua blinked.

"KISSING WENDY WAS A LEGIT CRIME!" he exclaimed in a panic.

"In my eyes, maybe." Erza said ambiguously.

Joshua began to shake, "I don't wanna have to do community service." he moaned.

"Oh that's a good idea. Thanks for giving it to me." Erza smirked as she pulled Joshua up the town hall steps and towards the buildings double wooden doors.

"You're the one who's supposed to think of it not me!" Joshua exclaimed.

"Inside voice now Joshua."

"Sorry." Joshua replied quickly as he tried to not dig himself into a deeper hole.

Erza walked through the white halls of the town hall before walking into a door that Joshua couldn't see the label to because he was behind dragged behind Erza.

"Ah, Miss Erza, have you brought him?"

"Yes, Mr. Mayor I have." Erza yanked Joshua up to where his feet were dangling in the air as he slowly rotated around to look at the mayor.

"Hi, Mr. Mayor." Joshua waved as he completed his slow rotation around, his collar balling up around the back of his neck in a twist knot.

"Good, then we can do the necessary paperwork now."

Erza smiled then nodded.

"Paperwork?" Joshua stated, "That's my punishment?"

"No, we're saving that for later."

 _Why would she save a punishment for later!? That never happens._ Joshua saw Erza smiling excitedly, _What's going on?_

The Mayor returned with his secretary who placed a small stack of papers on the desk in front of Erza and Joshua. Erza then set Joshua down on the ground. The boy quickly fixed his collar and looked at her.

"What the heck is going on?"

"It's a surprise." she replied.

"That's either a really good thing or a really bad thing." Joshua deadpanned.

"You'll like this surprise, trust me." Erza said with a giddiness in her voice that confused Joshua.

The Mayor grabbed the top paper and quickly signed it before handing it over to Joshua.

"Here you go young man."

Joshua raised an eyebrow and looked at the paper before quickly reading off what it said.

"This paper is legal recognition that Joshua of Fairy Tail may become a member of the family of Erza Scarlet and take...her...name...if...he...chooses to." Joshua could barely believe what he was seeing.

"I figured it was about time you got a last name." Erza smiled at him. Her smile faded as she saw Joshua's shoulders shuddering a little, "Hey what's wrong?" she knelt down beside him and saw the boy was crying, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Joshua threw his arms around Erza and began sobbing.

"Of course I'm doing it!" he cried as he hugged Erza tightly, "Why wouldn't I! This is the greatest surprise ever!"

Erza hugged him back for a few moments until he was able to calm himself down. Joshua wiped his eyes with the back of his left hand.

"But why?" Joshua asked her, "why would you want me to-"

"You're my little brother." Erza smiled at him, "And, I remembered something the Edolas Erza told me as we left. I was meaning to do this earlier but we kept getting derailed by dark guilds and portals to other realities."

Joshua beamed up at her before tightly gripping the piece of paper in his hands. He placed it quickly down on the desk.

"From this day forward." he scribbled his signature onto the dotted line, "My name is Joshua Scarlet!"

Erza smiled brightly as he handed the paper over to the secretary.

"Congratulations young man." The Mayor said.

"Thanks!"

Erza hugged him from behind but then he felt her grip tighten around him.

"Now then, about your punishment."

Joshua's eyes bulged from his head, "Crap."

….

"So…" Macao looked at Joshua thoroughly amused, "How was the _walk_ with Erza?"

Joshua huffed, "She took me shopping."

"Oh." Macao blinked, "That doesn't sound too bad."

"In the stores she likes to go to. It was total and complete torture." Joshua continued as he laid his head down on the table.

Wakaba puffed on his cigarette, "Like an armor store? I'm missing why that was so bad."

"I wish it was an armor store. It was super girly stores instead, complete torture." Joshua sighed.

Wakaba and Macao's eyes twitched.

"Super girly stores…" Macao muttered.

"Like," Wakaba's cheeks reddened, "Was, like, a lingerie store one of them."

"That was the worst one."

"HOW WAS THAT THE WORST ONE!?" both exclaimed in disbelief.

Before Joshua could reply sirens began to go off in the city. Joshua's head snapped up from the table and he covered his ears. He looked around and saw the stunned faces of his guildmates. Wakaba was so amazed that his cigarette fell out of his gaping mouth as the siren blared.

"Attention all Magnolia residents!" blared a loudspeaker, "Prepare to go into Gildarts shift! I repeat! Prepare to go into Gildarts shift!"

Joshua blinked as he looked around at the surprised faces of his guildmates. The only ones who were just as confused as he was were Lucy, Gajeel, Juvia, Lily (who joined the guild partly because Gajeel was adamant about having a cat like Happy and Carla), and Wendy.

"What's Gildarts shift?" Joshua asked.

"Oh man, he's back!" shuddered Macao.

"Wow, it's been so long!" Wakaba trembled.

"Is this like a dark guild or something?" Joshua asked, "Someone please answer me!"

The whole town began to shudder and Joshua ran towards the window to see the entire city districts were moving. They were being dragged by massive underground chains and gears and soon a long corridor was form with massive walls on either side. The corridor formed a straight shot to the guild hall. At the very far end of the pathway, Joshua saw a tall man walking forward with a brown coat covering his body. As the man got closer Joshua could see that he was a middle aged man with long, slicked back brown hair, and a heavy amount of stubble on his chin and jaw. Joshua closed his eyes and let his magic power leak out and jet towards the figure. As soon as his sensory magic hit the figure Joshua's eyes practically bugged out of his head. He began to shake as he felt the massive amounts of raw power raging in this guy. Joshua backed up from the window as the man made it to the door. The doorknob turned and the man walked inside.

"Hey, who the heck was using sensory magic on me?" the man asked.

"GILDARTS!" the entire guild exclaimed.

Joshua raised and eyebrow and tilted his head as he looked at the guy. How does everyone know who he is? Joshua's never seen him around the guild before.

Joshua pointed at him, "Hey geezer."

Every face in the guildhall blanched, even the Master's. Erza looked on nervously after she nearly choked on a piece of strawbeery cake.

"Just who the heck are you?"

"GEEZER!" exclaimed the man named Gildarts, "I ain't that old! And who the hell are you?"

"Joshua Scarlet." Joshua replied firmly.

Gildarts blinked and stared at the kid before whipping his head around before his sight settled on the familiar red hair of Erza. She was older, old enough that was. Damn, she looked pretty good too. Gildarts was impressed. He then shook his head and looked back at Joshua, then over to Erza, then back again.

"What?" Joshua demanded. "HEY!"

Joshua felt the man pick him up by the head and hold him in the air at eye level. The guy seemed to study his face for a moment. Humming as he did so as if trying to think really hard. He then held him out in front of the guild.

"Since when did Erza have a kid?" he asked.

Erza spat her cake across the room while Natsu and Gray burst into laughter.

"Am I missing something?" Gildarts asked.

"You've missed a lot old friend." Master Makarov said as he walked up to the man. Gildarts set Joshua back down and Joshua quickly ran his hands through his hair setting it back to normal. "And no, Erza has never had a kid. Joshua is her adopted little brother."

Gildarts looked at the kid then breathed an enormous sigh of relief, "Whew, I was worried that I was gone for a lot longer than I thought."

"IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS GILDARTS! FIGHT ME!" roared Natsu as he charged forward. Joshua grinned widely.

 _Get this guy Natsu!_

 __Joshua's jaw dropped and his face pale as Gildarts one hit KO'd Natsu. Natsu face planted straight into the floor shattering the wooden floor beneath his face.

"I win." laughed Gildarts.

….

"So you found the kid badly injured, took him in, and now you're practically raising him." Gildarts said to Erza as he sat at the bar with her and sipped on a mug of beer.

Erza nodded and Gildarts let out a low whistle.

"That's a pretty big thing to do there kid." Gildarts sipped his mug again before shaking his head, "Damn, it seems like yesterday you were his size and age."

"It does doesn't it?" Erza replied with a chuckle.

Gildarts nodded then felt the heavy glare of someone staring at him with killer intent. The ace of Fairy Tail looked across the bar and saw this Joshua kid glaring daggers at him. His fist was tightly clenched around a fork and in front of him was an untouched slice of chocolate cake.

"He sure got your glares down." Gildarts laughed.

"Yeah," Mira replied, "And he's picked up Erza's habit of holding some massive grudges."

"What'd you just say Mira?" Erza demanded as she stared down the white haired bar maid.

"You gonna do something about it?" Mira snarled as their foreheads pressed together.

"Are we really going to start this up again? Cause if we do I'll mop the floor with you?" Erza growled.

Gildarts slowly backed away towards Joshua and sat down next to the kid as Mira and Erza engaged in the most intense stare down Joshua had ever seen.

"I see that rivalry hasn't change." Gildarts commented.

Joshua ended his deadly stare at Gildarts as he blinked, "Rivalry?"

"You don't know?"

Joshua shook his head.

"Back in the day, Mira and Erza were pretty big rivals." Gildarts sipped on his beer, "Of course it might not be as intense anymore. Mira has changed pretty drastically since then."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

"Well she used to be really into the whole goth crowd thing." Gildarts explained.

"No way!" Joshua laughed, "Mira was into that stuff!"

Gildarts nodded before looked back at the kid, "You don't know much about Fairy Tail's past do you?"

Joshua thought about it a moment before shaking his head. Gildarts began to laugh.

"I've got some stories for you then kid."

….

The air was freezing cold around the three figures as they walked through the snow. The icy ground crunched beneath their feet as they made their way through the icy moutains in the northernmost reaches of Fiore. One of the figures was a man with brown confetti shaped hair and a brown goatee that met his long sideburns along the side of his face. His skin was brown in color and he wore what looked like green leather armor over his torso with tribal motifs painted onto the clothing. His legs were covered by dark orange pants that were held up by a dark belt around his waist. The second figure was a very curvy woman wearing a black, white, and maroon battle suit trimmed with yellow. She had long dark hair that flowed down to her mid back and her hips swayed ever so slightly as she walked through the snow. The third figure was an elderly man with a staff in his right hand. He wore a dark cape over a red shirt and tan pants. His long, gray beard reached down past his chest and his wrinkled face was adorned with an elaborate metal headpiece.

"Ultear, how can you not be cold in this weather?" asked the muscular brown skinned man as he trudged through the snow.

"I grew up around here Azuma." the woman replied, "This is nothing compared to how cold it gets in the dead of winter. And after all, I do know ice make magic. Cold doesn't really bother me."

"Quiet down you two." said the gravelly voice of the elderly man between them, "We are almost as the source."

"Source of what?" asked Azuma, "You still haven't told us what we are looking for?"

"Don't you feel it?" asked the elderly man.

Ultear concentrated and then she felt it. A tremendous amount of power was pulsing like a beacon just a few yards in front of them. The amount of power made Ultear shake slightly. It had to be as strong as her guild master, Hades. But that just wasn't near possible. Master Hades is the most powerful wizard on the planet. She had to be overestimating this.

"You are overestimating it Ultear." The old man said sharply, "While this power is vast, it still does not touch mine." The made thier way over one more snow embankment. Ultear's eyes widened as she saw what looked like a massive magic airship resting in the snow. The ship wasn't near as large as Grimoire Heart's own ship, but it was still something to behold. It wasn't a design either of the three were familiar with.

"What is it?" Azuma asked.

"I don't know." Ultear said.

"The ship is of no concern." Master Hades said firmly, "The pilot is."

The old man pointed down to a figure sitting cross legged in the snow.

As they got closer Ultear could make out the features of the figure through the snow. The man was hellish to look at. He had dark red skin with many black tattoos penned into it, making it seem like his skin was actually black instead of red. Several small horns protruded out of his skull as well. They were now just a yard or two away. Master Hades was about to speak when the figure's growling voice echoed around them.

"I sensed you all from a mile away." he said with a low chuckle, "For how strong the Force is on this planet, your use of its true potential is elementary at best."

Azuma stared wide eyed as the figure stood up. The legs of this thing, they were not flesh and blood. In fact the entire lower half of his body seemed to be made of metal. The figure turned and Azuma saw glowing crimson eyes staring back at him. The figure extended a hand and a cane flew from the craft and into his hands. The figure grabbed in and rested it in the snow before leaning his weight onto it. Azuma was surprised, despite the tremendous power coming from this creature, it seemed somewhat aged and crippled.

"Are you a demon?" asked Master Hades as he stood there.

"I've been called many things in my life." The creature replied, "Demon is one of them. But only on worlds that do not know they are not alone in the universe."

"Are you saying you are some sort of… extraterrestrial?" Ultear piped in.

The alien chuckled, "Yes. For this planet I would be, wouldn't I?"

The chuckle this creature let loose from it's lungs made Ultear's spine crawl. It was as if he was amused by them and despite the fact that she and Azuma were letting their magic power leak out he acted like he could swat them away as easily as he would a fly.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" asked Master Hades, "And why are you here?"

The creature gave them an amused smirk, "You will just have to," his smirk faded and he snarled at them before extending an arm, "Figure that out!"

A massive invisible hand shoved Ultear and Azuma clear across the way they came. Ultear's gaped as she hit the snow pile behind her. Despite the amount of force behind such a massive push, Master Hades was only pushed back a few feet. The creature seemed very surprised at the results.

"Impressive." Hades said before chains of purple light wrapped around the creature, catching it off gaurd. "That power of yours is very incredible."

The creature glared at him with hate filled eyes. His thin body struggled against Master Hades magical chains but they only tightened as he did so.

"I'll ask again." Master Hades said calmly, "Who are you? Where are you from? And why are you here?"

The creature stopped struggling and, in Ultear's opinion, wisely chose to answer Master Hades' questions.

"I'm here to retrieve someone. I'm from nowhere really. And," The creature glared terrifyingly over at Ultear as if he could sense her fear, and feast on it, "My name is Maul."

"Maul." repeated Hades, "A powerful name."

The chains went away and Maul rubbed his arms. He didn't understand what that just was, but he sensed the tremendous amount of power that came from this old human. He wasn't as powerful as his old master was. No one was near that level. But he reasoned that this old human was powerful enough to push Maul to his limit.

"Who are you looking for Maul?" asked Hades, "It is possible that my resources could help you?"

"What resources?"

"I am the Master of a Dark guild on this world called Grimoire Heart." explained Hades, "We are the most power and feared wizard guild on this continent. If anyone can find who you are looking for, it'd be us."

Maul thought about it for a moment, "Wizard guild." he laughed lightly, "Alright then. What is the catch." There was always a catch.

"You must help me find someone as well." replied Hades.

Maul shrugged, "Sounds simple enough. Tell me, do you know of a place called Fairy Tail."

Hades's eyes widened slightly, "I know of them. They are a legal guild, and they've been quite a thorn in my side for some time."

"Well, I'm looking for someone who has allied himself with this guild. He is a boy, no older than ten." Ultear's eyes widened as she recognized who he was talking about, "I believe he is going by the name Joshua. At least, that is what he calls himself."

Hades nodded, "I know of who you speak. And it just so happens that our goals are aligned. You see, the person I'm searching for is on Fairy Tail's sacred ground. And no doubt once we set foot on said ground the guild will retaliate. And he may be apart of that retaliation."

Maul's lips parted into a grin.

"Then I'm more than happy to help you find your person. As long as it allows me," he planted his cane firmly in the snow, "To take the boy, and kill all he holds dear."

 **And chapter! Oooooh, what is gonna happen next! Grimoire Heart has just found Maul… this is getting interesting. Let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	27. Chapter 27: The Final Push for S Class

**Alright, done with my art final. (THANK GOD!) Time to write!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 27

Erza sat at her booth quietly enjoying some strawberry cake. The guild hall was as rowdy as ever. A small brawl broke out every few moments and Joshua sat with Macao and Wakaba handily beating them in cards yet again. She smiled as she saw the continued dismayed looks the too older wizards gave her little brother. She was impressed too. Who would've thought he'd be that good at cards? Or that Macao and Wakaba were actually that bad at cards despite the fact that they played cards almost every day. Erza laughed to herself before shoveling another massive bite of cake into her mouth.

"Erza." Master Makarov walked up to the red head.

"Oh, hello Master." She said after she quickly swallowed her cake, "What's going on?"

"You know what time of the year it is right?"

Erza smiled slightly and set her fork down, "Solo mission season. That means it's coming up isnt' it? Wow, this year has gone by so fast."

Makarov nodded, "It has."

"MIRA I'M TAKING THIS JOB!" shouted Natsu at the white haired woman behind the bar counter.

"Good luck!"

Erza watched the fire breathing wizard sprint out of the guild hall with Happy right on his heels, "What is that, the fifth job in the past week he's been on?"

"Natsu really wants to make S-Class." Makarov said as the boy burst out the guildhall doors, "The trials are in two weeks." Makarov looked back at Erza, "I'm starting to narrow out the candidates. But I need more input. I'm going up to my office. I want you, Gildarts, and Mira up there as well."

"You want to discuss who to send to the trials?"

Makarov nodded. Erza took one last bite of her cake before standing up and following the Master, Mira, and Gildarts up to the office. Joshua was now just talking with Macao and Wakaba at the table when he noticed the four go up to the office. Joshua raised an eyebrow. Everyone has been acting weird lately. No one was teaming up for jobs, everyone was going solo.

"Hey Macao."

"What is it kid?" Macao replied before sipping on a mug of beer.

"Why is everyone acting so weird?"

"Solo mission season kid." Wakaba commented, "You know what that means right Macao?"

The purpled haired wizard chuckled, "Oh yeah. The youngsters are trying to get that coveted S class rank."

"How does going on solo missions get you the S class rank?" Joshua asked.

"Well kid. The Master chooses who gets to become S class through the S class trials. In order to get to the trials you have to prove that you are ready."

Wakaba nodded, "And you have to prove that you are really powerful. The trial is different every year, but it is always incredibly difficult."

Joshua leaned back in his chair, "Do I have a chance?"

Macao laughed lightly, "I don't know about this year kid. But you're well on your way. Just keep getting stronger."

Joshua smiled at the older wizard, "Sure thing!" he then grabbed the deck of cards and began shuffling them, "How much money do you guys wanna lose today?"

….

The master quietly shut the office door behind him and looked to the three people in his office. They were the three remaining S-Class wizards of Fairy Tail. At one time, there were five. The other two were Laxus and Mystogan. But Laxus was banished and Mystogan remained in Edolas. Makarov sighed, the numbers have certainly dwindled. Good thing there is a good batch of candidates this year. Gildarts sat down in a large easy chair and yawned.

"Alright, let's get this over with. I'm tired."

"You're just lazy, not tired." Mira smiled at him.

"Talk about passive aggressive." mumbled Gildarts.

"Stop being lazy Gildarts and take this seriously!" barked Erza.

Gildarts instantly sat up straighter and focused.

"And then there is aggressive, aggressive." he mumbled under his breath.

"Alright, now with the three of you present. We can begin to discuss the possible contenders for the S class trial." Makarov said, "But first, I'm going to tell you what this year's trial will be."

The three S class wizards leaned forward.

"The S class trial will take place on Tenrou Island, our guild's sacred ground." Gildarts whistled lowly as he heard this, "The trail will consist of two stages. The first is a battle stage. This battle stage will have three possibilities. The serenity route-"

"Also known as the damn lucky route." commented Gildarts.

"Correct. Team battle routes in which the candidate and their training partner will battle against another team." continued the Master, "And lastly the S Class battles."

"I'm assuming that the candidate and their partner will be battling one of us in that part of stage one." Erza stated as she leaned back against the wall.

Makarov nodded, "Correct. Stage 2 of the trial will be finding the grave of our first Master, Mavis Vermillion, on the island."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Mira said with a smile.

"You've really made it easy this year haven't you old man." Gildarts replied.

"It is not easy." Makarov said in a firm tone, "The grave is very well hidden, and every team that passes stage one will be searching for it. Which means you will have to find it before anyone else and you will have to fight off the other teams. Add in the treacherous terrain of the island and any monsters that still reside on it, and you have a pretty difficult challenge."

Erza frowned, "So we need to pick the candidates carefully. Ones that we know can handle it."

"Yes." Makarov reached for his desk by using his magic to extend his arm. His stretched out hand grabbed a list on the desk and brought it back to him, "I have a list of names already. I want your opinion. And before we start, I want to say that I plan on taking eight to nine candidates. With their partners that'll make sixteen or eighteen people on the island. Clear?"

All three S class mages nodded.

"Good, alright, first contender, Natsu Dragneel."

"Yes." Gildarts said quickly, "Kid's got the power and the drive to do it. He still needs to learn some stuff, but I say we give him a shot."

"Natsu has proven himself time and time again. I think he'd do well." Mira said.

The others looked over at Erza. She was the one that was the most difficult to pass when it came to the evaluations.

"Natsu has grown strong hasn't he…" Erza tilted her head back for a moment then nodded, "Yes."

Makarov smiled, "Gray Fullbuster."

"The stripper?" Gildarts said with a raised eyebrow, "I guess sure. He's about as powerful as Natsu is right? And he's more levelheaded."

"Correct." Mira replied, "Gray would make a fine S class wizard."

Once again all eyes turned to Erza, "Those two on the island will cause some fireworks. They'll challenge each other." Erza rubbed her chin, "In the end, it may make them try harder. Yes, pass Gray."

"Levy McGarden."

"She's not very powerful is she?" questioned Gildarts, "I mean, she's capable but she's not really S class strong."

"Levy is a genius." Erza replied, "It takes more than brawn to be an S class wizard."

Mira just nodded. "You know me. I'm a softie, I'm gonna say yes to Levy. Who knows, her intelligence may end up surprising us."

"True." Shrugged Gildarts.

"Alzack Connell?"

"Not ready." Erza said quickly.

"Nope." Mira shook her head.

"Uh… I don't really know the guy." Gildarts smiled sheepishly.

"Very well," Makarov replied. He then listed off a few more names but few were approved. The ones that were approved by the three were Juvia Lockser, Elfman Strauss, Mest Gryder, and Cana Alberona.

"That's seven." Gildarts said, "We need one more."

"What about Gajeel?" asked Mira innocently.

Makarov shook his head, "I've taken him out of the running for important reasons."

"Do you not trust him?" Erza asked, "He did help save our lives in Edolas."

"I trust Gajeel wholeheartedly. But he's…" _On a super secretive mission that I cannot disclose under any circumstances_ , "not ready. That's my final opinion."

Erza shrugged, "Very well."

"Aw, he's gonna be so disappointed." Mira said.

"Who are we talking about?" Gildarts asked completely puzzled.

Erza tapped her fingers on her arm, "We're running out of candidates. Bisca is like Alzack, just not quite there yet. Evergreen and Bickslow are strong but they relied too heavily on Laxus and Freed. They still need time to develop as individual wizards." Mira nodded in agreement. Erza shrugged, "Maybe we just do seven."

"What about that one kid, Joshua." Erza blinked and looked over at Gildarts, "I mean, from what I'm hearing around the guild hall, the kid is damn powerful. Childish and clueless but powerful. And Gajeel told me about how he was able to figure out the lacrima situation in Edolas. He's obviously very smart."

"He's also only ten." Erza replied back.

"You were what, thirteen when you tried S class for the first time." Gildarts retorted back, "He's on a faster pace than you right now."

"Yeah Erza, why not just see what he can do?" Mira smiled.

Erza closed her eyes and sighed, "He's not ready."

Makarov looked at Erza and saw that she was hiding something, "Erza, care to explain why?"

Erza frowned, "Very well. Joshua… he's too… violent. And there is a… a very dark side to his magic Master. It's only surfaced a few times, but when it has, he's lost complete control."

Gildarts raised an eyebrow, "How can a ten year old be too violent? And what is this dark side you are talking about?"

Makarov closed his eyes as he remembered the Phantom Lord incident, "Joshua once lost control of his magic." he explained to Gildarts, "He flew into a rampage, as if taken over by some ungodly force, and killed twenty two Phantom Lord wizards."

Gildarts eyes widened a little.

"That wasn't the only time master."

Makarov blinked. He swore that was the only time. What was Erza talking about? He saw some tears in her eyes as she hesitated to talk about it.

"Erza, please share."

Mira looked at her rival and friend with concern.

"Joshua has lost control two other times. The nirvana mission, and Edolas." Makarov's eyes widened.

"Why did you not tell me?"

Erza glanced out to the office window and down at the main guild hall to see Joshua laughing happily with Macao and Wakaba.

"He's so happy here Master. I just… I don't want to lose him."

"Erza, if he's killed again you need to tell me now!" Master snapped quickly.

Erza let the tears stream down her face a little before slightly nodding, "It wasn't him though."

"How was it not him!" Master demanded while Gildarts began to sit on edge.

"Because, he was possessed by something. Just like with the Phantom Lord incident." Erza said back quietly, "Whatever possessed him, was so powerful that it put my Armadura Fairy to shame."

Mira and Gildart's eyes widened. The boy was powerful enough to defeat Erza's strongest armor!?

"The thing inside of him, it identified itself as someone named Darth Tyrannus." Erza explained quietly, "It's voice, mannerisms, and abilities took over Joshua's." She looked at Mira, "Almost like a reverse take over."

Mira blinked, "That's insane. Even I can't do that. Take over a being from the inside out." She shook her head, "It's theoretically possible but it's just never been done before. Add in the sheer complexity of a human takeover…" Mira stared back at Erza, "That's difficult to fathom."

"But it's what happened. You can even ask Gray, he was there." Erza defended, "That's why I can't recommend Joshua for the S class trials. He loses control too easily. Is he strong enough, it's possible. But he does not have the control over his powers that is necessary for such an important responsibility."

"Put him through." Gildarts said quickly to the Master.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Erza exclaimed.

"Gildarts, have you gone deaf or something?" asked Makarov.

"I heard everything just fine." Gildarts replied seriously, "The boy doesn't need to be pulled back. He needs to be helped along and given guidance. He won't pass the trials, but I want him present. Rig it so that he passes through my part of the trial. I'll have a chat with him."

"What!?" Erza said in disbelief.

"I've had to learn how to control my own magic. Hell, I'm still trying to learn how to fully control it." Gildarts smiled, "Who better to teach the kid how to do it than me?"

Makarov rubbed his chin and closed his eyes. "This is a difficult decision isn't it?"

"He should go just on the basis on how young he is!" Erza shouted.

"Laxus said the same thing about you." Gildarts replied back calmly, "Yet you did just fine. And you learned a lot in you trial as well, remember?" Gildarts stood up, "I'm gonna talk to the kid if he goes. And maybe, if possible, I'll draw out whatever is possessing him."

"That's your main goal then." Makarov breathed, "You wish to rid the boy of this darkness while giving him guidance."

Gildarts nodded.

"Master, he's not ready." Erza stated firmly.

Makarov exhaled, "I cannot let the killing go unnoticed Erza." Erza blinked, "Joshua will go. This is going to be my last ditch effort to reach him and resolve this. But if he loses it, if he tries to harm anyone in this guild, regardless of if he is possessed or not, I will fight back and I will banish him." Makarov said firmly, "This is his final chance. We must hope Gildarts will be successful."

Erza wanted to start bawling but she held back the tears and bowed her head, "Yes master." she said quietly.

"Those are our eight." Makarov said, "We will announce it next week. You all are dismissed."

Erza quickly exited the office. But instead of heading back down the stairs she walked to the balcony doors and threw them open before stepping outside. She looked out and let the tears fall freely. As she cried she felt a hand place itself on her shoulder.

"Hey kiddo. It's gonna be ok." said Gildarts in a reassuring voice.

"I can't seem to protect him no matter how hard I try." She shook as she spoke

"You can't protect him from an internal threat." Gildarts explained, "You can't control everything. That's part of learning to be an adult. And part of learning how to be a guardian for a kid."

"How could you know? You've never had a kid." Erza snapped back.

Gildarts sighed, "Actually I do."

Erza blinked and looked at the guild's ace in shock.

"She's in the guild actually. It makes it easy to keep an eye on her, make sure she's doing ok. Even is she doesn't know who I really am."

"Who?"

"I'm not saying. But what I've learned watching her grow up is that I cannot control everything she does. And I cannot protect her from every threat." Gildarts leaned against the balcony railing, "You just gotta have faith that what you taught your kid has stuck with them and that they will be able to handle life on their own. It's the most difficult part of life, for a big sister, and for a parent."

"But he's only ten."

"Ten shmen." Gildarts replied, "Age is a number. That kid may be ten but he is already strong enough to push into the S-class exams. That makes him a man in my book. And that's how the world will see him now too. I think giving him more responsibility will help him. Holding him back will only make him resent you."

Erza remembered the Nirvana Mission.

" _You're holding me back!"_

Erza closed her eyes. It had already happened in a way.

"I'm gonna make sure that darkness in him is taken care of." Gildarts said reassuringly, "And I'll teach him as much as I can while at the trials." He then smiled at her, "You know what? Maybe you should take him on a job?"

"Why?" Erza asked.

"Well, first of all to explain the situation to him. But don't tell him about how he's gonna run into me at the trials. That will be a little surprise for him. And second of all, to teach him. You've done a great job with him already Erza. But he still needs a firm hand guiding him. And he needs a loving hand to reach him. You've got both hands. I think a mission where it's just the two of you will do you both some good."

Erza stared at Gildarts, "Since when did you become a model parent?"

Gildarts smirked and shrugged, "Dunno. Just kinda came naturally there."

Erza laughed and looked back at the doors, "Well then. I guess I need to go find a job for us to do."

"Better get to it."

Erza nodded and left Gildarts alone as she went down to the request board.

….

"SO ERZA PUNISHED YOU CAUSE YOU KISSED WENDY!" exclaimed Wakaba in shock.

Joshua nodded then grinned at him, "A ten year old is getting more action than you. How does that make you feel?"

Macao busted out laughing while Wakaba slouched.

"Not good."

"Joshua!"

The ten year old cringed at the firm sound of Erza's voice. Erza stood next to the booth they were sitting at before grabbing Joshua by the arm.

"C'mon we're going on a job."

Joshua blinked then grinned, "Really! What job? I wanna know! Is it a monster hunt!? Oh oh, taking down a dark guild!"

Erza showed him the paper as they walked out of the guild hall. Joshua scanned the paper and grimaced.

"Babysitting an old lady's cats… in Hargeon."

"Correct."

"WHAT KINDA JOB IS THIS!?" Joshua exclaimed.

"A good job. That's what it is. Now hurry up," Erza said firmly, "The train is leaving soon."

Joshua crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath all the way to the train station. The two quickly purchased tickets and boarded the train to the port town of Hargeon. Joshua jumped into the red vinyl seats of the train car and stared out of the window. The sun was setting, so they'd be arriving in Hargeon at night.

"How many cats does this lady have?"

Erza shrugged then leaned back, "We'll find out won't we."

"I swear if it's a crazy cat lady who has a billion cats I'm gonna blow a gasket." Joshua huffed as he stared out the window.

Joshua began to relax as the train rumbled along the tracks. The sun was falling below the horizon and the purple and black shades of twilight were beginning to paint the sky above them. Joshua spent the entire time meditating and trying to shore up his magic power, just as Erza taught him months ago. But he just couldn't concentrate. There was a sense of apprehension in the air. And the intense emotional worry seemed to be coming from Erza.

"Hey Erza."

"What is it Joshua?"

"Why are you so upset right now?"

"I'm not upset." Erza replied quickly.

"Liar liar pants on fire." Joshua teased.

"Joshua…" Erza muttered.

Joshua saw the tremendous amount of concern on her face and Joshua's playful demeanor faded away.

"Erza, really, what's wrong?"

Erza exhaled, "You've been selected for the S class exams."

Joshua blinked for a moment before his jaw dropped and his eyes ballooned out of his skull. This was it! This was his biggest chance ever! And to be chosen specifically, he was finally accepted by the guild! Joshua beamed with pride.

"Alright!" he shouted happily, "I'm gonna be the same rank as you soon Erza!"

"It's not for the reasons you think."

Joshua's excitement faded.

"Master chose you as a last resort solution."

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "For what?"

"Joshua I didn't want to tell him."

"Tell him what?"

Erza sighed, "I told him what happened at Nirvana and Edolas."

Joshua furrowed his brow, "You promised you'd never talk about that."

"I don't keep secrets from the Master, Joshua." Erza replied, "He's practically like a father to me. I couldn't just lie to him."

Joshua crossed his arms and looked out the train window, watching the landscape fly by his vision.

"So what is this last resort solution?"

"Joshua, he said if you attempt to kill anyone on the island he will fight back and banish you. He called this your last chance, regardless if you were possessed or not." Erza sighed as she saw the hurt expression on Joshua's face, "That's why you're going to the trials. He's got something planned to test you. A test to see if you can control yourself and become a responsible member of Fairy Tail."

Joshua rose from his seat, "I still have to prove that I care about everyone here! Even after everything I've done for the guild!" Joshua shouted. "This… this is a load of horseshit!"

"Joshua!"

The boy ignored Erza and stormed out of the train compartment. Erza sighed and felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier.

"Well…" she mumbled, "That could've gone better."

….

Joshua stood out on the train's small outdoor balcony that was between the cars. He stared out at the dark land around him, the stars were the only light illuminating the area around him as the moon was new tonight. Joshua gripped the iron guard rails tightly, to the point where his knuckles whitened and began to creak.

"I've fought with everything I've had for the guild." he mumbled, "And yet they still view me as some sort of freak. Some monster."

" _It is human nature to fear what they do not understand boy."_

"What are you doing right now? I wanna be left alone." Joshua muttered under his breath.

" _Well, I can't exactly leave you alone. I'm in your head."_

Joshua chuckled a little, "Fair point."

" _You sense it don't you."_

Joshua sighed.

" _They all fear you. They are all terrified of you. And many still hate you in your precious guild. They're just better at hiding it now."_

"That's not true." Joshua hissed.

" _Search your feelings. You know it is."_

Joshua gulped and began to shake. The geezer was right. And he though he actually made some headway in the guild. Joshua fell to his knees, his hands sliding down the metal bars in front of him.

" _You will not become powerful if you remain with this guild."_

"I don't want power."

" _They won't accept you. The only way they will, is to become so powerful that they have no choice but to accept you. Only I can teach you the way."_

Joshua tilted his head to the side, "What way?"

" _The true way of the Sith. A path to power beyond you wildest imaginations. With such power, all will bow to you. None will stand in your way…"_ Joshua sighed, " _And, they will finally see that you can protect them."_

That did it! That sealed it! Hook line and sinker. Joshua nodded silently.

" _You already know where you must go to learn."_

"The mountains, all the way in the north."

" _Correct."_

Joshua shook his head, "I'm going to give them one more chance before I do anything." The geezer didn't respond, "If they try to hold me back. If they try to control me. If they try to hurt me for being who I am. If they refuse to accept me after these exams, I will leave, and I won't come back."

 **Heavy chapter. Lot's of character building in this one. And it seems that Dooku is starting to sway Joshua ever so slightly. This was a slow chapter but I believe it was an important one. And yes, you guys get what has been requested, a job with Erza! It'll continue in the next chapter, so be ready! Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed. Have a nice day!**


	28. Chapter 28: Petsitting

**I obviously got too much time on my hands. But I just love writing so much so I don't care. Here's another chapter for you guys! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 28

Joshua stood on the shore of an island. The shoes he normally wore on his feet were in tatters and bare portions of his feet were nestled in the warm sand around them. He felt the warm tropical breezes typical of an island sweep around him. Yet he still felt incredibly cold. Joshua sighed as he suddenly recognized what this was.

"Another vision…" He mumbled, "Just great." He then looked down at his clothes and saw that his cloak was in tatters around his shoulders and he was covered in cuts and bruises. "The hell."

Joshua heard a loud roar. The roar thundered around him and made his head pound and ears ache. An overwhelming sense of dread filled Joshua.

" _What the hell is that!?"_ Joshua heard a growling voice say behind him.

Joshua turned around and his face turned white with fear. Standing behind him was the devil like creature named Maul. Maul was staring upwards into the sky with silent awe. Joshua followed his gaze and saw a massive, black winged creature descending down towards the island. The creature landed on the other side of the island and was hidden behind the massive tree that dominated the landscape. But it's power was not hidden. The sheer amount of magical pressure being exerted on the land made Joshua want to fall on his face and curl up into a ball. The creature's deafening roar echoed around him once again, drowning out all thoughts with the sheer power behind the roar. He tried to move, tried to hide from this power, this monster. But he couldn't move. The vision wasn't letting him. He felt his vision whiz through the jungles of the island and through the entangled roots of the giant tree as he raced to the other side of the island, where the menacing creature landed.

Joshua's vision stopped and he began to tremble. The monster, it was a dragon. It's the only thing it could be, and it was massive. It's bulk and height nearly rivaled that of the massive tree at the center of the island. The entire land shook as it's black talons duck into the sand and dirt around it. Joshua then saw Fairy Tail wizards standing in a circle as the dragon rose in the air. In the circle was Erza. But he wasn't there. He saw tears in Erza's eyes while everyone else looked determined. Then he heard the dragon utter another earsplitting roar. Joshua looked up to see a massive magical beam thundering down on the island. Joshua completely forgot this was a vision as he saw Erza and Wendy about to be consumed by the blast.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed at the top of his lungs before the blast hit and completely blew them all away.

…..

Joshua awoke with a start. His body dripping with sweat as he shivered in the vinyl seat he was in. He whipped his head around looking for the dragon but soon calmed down as he realized he was still in the train compartment.

"Joshua are you ok?"

The boy blinked and looked across to see Erza staring at him with worry. He rubbed his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, just a nightmare."

"Liar liar pants on fire."

Joshua smirked a little before looking out the window and seeing Hargeon slowly approaching in the distance.

"What was this vision about?" Erza asked.

Joshua lowered his eyes, "I'm… not too sure actually."

"Something about your past?"

Joshua shook his head, "No, you were in this one. A lot of people from the guild were in this one. I only saw glimpses of them though."

He began to tremble and sniffle as he remembered the specifics of the vision. Erza moved across the gap between them and sat down beside him before wrapping her arms around him.

"It's ok." She said quietly as Joshua shook in her arms.

"You- you died."

Erza's heart jumped to her throat, "What?"

"You died. You, Wendy, Natsu, Master. You were all gone." Joshua sniffled, "Taken out by a massive black dragon."

Erza gulped. Joshua's visions, they weren't exactly known to be false. "So, this was one of the future."

Joshua shook his head, "It can't be true! It can't be!" He clenched his fist around his pants, "I won't let it happen!"

Erza felt his small form trembling and shaking as he cried in her arms.

"Hey, it's just a dream right?"

"No, it was a vision. Since when have they been wrong?"

"How do you know it was a vision?"

"Maul."

Erza narrowed her eyes at Joshua, "Who?"

"This creature. He keeps appearing in my visions now. He was alongside that Talzin person once. He said he found me. Then he was there when everything happened."

Erza didn't know what to think right now. This Maul, could this be the same person as Tyrannus. Could it be the darkness tormenting her little brother right now? It was entirely possible in her mind. Erza rubbed Joshua's left arm with her hand and embraced him tightly before feeling the train slowly come to a stop.

"Let's not worry about that for now." She said softly to him, "We got a job to do after all."

Joshua nodded and wiped the tears away from his face. Erza smiled and grabbed a tissue from her requip space, wiping away the stains on his cheeks.

"You gotta look professional on a job." She said as she finished.

"Natsu never looks professional."

"Well, Natsu is not exactly someone to model after when it comes to manners." Erza smiled. She looked at Joshua face and nodded, "Much better. Now come on, let's get off this train."

Joshua wanted nothing more than to get off the train. The worst visions always came on trains.

"Hey Erza."

"Hm."

"Can we take a magic mobile back instead of a train?" Joshua asked as they stepped off of the train.

Erza shook her head, "It'll take longer to get home that way. And besides how can I fit all of my stuff in a tiny magic mobile."

Both her and Joshua looked up at the cart of luggage and junk and other "Necessities" that Erza took with her on every job. The pile of boxes and luggage stood high over Joshua and barely cleared the ceiling of the the train station.

"Do you really need all of that junk."

"DO NOT CALL IT JUNK!" Erza snapped at him. Joshua shrank under her intense stare before she huffed, "It's all of the essentials needed for any situation possible on a job."

Joshua picked up a strange piece of clothing that fell of the cart from an overstuffed suitcase. It looked like a pair of underpants but for some reason it was really see through.

"This is a necessity?" Joshua asked as he stretched the article of clothing.

Erza's hand slammed into him and sent him flying into the train station walls.

"DO NOT TOUCH THAT!"

"Ok." Joshua groaned before Erza grabbed him by the foot and dragged the dazed boy to their job location.

Eventually Joshua was allowed to stand up again and the two walked through the streets of Hargeon and towards the outskirts of the town. Erza stopped at a long driveway before looking at the request then at the address posted next to the driveway. Joshua rubbed his still sleepy eyes and yawned while he stood lazily next to Erza.

"Here we are." she said.

Joshua looked and saw a massive, white stone mansion in a field of green. The boy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Talk about a house." he mumbled.

Erza strode forward and Joshua quickly followed behind her. The two reached the doors just as the sun was starting to rise over the city. Erza cleared her throat before rapping her knuckles on the door.

"Just a second." They heard a man say from the other side. The door opened and a man dressed in a butler's outfit greeted them. "Good morning. I assume you are the Fairy Tail wizards answering our job request."

Erza nodded, "We are."

"Excellent, please madam, sir, follow me. My lady is waiting in the lounge."

Erza and Joshua followed the butler and walked into a large room with many sofas and chairs surrounding an enormous stone fireplace. Sitting in a rocking chair next to a roaring fire was an extremely old woman. Her gray hair was curly and covered by a blue sun hat. She wore a sky blue pantsuit and she had incredibly wrinkly skin.

"Madame Toussedreau. Fairy Tail wizards Erza and Joshua Scarlet are here for the job request."

"Scarlet…" Said the old woman, "The boy looks a little young to be married to her."

Joshua gagged then covered his mouth.

"I think I'm gonna puke."

Erza jabbed her elbow into his ribs, "He's my little brother ma'am. I apologize for the confusion."

"What!?" the Old Woman asked as she cupped a wrinkled, bony hand up to her ear, her arm trembling as she moved.

Erza cleared her throat, "I SAID HE IS MY LITTLE BROTHER MA'AM!"

The butler and Joshua clasped their hands over their ears as Erza yelled at the top of her lungs.

The elderly woman just chuckled as if unfazed by the high volume, "Oh, that makes so much more sense."

She rose and grabbed a walker from beside her chain. The old woman slowly turned with the assistance of the walker and began to shuffle out of the lounge. She waved for the two wizards to follow her.

"Reginald."

"Yes my lady." the butler replied.

"Get my things ready to go please. I will show the wizards where my precious children are."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. _I thought we were babysitting cats._

"Of course my lady." The butler bowed before taking long strides out of the lounge with his lanky legs.

"Follow me young wizards. Follow me." The old woman said cheerfully as she shuffled along down a long hallway to the left of the massive staircase that led to a dark and dusty second floor.

The pace was agonizingly slow. The old woman would shuffle forward several steps and Erza and Joshua would take one normal step behind her. The entire time the old woman shuffled in front of them she rattled off stories about the many painted portraits that hung on golden frames on the walls of the hallway. At the pace they were going, Joshua felt like he learned every single piece of information about these portraits lives. Joshua took another step forward and the old lady shuffled forward a few more feet. Joshua's left eye twitched and he waved his hands frustratingly in front of him before Erza glared at him forcing him to stop.

"Here we are."

The old lady smiled as they reached a door on the far end of the hall. Her old hand shook as she slowly reached into a pocket. Then she pulled her hand out and reached into another pocket.

"Oh dear me…"

 _NO! NO! NO!_

 __"I seem to have left my key in the lounge." She turned her walker around, "I best go and get it."

"NO! NO!" Joshua barked and he stormed off to the lounged, "I'll get it!"

 _I'm not waiting an eternity for you to get back to the door._

"Oh thank you. Tell your husband I said thank you." The old woman smiled up at Erza.

"He's my little brother ma'am." Erza deadpanned.

Joshua quickly returned with the keys and handed them over to the old woman.

"Oh thank you young man. Tell your wife I said thank you."

Joshua gagged as the old woman placed the key into the doorknob, twisted it, then weakly pushed the door open. Suddenly, a mass of white hair flew out of the door. The old woman somehow deftly dodged the assailant and it instead wrapped it's furry body and around Joshua's face.

"I'm sorry Mr. Mittens but mommy doesn't have time to play right now."

The white cat meowed as it was latched onto Joshua's face. Joshua struggled against the cat as the old woman pushed the door open. Erza's eyes widened and her pupils shrank as she looked inside of the room. There were at least fifty different cats in the room. Big cats, small cats, any cat, you name it, it was in this one room in the old lady's mansion.

"Oh." Erza mumbled.

"These are my children." The old woman smiled, "Take good care of them for me today. I will be back tonight."

"Get this furball off of my face!" Joshua's shouted but it was muffled by the Mr. Mittens enormous amount of fur.

"Oh, and deary," The old woman looked at Erza, "If you wash them and groom them I'll throw in an extra 200,000 jewel."

"200,000 JEWEL!" Joshua bellowed through the meowing cat on his face.

"I'll see you tonight. Oh, and no frisky business while on the job you lovers." The old woman said as she walked away.

"SHE'S MY SISTER YOU CRAZY OLD LADY!" Joshua shouted and Erza sighed.

"Give it a rest. She's too far gone to understand."

Joshua huffed irritated and crossed his arms. The entire time, Mr. Mittens was still latched onto his face. Erza chuckled and easily pulled the cat off of Joshua's face. The boy sneezed as some cat hair clung to his nose.

"How'd you get that thing off? I thought I needed a crowbar!" Joshua exclaimed as he rubbed the cat fur out of his hair.

"I guess I have a way with cats."

Erza shut the door behind them and every single cat stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the two Fairy Tail wizards. They stared silently at Joshua and Erza, and the two stared silently back at the mass of kittens. Joshua craned his head up towards Erza's ear.

"I think we just got the creepy cats at the creepy cat lady's house." he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.

Erza closed her eyes, "It does not matter how many there are or how creepy this may be."

She opened up her requip space with a bright yellow flash. Her armor went away and in it's place was a maid's outfit with yellow rubber gloves on her arms. In one hand was a pair of clippers and in the other hand was a bucket of water with soap.

"We must watch and groom!"

….

"STAY STILL FURBALL!" Joshua roared as he fought with a cat in his arms. The cat's claws and limbs flailed about as Joshua attempted to groom it using a pair of clippers.

"GAH!" Erza exclaimed as a cat sank it's teeth into her left rubber glove as she tried to wash it, "DEMON CAT!" she punted the cat clear into the ceiling leaving a hole in the roof above them.

"GET BACK HERE!" The cat Joshua was trying to groom had broken free and was sprinting around the room with a mohawk over it's back.

Erza's eyes glinted with frustration and fury. As the cats scrambled about the room she stood up and requiped into her Purgatory armor.

"EVERYONE STOP MOVING!" she bellowed as loudly as she could.

Every cat stopped hissing, meowing, and moving. Even Joshua who had dived and caught the fleeing cat stayed motionless on the ground. It was so quiet in the room that you could hear in a pin drop.

"All cats. Get into a line in front of the bucket now." Erza growled lowly as her foot tapped against the ground.

Instantly every single cat got into a line at the water bucket.

"Joshua, quit playing with the cats,"

"I'm not playing with the furballs!"

"And finish cutting their hair."

Joshua grumbled under his breath as he grabbed the cat. He was about to finish cutting it's hair when he and Erza heard a crash from outside of the room. Joshua stopped moving and Erza glanced over at the door. The two heard footsteps tiptoeing around the mansion as well as muffled whispers. Erza narrowed her eyes.

"Bandits." she whispered angrily.

"Something to take care of that isn't a cat! Thank God!" Joshua whispered.

The two silently moved towards the door and carefully opened it. The door then creaked loudly as Erza pushed it open and Joshua cringed at the loud noise.

"What was that?" they heard a low voice growl above them.

Joshua pointed up at the ceiling above them, "Second floor." he mouthed.

"It was probably one of the old woman's cats sir." Joshua blinked as he recognized the voice of the butler, "Do not worry, they are loud and rambunctious enough to keep the wizards downstairs busy. As long as we are quiet we can take as much as we please."

"I hope so." said the voice of an elderly woman. Joshua blinked. It couldn't be. He narrowed his eyes and tightened his fist.

"What is it Joshua?" Erza asked.

"Rubber lady." Joshua snarled as he recalled the mission he went on with Macao and Romeo months ago. Joshua forgot all sense of stealth, "I'VE GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH HER!"

"Joshua!" Erza raced after Joshua as the boy raced up the stairs.

Joshua made it to the top of the stairs and rounded a corner only to be instantly clotheslined by a rubbery arm. Joshua flopped backwards and fell hard against the hard wood floors below him.

"Oh no!" exclaimed the butler, "They've found us!"

Erza reached the top of the stairs and saw the three bandits. One was no doubt the butler, Reginald. He was still dressed in his suit only this time he wore gloves with magic circles sewn into the palms of the white gloves. The second was an old woman who was hideous to look at. The third was a man with slicked back blonde hair and an eyepatch over one of his eyes. At his sides and in one hand was a magical revolver. All three had a weird, blue and red eye tattooed on their foreheads.

"Don't worry yourself Reginald." The old woman smirked, "We are the two best wizards in the dark guild Cyclops. They don't stand a chance against us."

The blonde man's one eye widened, "Agnes, do you know who that is?" he said as he stared nervously at the glowering Erza.

"You know I'm old and can't see that well." Agnes replied.

"It's Titania!" Exclaimed Reginald in a panic.

Agnes felt fear grip her before she extended her arm and grabbed Reginald roughly by his petticoat, "You never said that one of the wizards here was Titania!" she yelled angrily.

"It must've slipped my mind."

"Doesn't matter now." Said the blonde, one eyed man calmly, "They are in our way of getting riches. We must take them out."

"RUBBER LADY!"

The old woman blinked and turned around. Joshua was on his feet now and pointing angrily at her.

"I got a score to settle with you!"

"It's him!" Agnes exclaimed.

That seemed to shake the leader of their group.

"What!"

The man glanced behind him and he stared at Joshua completely terrified. The boy's eyes were hazel now, but he vividly remembered the crimson color that seemed to gaze into his very soul when he last encountered this child. He then felt a large magical pressure. The man looked back at Erza and saw her wearing her Heaven's Wheel armor with a dozen swords pointed directly at the three dark wizards.

"I'm giving you one opportunity to surrender." She said with a terrifying glare, "I suggest you take it."

"We su-"

"Cyclops does not surrender to fairies!" Agnes yelled as she cut of Reginald. "Come on let-"

Joshua used his telekinesis and pushed her straight towards Erza. Erza extended a metal covered arm and Agnes' face crunched against Erza's outstretched fist. Agnes flopped to the ground unconscious and Erza smirked up at the remaining two.

"Care to try your luck?"

The both dropped their weapons immediately, "We surrender!"

Erza smirked back at them, "That's what I thought. However, in order to prevent you from running away… Joshua."

"On it!" Joshua slammed his fists into the heads of Agnes' two companions, knocking them out instantly. Joshua cracked his knuckles as they hit the floor, "That felt really good."

Erza laughed before she tied them up against the railing of the staircase. The two then went back towards the cat room.

"How did you know those wizards?" Erza asked.

"I didn't know the butler, but the other two were the bad guys me and Macao fought on the job we had in Freesia town."

"Wow." Erza blinked, "That seems like forever ago."

"Tell me about it."

Erza pushed the door open and saw the cats were once again rampaging around the room. Erza and Joshua sweat dropped.

"Here we go again."

….

The old woman stared curiously at the black cat in her arms. Joshua looked to Erza then back at the old woman nervously. Erza leaned down to him.

"That is a terrible hair cut." she whispered to him.

"Hey, I never got trained in cutting cat hair."

Joshua gulped as the old woman began to pet the mohawk on that ran down the length of the cat's body. Behind her, soldiers from Hargeon were taking the three wizards from the Cyclops guild into custody. The old woman continued to stroke the cat as she sat on her sofa and peered up at the two fairy tail wizards.

"I visited my cats." She said.

Joshua and Erza gulped.

The old woman's shaky hand reached over to a paper on the table. It was a checkbook. She then slowly penned the number 200,000 onto the check before signing it, ripping it out, and handing it to a stunned Erza. Joshua's jaw dropped as he saw the exchange occur.

"You all did a wonderful job. My children are so happy. I may even request you two again some time."

"No please don't-"

"We are glad we could be of service ma'am." Erza cut off Joshua quickly. She bowed and Joshua awkwardly did the same. "If you ever need anything else, just send a request to the guild."

"Oh I will, enjoy the honeymoon you two." the old woman smiled at them.

"I give up." Joshua sagged his shoulders as he followed Erza out of the mansion.

The old woman smiled as she stared off at them, "Those blue pegasus wizards are so kind."

….

Joshua opened his eyes. The island, he was on it again. Only this time he wasn't on the beach. Instead he was standing in the jungle. Joshua gulped, he was really starting to dislike this place. Rays of sunlight beamed through small gaps in the canopy above him as he slowly walked down a trail in the jungle. He hopped over a few large roots that led up to the massive tree at the center of the island as he made his way along the trail. After walking for a few more moments he came upon a small lake with a waterfall crashing down into the water. The place gave off a feeling of peace and serenity.

"Who's there?" Joshua heard someone say softly nearby.

Joshua blinked and looked to his right. Sitting against a large tree was a man. This guy had pale skin and dark hair on his head. A small tuft of hair drooped down over his forehead and between his dark eyes. He wore a black coat with a white toga like sash wrapped over his left shoulder.

"No one else is supposed to be on this island. How are you here?" The young man looked up towards Joshua with a sad gaze.

Joshua tilted his head a little, "Um, just kinda ended up here. I don't really control how visions work."

The man nodded, "So, this is a vision for you. Those are complicated things."

 _This guy doesn't seem so bad._

"You look pretty lonely here. Mind if I join you?"

"No!" the man snapped, "Stay back!"

Joshua ignored him and sat down next to the man. Joshua's eyes then widened as he looked around and saw everything around him dying. The grass dried out and lost all color. The trees went bone dry and all of their leaves withered away to dust. The water in the pond went away and the fish didn't even flop at the bottom of the empty lake. The man had his eyes squeezed closed and he held his head as if in pain.

"Whoa." Joshua whispered, "Did you do that?"

The man opened his eyes and looked at Joshua with a shocked look, "It didn't affect you!"

"Well, I guess not. Then again, I'm technically not here right now."

The man blinked before his face turned downcast again, "Oh right, this is a vision for you."

"Yup."

They sat there silently for a moment.

"Can I ask your name?" the man said to Joshua.

"Joshua Scarlet. You?"

The man frowned, "You probably heard of me. My name isn't a pleasant one."

"It can't be that bad."

The man closed his eyes and sighed, "My name is Zeref."

Joshua's felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart began to race. He was talking to the legendary black wizard. The man who was responsible for the death of thousands four hundred years ago. The one who created demons that continue to cause death and destruction even today. How was that even possible?

"This is the past isn't it?"

"Not from my sense of things." Zeref replied, "From the properties of your vision, I sense you are very much in your present."

"That's impossible though. That means you'd be four hundred years old at least!" Joshua exclaimed.

Zeref sighed, "Has it been that long?"

Joshua nodded. This guy was weird. He didn't seem like someone who would cause death and destruction. He seemed like a nice guy. Lonely guy, but nice guy. Joshua decided to dig deeper. He let his magic pour out of him and he tried to see what was in the guy's mind. But amazingly, he couldn't. He felt like he hit a brick wall as he tried. Zeref's eyes widened and he looked at Joshua with amazement.

"How do you know that?" he gasped.

"Know what?"

"The Force, how do you know it!?"

"Well I-" Joshua felt pain in his head as if someone had forced themself into his mind and was probing it. Joshua gripped his head and winced as Zeref stared at him. Zeref's eyes widened and the pain went away.

"I see, it's a natural thing for you."

"Did you just go walking around my mind!" Joshua roared, "Ever heard of privacy!?"

"You just tried to do it to me."

"Well you just said you are Zeref. Forgive me if I wanted to make sure you weren't gonna kill me."

"This is a vision remember." remarked Zeref.

Joshua rubbed the back of his head, "Oh right."

"Although, I may have to kill you if I ever see you."

Joshua stopped smiling and stared at the man in shock.

"I cannot allow for the Sith to return to this planet."

"What do you mean!?" Joshua demanded.

The vision began to fade around him and Zeref's voice began to fade.

"Seems the Force doesn't want you to know." he heard Zeref mumbled before the vision went away completely.

….

Joshua awoke slowly this time. This dream wasn't a violent one like the last one. It allowed him to peacefully return to reality. Joshua groaned as he sat up in the train compartment. The compartment door opened and he saw Erza step inside.

"Oh good you are awake." she smiled, "We are almost back home. So get ready." she saw the look on Joshua's face. "Is everything ok?"

 _She can't know about that one._

"Yeah, these chairs are just really uncomfortable." Joshua lied.

Erza narrowed her eyes, "You aren't a very convincing liar."

"Erza," The redhead saw Joshua serious look, "I don't want to talk about it this time."

Erza wanted to demand that he did. But instead she decided against it. There was no point in forcing him to talk about something he didn't want to discuss. Things were stressed enough as it was.

"Very well." Erza replied, "C'mon we better get ready to get off. You've got S class training to do."

 **And Chapter! A short little filler chapter for you guys! I hope you all liked it! The Tenrou Island Arc is next! I'm excited to write it! As always I hope you all enjoyed and have a nice day!**


	29. Chapter 29: Premonitions

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter ready! The Tenrou Island arc is about to begin. I'm excited to write this one. I had so many ideas for it but I decided to go with this one! I hope you all like it! Anyways, let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 29

The guild hall was silent as everyone held their breath. Every wizard in the guildhall was on their feet and standing around the stage. Some mumbled silent prayers while others nervously chattered to themselves. Joshua was not nervous in the slightest. He took a deep breath. He knew what was coming, and he knew what he had to do. The strong but small footsteps of the Master pinged around him and his sandals clapped against the wooden floorboards of the stage. He grabbed the microphone and cleared his throat.

"I see everyone is here now."

Stepping up behind him was Gildarts, Mirajane, and Erza. Each with a deadly serious look on their faces.

"You all know what time of year it is." Makarov said as his voiced boomed out of the microphone, "Before I announce anything, I just want to say how proud I am of all of you. You all have worked incredibly hard and made me proud to be your guildmaster. Choosing who will go was no easy decision." Makarov spread his arms wide out, "But now it is time, to announce who will be allowed to go to the S class trials!"

The crowd cheered loudly. Anticipation in the air was building at a feverish pace. Joshua shrugged and slurped on a smoothie as he sat in a booth.

"Now then," Everyone leaned forward, "First I will say where the trials will be held."

"AW C'MON!" shouted Max Alors.

"Stop keeping us in suspense gramps!" shouted Natsu.

"Calm down, calm down." Makarov smiled, "You will know soon enough." The crowd's rowdiness faded and they listened quietly, "The S-Class trials will take place on our guild's sacred ground, Tenrou Island! The resting place of our first guild master, Mavis Vermillion!"

"Whoa!" "Really!" "That's amazing!"

Joshua practically choked on his smoothie.

 _Did… did he just say island?_ Joshua saw the vision of the dragon replay in his mind. Then the vision of Zeref. Joshua felt his hands begin to tremble. _No, no, no. I won't allow that to happen. I have to change the course somehow._ Joshua blinked. _What if the way to change it is-_

"Alright! Enough suspense!" Makarov announced, "It's time I told you who will be given the chance at getting the incredible S-Class rank!"

The cheers around Joshua grew louder as he shook in his seat with wide eyes. Erza smiled out at the crowd before her eyes landed on Joshua. She saw the terrified look on his face as he stared straight down at the table. Erza's smile faded, what was wrong?

"There are eight participants this year!" Makarov looked out at the crowd, "The names are… Natsu Dragneel!"

"YEEEEEEEESSS!" roared Natsu happily as he pumped a fist in the air.

"Gray Fullbuster!"

"Really!?" Gray said stunned as Macao patted him roughly on the shoulder.

"Cana Alberona!"

Cana frowned and looked away from the stage as she nervously rubbed her arm.

"Levy McGarden!"

"WAY TO GO LEVY!" cheered Jet and Droy with hearts in their eyes.

"Mest Gryder!"

"Mest will be tough competition." Wakaba mumbled as he looked over at a young man with short brown hair and a large scar on the left side of his head. "He made it last year too."

"Juvia Lockser!"

Juvia began to panic, "Juvia has to fight her love!"

"Elfman Strauss!"

"I feel like a real man!" bellowed the behemoth member of the Strauss siblings.

"And…"

Everyone held their breath.

"Joshua Scarlet!"

"WHAT!" exclaimed the entire guild hall.

The murmers began.

"He's just a kid."

"How the hell does he get to go in when Alzack has been here longer?"

"Bullshit, I'm calling it what it is."

Joshua clenched his jaw and closed his eyes.

"Now that the names are settled we will depart in-"

"Master Makarov." Joshua stood from his seat and looked up at the old man. _You won't force me into a last resort, old man… this guild won't do that to me. And I won't let that future come to pass._ "I decline to go."

Guildarts' eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that. Mira put hand over her mouth while Erza was stunned by Joshua's declaration. Makarov blinked for a moment.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DECLINE!" roared Makarov as he towered over the boy below the stage, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE HONOR YOU ARE TURNING DOWN!"

"There is no honor when it is a last resort." Joshua snarled back.

Makarov stopped yelling and his face softened instantly. He glanced over at Erza who looked away from the old master and to Joshua. Makarov sighed, that is how Erza explained it to him.

"Joshua…"

The boy shook his head again, "I won't go." he said stubbornly before turning to leave the guildhall, "Find someone else."

He shut the guildhall doors behind him. Erza looked after him in stunned silence as her mouth hung slightly open. Gildarts exhaled and shook his head. Wendy gulped and hopped down from her chair.

"Where are you going child?" asked Carla in a hushed tone.

"I'm going to see if he is ok." Wendy replied as she quietly followed Joshua out the door.

Makarov let out a defeated sigh, "Very well, we will only have seven." Makarov replied solemnly. The boy had found a way to get out of his test, "We leave in one week. Pick a partner to train with. That partner will assist you in the trials."

"Yes master!" the seven participants said together.

"Dismissed then."

Erza instantly descended from the stairs and walked swiftly out of the guildhall. She had to fix this situation quickly. Who knows what the Master was bound to do with this outcome.

….

"Joshua!" Wendy called after him as he walked along the canal that ran through Magnolia, "Wait up!"

Joshua stopped in his tracks. His hands were resting in his jean pockets and his head was bowed. Wendy ran up alongside him and stopped.

"Hey what's wrong? Why did you say no?" she asked.

"They don't want me in the trials Wendy." Joshua said bitterly before sitting down on the ledge next to the canal. His feet swung over the empty air that was above the still blue water, "Hell, most don't even want me in the guild."

Wendy shook her head before sitting down next to him, "That's not true!"

Joshua looked at the blue haired girl, "You heard what they were saying when my name was announced." he muttered, "I know you did, you've got dragon ears after all."

Wendy blinked, "I don't think all of them feel that way. I mean, Natsu seems to like you a lot."

"That's not hard to do." Joshua mumbled with a bowed head.

"Erza loves you. And Macao and Wakaba think you're amazing. Don't forget Romeo, the little kid practically idolizes you after you saved him and Macao on that one job." Wendy continued, "And Cana has called you the best card player she's ever seen and that you've earned her respect. Elfman called you a real man for standing up to Laxus. How can you say no one in the guild wants you?"

Joshua sat silently for a moment as he stared down at the water below. He stared at his reflection in it. Staring back, was a ten year old kid who was scared, but for some reason, no longer feeling like an outcast. He saw Wendy's reflection beside him, then he imagined Erza's on the other side with Natsu grinning behind him as well as his other friends.

"Thank you Wendy." He whispered before wiping his eyes and gulping. "I need that."

"I'm glad to help."

Joshua sat silently for a moment a sad look still on his face, "That was not the only reason I said no."

Wendy narrowed her eyes and placed her hand on Joshua's shaking one's, "Tell me." Joshua hesitated, "Joshua, I'm your friend. I don't hold these feelings you think are in the guild. You can tell me anything."

Joshua sniffled and took a deep breath, "I had a vision on the train during me and Erza's last job."

Wendy's eyes widened, "Like when Porlyusica identified that hex on you."

Joshua nodded, "This one wasn't the past though. I- I think I saw the future." Wendy fell silent as she listened intently, "I s-saw a dragon descending on an island, and it killed all of you."

Wendy gasped.

"I was on the island, but I wasn't near you guys. For some reason, I was far away." He grit his teeth and clench his fist underneath Wendy's small hand, "I won't let that future come about, and one way to change it, is by me not going to the island at all!"

Wendy stared at the boy.

"The rest of the guild, the master, they may not see it. But I care so much about everyone in there. I don't want to lose any of you. And if that means that I give up my chance at S-Class,"

From the shadows of a building nearby, a man wearing a dark brown cape listened carefully.

"Then I will give up S-Class." Joshua finished.

The man actually felt a sense of pride when he heard this. His lips, covered in long stubble, parted into a small smile and he closed his eyes. That was all he needed to hear from the kid. He wasn't convinced about this darkness anymore. He didn't believe the kid ever tried to harness any sort of evil. Gildarts walked away from the shadows and back towards the guild hall. He couldn't deny something must've possessed the kid in the past. But that in his mind was a moot point. It didn't say what was in that kid's heart. In Gildarts mind now, that kid was as much a true Fairy Tail member as anyone else in the guild. And he was going to make sure Makarov knew as much. Gildarts glanced back once more to see the two kids sitting quietly beside the canal. He smiled softly as he saw Wendy rest her head reassuringly on Joshua's right shoulder as the boy began to calm down and stop crying.

"Keep him in the light Wendy," he whispered to himself, "He needs your help still."

"Gildarts." The ace of Fairy Tail looked ahead of him and saw Erza approaching.

"Hey Erza." He glanced back at the two kids when Erza stopped next to him, "I don't think you gotta worry."

"Hm?"

"I mean," Gildarts gave Erza a childish grin, "Unless you're worried about being replaced by another chick."

Erza blinked and looked to see Wendy and Joshua busting out laughing. Joshua must've said something either entirely stupid or pretty damn funny. Erza smiled at the scene.

"I'm not worried about being replaced. Just worried about him."

"Don't worry." Gildarts replied, "His heart is in the right place. I'm sure of it now."

"Will you be able to convince master of that?" Erza asked hopefully.

"I can only try." Gildarts replied, "But let them be. Besides, you, me and Mira got to get the planning done for the trials anyways." Gildarts walked past her, "C'mon, beer's on me back at the guild hall. I've got some good ideas for the trials."

Erza smiled back at Joshua before following Gildarts back to the guildhall.

….

A week passed incredibly fast. For Joshua, it felt like it went beyond the speed of light as the seven days before the S class trials came and went. He had sent Erza off from Hargeon a day before with a smile on his face as she left to prepare her portion of the trials. Now he was about to send off the others. But more specifically, he was about to send off Wendy. During the one week, Wendy had asked him to help her train Mest for the trials, since Mest asked her to be his partner in the trials. Joshua felt something was off about Mest but Wendy seemed to trust him so he gladly helped. The training was tough. Mest showed off impressive teleportation magic that kept Joshua and Wendy on their toes the entire training time. Both felt stronger in just a week's time. Joshua walked up towards the dock that the participants were walking across at they boarded the ship. Wendy was the last to board the boat. Before she did she glanced back at the end of the dock. Joshua smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up.

"Kick their asses Wendy!" he grinned widely while Carla bawled at his side.

Wendy waved back at him.

"Look after Carla for me!"

"I'll make sure she eats her catnip!" Joshua called back.

"As if I'd eat that disgusting stuff." Muttered Carla through tears as she saw Wendy go off on a mission without her. "You better be safe Wendy!"

"I will Carla! See you all soon!" she shouted to them as the ship sailed off towards the sparkling ocean as the sun began to rise overhead.

Now Joshua sat at his normal booth in a surprisingly quiet guildhall. The most rowdy people he knew had left the guild for the trials. There were no brawls, no drinking contests, just him, Macao, Wakaba, and occasionally a new girl named Kinana, playing cards and talking about random stuff.

"Man Joshua." Wakaba puffed on his cigarette, "I still can't believe you turned down a chance to go to the S-class trials." he let the cards flutter in his hands as he shuffled the red deck, "I mean, at your age too."

"Eh, I didn't feel ready." Joshua lied to him flawlessly, "Besides I'm ten. I've got plenty of time ahead of me to go. And I want to be powerful enough so that when I do go, I won't lose."

Joshua kicked his feet up on the table and sucked on the straw that was in his smoothie cup.

"You probably would've done really well kid." Macao said as he grabbed the cards near him as Wakaba dealt them, "You've been full of surprises since you got here. But I wouldn't have been surprised if you gave everyone else a run for their money."

"Thanks Macao." Joshua smiled. He then glanced outside before being dealt his hand and saw that it was dark outside, "Whoa! How late is it!"

Wakaba glanced over at the clock above the bar, "Wow we really did lose track of time, it's past eleven o clock."

"Oh crap!" Joshua exclaimed, "If Erza hears I was up this late I'd be done for!" he quickly put his arms through his cloak's sleeves and raced out of the guild towards Fairy Hills, where he lived with Erza, "See you guys tomorrow!" he waved as he raced out of the guild hall.

"See ya kid."

….

Joshua felt the sand around his bare feet and the water lapping at his ankles. He looked around and saw he was on the island again. This was the third island vision in a row. What were his visions trying to warn him of? They never showed the same thing three times in a row. Joshua frowned and began to walk along the beach before he felt a familiar dread grip him. The warm tropical air grew cold around him. Joshua looked up and saw that it was dark over Tenrou island. Something was wrong. He then saw that the giant tree was toppled over, shattered into pieces. There were craters in the cliffs around the island and a magic airship hovered nearby. Joshua's eyes widened as he saw the symbol painted in red onto the black hull of the airship. He recognized it from when Mira drew up a chart of the dark guilds. That symbol, was the one for Grimoire Heart. Joshua felt fear seize him. He began to sense it. They were all in pain. They were all fighting for survival against impossible odds.

"You still aren't here boy." Said a growling voice behind him that made his blood turn to ice in his veins.

Joshua turned around and saw Maul sitting behind him, legs crossed, as if he was meditating. But now his eyes were open and he was staring directly at Joshua.

"I'm sure you feel it."

"F-feel what?" Joshua shivered as the air grew colder around him.

"Their pain, their suffering, their fear." Joshua gulped, "You know, they may not survive this. But I will admit, they are definitely giving my new allies all that they can handle."

Joshua had enough. He let the fear leave him and it was replaced with anger as he narrowed his gaze at Maul. The creature seemed to notice this shift in emotions.

"What do you want with me?" Joshua growled.

"So, you do have guts after all. You aren't just some child paralyzed by fear." Maul began to chuckle lowly, "Oh, that well of anger in you feels incredible. I'm sure it must be intoxicating for you."

"Answer me!"

Maul smirked and closed his eyes, "Very well, I wish to train you."

Joshua glared across the beach at him, "Train me?"

"Yes."

Joshua looked back at Grimoire Heart's airship and then back to the creature, "You said they were your allies?"

"Correct."

"Then you can go pound sand!" Joshua shouted back. Maul raised his eyebrows at the kid, "I will never allow someone who would try to harm my friends to come anywhere near me!"

Maul closed his eyes and sighed, "I was promised by Hades that you'd be here. And I've been sadly disappointed. And now it seems, I need to give you some extra motivation to come to me."

Joshua felt his heart begin to beat faster, "What do you mean?"

Maul didn't even moved a muscle as Joshua saw her hovering towards him. Her blue hair was filthy and she was covered head to toe in scrapes and bruises. Her limp unconsicous body dropped into the crook of Mauls' right arm. Joshua felt rage build up in him as he stared at her.

"She is important to you isn't she?" Maul said coldly, "Precious even?"

"LET HER GO!?" Joshua shouted at the top of his lungs.

Maul gave him an evil smirk, "Come and make me."

….

"WENDY!" Joshua shouted as his body shot up from his bed. He looked around, his breathing raspy as his heart continued to race. Joshua didn't even think twice, he jumped from his bed and grabbed his cloak that was covering a chair next to the desk Erza bought him. Joshua then slid his lightsaber up his right sleeve and looked into the mirror. He saw not a fearful boy anymore, but a furious wizard. Joshua's eyes glinted crimson in front of him.

"Geezer! Wake up!" Joshua barked.

Joshua felt a presence fill the room as he called out to the person in his head.

" _What is it boy? You've never called like this before?" Said the aristocratic voice._

"My friends are in danger. I'm going to need your help." He said as he walked towards the door.

" _What if I refuse?"_ Joshua stopped walking to the door and stood rooted in the spot on the carpet " _What do I have to gain from helping you save your precious friends?"_

 __"You've done it before." Joshua snarled.

" _I did it because you were the one who was about to get killed."_ The man snarled back, " _Do not mistake that as compassion for your friends."_

Joshua stood quietly in the darkness. Not a muscle on his body moved.

"What do you want?"

" _Hm?"_

 __"What must I do to get you to help me?" Joshua asked.

There was no reply. Not a single word was uttered. Joshua waited a moment before realizing that he wasn't going to reply. He frowned with frustration.

"Fine then. I'll do it myself."

Joshua reached for the doorknob to Erza's dorm in Fairy Hills and swung the door open. He was about to step out when he looked down to see a white and black cat waiting at his doorway. The black cat had his paw raised as if he was about to knock on the door. Joshua frowned at the two.

"I assume you saw something as well Carla?" Joshua asked.

The white cat nodded fearfully while Lily lowered his paw.

"How fast can you fly me to Tenrou Island?" Joshua asked as he swept by them and began to walk towards the exit of Fairy Hills.

"I will get you there faster than any other creature in the world if it means we can save Wendy!" Carla replied with determination.

"I'll be by your side as well." Lily said as he sprouted his wings beside Carla.

Carla let her Aera magic come free and she grabbed Joshua's back.

"We gotta hurry you two!" Joshua shouted as they blasted off from the ground and streaked through the cloudy night sky, "We are running out of time!"

….

Hades sat patiently on his throne as the airship sped through the dark skies. His gloved fingers tapped against the armrest as he lounged back.

"How far behind schedule are we?" Hades asked his grunts as they raced back and forth try to speed the ship up.

"Sir, we are a full twelve hours behind schedule!" replied one of the grunt pilots, "We won't make landfall on Tenrou Island until at least tomorrow!"

A curvy woman with black hair and wearing a skin tight battlesuit stomped her foot in frustration.

"That detour to the north set our plans behind schedule!" she snarled, "We are going to be late to the island."

"Calm yourself Ultear." Hades ordered, "There is no need to grow impatient."

"But Zeref is on that island! I wish to be near him as soon as possible!"

A low growing voice filled the airship, "You would be wise to listen to your master girl." The alien creature named Maul hobbled out of the shadows of the ship where he was previously sitting quietly, "Patience is virtue that both good and evil need to succeed."

"How poetic!" exclaimed a man wearing a blue fur coat and sporting a large purplish gray mullet styled hair cut on top of his head. He pushed his glasses back up onto his nose, "You speak elegantly for someone who is actually quite brutish."

Maul bared his teeth behind his lips at the extravagant man, "Your name is Rustyrose, isn't it?"

"Why yes it is."

Rustyrose felt his something around his throat and his windpipe was squeezed. Rustyrose's eyes bulged from his skull as he grabbed at his neck and gasped for air. Maul hadn't even raised a hand.

"I am not a brute, child." scoffed Maul. Rustyrose squirmed in the air. Ultear stepped forward but then she felt Hades' hand quickly hold her place, "And I don't take insults lightly."

A loud crunching noise echoed around the ship. Rustyrose's head lolled to the side as the vacant stare of death filled his eyes. His limp body fell to the ground and Maul sighed as he let his power fade away. The other people in the ship stared terrified at the creature. Even Hades was somewhat stunned by the display of power. A large man with a plump face and obese form covered in gray skin nervously poked his fingers together as he looked at the horned creature terrified. A young girl with pink hair wearing a red cape gulped with wide eyes as she too felt the tremendous power in the air as Rustyrose died. The loud, amused cackles of a wild blonde haired man with crazed, red eyes filled the background.

"It seems you now have an opening in your seven kin." Maul growled at Hades, "Need a replacement?"

Hades glowered down at the inhuman creature, "Are you offering?"

"You can't be serious Master Hades?" Ultear said stunned.

"Six kin doesn't sound quite right." the elderly master of Grimoire Heart mumbled, "Seven is a much better number. And he is a perfect candidate to fill that role." Hades looked back at Maul, "Very well, I accept your offer to join me. Welcome to Grimoire Heart, Maul."

Maul grinned and his crimson eyes glowed in the shadowed out belly of the ship.

"However, you may have to wait on finding Joshua. I received intelligence earlier that the boy was not going to Tenrou Island with the other members of Fairy Tail."

Maul smirked, "I already sensed as much."

Hades glanced over at Maul while Ultear stared at him with apprehension apparent on her face.

"I've already taken care of that little… issue." Maul chuckled to himself, "The boy's visions are so easy to manipulate. I had to give him some extra _motivation_ in order to get him onto the island." Maul sat down cross legged beside Hades' throne, "He'll be there. And so will this Zeref you all speak so fondly of."

"Fondly?" trembled the large bluish gray skinned man with the pudgy belly and long black hair, "He's the most terrifying wizard to have ever existed!"

"Another pleasant compliment for him." Maul replied with an amused smirk, "I almost want to meet him myself. Just to see how powerful this legendary black wizard truly is. After all, I am a warrior at heart. I do love a great challenge."

"My kind of comrade." Azuma said from the other side of the chamber. "Maybe you and I can go a round after all of this. I've been looking for a worthy opponent."

Maul let out a bemused laugh, "You may provide me some entertainment…" Maul closed his eyes and began to even his breathing, "Prove to me that you are truly powerful, then maybe I will accept your challenge."

Maul let the dark side of the force wash over him as he began to fall into a deep meditative state. He let all of his anger, hatred, and suffering course through him. He could feel his power growing with each hateful thought, with each painful memory, and with each action performed in his mind. The one that emboldened him the most was an image of him and the boy plunging their sabers into the heart of his former master. A master that he had served loyally yet been betrayed by and replaced. Maul thirsted for revenge. But he needed help. He stretched his mind out and smirked as he saw a boy racing towards an island with the help of two flying cats. It was all going according to plan.

 **And chapter! This one was mainly to get some more buildup and to set up the arc. But it appears Maul has tricked Joshua into thinking his friends were in danger right away. How will Makarov respond when Joshua arrives filled with anger and fear? This is going to get interesting. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	30. Chapter 30: The Man on Tenroujima

**Hey everyone! Once again, too much time on my hands. So I got more writing for you all! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 30

The ocean crashed in mighty waves below the three flying figures soaring through the air. Dark clouds hid their movements and made it so that they were barely visible from far below. The warm air of the tropics swept through the fur of two flying cats and the spiky brown hair of the ten year old boy they were transporting. Joshua had his eyes closed as they raced through the air. He had complete faith in Carla and Lily to get him to the island. He chose to use this calm before the storm as a time to gather as much magic power as he possibly could. He could feel that he would need it when he arrived at the island.

As the three sped through the dark skies, Joshua heard the clouds rumble around them. Bright flashes of lightning began to arc through the heavy clouds above them. Joshua opened his eyes and saw that they were beginning to quickly descend. Below them was a tiny speck of land in the midst of a blue dessert. Cliffs jutted up all around the land and the rocky edges were blanketed with thick jungle canopy. At the center of the island, towering over everything else, was a majestic tree that took Joshua's breath away as they neared it. He could feel the power radiating from the thing. It felt so warm and comforting, a far cry from the cold he felt during his visions.

Carla and Lily continued their steep descent until they were just meters above the sandy shore. With a powerful flap of their wings they slowed their descent and allowed Joshua to lightly land on the sand. His feet sank into the warm sand as he touched land. Carla set herself down to his right and Lily landed to his left. Joshua took a deep breath and let his magic flow out of him. He had to find the others quickly. He had to find Wendy. Maul had her.

Another loud thunderclap rattled through the air and Joshua heard Lily jump over the pouring rain.

"Can we please find some shelter." Shook the black warrior cat as he desperately covered his ears.

Joshua couldn't help but laugh despite the desperate situation, "Afraid of lightning Lily?"

"I'm afraid of nothing!" Lily replied before he leapt a few feet in the air when another loud thunder roared across the stormy skies.

"Sure you aren't." Carla replied sarcastically.

Joshua concentrated harder as he felt his magic racing through the island. He could see all of the trails and the animals that called this paradise home. He felt the life in this place, and it was incredible. Then his vision halted. He came across a small base camp where he saw all of his guildmates sitting around and chatting, completely unharmed. Wendy was among them and she was laughing with Natsu and Happy.

"What the?" Joshua mumbled as he opened his eyes.

"What is it Joshua?" asked Carla.

"They're…. Fine." He said quietly.

"Huh, but I saw in a vision-"

"I know, me too." Joshua then felt a pit form in his stomach, "Maybe it was the future I saw and not the present?" Joshua stood quiet for a moment, "DAMMIT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED!" He shouted angrily as he stomped his feet in the sand.

"Well, it's a good thing we are here to help them when the danger does come." Carla replied.

"Please, let's just get to shelter." Said a completely spooked Lily.

Joshua looked up as the rain intensified over them. His cloak was already soaked through and he could feel the cold rain water beginning to bead up on his skin.

"Yeah, that'd probably be best." Joshua's eyes widened as he felt the last of his magic power return to him. He felt the presence, his presence. Joshua gulped. _Zeref._ "You two go ahead and get to the basecamp, it's on the other side of the tree."

"What about you?" asked Lily as he tried to swallow his fear.

Joshua stared straight at the jungle, "I'm going to take the long way. Something doesn't add up." Carla and Lily both moved to protest but Joshua stopped them, "Guys, I'm probably just being paranoid. Believe me, ok. I could use the walk anyways. I'll meet you guys at the basecamp."

Carla and Lily both admitted defeat.

"You better get there soon." Carla said firmly, "Wendy would be so upset if you got hurt."

"So would Erza." trembled Lily, "And that is much scarier."

"I'm well aware of that Lily." Joshua replied with a smile, "Safe flying."

The two exceed spread their wings and took to the skies, flying straight for the basecamp. Joshua watched them disappear beyond the massive tree. The boy took a deep breath.

" _I may have to kill you if I do see you."_

Joshua clenched his fists before walking forwards into the jungle. Following his senses as he made his way through the muddy trails.

 _Let's see how tough this Zeref guy really is._

….

"Natsu, you can't eat the mushrooms in the jungle." Lucy said with disbelief as she stared at the fire dragon slayer.

"Why not?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at Lucy.

Lucy cringed as she saw Natsu's face. It was covered in pink and yellow polka dots and his cheeks were swollen up so large that he could practically be the human version of a chipmunk. Lucy didn't know whether to be worried about him or laugh.

"A real man knows when a plant is actually poisonous or not." declared Elfman as he sat beside his partner, Evergreen.

Evergreen let out an annoyed sight, "Mushrooms are a fungus you idiot."

"THAT MUSHROOM WAS POISONOUS!" Natsu cried out in shock.

"Obviously, flame brain." Gray commented, "Have you seen how ridiculous you look right now."

"Say that to my face ice princess!"

"I would but I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face while saying it to you." laughed Gray.

"Shut up!" Natsu fumed as he crossed his arms over his chest and grit his teeth.

The others around the roaring bonfire laughed. Wendy pulled out a stick from the fire saw that the marshmallows she had roasting over it were perfectly heated. She smiled and blew out some flames before quickly biting into them. Natsu also grabbed some marshmallows, but his were covered in fire. He didn't bother to put it out as he shoved the stick into his mouth and ate the marshmallows and fire in one go.

"Say gramps," he mumbled with a full mouth, "When is the next part of the trial?"

"Tomorrow Natsu." Makarov replied as he leaned back against a log, "You will start part two tomorrow." He looked up at the sky, "Hopefully the weather will be better by then. I'd hate to have you all try that challenge in the rain."

"Oh c'mon old man," Gildarts said next to him, "You can't make it easy on them."

"I agree with Gildarts," Erza said, "We should aim to finish this as quickly as possible." _I want to get home and make sure Joshua didn't cause any trouble._

Levy sat nervously next to Gajeel. She would occasionally glance over at the Iron Dragon slayer before shyly blushing and looking away just as quickly. Wendy couldn't help but smile at those two. She'd then glance over at Gray and see Juvia stalking him from behind a tree which would cause her to sweatdrop and shrug. Wendy gulped down another marshmallow before a familiar scent hit her nose.

"Carla?" she blinked before she looked up at the sky to see a white and black cat flying down towards them.

"Wendy!" she heard Carla yell as her best freind barrelled into her and hugged her tightly, "I was so worried!"

"Carla!? What's wrong?" Wendy asked as she hugged her friend back before setting Carla in front of her.

"I had another vision."

"You did?" Wendy gasped.

"Whoa, Carla had a vision. Usually that's a pretty bad sign right?" Natsu asked as he began to much on a flaming stick.

"At first I thought nothing of it. But then I found out that Joshua had a similar vision as well." Erza and Makarov sat up straighter as they heard this, "That convinced me to come here and make sure that you were alright."

"Joshua has visions too?" Natsu exclaimed with a confused look.

"Joshua came with us as well." Lily said.

Makarov grimaced, "So, he came here."

Gildarts eyed the old man and Erza braced herself.

"He's really breaking some rules today, Erza." Makarov said quietly, "Only those permitted by the guildmaster of Fairy Tail are allowed on the island. Since he dropped out of the S class exams, he rescinded that permission."

Erza frowned, "He did it because he thought we were in danger."

"Yeah, c'mon gramps. Cut the kid some slack, it's not like he's gonna do anything dangerous." Natsu replied with a grin, "It may be fun to have some extra competition tomorrow."

"Yeah old man, there's no need to be so strict with him. There's no trouble on this island." Gildarts said with a reassuring smile, "Just relax and drink a beer."

Makarov sighed, "Very well, but-"

Bright flashes of light suddenly blinked all around the group. Erza's eyes widened.

"EVERYONE DOWN!"

The entire camp went up in a fiery explosion.

….

Joshua brushed aside a large, elephant ear plant as he carefully made his way through the thick foliage around him. The rain was starting to let up above him. It was now just a light drizzle that cooled his skin as the humidity began to rise around him. Joshua felt the sweat beading on his skin and under his clothes as he hiked through the thick jungle. He stopped moving for a moment and let out his sensory magic once again as he tried to pinpoint his target. Joshua opened his eyes and turned left down a barely travelled trial. But as he walked forward he ran face first into a large spider web that was suspended between two trees that lined the trail.

"GAH!" Joshua exclaimed as he brushed the sticky silk off of his face and arms. Joshua breathed a sigh of relief. There was no spider. He then felt eight hairy legs creeping across his left shoulder. Joshua felt his breath catch in his throat as his eyes moved to look at his shoulder. Sitting on his shoulder was the biggest damn spider he had ever seen in his life. The black and gray arachnid scrambled along his shoulder. Joshua looked forward with tiny pupils.

"It's gonna go away. It's gonna go away." he mumbled fearfully. The hairy legs brushed his neck.

"WAAAAAAAH!" Joshua screamed as he began to sprint forward and flail about trying to get the spider off of him. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Joshua bumped into several trees and he flailed about. He then felt his foot get caught underneath an gnarled root. Joshua yelped as he fell forwards and face planted hard into the mud below him. Joshua sighed and small little bubbles popped up from the mud.

 _That should've done the trick._ He thought as he pulled himself up from the mud and wiped the filth from his face.

"That's the best bit of comedy I've seen in a very long time." Said a quiet voice to Joshua's right.

Joshua blinked as he recognized the voice. Still on his hands and knees, the boy look right and saw a man laying back against a tree. He had dark hair that drooped down past his forehead, a small tuft of it peacocked up on the back of his head. He had pale skin and sad, dark eyes. The man was slight, but by no means unhealthily skinny. It was clear he had muscle on his bones. He wore a dark coat over his body with a long, white toga over it which was knotted up tightly near his right breast. Joshua gulped.

"Zeref." he said lowly.

The man stared in wonder at Joshua, "How do you-" Zeref stopped talking and his vision narrowed at the boy, "It's you."

Joshua gulped at the intense stare that the black wizard gave him. He didn't know someone could have a more intimidating glare than Erza, but this guy was close. He didn't even wrinkle his face up in anger like she would. He just looked at Joshua and it instantly invoked feelings of dread inside of the ten year old.

"Why are you here?" He asked lowly.

Joshua swallowed back his fear, "To save my friends."

The answer seemed to surprise the black wizard whose gaze softened at this explanation, "Why would a Sith wish to save friends?"

"Um, I think I know what a Sith is?" Joshua replied, "But I'm not one hundred percent sure."

Zeref nodded, "It's best that you stay that way. Or else, I'd be forced to act against you."

"Why?"

Zeref sighed, "The sith are not-"

A loud explosion echoed around the jungle. It was soon followed by the very earth rumbling as more explosions rattled off after it. Zeref sighed sadly and looked towards the sounds of battle while Joshua felt his heart stop. The danger had arrived.

"Does the violence never end." Zeref mumbled glumly, "Will this era not learn from the previous?"

Joshua glanced back at the depressed looking mage, "What are you talking about?"

"The violence, the death, the suffering. They are all things I wrought on this world hundreds of years ago. And they continue to this day. As if they are some evil haunting." Zeref said mysteriously, "I abhor it all."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "You don't sound like someone who would be labeled the most evil wizard in history."

"I fortunately learned about the sanctity of life." Zeref explained, "It has calmed the rage and hatred inside of me that I once had. I once disdained all life, and I wished for it all to be exterminated." Joshua quietly listened, "But one day, I just found life to be too precious." He smiled.

"It was a girl wasn't it?" Joshua asked.

Zeref actually reddened in the face a little bit, "How'd you guess?"

"A friend of mine, Macao, he says that there are two major motivations for a guy. Glory and girls."

Zeref chuckled a little, "He's got a valid point." Zeref then widened his eyes and clutched his head as if in intense pain.

Joshua jumped to his feet, "Hey! Are you ok!?"

"AGH!" grunted Zeref as he tightly grabbed his head. His eyes were wide and his mouth was gaping, "NO! NO! NO! Not now!"

"What's wrong!?" Joshua walked up to him.

"Stay away!" Shouted Zeref.

But too late.

The world turned black and white for Joshua. He felt a tremendous amount of magic fill the air and he instantly stopped moving and stared vacantly into space. There was no sound anymore, not even the rustling of leaves in the wind. Joshua's mouth hung open as he suddenly saw nothing but a bright white light.

Zeref watched the boy fall to the earth limply as all plant and animal life around him shriveled up and died. The child's eyes were closed and his body lay coldly in the dead land around him. Zeref closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry." he breathed before going up to the child's fallen form, "You did not deserve such a fate. You had far too much joy for such a horrible thing to befall you." Zeref walked away from Joshua's fallen form, "How I wish I could leave this cursed body."

….

Erza shakily rose to her feet. Her Heart Kruetz armor was dented and scratched from the sudden explosions around them. She shook her head as she tried to clear the fog from her brain.

"Head count!" she shouted, "Is everyone alright!"

Erza blinked as her vision cleared. She wasn't at the campsite anymore. She was blasted far into the jungle. All the way to the Tenrou tree.

"How?" she growled as she readied herself.

"I did it." said a low, muscular voice.

Erza's eyes widened as she saw a part of a tree trunk begin to pull away from it's body and turn into a human form. The person was a dark skinned man with brown colored confetti like hair on top of his head with sideburns that connected to his sharp goatee on his dark chin. The man wore green leather armor and orange pants and carried a sense of great power about him.

"Who are you!?" Erza demanded.

"Titania! I've been excitedly anticipating the possibility of battling a powerful warrior such as yourself." The man said calmly with his thick voice, "My name is Azuma, and I am one of the Seven Kin that belong to Grimoire Heart!"

Erza's eyes widened. Grimoire Heart was here! But how!? And where were the others!? They would need help in battling these people. She then felt her heart stop as she remembered Carla saying that Joshua was somewhere on the island. She grit her teeth. She couldn't waste time fighting this guy. She had to find Joshua and the others then help them get off of this island.

"I'm hoping that you will be considered strong enough." The man named Azuma declared as he lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"Strong enough for what?"

"The evaluation of the newest member of our guild." Azuma licked his lips as he said this, "His power is so great, it could even rival our ace."

Erza furrowed her brow at this, "Who is it that you speak of?"

"I don't know much about him. He just appeared out of the blue one day. He is definitely not human." Erza glared intensely, "But he goes by the name… Maul."

Erza gasped audibly at that name and Azuma heard it.

"Do you know that name?"

Erza grit her teeth, "Like I would tell you anything!?" she was then covered in a flash of golden light, "Requip! Heaven's Wheel!"

Azuma smiled with wild anticipation as he saw the famous Heaven's Wheel armor appear before him.

"Yes!" he said excitedly before licking his lips, "Show me your power, mighty Titania!"

Erza roared and launched from the tree trunk she was standing on. Azuma smiled widely and crossed his arms in front of his body. Tree roots jutted up around him and blocked Erza's swords as they raced towards his body. He then saw Erza powerfully slice through the roots in her way. Azuma grinned widely and deftly dodged Erza's aggressive strikes. Azuma felt steel hit his skin several times as the red haired woman's attacks gained in speed. He then smirked and pointed a palm at her.

"Bleve!" he exclaimed.

Erza cried out in pain as an explosion hit her head on and sent her flying backwards and into a tree root, leaving a crater in the wood as she impacted. Azuma could feel his heart racing, he was going to enjoy this. He readied himself once again as Erza pulled herself from the tree and changed into a new armor.

He was really going to enjoy this. He powered his magic up into the trees around him and readied another round of explosions for the charging Titania

….

" _ **Tyrannus."**_

" _Yes my Master."_

" _ **The boy has fallen. The force seeks to claim him before we are ready."**_

" _What shall I do my master?"_

" _ **Prevent this. It is time for you to take over. The boy will need your power to survive. I am still too weak to do so myself."**_

" _... As you will it Master. But before I go-"_

" _ **What!"**_

" _Who was that man? I can sense you recognized him. How is he so powerful that he can literally will everything around him to die?"_

" _ **... That man is one of the links in the rule of two."**_

" _WHAT!? But how is he on this planet? Who was he? Who was his master? Who was his apprentice?"_

" _ **I do not know much else. I will have to learn more. But beware of him Tyrannus, for he is very powerful."**_

The boy's eyes opened. The irises were no longer hazel, but rather a glowing crimson that screamed for blood. The boy groaned as he rose and felt the pain in his body. It felt like he just worked for a month in the Kessel spice mines. Dooku hadn't felt this kind of pain in a very long time. That's what happened though when you take over the mind of another being. You get their senses. And unfortunately, one of those senses was pain. The aged sith lord grunted as he got to his feet and panted as he felt just how weak the boy truly was right now. When he did intervene, the boy was barely clinging to life. Dooku let his power pour into the boy and he instantly felt the aches in his small muscles fade away as the dark side enhanced him.

"That's better." He groaned before rotating his right arm. He then sat down once again. "I do not have enough power to remain in control for long. So I must give this boy what power I can. Otherwise my master's vengeance will be brought down on me. And then I will cease to exist in the mortal world."

Dooku poured his power into the boy's cells. He could feel the cells that were barely living suddenly come blazing to life as the dark side of the Force filled them with energy and power. He smiled a little as the results started to become apparent. The boy's body was prime for teaching. It was ripe to embrace the Dark Side. He just needed one more push. He smiled even wider as he realized why his master chose him to do this and not himself.

The redhead that this boy cares about so much. How does he refer to her? His big sister? She will recognize the power coursing through his body as Tyrannus's. Despite the boy being completely unaware of it, the precious guild he loves will turn on him as they sense the tremendous darkness in him. That would be the final push he needed to get this boy over to him. He will think it is his own power when in reality the friends he so loves will believe that he had lost control once again. Dooku grinned darkly as he finished his work.

 _Perfect._

He felt the body begin to function on it's own once again. He was no longer needed to be here. It was time for the boy's destiny to take place. He let the boy's mind take over once again and he quickly retreated into the dark recesses of the boy's conscious.

Joshua groaned as he rubbed his head and felt his vision return to him.

"What the hell just happened?" he mumbled as he felt his vision clear.

He soon realized he was sitting in the same spot he was in when he was talking to Zeref. Only now, Zeref was gone. Joshua was alone in a large patch of dead grass.

"Hm…" Joshua rubbed his chin, "Why do I feel so cold? And how come that Zeref guy is gone?" He then pulled his hair, "Argh, none of this makes sense!"

He then heard a loud cry. It was Erza.

"BLEVE!" he heard in the distance then he heard Erza cry out in pain.

"Erza!" Joshua gasped. He got to his feet and ran in the direction of the battle, "Don't worry Erza, I'm on my way!

….

Wendy groaned and she opened her eyes. She felt pain all over her as she tried to sit up but instead fell back against the ground. Whatever explosion that was caused a lot of damage. Wendy took a deep breath before pulling herself up off of the ground. She winced as she felt the bruises ache over her small body.

"Wendy," she heard Carla mumbled next to her, "Are you ok?"

Wendy winced, "Yeah, I'll be ok? Are you?"

"I've been better." the white exceed replied before getting onto her hands and knees and attempting to stand. "What was that explosion?"

"I don't know." Wendy looked around and saw they were far away from the campsite. "But it blew us far away from the others. There is no one else around."

"On the contrary young one." growled a low menacing voice that made Wendy's hair stand on end.

Wendy looked up in front of her and saw the most evil looking creature she had ever seen approaching her. The creature had deep red skin with black markings all over him. He wore thick black robes and his legs seemed to be made of metal. He hobbled forward with the assistance of a gnarled cane. What got Wendy's attention though was the horns poking up out of the crown of the creature's head, and the dark, crimson, eyes that seemed to see into her very soul. Wendy's eyes widened as she remembered those crimson eyes belonging to Joshua back at the Nirvana incident. She saw while he fought against the Oracion Seis. But his eyes just seemed angry when that happened. This creature's eyes did not seem angry. They seemed cold and evil. The creature smirked at her and Wendy saw sharp canine teeth along with incredibly white teeth.

"What is your name girl?"

"Wendy is not allowed to talk to strangers!" Carla said forcefully.

The creature looked at the cat with disgust, "Out of my way kitten."

He flicked his hand and Carla was flung through the air by an invisible force and out of Wendy's line of sight.

"Carla!"

She was about to run after her friend when she felt an invisible hand grab her and hold her in place.

"So you're name is Wendy." The creature chuckled evilly, "Good. You are just the person I was looking for."

The invisible hand tightened around Wendy and it caused her to wince in pain.

"What do you want with me?" She asked as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I don't want you." The creature replied, "I want your friend. What was his name again? Joshua was it?" Wendy's eyes widened, "Do you know where I can find him?"

"I would never tell you where he is!?" She spat back.

The creature uttered an amused chuckle, "There is fire in you. Perhaps… I haven't communicated myself clearly enough."

The creature's power increased to amounts that Wendy could only imagine. She felt the pressure build up around her. Enormous logs began to rise in the air and trees began to uproot and float in mid air. The dirt began to drift lazily in wind around Wendy as the entire earth seemed to shudder under the pressure of this creature's power. Wendy felt sheer terror grip her as she continued to feel the depths of the creature's magic power. Wendy's face was blue with fright as she trembled.

"Understand now?" growled the creature.

Wendy couldn't speak. She was too afraid.

"Where is Joshua?"

Wendy gulped, "I...won't ...tell you." She trembled.

A slight snarl came across the creature's face. He then moved up closer to Wendy.

"I was rather hoping to not do this. But you left me no choice."

He placed a hand in front of her face. Wendy felt tendrils of invisible darkness enter her mind. She couldn't defend herself against it. The tendrils of darkness rummaged around her mind searching for the information it desired. Wendy had never felt this kind of pain in her life. She tried to struggle against it, but was then forced back by the tremendous power of this creature in front of her. Wendy's eyes were bulging out of her skull. She couldn't take it anymore. In a moment of pure pain, she uttered a bone chilling shriek.

"There it is." The creature smiled as he found what he was looking for, "Seems my little vision trick worked. The boy is here on the island."

Wendy felt the darkness recede from her mind and return to the creature. She gasped for air after screaming for so long. Exhaustion was taking over her. The assault on her mind sapped her of all her magic power. She never even realized she was using it to try and defend herself.

"Thank you little Wendy." smiled Maul before he grabbed her roughly by the collar and held her in the air, "I know he is here. Now, I just need to give him a reason to come to me."

Carla stared petrified from behind a tree trunk. The monster then glanced in her direction.

"Kitten." Carla felt her heart jump, "You better go bring me the boy." He looked at Wendy, "Or I will kill this girl."

"No!" gasped Carla.

"You have twenty minutes. Best hurry."

Carla stayed rooted in the spot as she stared fearfully at Wendy's captor.

"Nineteen." he grinned evilly.

Carla shook herself out of her stupor and raced through the forest as fast as her Aera magic could take her. She had to find Joshua. It was the only way to save Wendy.

 **And let the Tenrou Island arc truly begin! This was a fun chapter to write! It seems a choice is coming Joshua's way now, save Erza… or save Wendy. Which will he choose? Also, how will the others react when they feel Tyrannus' power inside of Joshua? It's gonna be fun to find out! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	31. Chapter 31: Time's Up

**Another final down, another chapter to get out! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 31

The dark hulled magic airship rested along the rocky shore of Tenrou Island. It's dark figure starkly contrasted with the warmth of the island as the clouds began to part above it and the sun's rays finally began to shine through the storm. An elderly man wearing a dark cape, dark pants, and deep maroon shirt stood silently on the bow of the ship, staring silently out at the jungles before him. He didn't even flinch when he saw a huge explosion emerge from deep in the jungle, near the massive Tenrou tree that towered over everything else. The breeze caused his long, grey beard to sway in the wind as he smirked a little at the explosion. Azuma was doing his job, perfect. That means that his other pupils were engaging Makarov's brood as he stood here. Another large explosion and a tower of flames erupted near the Tenrou tree. The elderly man frowned a little.

 _Azuma must've decided to battle a powerful opponent. Damn that warrior's pride._

The sound of sand crunching beneath metallic legs drew the man's attention. Hobbling towards him, gnarled cane sinking into the warm sand, was the devil like creature that drew the old man's neverending curiosity. He smirked a little when he saw the small blue haired girl in the crook of his muscular arm. His grin grew wider when he saw the blue fairy tail guild mark on her shoulder.

"Maul, I see you've starting doing some damage." The man smiled, "But why haven't you killed her yet?"

"She still has her uses." Maul replied with his growling voice.

"That being?" asked the old man as the alien creature stood hunched over his cane behind him, roughly dropping the wounded girl to the deck of the air ship.

"Bait," Maul replied, "This is how I'm going to get my prize."

The old man was liking this creature more and more. Unlike the others in the seven kin, with the exception of Ultear, this man planned out every move, down to the tiniest detail. He didn't go off half cocked, and he didn't charge into battle with only strength in mind. He would hobbled into battle and surprise those who dared to be Grimoire Heart's enemy. Hades eyed Maul. He was a dangerous ally to have.

"How do you know your target will take the bait?" Hades asked Maul.

"The girl is precious to him. I've sensed as much. And if nothing else, the other fairies will come for her. And I can eliminate them all before finding him." Maul growled back, "But she's on a time limit. I told that kitten of hers that she has twenty minutes to find the boy and bring him to me."

"How much time is left?"

Maul grinned, "Five minutes."

….

Joshua sprinted as fast as he could through the jungles. He could hear the explosions growing louder and louder and he could sense Erza using a tremendous amount of magic power against whatever enemy she was fighting. He could also feel the others. Natsu was battling someone, and he was losing! Mira and Lisanna were fighting someone as well. They were faring slightly better. Gajeel was down, he could sense that. Levy was barely holding her own. Joshua grit his teeth, this could not be happening!

He heard a violent explosion and was nearly knocked off of his feet from the shockwave. He was so close.

"Joshua!"

Before he could take another step forward he felt Carla bump into him from behind and tug him away from the explosions. Joshua shrugged off the cat.

"What are you doing Carla? Erza's in danger!"

"So is Wendy!" Carla cried.

Joshua's face hardened, "How much?"

"Some creature took her captive and is threatening to kill her if I don't find you!"

Joshua felt his heart rise to his throat. "What...what was it's name."

"He didn't say. But he looked like some sort of demon!" Cried Carla, "We don't have much time! If we don't return to him right now, he'll kill Wendy!"

Joshua's eyes widened. His feet were stuck in the mud around him. He had to make a choice, and he hated his options. He heard Erza yell out a new armor requip before another series of explosions filled his ears. Joshua balled up his fists, his crimson eyes were burning with anger. Why now!? Why did he have to choose!?

"Joshua!" Carla pulled on his cloak as tears stained her white fur, "Please… Wendy can't… she can't fight it."

Joshua's face darkened. He looked towards the large tree where he knew Erza was fighting. He took a shaky breath.

"I have faith in you Erza. Don't you dare die on me!" he whispered, "Beat that enemy!" he finished with a shout. "Carla! Let's go!"

Carla nodded and grabbed Joshua by the back. Just as they were about to take off from the ground an old man's voice pierced the air.

"Boy, I thought I felt something off about you."

Emerging from the brush was Makarov. He wore his normal clothes, but over all of them was a white coat with fur lining and golden shoulder pads. The coat of a wizard saint.

"Master." Joshua smiled at him, "Good you can go help Erza! Wendy's in trouble, I need to go help her!"

"Stay where you are!" Makarov barked out.

Joshua stared back at the man shocked.

"Erza told me that when your eyes turned crimson, it's a signal that you had lost control of your powers."

"What?" Joshua breathed before shaking his head, "What are talking about? I haven't lost control of anything."

Makarov stared at Joshua angrily, "Don't lie to me boy! Your eyes are crimson as we speak! And the power coming from you is as black as night!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You cannot fool me boy." Snarled Makarov, "You will not go near my children. Not anymore!"

"Master! Wendy is in trouble!"

"Then I will handle it! But you will go nowhere near her!" Makarov shouted back, "This darkness I'm feeling right now. I will not allow it in my guild."

Joshua began to shake and so did Carla.

"Erza said you couldn't control this darkness. But from what I'm seeing right now, you are. And you are using it willingly."

"I'M NOT USING MY MAGIC AT ALL!"

"LIAR!"

Joshua felt tears build in his eyes as he began to shake. Was this the same, kind old man that had taken him in when he was injured by that mudslide almost a full year ago? It didn't seem like it. Why would he call him a liar? He would never lie to him. Makarov stared angrily at the boy.

"Joshua…"

"Gramps…."

Joshua felt a light slash across his right shoulder. He yelled out and grabbed his shoulder.

"I will not allow someone with such a dark nature near my children anymore." Joshua felt the tears building up, "You are expelled from Fairy Tail."

Joshua's heart shattered in his chest. He felt his breathing grow ragged and he began to sniffle as tears went down his face. Carla looked at Joshua's right shoulder in stunned silence. The blue guildmark that was once there had been slashed away, leaving a plain patch of skin in it's place. Joshua stopped crying for a moment and looked up at the Master.

"I may be expelled now. But Wendy is still in danger. And I will save her."

"You will not go near her!" Makarov began to grow to an astronomical heights as he let his magic flow through his body, "You are a being of darkness!"

Joshua stared up in awe at Makarov with his crimson eyes.

"Move one inch boy! And I will end you!" Makarov boomed over him.

Joshua's face was shadowed out by his hair as he bowed his head. His fingers clenched into fists at his sides.

"You refuse to listen. You refuse to trust me." He stared up with a furious look that made Makarov sweat a little, "You are not my Master! You will not control me!"

Joshua pointed his fingers at Makarov and the old man's eyes widened. Blue lightning crackled from Joshua's fingertips. The painful tendrils of blue wrapped around Makarov's giant form and pierced his body. Makarov instantly saw pain as he yelled out with a deep scream. Joshua let all of his power flow into the lightning. He grit his teeth and stared on with tear filled eyes as the giant form of Makarov shrank back down and his body was flung into a tree from the amount of force behind the blue lightning. He stared angrily at Makarov as the old man shook whenever lightning arced around his form. Joshua stopped his furious attack and stared at the old man.

"You will not stop me from protecting those I care about." Joshua looked at Carla, "We need to get to Wendy."

Carla stared stunned at Joshua. She glanced back at Makarov and shook with fear at the boy.

"CARLA!" Carla gasped at the fury behind Joshua's voice, "We have no time! You said this guy is going to kill Wendy right! Then let's get moving!"

Carla gulped and nodded before grabbing Joshua's back and jetting into the sky and towards the dark magic airship on the far shore.

….

"This is the greatest fight of my life!" Shouted Azuma as adrenaline coursed through his body.

He looked rough. His leather armor was in shreds and his body was covered in bruises and deep gashes left by Erza's swords. Azuma licked his cracked lips before turning his head back up to look at the red haired warrior.

Erza was not in much better shape. This guy had already shattered several of her best armors. Her body was much worse for wear as well. She had a deep gash in her stomach from an explosion that hit her point blank. Cuts and bruises covered her face and arms as she gasped for air while kneeling on a massive tree root.

"I want more Titania!" Azuma roared, "I want more!"

A series of explosions ripped across the space between them. Erza's eyes widened and she quickly jumped out of the way. A tree root sprouted directly behind her and smacked her back down into the tree root, leaving a crater where she landed. Erza winced and coughed as pain ran through her body.

"Don't tell me that is all you have Titania?"

Erza tried to rise to her hands and knees but felt all her joints buckle. She flopped back down onto the tree root, gasping for breath. Azuma felt the thrill of battle leave his body as he stared at Erza's broken down form.

"I guess it is." he mumbled to himself before he closed his eyes, "You were a worthy opponent Titania. I will remember this battle for my entire life. You have forever earned my respect." he raised a hand towards the red head. "Goodbye. TERRA CLAM-"

"Move one inch boy! And I will end you!" boomed a voice overhead causing Azuma to hesitate his attack.

Erza raised her head and Azuma gaped up at a giant towering above the trees. The giant stared down at something near him. Erza gasped as she saw that it was the Master's magic. He was facing an enemy!

"You will not control me!" bellowed a young boy's voice.

Erza's eyes widened and her body began to shake.

 _Joshua!?_

 __Blue lightning suddenly climbed up the Master's massive body, stunning the old man and causing him to scream out. Erza stared up horrified as the lightning burned the master and caused his magic to die out almost immediately. The sinking feeling she had in her gut during this battle was correct. Something bad had happened to Joshua. She grit her teeth. He had lost control and instead of the Master trying to calm him down he attempted to attack him!

She stared on as the old man shrank back down below the trees, yelling the entire time. Erza knew that wouldn't be the end of it. She had to beat this guy and find Joshua. She had to get him to safety, away from here. She bit her lip and slowly struggled to her feet. She requiped out of her broken Purgatory Armor and changed into her purely attack form. A razor sharp Katana was in her hands as she changed into baggy red pants with only bandages covering her chest.

"What was that?" Breathed Azuma as he tried to comprehend the overwhelming power filling the area where the giant was.

Erza grit her teeth and leapt from the tree root she was on. She stayed silent as she near the stunned Azuma. There was no time for a fair fight anymore. Her little brother was in danger. Erza brought the blade over her head. Azuma turned back to finish off Erza. His eyes widened as he saw a flash of red hair before pain filled his entire existence. He felt a sword dig into his body, slashing across his torso. Azuma gasped out as the amount of power behind the strike forced him to fall to the forest floor below. He landed heavily, dust and dirt pluming up around him as he bounced onto the ground.

The dark wizard groaned and coughed. He couldn't move. Titania had struck him head on, without warning. That wasn't like her. At least he thought it wasn't like her. He watched as she raced away from the place of their battle and towards where they saw the giant rise above the trees. Azuma frowned.

"I guess I lost. If she came down here I wouldn't be able to fight back." Azuma sighed, "That was clever of her. Using such a large distraction to her advantage." Azuma looked up at the clouds and took a deep breath before coughing. "Ouch."

Erza raced through through the forest until she found the location of her guildmaster. She saw the old man struggling to rise to his feet. His skin had burns on it and his white jacket was still arcing static around him.

"Master!" Erza shouted as she ran towards him.

"Erza.." breathed Makarov as he saw her run towards him. He saw that she was heavily injured but still moving towards him very quickly.

"What happened?" Erza demanded as she helped the old man to his feet.

"Joshua… he's lost control."

Erza felt her breath catch in her throat, "He couldn't have."

"He did Erza. Not only did he lose control, but it seems like he willingly lost it. He let the darkness consume him. I didn't feel a shred of light coming from the magic in him." Makarov grunted as he rose to his feet.

"Why would he lose control?" Erza asked, "That doesn't make any sense! Did he fight an enemy and lost it?"

"I don't know Erza. But I felt his magic and I saw those eyes." Makarov sighed, "So I did what I had to."

Erza held her breath. _Please don't say it…_

"I expelled him."

Erza's brown eyes widened and her hands fell to her side. Her head bowed and her shoulders began to shake as she began to cry.

"This… this makes no sense." Erza sniffled, "What did he say to you? What did he say to make you do that?"

"That doesn't matter right now Erza. He's lost control and is on his way towards Wendy." Erza stopped crying and felt her chest tighten up. Tyrannus was heading for Wendy! "We need to stop him."

Erza looked down at the Master, "Which way?"

"Carla took him towards the beach. It seems he has convinced her that he is not out of control."

Erza blinked, "Hold on a moment!"

"What?"

"We're talking about Carla. The most observant cat we have. A friend so protective of Wendy that it puts me to shame." Makarov blinked for a moment. Erza glowered down at the old man, "What are you not telling me?" She snarled.

Makarov closed his eyes and looked away from Erza. Erza shook her head and raced towards the beach leaving the old man alone in the mud.

….

Hades stood silently on the bow of his ship. He could feel both sides beginning to suffer loses. Then his eyes widened as he sensed Azuma fall.

"That's not possible." Breathed Hades.

"It seems he is not as capable of a fighter as I thought." Maul chuckled as he sat cross legged on the bow of the ship. Wendy was lying down beside him, still unconscious.

Hades then gulped as he felt another member of the seven kin fall to Makarov's brood.

"The fat one." Maul sighed, "To be honest that one doesn't surprise me. He seemed rather weak."

"Kain is a member of the seven kin for a reason. He couldn't have lost, something must be wrong!" Hades snarled.

"Not all of us lost." Said a rasping voice.

Hades blinked and looked down to see a crazed man with wild blonde hair walking confidently towards them. Hades breathed an audible sigh of relief. Some of his men were at least capable of doing their jobs. He never expected Zancrow to actually accomplish his end though. He was always more of a loose cannon that wreaks havoc.

"The little fire dragon was nothing to my divine flames." The man with the crazed red eyes laughed.

Maul said nothing. His eyes remained closed.

"Well done Zancrow." Hades congratulated, "But your work is not done. Azuma and Kain have been defeated. Pick up where they left off."

Zancrow scoffed, "Fine." he then saw the new guy just sitting behind Hades, "Why isn't he doing anything!?"

Zancrow stomped towards Maul. Hades sighed, "Zancrow do as I say."

"No! I wanna know why this guy gets a pass." He then saw the little girl lying broken beside him, "Oh, he's so powerful!" mocked Zancrow, "He took out a little girl then came back to rest! Wow, I'm so scared! Why don't you stop being lazy and-"

The whirring of a lightsaber filled the air and Zancrow looked straight ahead with a stunned stare. Maul was staring straight into his eyes. The God Slayer felt fear fill his entire being as the crimson eyes gazed through him, as if staring right into his very soul. He then felt like he couldn't breath. Zancrow then felt his head begin to slide left before he felt nothing at all. Hades stared in shock as Zancrow's head slid to the left before it fell completely from his body's shoulders. The body then flopped backwards to the ground.

"Never mock me." snarled Maul before the strange red sword in his hand disappeared back into a metal cylinder that he pulled out from his cane.

It happened so fast. Hades couldn't even track it. And the cut was so clean that Zancrow was still alive when the head began to fall from the body. This creature was supposed to be crippled, yet he jumped up and attacked with terrifying speed. Maul exhaled and gripped the cylinder in his hands. He looked around him.

"Times up." He muttered, "I guess I was wrong about the boy."

Maul suddenly moved with a surprising amount of power. He was not using the cane to walk anymore. There was a slightly limp to his walk, but he didn't look crippled in the slightest. Maul stood over the unconscious girl and smiled evilly.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face." Maul grinned.

The red sword hummed to life in his right hand. He pointed it down at Wendy, as if taking aim at her, before raising it over his head.

"You've served your purpose."

The sword rocketed down towards Wendy's body. Hades closed his eyes. He was a ruthless dark guild master, but seeing the death of children still disturbed him. Especially if the death was going to be as gruesome as Zancrow's. He preferred mercy kills than something like this.

"NOOOOOO!"

Another sword thundered to life and caught Maul's blade in mid air. Hades opened his eyes and gaped as he saw a young boy in a blade lock with Maul. The boy had brown hair and crimson eyes. His skin was pale, but not sickly pale, more like he hadn't been in the sun enough. He wore a gray shirt and jeans and had a gray cloak over his shoulders. For such a small child, he was surprisingly strong. Hades could feel the dark magic coming off of him in waves.

 _So this was the child Maul is after._

Maul's eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across his lips, "You've arrived boy."

Their sabers crackled and sparked as they stayed locked.

"Tell me, have you considered the offer I made you in your little vision?" Maul asked.

Joshua furrowed his eyes and his face snarled back at Maul, "My answer is the same."

Maul sighed, "Very well then. Since you refuse to join me, I will put you through the most pain you have ever felt in your life." He glanced down at the girl as she began to stir, "Starting with your emotions."

He pushed Joshua's blade away and jumped back pulling Wendy with him with the force. Joshua stumbled back and was about to charge when he felt terror and shock grip him. Wendy's eyes were wide open and she looked back at Joshua with shock before coughing up some blood. Joshua looked down and saw Maul's red blade sticking through her small body.

"WENDY!" yelled Carla.

Maul grinned widely as he retracted the sword from the small girl and let her fall towards the ship's deck. Carla instantly swooped in and grabbed her before she hit the ground. Carla quickly flew her over to Joshua. Joshua deactivated his sword and grabbed Wendy from Carla's paws and held her in his arms.

"Wendy!" Joshua called her, "Wendy!"

The girl's brown eyes cracked open, "I'm sorry. I couldn't beat him." she rasped.

"Don't worry about that." Joshua said through teary eyes, "Just worry about staying with me. You hear me? Just hold on for me."

Wendy smiled weakly up at Joshua, "Thanks for coming to rescue me..." She breathed weakly.

The boy could sense her strength fading away from her. Her magic was disappearing fast. His hands began to tremble as he held her. Carla was already sobbing and begging Joshua to do something. He didn't know what to do though. He wasn't a healer. He didn't know anything about healing magic. Her skin was starting to get cold in his arms.

"No….no, no no no no!" Joshua panicked as he felt some tears stream down his face.

He felt a burst of magic nearby. Joshua glanced up and saw someone he did not recognize. Standing next to him was a man with tan skin and short brown hair. He had a large scar on the left side of his face and brown eyes. The man wore a red shirt with vertical orange stripes and brown pants.

"Give her to me. I can get her to help." said the man.

"Who are you?" asked Joshua.

"I'm with the magic council." he gulped as he sensed Wendy's life begin to fade, "There is no time Joshua. Give her to me. I can get her to help."

Joshua grit his teeth and closed his eyes. He didn't sense this man was lying. He gulped and quickly handed Wendy to him.

"Carla, go with him." he breathed.

The white cat nodded as she wiped her right eye.

"What about you kid?" asked the man as Joshua felt his magic power rise.

Joshua wiped tears from his eyes. He was feeling sorrow like he had never felt anymore. Wendy was dying in his arms just now.

 _ **Maul, he was not supposed to be here… he was not part of this.**_ Joshua heard a voice in his head. _**His presence will be a beacon to Sidious. You must destroy him.**_

Joshua rose to his feet and griped his lightsaber hilt tightly in his right hand. The man from the magic council felt waves of dark magic coming off of the boy.

"I'm going to kill this monster." Joshua growled.

The magic council member gulped then nodded, "Good luck."

With that he suddenly disappeared with Wendy and Carla. Joshua glanced to where he once was.

 _Teleportation magic, interesting._

"You are going to kill me?" Maul laughed amused before he twirled his lightsaber in his hands, "I'd love to see you try."

Joshua stared Maul down. Hades in the meantime felt the darkness around both of them rise to heights that surprised him. Hades took an instictive step back as he began to feel the nature of their magic. Was it truly possible? This nature, this pure dark magic pulsing through these two, was it the one magic? The magic that existed at the beginning of creation? The magic upon which all other magics originated? Hades couldn't believe what he was feeling.

The airship began to shudder and the metal walls around them began to crunch as if being crushed by invisible hands. Hades's eyes widened and he quickly jumped out of the airship before it was filled with fiery explosions. Hades gracefully landed in the sand and looked up to see the two combatants jumping from the smoking ruins of the ship, blades clashing in mid air as they fell to the sand and waves below.

Maul extended a hand and grinned.

"You have no shield, boy!" he roared triumphantly.

A massive push hit Joshua and sent him rocketing down to the water below. He landed with an enormous splash before Maul flipped and landed in the shallow water, the waves brushing below his metallic knees. The boy leapt out of the water and raised his blade over his head. Maul grinned and extended his hand once again before pushing him far down the water's edge. Joshua skidding across the water before stopping dozens of meters from the airship. The boy shook his head and got to his feet. He watched as Maul slowly stalked towards him. The creature tossed his cane to the side as if it was just a nuisance.

Joshua took a new approach and instead got into his fighting stance. His saber pointed directly at Maul's heart as the creature menacingly sloshed through the waves. Maul stopped a few yards away from him.

"Hm… Makashi?" Maul asked, "It doesn't look like it though. More like a knockoff variation. But interesting." Maul then shrugged, "But why should I dirty my hands in a sword fight when you are so evidently weak."

Joshua felt like a massive hand grabbed him and flung him towards ocean. Joshua shouted as he crashed right into a wave at incredible speeds. The cold water shocked his body and it felt like he had hit a wall of concrete. Joshua stopped skidding across the water and slowly began to sink into it's depths. His eyes were closed and small bubbles rose to the surface above him.

 _I can't win… He's too strong._ Joshua looked up, his eyes were no longer crimson, as if he'd accepted the impossible situation, _I can't even get close to him._ He saw Wendy's and Erza's smiling faces, _I'm so sorry._

"Requip!" a bright light shined over Joshua and he felt an armored hand wrap around his body. The water rushed past his face and he broke the surface in a flash. Joshua gasped for air and looked up to see long red hair. "SEA EMPRESS ARMOR!"

 _Erza!_

Erza held Joshua and landed with a tremendous amount of force back onto the beach. Maul tilted his head to the side as he watched the woman in front of him. He began to sense who this person was before his eyes widened. The force, it was incredible within her. The others he thought of as weak, but this was a stunning development. He knew that the force here was simply called magic. And this girl had plenty of it.

"Erza…" breathed Joshua as he leaned against her shoulder.

"Don't you dare give up!" Erza shouted at him.

Joshua blinked and looked at Erza before she forced him to stand on his own. She then let her body be enveloped in her requip's golden light before appearing in her Heaven's Wheel armor.

"Did you not learn anything from me! You never quit! Ever!" Joshua's eyes widened, "Now c'mon, we'll take him together!"

Joshua looked at Erza with tear filled eyes before nodded. He shook his head and the tears went away. His thumb pressed against the button on his lightsaber hilt and it hummed to life in his hand as he got into his stance.

"He's got one sword. We can take him if we can get close." Joshua replied.

Maul began to chuckle lowly. The chuckle turned into a loud, cackling, laughter. Hades watched from afar as he stared in awe at the power being put on display. He wanted to see this magic at it's full strength. This had to be magic's true nature!

"I've got one sword? Please…" Maul laughed as he held his blade sideways and parallel to the ground. "When two powerful opponents approach me." Joshua's eyes widened as a second glowing saber emitted from the other end of the hilt, "I am always prepared."

Erza clenched her jaw and held her blade out in front of her, squaring herself up to Maul. Joshua narrowed his eyes and Maul grinned at the two of them.

"Well then…" Erza whispered.

Maul grinned, "Shall we begin?"

 **Oooooooh! I'm so excited to write the next chapter already! This is gonna be a good fight! Wow! Let me know what you guys think is gonna happen? As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	32. Chapter 32: Joshua and Erza vs Maul

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the slight delay, it's a long drive home to Wisconsin from Ohio. But I'm home now which means it's winter break and I've got all the time in the world to write. So let the chapters begin!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 32

He lay there. Crumpled up in the dirt. A heap of beaten bone and flesh, burned by black fire. Lucy saw his still form and her heart jumped up to her throat. She felt like she was choking on her own worry as she ran towards the campsite with Cana, Gray, and Loke by her side. As she got closer she could see the massive amounts of destruction around them. The trees were charred, all green and moisture was sucked from the brittle bark. The dirt around his fallen form was burned black from dark flames that still flickered on the ground.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted as she sprinted forward, ignoring her own injuries that she had suffered in her own battle.

Gray's eyes widened as he began to see the rampant destruction that covered their campsite. He gulped as he saw Natsu. He then saw the burns. It couldn't be possible though! Natsu doesn't burn, he's the fire dragon slayer. No fire can burn him!

Lucy skidded to a stop next to Natsu, who lay face down in the dirt. She trembled as she began to fear the worst. He wasn't moving an inch. The only part of his body moving was his scaly white scarf fluttering in the tropical breeze that moved through them. She slowly reached a trembling hand down praying that the worst hadn't happened.

*SNORE*

Lucy blinked. She looked down at Natsu and heard it again.

*SNORE*

"WHY YOU LITTLE FAKER!" Lucy brought her foot back and buried it into Natsu's side.

Natsu yelled out in both shock and pain as he flew across the campsite and crashed straight into Gray.

"What the hell you pyro!?" Gray exclaimed as he readied himself for a fistfight. But no fistfight came. Natsu fell flat onto his back and winced.

"It burns…" he muttered, "But…" He winked over at Lucy, "Your reaction was hilarious!"

"I'M NOT SOMEONE TO PLAY AROUND WITH IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS!" Lucy cried out as she waved her fist angrily at the dragon slayer.

Gray sighed and eased Natsu up so that he was sitting once again. The pink haired teen wiped some grime from his face and shook his head, obviously still trying to clear the mental fog that hung over his mind.

"So who did this to you man?" Gray asked.

"Some fire guy." replied Natsu.

Gray frowned, "Obviously, you've got some serious burns here."

"Was it one of Grimoire Heart's people?" Cana asked as she surveyed the damaged campsite.

Natsu shrugged, "I can't really remember. I was too busy trying to eat his fire."

"You tried to eat fire that actually hurt you!? Are you crazy!?" Lucy yelled at him.

"It looked tasty." Natsu mumbled back.

"Mmm… fish." mumbled a high pitched voice from a pile of dirt nearby.

"Speaking of tasty." Gray sweatdropped as Cana pulled on a blue tail that was sticking out of a pile of dirt.

Cana smirked and gently placed the unconscious blue Exceed on her lap as she sat down with the others. Natsu looked glanced around at his guildmates. They all were just as beaten up as he was. Gray had already lost his shirt and was covered in bruises. Lucy's outfit was already revealing way too much due to it being torn up in places. Cana was the only one that didn't seem too worse for wear along with Loke. Natsu frowned as he looked over at Gray.

"So who beat the crap outta you?"

"No one beat the crap out of me!"

"It was more like an it that beat the crap out of him." Cana teased.

"Huh?" Natsu said with a confused look.

"We ran into a man goat in a suit." Lucy explained.

Natsu looked over at Lucy, "How hard did you hit your head in your fight?"

"I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP!"

"Unfortunately she isn't." Cana said as she crossed her arms.

"So wait, you mean to tell me that Gray got his ass handed to him by a goat man!" Natsu roared with laughter before coughing and grabbing his left side.

"You know, if you didn't look like you were about to keel over, I'd beat your ass myself." Gray snarled back.

"Oh yeah, bring it on snowflake!" Natsu growled back before wincing again as pain washed over his body.

"Stop fighting you two." Cana ordered calmly, "None of us are in a position to fight anymore. We're all low on magic power. That goat-man-celestial spirit thingy-"

"Capricorn." Mumbled Lucy as she ran her fingers over a new acquired golden key.

"Whatever it was, took a lot more out of us than we thought." Cana sighed, "I just hope the others are ok."

Lucy then thought of a brilliant idea, "Hey! What about Wendy! She could heal us up that way we can go find the others and make sure they're ok."

A new voice entered the campsite. It was a sultry female voice that made Gray's eyes widen as it's familiar tone landed on his ears.

"The little sky dragon is most likely dead at this point." Said a women who strode towards the campsite.

The woman wore a skintight battlesuit and had long black hair that ran down to her lower back. On her shoulders, she was carrying a man wearing a black coat with a white toga over it. The man looked a little beaten up and, for some reason, he looked somewhat familiar to Natsu.

"What do you mean Wendy is dead!?" demanded Cana as she rose to her feet and held three cards tightly in her right hand.

"I mean exactly what I say." The woman replied, "Most likely, she is dead. I saw it happen after all. Maul ran her through."

Natsu's eyes widened along with the others.

"The little boy tried so hard to save her. But sadly, she died in his arms."

Natsu felt rage boiling through him as he pictured Wendy's innocent face going cold and lifeless.

"Little boy?" growled Gray.

"Yes, the one named Joshua. He tried so hard to rescue her, only to fail and watch her die like that. It'll probably haunt him forever." chuckled the woman.

"How…. how dare you!" Natsu growled lowly as he tried to stand up but found his body would not cooperate.

"And now that little boy faces my Master and his newest monster." the woman grinned darkly at them, "Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he is already dead as we speak."

"SHUT UP!" Cana shouted. Just as she was about to fling her cards she saw the man slumped over Ultear's shoulders begin to stir.

Natsu heard a small whisper with his hearing.

"Acnologia." he heard the man whisper with sorrow in his voice.

The woman seemed to hear the whisper as well. Her eyes widened with joy as she looked gleefully over to the man on her shoulders. The joy quickly faded as the man raised his head. His eyes were no longer the dark, mournful color she saw when she first found him. Rather, they were a piercing crimson that seemed to make all courage in her body leave as he stared directly into her own brown eyes. The man placed a hand to her stomach and a black ball of energy formed. Ultear's eyes widened and she quickly brought her magic to it's fullest strength. The black ball moved an inch away from the man's hand and hit Ultear with a terrifyingly loud bam. A black column of energy and blue lightning burst into the sky, causing the ground to shake. The Fairy Tail wizards heard the woman scream loudly as she was flung into the sky by the powerful magic. She then stopped climbing and began to fall to the earth, her body landing somewhere in the forests around the campsite.

Lucy and the others watched with a sense of dread as the man rose to his feet. His crimson eyes scanned the land around him, as if he was searching for prey. He then closed said eyes and frowned.

"First Sith, now dark wizards." He sighed, "Their evil has called him. And now, all will be extinguished." He opened his eyes, "This era is now over."

"Who the heck are you!?" shouted Natsu before biting his lip in pain.

The man returned his gaze over to the group and his eyes widened as his vision narrowed on the pink haired dragon slayer. The crimson faded away and a sorrowful dark color filled his irises.

"Natsu…" he whispered in shock as he stared at the teen.

Gray raised an eyebrow, "You know this guy?"

"I've never seen him before." replied Natsu, "Hey! Tell us who you are!"

Zeref wanted to cry. He hadn't felt hope like this in so long. But, he could sense the magic power in Natsu. It was still far too weak. And this era had now ended. He wasn't going to die now, the new era has come, and this new era had lost it's chance before it even began. The summoning of Acnologia by the evil thoughts of the wizards on this island proved as much. Zeref averted his gaze from Natsu, the crimson color returned to his eyes.

"You weren't able to defeat me in time." he whispered to himself before silently walking away from the confused wizards, "And now the world will suffer for it."

….

The warm tropical breeze drifted along the shoreline blowing smoke from the burning magic air ship towards the three combatants that stood in the warm sand. The black plumes of smoke covered hid all three, only the glow of the two lightsabers held by Maul and Joshua could be seen through the smokescreen. Erza narrowed her eyes and held her breath, doing her best not to inhale the toxic fumes that billowed towards them. That's when Maul made his moved.

The dual bladed lightsaber whirred in a circle over Maul's head. He leapt into the air, still using the smoke as cover. Erza felt her heart begin to race as the on of the deadly red blades descended down towards her. She raised her own regular sword and prayed that it would be enough to deflect such a dangerous weapon. The lightsaber hit her sword with a strength that made Erza's knees buckled underneath her. Her right leg fell to a knee as her sword struggled against the overwhelming heat of the red blade. Erza then heard a crackling sound as she saw Joshua's gray lightsaber clash into the other side of Maul's saber through the smoke. The smoke was so thick that she couldn't see Maul even though he was only a few inches from her. Just the evil, red glow of his saber was visible. Erza then heard the sound of metal beginning to melt. She looked up at her sword and saw the metal beginning to cave to the lightsaber. Thinking quickly she tucked into a roll and somersaulted away from the blade. The lightsaber fell straight down after Erza's sword left it. Sand turned to glass around the immediate source of the red light as it dug into the shore. The low hum of the blade was heard in Erza's ears once again. In the blink of an eye she requiped and caught the blade with a new metal sword just before it hit her left side.

 _This smoke is hindering me!_

She grit her teeth as she barely deflected another swipe from Maul's saberstaff. Erza gulped and hoped Joshua had the same idea as her. She used her Heaven's wheel armor to quickly jet upwards and out of the growing black cloud. She looked down at the smoke in awe as she saw the deadly dance of red and gray lights. The low hum of the otherworldly swords mixed with loud energetic cracks, like small bolts of lightning, as the other two fighters continued their deadly dance.

 _C'mon Joshua, get out of there!_

Erza was about to race down and snag Joshua when he saw him make an impossible leap out of the smoke. As he did this, Erza felt a huge burst of dark energy from him. She saw his crimson eyes and gulped. The master wasn't incorrect, he was using dark magic. But it didn't seem like he had lost control. It looked like he was harnessing it this time. But how? Joshua had never been able to do that.

The boy landed softly in the sand outside of the smoke's radius. He looked forward and saw Maul calmly striding out of the smoke, double red blades humming ominously in the silence around them. Erza descended down and stood beside Joshua once again. The two could feel a thin film of sweat on their bodies. It had only been a few moments of battling this creature and already they were feeling tired.

"I'm somewhat impressed by you two." Maul smirked at them. "Especially you red head. I knew the boy would be able to deflect my saber, but I never imagined you would be able to."

"You will find we are full of surprises." Erza snarled back as she held her sword out in front of her. "DANCE MY SWORDS!"

Maul raised his brow before hearing the sound of sharp metal ripping through the air around him. Maul twirled his saberstaff and met each flying sword head on, slicing through the metal like it was butter. This perplexed the Zabrak from Dathomir. How was the woman able to keep her swords from being so brittle when in her hands. Then he thought of it. He remembered from an old lesson from his old master. He fought his master when he was training. He used his lightsaber while his master used a simple stick. The stick beat his saber. His master had explained that the force could be used to make weapons more powerful, even if they were just a simple stick. Maul cut through the final sword before feeling the force ripple around him. He spun and deflected the boy's saber away before raising the other half of his saberstaff and meeting the woman's sword in the air. Maul glanced back and confirmed his suspicions. The force was coursing through the woman's blade, almost like such a skill was second nature to her. Maul frowned, that would complicate things. This woman was a much more skilled fighter than the boy. And he could feel a slight shield around her as well. He doubted that she knew about the force, since it was called magic on this world instead. But it seemed she was utilizing it in a similar way to a force novice. A small shield to help deflect long distance strikes and using this "magic" to strengthen her swords to the point when they were nigh unbreakable. For someone with absolutely no training, Maul was impressed.

Maul pursed his lips as he began to block strike after strike from his two opponents. His body a blur of spins and subtle movements as he deftly deflected each sword.

"Requip!" A bright light shined over Erza's form, "Giant Armor!"

Maul looked over the golden armor and grinned. That was a mistake. This armor was large. Powerful but very bulky, which meant slow. He dodged the large spear that was now in Erza's hands before flipping over Joshua's quick slice.

 _These two are too dangerous together._

Maul blocked another spear thrust before reaching back and catching Joshua's sword, forcing a struggle of strength as their weapons locked together. Maul glanced back and forth between the two, his anger rising as he struggled against them.

 _This is becoming an annoyance._

Maul kicked up sand with his metallic left leg and heard Joshua yell out as the sand hit him in the eyes. Maul grinned and extended a hand pushing the boy even further down the beach.

Joshua grit his teeth as he skidded along the coarse sand. He felt his skin scrape as his cloak was chewed to bits by the millions of grains of sand. When he finished sliding across the shore, he attempted to open his eyes but felt pain as the sand in them rubbed between his eyelids and eyeballs. Maul grinned triumphantly as he kicked Erza away from his and raced towards the boy. If this brat wasn't going to join him, then he was going to die. He would find someone else to be his apprentice.

Joshua tried to open his eyes again only to instantly regret it. He couldn't fight like this, he couldn't see anything. He'd have to wash his eyes out in order to do anything, but he had no time to do that.

 _Joshua…._

If the boy could blink he did. That voice, it was familiar.

"Qui Gon." Joshua breathed. He gulped as he heard the deadly hum of Maul's sabers growing closer.

 _Joshua, trust in the force. Let it guide you, and you will succeed._

Joshua took a deep breath before nodding. Trust the force, trust his magic. Joshua kept his eyes closed, choosing not to open them. He let his magic rise inside of him as he attempted to do something he had never done before. Sense where an opponent was while fighting. It was his only option at this point.

"I HAVE YOU NOW!" roared Maul as his saber arced downward at Joshua.

"JOSHUA MOVE!" Erza screamed as she sprinted across the sand.

Joshua felt a disturbance in his magic. It seemed to tell him that it was coming from above. Then he somehow saw it. The outlines of his environment and his enemy. He saw the red glow thundering down towards him. Joshua moved quickly and brought his own sword up to meet the red one of Maul's.

Erza's eye widened as she saw the blade's meet mid air. Joshua's eyes were closed yet he blocked Maul's blade perfectly. Erza smiled on the inside. That was her little brother. She closed the gap with Maul quickly and thrust her spear at the creature back. Maul snarled angrily and leap up over the spear.

"Too slow." Maul grinned.

Erza's eyes widened as she felt Maul land behind her. How could she be so foolish! She knew he was faster than what he was letting on, yet she still used her giant armor. A burning sensation spread out across her upper back and Erza yelled out in pain. Maul's smile faded, his sword cut into her, he knew as much. But it didn't slice her cleanly, rather it left a deep gash in her back, but nothing more. Maul frowned, these armors were quite the nuisance.

"Erza! Duck!" Joshua shouted before flinging his saber at Maul.

Erza instinctively dropped to the ground and Maul's eyes widened as the gray lightsaber spun towards him. Maul brough his sword up and batted it away. Joshua ran towards, Erza and used her as a platform to jump from. He used his telekinesis to bring his sword back to his hands and he leaped high in the air. Joshua raised the sword over his head, pointing it down at Maul. Maul let out an amused chuckle.

"You're skilled boy. But like I said before, you have no shield." he laughed before using the force to once again launch the boy far away from him.

Erza struggled to her feet before requiping into her Purgatory armor. She could feel the gash in her back and it was incredibly painful. It didn't bleed, but she could feel the charred flesh around the wound. She bit back a pained grunt before catching Maul's blade. Maul's grin grew wider. The woman was weakening. She wasn't going to be able to keep pace much longer. He looked over at Joshua as the boy struggled to his feet, blood dripping from cuts in his arms after skidding across the sand once again. He wasn't going to last much longer either. Maul chuckled, this was going very well. He'll eliminate these insects then find someone else on this planet to be his apprentice. After all, this place was strong in the force. He was bound to find someone powerful enough. Maul smiled at his genius plan. He'd put it into action soon, after he eliminated these pests.

….

Makarov sat quietly against the tree trunk Erza found him at. His head was bowed as he was deep in thought. He hated expelling anyone from the guild. It always broke him on the inside. To him, it felt like he had failed in bringing up a child. The pained look Erza gave him made his sorrow only deepen. He wanted Joshua to stay, he wanted the boy to beat his inner darkness. But, it was evident that he was never going to be able to. And he was not going to put his children in danger.

"Master!" Makarov glanced up and saw the three Strauss siblings and Evergreen running towards him.

Makarov gave a relieved smile. He now knew that some in the guild were safe. They three had some bruises and scrapes but they were relatively unharmed.

"Mira." Makarov said as she ran up to him.

"What happened Master?" she asked as she saw the burns on his coat and skin, "Who did this to you?"

Makarov frowned, "Joshua lost control."

Mira's eyes widened and anger gripped her. Evergreen frowned while Lisanna and Elfman looked on in stunned silence.

"I expelled him from the guild. And he retaliated." Makarov continued.

"THAT IS NOT A MANLY THING TO DO!" Elfman shouted angrily.

"That doesn't sound like him." Lissanna muttered to herself.

Mira felt her fists tighten, "Where did he go?"

Makarov felt his heart stop in his chest. He had completely forgotten.

"Wendy… The beach! He went to the beach. East of here!" Makarov shouted before jumping to his feet and beginning to sprint to the shore with the others behind him.

"What's wrong master?" Evergreen asked.

"Joshua was heading towards Wendy." Makarov replied with a low growl, "I will not let him touch her!"

They began to get close to the beach when they suddenly felt massive amounts of dark magic clashing near the shore. All five stopped in place and looked past the palm trees to the beach. In a large cloud of smoke danced two red blades and a gray one. Sparks and bright flashes of light lit up the dark smoke as the two blades crackled in the air. Makarov stopped and watched quietely. How was there someone else with the same weapon as Joshua?

"It's Erza!" Mira shouted as she pointed up at the sky.

Jumping from the smoke was Erza, clad in her Heaven's Wheel armor. A few moments later Makarov heard Elfman growl lowly before gasping. Joshua made an inhuman leap out of the billowing smoke before landing gracefully in the sand below.

"Let's get him Master!" Evergreen said lowly.

"What is that?" gasped Lissanna.

Makarov peered forward and his eyes widened. Striding out of the smoke was a creature with red and black skin. Small horns protruded from it's head and it's legs were made of metal. In it's gloved hands was a long silver cylinder with long red light blades sticking out from either end of the cylinder. The demon like creature stalked towards Joshua, his metal legs crunched the sand underneath him. Makarov then saw Erza land beside the boy and ready herself for the fight to come.

"What is Erza doing!?" Mira said stunned.

"Joshua is a traitor why is-"

"Maybe I can explain." an elderly voice sneered at them from nearby as the voice cut off Evergreen.

All heads turned to see a tall, elderly man walked towards them. He stopped a dozen yards away from them. Makarov looked at the man in stunned silence. He couldn't believe who he was seeing right now. The long gray beard, eyepatch over the right eye, aura exuding pure power. There was no mistaking this man. Makarov began to tremble both with fury and fear as he glared at the man.

"It can't be." Makarov breathed.

"Who is this guy gramps?" Elfman asked as he readied himself for a fight.

"Have you really not told anyone about me, boy?" the old man spat the last word out with venom, "Has my name been wiped from the guild's records? I'm rather offended."

"It can't be." Makarov said again, "M-master Precht."

"Huh!?" Mira gasped as she looked at the old man.

"Who the hell is this Master Precht?" Elfman demanded to know.

Hades chuckled, "I was Fairy Tail's second master."

The four younger wizards looked at the elderly man with shock. This was lord second!

"That can't be possible!" Evergreen shook as she began to feel the magic pressure leaking out of the old man.

"It is though." Hades replied, "The depths of magic reveal some very powerful spells. Some of which can prolong life."

"What are doing here!?" Makarov shouted, "Why would you try to harm the guild!? Why would you turn like this!?"

Hades frowned, "The path of sorcery leads to darkness Makarov. True sorcery means discovering the one magic that begat all other magics. And that magic is hidden in the darkness. I left the light to find this magic. And my search is almost complete. Once I find Zeref on this island, the key to unlocking the true magic will be found. And then, I will bring about a world of true magic. One where only wizards can live and all is possible!"

"You insane." Elfman snarled at him.

"I prefer the term enlightened." Hades replied, "Now, as for why the boy is battling my newest ally. Well, Maul decided the little girl was no longer of any use."

A pit formed in Makarov's stomach, "W-what are you talking about!?"

Hades cackled, "Exactly what I mean. That little sky dragon is dead! Died in that boy's arms!"

"No…" gasped Mira as he put her hands over her mouth and felt tears form in her eyes.

"Wendy." Lisanna sniffled.

Evergreen was too stunned to do anything. She just stared blankly forward as the loud crackling of energy swords faded away. Hades glanced over to the smoke and saw that Joshua, Erza, and Maul had disappeared further down the beach. They were no longer visible.

"And now you've prevented me from observing what is quite possibly the one true magic at work." Hades clenched his fist, "I will not be bothered with you, boy."

Makarov felt the veins popping from his forehead as anger washed over him. He was angry at Hades, angry at whoever this Maul was, but most of all, he was angry at himself. Joshua was no lying to him. Wendy truly was in danger and if he hadn't stopped the boy from going to her rescue then- Makarov felt a massive amount of pain in his heart. His right hand clenched his chest and he grunted in pain.

 _No! Not now!_

 __"Master!" Mira exclaimed as Makarov gasped for air and fell flat of his face.

"I see age has taken a toll on you, Makarov." sighed Hades, "I was looking forward to facing you. Just to see if you were truly worthy of the mantle of master. But now, I will only be able to kill a crippled old man and some children."

Mira looked over at Lisanna and Evergreen, "You two, take Master to the basecamp. His meds might still be there."

"We won't leave you Mira!" Shouted Lisanna.

"DO AS I SAY!" Mira ordered and Lisanna backed up as the magical pressure Mira was leaking out began to make her shake with fear. She had never seen Mira like this, she had never grown this angry before.

"Lisanna," Evergreen said as she shoulder the Master, "Let's go. We won't be of any help in this fight. And we need to make sure the others are ok."

Lisanna slowly nodded and looked at her big sister, "Mira, you better come back to me!"

Mira didn't reply. She just stared down this Master Hades and Elfman stood by her side. Lisanna and Evergreen quickly raced into the jungle and the three remaining engaged in a stare down, trying to determine the power of their enemy.

"So, I get to do battle with the Demon of Fairy Tail." Hades chuckled, "I feel so privileged."

"TAKEOVER: SATAN SOUL!" Mira was engulfed in black and purple energy before reappearing.

She was wearing a strange red outfit that revealed her clevage and stomach. Her arms were scaly and her fingers were replaced by long claws. She had a reptile like tail and her white hair was messily sticking up in the air. She narrowed her eyes at the old man and felt her brother begin his takeover next to her.

"TAKEOVER: BEAST SOUL!" Elfman bellowed lowly as his body turned into a giant horned monster with brown fur, green skin, and massive muscles.

"Take over, that's some difficult magic to master." Observed Hades, "Makarov has definitely raised some powerful children."

"Elfman."

"Right!" rumbled the beast beside Mira. His large left hand gripped Mira and flung her straight at Hades, "MANLY THROW!"

Mira rocketed towards Hades and brought her fist back. Hades was unmoving as he calmly looked at the two siblings. Mira then saw him move his left hand. A purple magic chain leapt from his hand and wrapped around her in the blink of an eye. Hades grinned and violently flung her down in the sand.

"SIS!" Another chain dug into Elfman's broad shoulders and forced him to the ground.

The power behind Grimoire Heart's master was enormous. He then flung the two sibling together. They both cried out as they hit each other hard. The chains retracted and the two struggled to their feet. Mira glanced over at Hades and saw him making a strange hand sign at them.

"I really wish I could stay and fight. But I have the one magic to observe."

Purple magic circles surrounded Mira and Elfman. Mira's eyes widened as she recognized the circles. The Amaterasu formulas.

"Amaterasu formula 100." Hades grinned evilly.

"SIS!"

Mira grabbed Elfman and threw him out of the magic circles before a massive purple explosion completely engulfed her. The explosion faded away and the smoke slowly faded away. Elfman desperately looked for his big sister and saw her, crumpled up on the ground. Her takeover had failed and she lay still in the blackened sand around her.

"MIRA!" Elfman shouted.

He ran towards her before feeling a purple chain wrap around his neck. He gasped as he began to choke. The chain tightened around his neck and Hades laughed as he could feel the brat's magic beginning to fade away.

"Time for you to die little beast." Hades mocked Elfman as the wizard's eyes began to roll to the back of his head.

Hades was about to finish him when he suddenly saw purple rune writing appear around him.

"Within these runes, anyone who uses chain magic shall experience electrical shock." said an elegant voice.

"What!?"

Lightning sparked around Hades and the purple chain disappeared from Elfman's throat. Elfman gasped for air before passing out beside the crumpled form of Mira. Hades fought off the pain. When the enchantment ended he looked over near the waves and saw a man with long green hair, maroon coat, and rapier calmly moving towards him.

"Why you-" Hades snarled.

"And within this island, anyone who harms Fairy Tail," Hades glanced up and saw a muscular blond haired man bringing a lightning charged fist down on him, "Will experience my wrath!"

….

Joshua brought his blade across his body and caught one end of Maul's double bladed lightsaber. He then felt the metallic heel of Maul's left leg hit him in the jaw. Joshua stumbled backwards before recovering and catching a counter attack from Maul. Erza slashed downwards at Maul. Maul ended his lock with Joshua and spun his blade to meet Erza's spiked sword the she wielded with her Purgatory armor.

Joshua was slowly regaining his vision. He was rubbing the sand out of his eyes and now he could see Maul blearily through his impaired sight. Joshua's arms felt like jelly. He had been fighting Maul for what seemed like forever. All of his energy had gone into this battle, and now he felt exhausted. Sweat covered his body and seeped into different cuts and scrapes on his body, making them sting even more. Joshua was breathing heavily as he continued to lash out at Maul before being forced to deflect powerful strikes. This was insane. How was it that this creature was so powerful and so fresh. They had been fighting for a long time now, and he was still striking with the same amount of force as at the beginning of the battle. The stamina Maul had was impossible to achieve. Joshua deflected a slash at his head before weakly jumping over the second blade as Maul spun it low. The boy looked past Maul and Erza and saw that she was barely doing better than he was. Maul had already slashed through several of her swords and she was far more wounded than he was. She barely had any magic power to begin with at this fight, she did fight someone else earlier. Erza's skin was covered in a thin film of sweat and she was panting heavily. The fighting stopped for a breif moment and Maul glanced at the two exhausted wizards.

"The end is near for both of you." Maul growled lowly. He looked over at Joshua, "I said I would make you feel pain like you could never imagine." Joshua huffed and sucked in air as he held his lightsaber out in front of him, "You should know that I always keep my word."

Maul pushed Joshua away onced again. Only this time, Joshua hit a large boulder that rested near the water's edge. Joshua's hit and felt his head snap back against the rock. A sickening crack was heard as Joshua's head left a dent in the rock.

His head was spinning and he could see spots forming in his vision. His head was pounding and he felt like he was going to throw up. Joshua grimaced and shook his head trying to clear the fog. He couldn't black out now. He had to fight, he had to help Erza. Joshua felt his legs buckle underneath him and he dropped to his hands and knees. The lightsaber hilt was in his right hand and he struggled to get back to his feet. Every muscle cried out at him as his body continued to grow stiffer. Joshua looked up and saw Erza desperately trying to keep pace with Maul. She had jumped between him and Joshua, keeping the demon from attacking Joshua once again. Maul circled around her and deflected more blows and the two began to drift towards Joshua. Joshua shook his head and wiped his eyes once again before forcing himself to stand. He was going to surprise Maul now. His left hand extended parallel to the ground and he felt the blue lighting jump from his hand.

Maul felt a static sensation. It was a dark feeling that he hadn't felt in decades. Maul snarled angrily as he knew exactly what it was, Sith lightning. Maul heard it crackle in the air as it raced towards him. Maul batted Erza's sword away before jump in the air over the lightning at the last second. The lightining went under him and hit the red haired woman full force. Erza screamed in pain as the lighting arced around her body. Joshua felt his breath catch in his throat. He had hit Erza. With wide eyes, he attempted to stop his attack. But it wasn't him that ended it. Joshua heard a lightsaber thunder down at him.

Pain washed over his senses. He could feel his arm still. But when he looked down, only a stump at the shoulders was left of his left arm. Joshua couldn't even scream out, he was in too much pain to even function right now. Maul laughed triumphantly before bringning a knee into Joshua's gut and shoving him up against the large boulder once again.

"Let the pain start." Maul snarled before he let his lightsaber dig into Joshua's stump of a shoulder.

Joshua screamed loudly. Erza snapped her head up and stared in horror. Joshua's left arm was a bloody mess in the sand. His shoulder leaked out blood and this creature was beginning to slowly stab his lightsaber into Joshua. First it was his shoulders, then knees, then feet. Joshua was beginning to lose consciousness.

"STOP IT!" Erza roared as she charged at Maul.

Maul frowned and pressed a button on his saber.

Erza felt blinding pain in her chest. She looked down and saw a red blade running through her. The second blade. He must've deactivated it when he lopped off Joshua's arm. And she had completely forgotten about it. Erza began to shake as her body recoiled from the sudden, deadly blow. The blade slid out of her and she dropped to her knees. Erza stared blankly forward as Maul began to laugh loudly. Joshua couldn't scream anymore, he didn't even know where he was. Erza tried to rise to her feet and fight back, but her body was too weak. She had no magic power left. It was all gone. The pain in her chest was unbearable as she watched helplessly.

"This is what you get for denying my offer!" Maul laughed loudly before stabbing Joshua yet again in the leg. "You will die in utter agony! And then the woman will! And you will know that you had failed both of them, the girl and the woman!"

Joshua felt tears in his eyes. This was it. This was the end. He could feel it coming. He couldn't fight it off much longer. Joshua then felt a dark presence approaching them. It's pressure was so black that it made night look bright. Maul seemed to notice it as well. He stopped torturing Joshua and turned to look at the newcomer.

The new person was a man with black hair. He had pale skin and wore a black coat with gold trimming. Over the coat was a white toga that was knotted up at the shoulder.

"Whoever you are get lost." Maul dismissed him, "Or I will make you hurt just as badly as these two."

Erza heard the sand crunch nearby as the man walked up beside her. She raised her weak head and saw the newcomer. Her eyes widened a little as she saw his. They were crimson, just like Maul's and Joshua's.

"You…" the man snarled lowly, "Your evil has summoned forth Acnologia."

Maul raised an eyebrow as he turned to fully face the man, "Acno-who?"

"And now, you will pay the ultimate price… Sith."

Maul screwed his face in anger. This man dared to threaten him. Maul held his now single blade and jumped at the man. He brought the blade down towards the man's face. He wasn't moving, he was just going to let himself be bisected. Maul could only laugh on the inside, this man was obviously a raving lunatic. Maul then stared in awe at his blade. It had been stopped, by the bare hand of this man. The energy of his lightsaber crackled against the man's bare hand as he calmly held it inched from his face.

"You may not know me Sith," The man growled before stepping towards Maul.

Maul tried to pull his blade away but the man's grip was somehow holding it in place, as if it was just a mere metal sword. The man's hate filled eyes bore into Maul and the Zabrak felt something he hadn't felt since he last fought his old master. Terror filled his being as he began to truly fathom the amount of power staring him in the face.

"But I was once one of you." Maul widened his eyes at the man, "I know all of your tricks." Maul began to shake, "I know all of you moves, Zabrak." Maul wanted to crawl in a hole and hide from the evil staring him in the face, "And you will die here, Darth Maul."

Maul began to violently shake where he was standing. Erza stared in awe as the man easily backed down a creature that had so handily beaten her and Joshua.

"You summoned forth Acnologia with your evil."

Zeref placed an hand at Mauls' chest and a black orb formed in his hand. Maul's eyes were wider than balloons.

 _SITH MAGIC!_

"And you will be punished."

The orb moved an inch and a pillar of black energy engulfed Maul. The man stared calmly forward as Maul uttered a hair raising scream. His body began to disintegrate in the pillar as the power grew in intensity. Within seconds, Darth Maul was no more.

 **And chapter! Again sorry for the delay, it was a long drive home from college. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know what you guys think! Have a nice day!**


	33. Chapter 33: Dragon of the Apocalypse

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Quick announcement though, this story has now broken 5,000 views! HOLY CRAP! This is amazing, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying! It's awesome to see the reviews and see the amount of people enjoying it. Alright! Let's begin!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 33

The room was dark, black as the synthetic leather that covered some of the chairs dotting the large office. Outside of the office, speeders and ships moved like glowing red and yellow blurs as their lights streaked outside of the expansive windows that opened to the massive city around the office. The largest chair in the room sat behind a metallic desk that curved like a crescent moon around the large chair. Stooped over in the chair, almost like a hunchback, was a decrepit looking man with a long, dark, hood drawn over his extensively scarred face. His eyes remained closed and his long, veiny hands, stayed folded over his lap as he let himself be enveloped in the dark side of the force. The shadows in the room deepened and the dim lamps that clung to the gray walls began to flicker as the force's dark tendrils wrapped around the room.

The hooded man opened his eyes. He was no longer in his office. He was on a beach, the warm light of a foreign sun exposing his paper thin, pale skin. The old man peered around from beneath his hood. He looked to the left and saw a sparkling ocean. To his right was a massive tree that dwarfed everything else in sight. It was a pleasant place. But he could feel the dark side's whispers in his mind. He wasn't here for a vacation. This was strictly business for him. The dark side was in flux. The entire force was moving unpredictably. It was no longer bending to his will. It took him great effort to get it to show him the possible cause of this disturbance. The haggard old man began to walk through the sand as the dark side continued to whisper to him, ushering him forward. Then he came upon the disturbance in the force.

Dueling on the beach were three swordsman. Two wielded lightsabers, one just a normal sword with peculiar armor. The dark man watched from afar, hiding his presence. He frowned and his forehead wrinkled as he recognized the dual bladed lightsabers of a certain Zabrak.

"Maul, you have overstepped your bounds." he croaked angrily as he watched the intense clash of swords continue.

He then felt the disturbance grow in strength as his crimson, hate filled eyes fell upon the small boy that dualed with his former apprentice. The boy's eyes held the crimson fury of the dark side as he desperately tried to keep up with Maul's ferocity. Sidious felt through the force. The dark side, it was incredibly powerful with this child. Such power in a single being had not been felt by him since he first met Lord Vader. But that was impossible, he would've known of this boy far before this.

" _ **Sidious…"**_

The Emperor spine stiffened. It couldn't be. No, he was just hearing things. It was impossible for him to be alive. He had killed that one himself. The disturbance in the force became so large that Sidious's perception of the vision began to fluctuate. He was able to stabilize it long enough to see a fourth person enter the fray.

His crimson eyes widened in surprise as he saw this newcomer catch Maul's blade with his bare hands. Sidious's shock only increased when he saw an ancient Sith spell performed on Maul, vaporizing the Zabrak in an instant.

" _ **Sidious…"**_

There it was again. The low voice that made terror crawl under the Emperor's skin.

" _ **Take a good look, boy."**_ the terrifying presence around him snarled, " _ **For you now see you are not a lone dark lord like you thought you were."**_

Sidious stared at the man with the black coat and white toga. The power emanating from him was enough to cause Sidious tremendous amounts of concern.

" _ **You now see your downfall."**_

The Emperor looked at the boy who lay fallen beside the red haired woman. His left arm lying feet away from his body. His frail body barely clinging to life as the red haired woman dragged herself across the sand and up towards him.

" _ **You see boy…"**_

Sidious's eyes widened in fear as he saw a shadowed out figure step out of the boy. A deep hood hung over his head and he towered over Sidious. He couldn't even make out the being's face. Everything was hidden by the dark side. As if the part of the force he was supposed to be the master of had betrayed him.

" _ **This will be my revenge."**_

The Emperor's eyes opened. His heart was racing as he glanced about his office. The lights were no longer flickering and the shadows had fallen back to their places. The buzz of Coruscant echoed through the office from outside of the office. Sidious moved his hand to the control panel on the desk and noticed that his hand was shaking. He grit his teeth and let out a pulse of fury, upturning chairs crushing tables with the dark side. He slammed his hand down on the panel and the blue hologram of Darth Vader appeared before him.

"What is thy bidding my Master?" Vader bowed.

Sidious glared intensely into the hologram, "What is your progress on your mission?"

"I have sent bounty hunters to scour the uncharted regions of space in search of the planet."

"No more bounty hunters." Sidious snarled, "You will be receiving a fleet under the command of one of my… favorite admirals. You will lead the hunt personally now."

"What is this Admiral's name?"

Sidious's thin lips curled into a smile, "Thrawn."

Vader frowned under his mask. He had heard of this Admiral Thrawn. He was a Chiss who was a prodigy at command and strategy. This Admiral used incredibly unconventional methods in order to accomplish his objectives.

"Do you understand Lord Vader?"

Vader nodded, "I understand Master."

"Very well, when the Admiral arrives at your location, brief him on the situation. He is to know all of the details. You will then explore unknown space personally until you find the planet and eliminate all life on it's surface."

"Yes Master."

"Dismissed."

….

Maul's screaming died away in the wind and soon only the crashing of waves on the seashore filled the air. Erza lay facedown in the sand, fighting to stay conscious despite the grievous wounds she had taken. In front of her, stood the man who had so easily killed the most powerful opponent she had ever fought. The man stood quietly before taking a deep breath.

"No doubt he will come now." He mumbled, "I must prepare."

The man turned and walked past Erza. Erza craned her head and tried to rise to her knees but immediately flopped back onto the sand as pain washed over her chest.

"Wait…" She gasped.

The man stopped walking and turned to look at Erza.

"Who is coming?" Erza asked.

"For you, it'll be Acnologia." The man explained plainly. He looked up at Joshua who was leaning up against the boulder, eyes cracked open and breathing ragged, "The darkness that he brought her has summoned not just Acnologia. But another, and I must be ready to face him."

"Who?" Erza gasped before wincing.

"Another Sith."

Erza's eyes widened. She heard the man call Maul that title. A sith, what exactly was that? The man began to march through the sand once again, walking in the direction of the smoking magic airship that belonged to Grimoire Heart. As he walked away, Erza heard him say something back to her.

"I am sorry. You are good, pure, someone who does not deserve to meet the terror that is Acnologia. But, no one is leaving this island. All on this land will perish." Erza grunted and coughed. "Farewell, Erza Scarlet."

The man disappeared down the shoreline. Erza gulped and coughed again feeling blood dribbled out the corner of her mouth. This wasn't good. She was barely holding it all together. She looked up and began to feel tears in her eyes as she saw the state Joshua was in. His arm was gone, only a stump was left of his left shoulder. His body was riddled with burns and holes from Maul. His eyes were cracked open and he looked over to Erza weakly. Erza grunted and winced as she dragged herself through the sand towards him. After several moments she reached the boulder and used her hands to pull herself up it's surface so that she was leaning up against it as well. She grunted in pain as she felt her chest continuing to burn. She looked down and saw the blackened hole in her armor. Her requip them failed and she wore only her white blouse and blue skirt. Joshua coughed and she felt him put his weight on her shoulder, his bloody mess of a left shoulder pressing against her right arm.

"Erza…" he whispered.

"Yeah." She replied back hoarsely.

"We're going to die here aren't we?" He croaked before swallowing what little spittle was left in his mouth.

Erza closed her eyes and wrapped her right arm around Joshua's head, holding him close to her.

"I don't know." she replied honestly.

"We are." Joshua replied back, "Acnologia… he's the dragon I saw in my vision of this island."

"You can't…*cough*... know for sure." Erza breathed back to him.

"I know what I'm feeling." Joshua replied, "Evil is flying here fast."

Erza wrapped her arm tightly around him as he rested against her right said.

"Don't worry about that now Josh." Erza said softly, "Just focus on staying awake. Ok?"

Joshua nodded weakly, "K."

Erza exhaled and winced again. The burning was getting worse and her vision was starting to grow hazy. Her hearing then registered a dull but powerful roar in the distance. Erza gulped at the monstrous roar that echoed around them. She felt Joshua's skin grow goosebumps in her arms.

"That's him isn't it?" she asked quietly as her vision began to grow dark around the edges.

She felt his head nod against her side. She looked down and through her, fading vision saw tearstains on Joshua's dirty cheeks. The roar grew loud, loud enough to shake the stone she was leaning back against. Then she heard the sound of wings beating against the wind. It sounded like thunder as the wind pounded against the land around them, stirred into currents by black wings. It felt like an earthquake struck the island as a massive creature landed behind Erza and Joshua. Erza heard an animalistic rumble behind them. She weakly craned her neck back and saw the largest creature she had ever seen in her life.

The scales of this creature were black with blue patterns running in slight spirals over the darkness. It's eyes were a pale, pupiless, color than revealed no emotion. It's wings, although angelic in design, displayed power and evil unlike any Erza had ever seen before. It glowered down at the two wounded wizards, saliva dripping down from it's maw as it stared down it's first prey.

"Joshua." Erza whispered wearily.

"Yeah."

Joshua felt her place a small kiss on his dirty forehead.

"I love you." She said.

"Erza…"

Joshua's eyes widened as he felt her hand grab his right arm tightly. Joshua felt his body get flung through the air and towards the ocean. Joshua eyes stayed wide as he flew through the air. He looked back at Erza in shock and horror. He saw her smiling at him as he rocketed through the air towards the ocean. The dragon jumped into the air, it's massive wings beating hair down onto the island, kicking up sand and dirt. The dragon opened it's jaws and a massive ball of magical energy formed in it's mouth. Erza felt the power building around her. She looked over at Joshua as he flew away from the island and smiled at him one more time.

"You aren't going to die here today little brother." She whispered in his direction, "I won't let that happen."

A white roar of pure magic energy rocketed down at the island. Erza could feel its heat nearing her. She sighed and closed her eyes. She did what she could. She had saved Joshua, he was not going to die. She knew it in her heart he was going to live. And she was completely content with that. With a final tear dripping down her cheek she resigned herself to the end.

….

Laxus ducked and weaved as purple bullet magic whizzed past him. The blonde haired man grit his teeth as he then felt several of the painful spells impact with his body. The lightning mage frowned and held his fists together before raising them in the air. Lightning arced around his fists.

"LIGHTNING DRAGON: HEAVENWARD HALBERD!"

He swung his fists at Hades catching the old man off guard. The man flew across the sand towards Freed. The green haired rune magic quickly scrawled purple letters in the air with his rapier.

"Dark Ecriture: Pain!"

The words flew towards Hades. Freed's eyes widened as the old man flipped mid air to dodge the oncoming spell. The runes harmlessly landed against the sand. Freed frowned and dodged magical chains that rocketed towards him. This old man was putting up an incredible fight. He glanced to the otherside of Hades and saw Laxus huffing. The blonde's outfit was torn and he had multiple bruises and gashes on him. Freed wasn't in much better shape. He rolled his right shoulder and felt it pop several times. He had taken quite the nasty shot from Hades' bullet magic earlier and it was still messing with his shoulder.

"Freed!" Laxus shouted at him, "Give me an opening!"

"Of course!" Freed raced towards Hades and slashed with his rapier. Hades handily dodged and pointed at Freed's right knees.

"Bang!" he growled.

Freed felt sharp pain in his right knee as the bullet magic hit his knee and tore through his pant leg. He fell to the ground and looked up to see Hades fully focused on him.

"NOW LAXUS!" Freed shouted at him.

Startled, Hades glanced back at the blonde wizard who had sucked in a massive amount of air.

"Lightning Dragon: ROAR!"

Bolts of lightning streamed from Laxus's mouth towards Hades. The dark guild master frowned and let the lightning hit him head on. Laxus grinned as he saw his attack land cleanly. He felt exhausted. He had never fought someone so powerful in his entire life. Laxus rubbed one of his brusies on his left arm and exhaled. He didn't have a whole lot of magic power left. This guy was giving him a run for his money.

"You call that lightning?" Hades laughed at Laxus.

Laxus' eyes widened and he clenched his jaw and Hades stepped forward from the smoke created by his lightning attack.

"Boy, I once knew another lightning wizard. His name was Yuri, and he put you to shame."

Laxus frowned and stared down Hades.

"Now, time to sweep you out of my way. I have the Grand Magic world to usher in and I don't have time to deal with pests such as yourself."

Just as Hades was about to cast an Amaterasu formula he stopped. The old man felt a magical prescense nearby that he hadn't felt in nearly a century. He glanced to his side and saw a man wearing a black coat with gold trimmings and a toga calmly walking towards him. Laxus glanced over at the skinny young man striding towards them. He was about to warn the guy off when he saw the crimson eyes. Laxus felt his entire body begin to tremble. He had seen eyes like that before. His mind was instantly drawn back to the Fairy Tail Battle Royale and the pain he experienced when that kid electrocuted him.

"Lord Zeref." shook Hades as he watched the familiar man walk forward.

Laxus's eyes widened. Did he just say what he thought he said? Laxus looked over at the black haired man. This was supposed to be the legendary black wizard? Laxus didn't doubt the power this guy held. The pressure in the air was enough to make it difficult for him to stand. But, if he was Zeref then that meant this guy was over four hundred years old. It was impossible.

"You, Hades." Snarled Zeref lowly as he narrowed his eyes, "You have condemned this world to death."

"Of course! I wish to bring about the Grand Magic World that you talked about in your writings!"

Zeref scowled, "All of that is made up by deluded cultists. False words that you have taken as gospel." Hades' eyes widened in shock, "And because of the evil you have caused, you have made me forget the sanctity of life, you have summoned Acnologia, you have ended an era of peace."

Hades began to visibly shake as Zeref let his tremendous power leak out of him. Laxus and Freed stared on in awe at the display of power.

"In short," Zeref eyes glowed briefly, "You have made me angry."

Hades gulped. He felt sweat beading on his forehead. The power coming from Zeref was otherworldly. He could never hope to match it in his lifetime. Zeref made a strange sign in both of his hands and waved them in a slow circle in front of him before connect his wrists together in the middle.

"Repent and know your judgement has come."

"Lord Zeref! Please, I have so many questions! I wi-"

He never finished. An explosion of black energy engulfed the elderly man. The explosion roared for several moments before fading away as if it never had existed in the first place. All that was left of Hades was an old, dead, husk that landed limply in the sand. As his body hit the sand, Zeref's head snapped up.

"He's early." Zeref muttered under his breath.

"Hey who the hell are you?" Laxus demanded to know before he heard the powerful roar of monster nearby.

Laxus turned his head to stare down the beach. His eyes widened as he saw a black dragon descend on the island and land in the sand. It's dark talons digging into the grains of sand around it.

"The apocalypse had arrived." Zeref said, "I pity you all." Without another word Zeref summonded his magic and disappeared without a trace. "This era is over."

Laxus began to shake in terror. He didn't even notice the new guy leave. He just stared up at the dragon, completely terrified. He thought the new guy had power, this creature was on a whole other level.

"Laxus look." Trembled Freed.

Laxus looked out at the ocean and saw someone get thrown out of the sea, away from the island. He couldn't make out any details but he was somewhat relieved that someone had gotten away. He just hoped it was on of Fairy Tail's wizards. The dragon's powerful wings propelled it into the air and a white ball of energy formed around its gaping jaws.

"Freed,"

"Yes, Laxus." Freed replied as he shakily rose to his feet and limped over to his friend.

"It was an honor knowing you."

The beam of white light thundered down on the island. Laxus closed his eyes, this was it.

….

"ERZA!" Joshua screamed as loudly as he could before the dragon's roar hit wearing she was sitting.

A bright flash filled Joshua's vision and he heard the island explode in front of him. The shock wave from the attack launched Joshua even farther in the air. He felt the wind leave his body as the shockwave hit him like a concrete wall. Joshua blinked and then felt the cold ocean waters splash around him. Joshua felt his body begin to float on top of the water as he lay spread out on the water unconscious. His last thoughts focused on his big sister.

Several hours later, after the dragon known as Acnologia disappeared, a ship was seen clipping through the waves towards where the island had been. The ship was small and had white sails with a dark blue cross like shape stitched into the white cloth. Standing on the bow of the ship was a man with an oriental style hair and white cape. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and sighed. Beside him stood another man in a white cape. This second man had a large scar on the left side of his face and short brown hair.

"Any sign of survivors?" asked the man with glasses as he peered through the water.

"No Captain Lahar!" shouted a crew member.

The second man in the white cape grit his teeth, "Keep looking!" he ordered.

Lahar sighed, "There is no point anymore Doranbolt." the man with the face scar stared at Lahar with disbelief, "Look around you, the island was completely annihilated. There is nothing left. We may as well call the search off now. The little girl you brought needs to get to an actual healer soon."

Doranbolt balled up his fists, "Just a little while longer Lahar. We can't give up yet."

Lahar frowned, "I don't understand why you care so much. Before this mission you were determined to undermine and bring down the Fairy Tail guild. Now you care about finding them?"

"They are people Lahar!" Doranbolt shouted back at his comrade, "I may think they need to be disbanded, but they are still people!"

Lahar exhaled and observed his friend. He was so desperate to find a survivor. Apparently he had made a promise to the girl before she blacked out on the ship that he would make sure the others got off the island safely. A foolish promise to make. He should've known that he wouldn't be able to keep such a promise when word came down that Acnologia was coming. But, Doranbolt was his friend. He was more idealistic than pragmatic which greatly frustrated Lahar, but he was still his friend.

"Five more minutes Doranbolt." Lahar replied monotonously, "Then we must get back to Hargeon and get Wendy Marvell to a doctor."

Doranbolt's face was shadowed out. He gulped then nodded solemnly.

The minutes ticked back quickly. One became two. Two became Three. And soon the time was up. Doranbolt was shaking with anger as he heard sigh. The other man shook his head.

"There is no one." He turned to a crew member carrying a pen and paper, "Note that all Fairy Tail members on Tenrou Island are now considered missing and are presumed dead."

Doranbolt gripped the wood railing of the ship tightly and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Yes sir." the crew member replied to Lahar.

Lahar placed a reassuring hand on Doranbolt's right shoulder. "C'mon, let's get ready to go home."

"CAPTAIN LAHAR! MAN OVERBOARD STARBOARD SIDE!" shouted the man in the crow's nest high above the deck of the ship.

Doranbolt's eyes snapped open and he raced over to the right side of the ship. He looked in shock as he saw a small boy floating helplessly in the waves.

"Ropes now!" he heard Lahar order, "Pull this boy in!"

Doranbolt didn't wait for the ropes. He used his magic and instantly teleported over to the boy. Doranbolt splashed in the water and hooked his arms underneath the bow's arm. Doranbolt's eyes widened. He was only able to hook the boy's right arm. He looked down through the water and saw that the left arm was gone, just a bloody shoulder remained. Doranbolt closed his eyes and quickly teleported back onto the deck of the ship.

"Medics now!" Doranbolt ordered.

Lahar looked over, his face contorting into a horrified look as he got a good look at the boy. It was the infamous Joshua, the one he had magically suppressed. Lahar gulped as he saw the severe wounds on the boy. His left arm was gone. Holes were in his shoulders, elbows, knees and feet. He had a long, burn like gash across his torso and he was covered in bruises. The back of his head had a large lump on it as if he had been smashed into a wall. Lahar pulled covered his mouth with a gloved hand. He had seen many injuries in his time as a magic council captain. But he had never seen injuries this extensive.

Medics rushed out from below deck and began to perfom emergency healing on the boy. Lahar then saw them break out an actual medical kit.

"We won't be able to stop the bleeding without stitches." he heard one of the medics bark.

"Do it quickly! I'll focus on stabilizing!" Another ordered back.

They quickly placed Joshua onto a stretcher and strapped him into it.

"We can't move him!" the first medic said, "He's too critical."

"Operations will have to be performed on deck. Anyone who has a weak stomach better leave."

Lahar gulped and removed his glasses, "Doranbolt, you have the deck."

His comrade nodded as he helped the medics try to stop the massive amounts of blood coming out of the boy's wounds. Doranbolt shook as he looked down at the towel and saw that the blood had soaked through it in a matter of seconds.

"I need a bandage!" Doranbolt shouted.

A roll of gauze was tossed to him by one of the medics and he quickly wrapped it tightly over the hole in Joshua's right shoulder.

"Left shoulder stitched." said the first medic as he cut the extra thread.

"How is this kid still alive?" the second medic asked, "The amount of blood he's lost…. It's unreal. He should've died hours ago."

Doranbolt glared over at the medic, "Don't worry about that! Just get him stable!"

"Yes sir!"

As they worked on Joshua the ship turned and raced back towards the mainland. In the hour it took for the ship to speed back to Hargeon, the medics were finally able to stabilize Joshua enough to be able to move him off of the ship. When the ship docked, the crew raced two stretchers from the boat. One carried Joshua, the other carried a small blue haired girl. Doranbolt looked on as they were rushed to the nearest hospital in the city. Lahar finally came back from below deck. The man with the glasses gulped as he saw the once white uniform of Doranbolt's now stained red.

"Did they stabilize him?" Lahar asked.

Doranbolt nodded, "Just in time."

"Have you sent word to their guild?"

Doranbolt frowned and shook his head, "I planned on telling them in person." he replied.

Lahar nodded, "Then you better get changed and do that. Those two children are still critical. Who knows what their condition will be like tomorrow."

Doranbolt nodded and went below deck. As he entered his quarters, he quietly shut the door before sliding down against it and burying his head in his hands. He had never seen something so horrible before. The magic council soldier began to tremble and he covered his mouth as he felt some tears in his eyes. He was scared. Legitimately scared. There was a creature out there that could destroy entire islands. There were wizards out there who could do such horrible damage that it leaves the victim barely breathing. Doranbolt took a shaky breath.

 _How am I going to be able to tell the guild._

 **And chapter! Wow, heavy chapter. Lot's of things went down here. Let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	34. Chapter 34: Memories

**Hey everyone! It's winter break so I've got so much time on my hands it's not even funny. So get ready for a ton of chapters! Here we go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 34

" _ **Tyrannus!"**_

Dooku cringed as he knelt to a knee.

" _Yes master."_

" _ **You are a complete and utter failure. The boy almost died-"**_

" _I am aware Master."_

" _ **DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK!?"**_

Dooku gulped and felt the grip of fear around his ghostly form.

" _ **Because of your failures, I had to personally intervene to keep the boy alive."**_

" _I did not have enough power to give him unless I wanted to fade into the force. You wish for me to train the boy, yet I cannot do that if the force claims what is left of me."_

Silence filled the dark surroundings.

" _ **The power I expended to keep the boy alive was tremendous. It will take years for me to recuperate it all. And even longer before I can return."**_

" _Forgive me Master. I gave him all of the power I could."_

" _ **Tyrannus, you will leave this body."**_

Dooku looked up at the shadowed out form in front of him.

" _ **The boy has made up his mind. You will be at the ship to meet him."**_

" _How do you wish for me to train the boy?"_

" _ **... You will teach him all you know of the dark side."**_

" _My own training in the dark side was incomplete. I was only Sidious's apprentice for a little over a decade. He never taught me everything he knew."_

" _ **And he was wise not to do so. You were a mere placeholder after all. His execution of the grand plan was flawless. He just made the wrong enemies in the process."**_ The dark ethereal presence shifted in the shadows, " _ **You will teach him. And I will make sure that another arrives to assist you."**_

Dooku raised an eyebrow, " _Another?"_

" _ **You already know of her capabilities. She has a vendetta against you for sure. But once she meets me, she will be more than willing to assist you in training the boy. After all, she wishes for revenge against Sidious just as much as you do."**_

Dooku narrowed his eyes. He knew exactly who his Master was speaking of.

" _ **Now go Tyrannus. Your part inside of this body is done."**_

Dooku nodded, bowed, then felt his ghost leave the boy's body. He had much to prepare for and not much time. He knew the boy would arrive quickly. They would need a medical droid prepared for the boy's missing arm. Dooku shook his ghostly head as he rose from Joshua's unconscious body. He glanced back at the boy who lay in simple bed covered in white sheets. This was going to be an interesting apprentice to have.

….

Joshua's eyes slowly cracked open. He felt the aches and pains all over his heavily bandaged body as he lay in a very familiar mattress. He always seemed to end up in this room at the end of the day didn't he. The sun streamed through the window just to his left and birds chirped happily outside, as if nothing had happened in the past however many days he was unconscious. Joshua squeezed his eyes shut as he felt a weird buzzing in his left arm. He attempted to move the limb only to not feel the sheets shift at all. Joshua frowned and glanced over at his left side to see just a stump at his shoulder, wrapped in layer after layer of bandages. Joshua had been silently hoping that what had happened on the island wasn't true. That it was all just a bad dream. But seeing his left arm gone confirmed that it was all real. Which meant, she was gone. Erza was gone. So was Natsu, and Lucy, and Gray, Elfman, Mira, Lisanna, Cana, everyone was gone. Joshua wanted to cry but felt no tears coming to his eyes. He just felt empty. He stared blankly up at the ceiling before hearing a brief snore. He moved his head to the side and saw Macao sleeping in a chair by his beside. Next to Joshua's bed was the four year old, Romeo, sleeping with his head resting on the mattress. Joshua looked at the two and groaned as he felt pain in every inch of his body.

The sudden noise seemed to wake Macao almost immediately. The older, purple haired man rubbed his eyes and looked up to see Joshua's eyes cracked open and staring over at him. Macao smiled at him and rose from his chair to stand beside the wounded ten year old.

"Hey kid," Macao kneeled down beside his bed while Romeo snorted and mumbled in his sleep, "How are you feeling?"

Joshua saw that Macao looked completely exhausted. There were deep bags under his eyes and his face look slightly sunken like he hadn't had enough to eat. His eyes were red, obviously from crying. Joshua frowned before looking back up at the wooden ceiling above him.

"How do you think?" he replied.

Macao smirked, "Like shit."

"Yeah." Joshua replied with a monotone voice. He looked back over at Macao and gulped, "They-they're all gone aren't they?"

Macao face fell and he nodded slightly.

Joshua gulped back some sobs and closed his eyes. He had to make sure. He let what little magic he had reach out into the guild hall. He saw some familiar faces beyond the doors. Nab was sitting glumly by the request board. Jet and Droy were silently sitting at a booth, their faces somber. Reedus the art mage was quietly sketching and Kinana was leaning up against a silent bar. But he saw noone else. No Natsu, no Erza, noone. Joshua felt a tear drip down his cheek leaving a water stain.

"Did-did anyone e-else get out?" Joshua asked shakily.

Macao looked up at the kid, "Yeah, Wendy made it back as well."

Joshua's heart leapt. Wendy was ok! She was alive! Joshua felt himself let out a relieved sigh.

"Where is she?" he asked quietly.

"She recovered before you did." Macao replied, "I've never seen her in such a state when she found out how badly you were injured. Once she was able to walk again she was helping Porlyusica heal you up whenever she could. Right now, she's getting some ingredients for the old woman so she can make some more potion thingy's for you."

"Good to hear." Joshua replied quietly, "I was really scared for her. It was… it was a close call with her."

Macao nodded, "It was yeah."

The two were quiet for a moment, but Macao decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Joshua, when Porlyusica was patching you up. She found that your guildmark was missing. Where-"

"Gramps expelled me." Joshua interrupted.

Macao's eyes widened, "What?" He muttered completely dismayed, "Why?

"He didn't trust me. He thought I had lost control of my powers, so he expelled me." Joshua explained bluntly.

Macao looked up with anger evident on his face, "Well that's complete bullshit. Wendy told us how you saved her life for crying out loud!" Macao stood to his feet, "Joshua, during the week you were out, I was named guildmaster until we find the others. I am going to reinstate you."

Joshua sighed, "Don't bother."

Macao blinked, "What?"

Joshua shook his head, "It's all my fault." Joshua voice began to shake, "I-if I hadn't gone to th-the island. None of this would've happened." He began to cry.

"Kid, don't say that-"

"It's true!" Joshua snapped back, "Wendy nearly died because of me! Erza and the others they're… they're dead because of me. The darkness I brought to that island killed them all. The man who defeated Grimoire Heart said so himself." Joshua looked over at Macao, vision blurry from the amount of tears in his eyes, "I don't deserve to be in Fairy Tail. My darkness called Acnologia to the island. And because of that, Erza is- *hic* is-"

Macao wrapped his arms around Joshua and the boy sobbed into his shoulders.

"Let it out kid…" Macao said as he rubbed his back, "Let it all out."

"Daddy?" Romeo yawned.

"Hey Romeo. Go get Porlyusica, she's gonna want to check on Joshua."

"He's awake!" Romeo exclaimed, "Sure thing daddy! I'll go get her."

"Good boy." Joshua continued to cry in Macao's arms. Macao held the sobbing kid like he was his own son, "It's alright Josh. It's alright."

"No it's not!" Joshua sobbed, "It's not! Erza's dead because of me! SHE'S DEAD!"

Macao gulped, "It ain't your fault kid. Quit blaming yourself."

"The boy woke up finally." an old woman's voice said as the door to the infirmary opened.

Macao looked over and saw the pink haired, elderly healer for Fairy Tail walking slowly towards Joshua's bedside. Porlyusica brushed Macao away from the boy as she began to quickly examine him. She frowned and grabbed the bag that she carried in with her. She shuffled through some vials until she came across one filled with a red liquid.

"We don't need you getting feverish on us." she grumbled before placing the vial up to Joshua's lips, "Drink up."

Joshua looked blankly at the vial before reluctantly parting his lips. The red liquid dripped into his mouth. It tasted awful but as it settling into his system, he began to feel a little better. He no longer felt incredibly achy. Porlyuscia then leaned over and looked at his left shoulder.

"I'm going to remove the bandages. They need to be changed." She began to quickly unwind the thick gauze around his stump, "Plus, I want to see how it's healing."

Porlyusica removed the last of it. Joshua wanted to look away but he felt his eyes drawn to it. He stared horrified at his mangled shoulder. The skin was stitched tightly where it was cut open. The skin around the stitching was burnt black, no doubt from Maul's lightsaber cutting through it.

"Good," Porlyusica nodded, "It's healing nicely. I can put lighter bandages on it now."

"You're a miracle worker Porlyusica." Macao thanked the old woman.

"You should thank Wendy as well. Her sky magic works wonders that I could only hope my potions would accomplish."

The old woman dug around her bag again and pulled out another potion. She pulled the cork out of the vial and spilled the contents out onto Joshua's arm. Joshua winced and whimpered as his shoulder began to sting and sizzle. He then felt his stump being gently wrapped up in bandages. Porlyusica expertly tied up the bandage around him before nodding.

"Your other wounds have healed up nicely so far as well. It's just that shoulder that's been giving me issues. But, it looks like it's finally getting better." Porlyusica looked over at Macao, "He's on bed rest until I say so."

"Can I at least do bed rest somewhere else?" Joshua grumbled.

Porlyusica glanced back at the boy, "As long as you don't move too much, I suppose so." The old woman rose to her feet, "Macao, if his condition changes in the slightest, let me know."

"Yes ma'am." Macao replied as she left the infirmary. The door shut silently behind her.

"Macao." Joshua mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"Can you take me to the balcony. I want to get some fresh air."

Macao smiled at the kid, "Sure thing." He was about to pick him up in his arms but Joshua waved him off. "Porlyusica said to not move too much."

"But she didn't say I couldn't move myself."

Joshua grunted and winced as he swung his legs out from the sheets. Joshua's eyes widened as he saw that both of his legs were completely bandaged up. He shook his head and grit his teeth.

"I could use a crutch though."

Macao nodded and looped Joshua's right arm around his left. Joshua gulped and let his feet touch the floor. He felt pain race through his body. His eyes squeezed shut immediately and he bit his tongue as he tried to keep himself from screaming. Joshua shakily exhaled before standing up. His head instantly felt dizzy and his body would've crumpled to the floor if Macao wasn't there to catch him.

"Alright…" Joshua grumbled, "I guess you'll have to carry me."

"You think?" Macao replied with a slight laugh.

Joshua didn't laugh back. He just wanted to get up to the balcony. Macao opened the infirmary door as he carried the boy out of the room. Every head turned to look at the crippled child. The guild hall was dead silent until Laki walked up to him.

"Is it true… did… did you save Wendy's life?"

Joshua gulped, "I had a lot of help."

Laki closed her eyes and bowed her head, "Please forgive me Joshua. It was so wrong of me to think ill of you before."

Joshua was taken aback by the wood make mage's apology.

"Alright Laki, the kid is barely awake still." Macao said, "I'm taking him to the balcony for a little fresh air, can you keep an eye on things down here for me till I come back?"

"Yes Macao."

Macao ascended the stairs with Joshua in his arms before stepping out onto the balcony. He gently set Joshua down before pulling a chair out from the main hall and out onto the balcony. He quickly set Joshua down in it. Joshua recoiled as his body tried to adjust to sitting up on it's own. But he was soon able to comfortably sit. He felt like his left arm was supposed to be resting on the chair's arms, but then he remembered, it was gone.

"You need me to stick around kid?" Macao asked.

Joshua shook his head, "I… I just want to be alone for now."

Macao looked at him sadly, "Alright then. Holler if you need anything."

Joshua only nodded in acknowledgement. Macao quietly left the balcony and Joshua sat alone on the wooden outdoor platform. The cold winter breeze of Magnolia swept around him. But he didn't care. He couldn't feel the cold right now. Joshua bowed his head, his hair shadowing out his eyes. He could still see it all happening. Maul, the boulder, the dragon, Erza flinging him away, it was all so vivid still. Joshua gulped and took a shaky breath.

"Why'd you do it Erza?" he breathed, "Why did you have to leave me?"

"She did it because she loved you."

Joshua head rose and he looked over at the entry to see a small blue haired girl walking out onto the balcony with a chair of her own. She set the wooden chair down beside Joshua before taking a seat and looking out at the city with him.

"I figured you'd wanna come up here." She said.

"It's nice and quiet." Joshua replied, "It allows me to think a little better."

Wendy shifted her hands, "Macao told me what you told him."

Joshua sighed. He knew where this was going.

"This wasn't your fault. You need to stop-"

"Wendy…" Joshua cut her off, "Please, just not now."

Wendy frowned slightly and decided to stay quiet. But she couldn't help but ask him.

"Macao said you didn't want to be reinstated."

Joshua shook his head, "I don't want to."

"Why not?" Wendy asked quietly.

Joshua looked over at her, "Cause, all I do is bring danger and pain to those I care about. And I can't protect you all from it." Wendy moved a hand up to her chest, feeling the bandages underneath her red coat. Joshua shifted in his seat, grimacing as he did so, "I was so scared on the island Wendy. I-I thought that you had-"

"It was close." Wendy smiled at him wryly.

She saw the corner of his mouth curl ever so slightly.

"It always is isn't it." he mumbled.

Wendy took a deep breath, "Since you aren't going to be reinstated are you-"

"Yes."

"YOU CAN'T!" Wendy exclaimed, "You can't just leave! We need you here, I-"

"Wendy, I'm no use if I can't protect anyone." Joshua replied back, "Once I'm better, I'm leaving. That will not change."

Wendy narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Fine." She huffed while her sadness grew, "Leave then!"

She stomped out of her chair and back inside the guild hall leaving Joshua alone with the snow and his thoughts. Wendy stormed down the stairs back to the bottom floor and angrily sat down in a booth. Carla watched her every move and silently walked over to her best friend.

"Wendy, what' wrong?"

"Joshua…. He's gonna leave." she replied.

The guild hall stopped moving and all eyes turned to Wendy.

"What?" gasped Kinana from the bar.

Macao frowned and rose, "I'll go have a chat with him."

"Don't bother." Wendy replied, "He's made his mind up. I couldn't change it. He wouldn't budge."

"But why?" asked Wakaba as he puffed on a cigarette.

Wendy pursed her lips and clenched her fists, "He thinks he's too weak to protect us. So he feels like he isn't worthy enough to be in the guild."

"That's absurd!" exclaimed Carla.

"Try explaining that to him." Wendy jumped out of her seat and wrapped her coat tightly around her, "I'm going for a walk."

With that, Wendy left the guild hall for the rest of the day.

….

Another week passed and the snows soon began to melt from the city of Magnolia. The stars shone brightly tonight as there wasn't a single cloud in the sky overhead. Joshua shook like a leaf in the wind as he stood in front of the entry to Fairy Hills. He hadn't dared step foot in the building since he had returned from the island. Joshua gulped back some tears as he pushed the pink door open and turned immediately left to the room marked #1. His right hand trembled as he grabbed the key from his pocket and he shakily moved the key into the lock. He exhaled and twisted the key before pushing the door open.

The inside was dark. Only the stars and moonlight streamed through the windows of his home, his and Erza's home. Joshua took a step forward, then another. He could still smell the scent of strawberries in here. It hadn't faded at all since they left for the island. Joshua then looked to his left and saw one of Erza's armors proudly adorning a manikin in the main entry. Joshua could see her wearing it now. The manikin's face was replaced by hers. Joshua felt his whole body begin to shake as he trudged through his home and into his room. He slowly opened the door.

This room was even darker, shadows filled every crevice. Joshua flicked his hand to the switch on the wall and the lacrima lamps flickered to life on the ceiling. His bed was still neatly made, but there was something else on his mattress now. A package, it had been delivered while he was gone on the island. Joshua moved forward and looked at the address. It was correct and it was addressed for him. Joshua pulled open the cardboard and then he felt all strength leave his body. Lying in the cardboard, was a small set of armor with a note.

 _Hey Joshua!_

 _It's about time you got a set!_

 _Can't wait to see you in it._

 _Hope you like it_

 _Erza._

Joshua grabbed the armor and held it in the air. It was just thin metal. Very light but still very strong. Joshua swallowed before he stored the armor into his requip. He found that it was easier for him to change if he just pulled his clothes from his requip, what with his arm being gone and all.

"Requip." he shuddered.

Joshua felt a bright light surround him before his shirt was replaced by the metal armor. Joshua looked down and saw the Heart Kreuz symbol on it's right flank. She had it custom made for him. Joshua couldn't take it anymore. He flopped onto the floor and curled up as he cried loudly. He lay there crying for what seemed like forever as every memory flooded back to him. The time she found him, his first training session with her, his first job, every single time they ate at the guildhall together. Joshua stopped crying after a while and lay still on the floor. He then forced himself to his feet and wiped the tear stains from his face.

"Erza…" He grabbed the note in his hands and quickly stored it into his requip, "I promise you. I will protect the guild with everything I have. I will become strong enough so that I will not lose anyone else."

He walked over to his closet and began to store clothes in his small requip space. He then threw on a black cloak over his new armor and grabbed the first sword Erza had ever given him. He looked into the perfectly polished metal and sighed. He had lost the lightsaber on Tenrou island, but he was more than happy to use this sword. It was a reminder of her, and he would use it proudly. Joshua stored it into his requip. His vision grew blurry and he held his head with his right hand that was now covered in a metal gauntlet. He had used to much magic too quickly. He was still not one hundred percent, but he was as close as he felt he'd get. Joshua shook his head and cleared the fog from his vision. He rose to his feet and walked back to the front door. One last time he looked back into his home, his heart aching as he saw every memory made here as well. He saw they many meals they had together at the table near the window. His favorite was always her noodles and steak. She was always a really good cook. He smiled sadly as he saw her sharing her second favorite food with him, souffle. He could never hope to touch strawberry cake, that was a death wish. His sad smile faded away. That was all those were, memories. Painful memories. He bowed his head and shut the door.

Joshua quickly stored the key and walked out into the night. Just as he began to leave Magnolia though he had the sense that someone was following him. Joshua frowned and let his magic spread out. Joshua exhaled.

"Romeo, your dad would be furious if he knew you were out this late." Joshua frowned as he turned to look at the four year old behind him.

"You-you can't leave Joshua!" Romeo cried before running up to him and grabbing him, "I won't let you."

Joshua sighed and peeled Romeo off of him.

"Romeo, I'm not part of the guild anymore. I have to go."

"B-but-"

Joshua sadly smiled at the little kid, "Hey Romeo."

"Yeah?" the kid sniffled.

"I've got a job request for you."

Romeo blinked and looked up at Joshua through tears, "What?"

"My job request is that you look out for Wendy and Carla for me. You make sure they stay safe for me. And the reward will be, that I'll come back soon."

Romeo wiped his left eye, "Really?"

"Really." Joshua replied, "Now then, do you accept this mission?"

Romeo nodded, "Yes sir!"

"Good. Now, get home before your old man finds out that you snuck out. And don't worry about me Romeo, I'll be back soon."

"Just as long as I do my job request."

"Exactly."

Romeo wiped his eyes one more time as he waved goodbye to Joshua. Joshua watched the kid turn around and walk gloomily back into Magnolia. Joshua now made his way through the forest outside of Magnolia. He then came to the crossroads and read the sign.

"North is that way." he looked to his left, "Very well."

Joshua took a step forward and stopped.

"Wendy…"

Behind him stood the blue haired dragon slayer, "Joshua…"

Joshua closed his eyes and turned around. Wendy saw the armor underneath his dark cloak.

"When did you get-"

"Erza." Joshua swallowed back tears, "She left it for me. A present for when we would get back."

Wendy's eyes saddened, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I'll be fine." Joshua replied.

They stared across the crossroads at each other silently. They didn't dare move, all they did was stay rooted in the spot. Joshua on the road north, Wendy standing on the road back to Magnolia.

"Joshua," Whispered Wendy as she walked up to him, "Please… don't go."

Joshua closed his eyes and turned to fully face Wendy. He looked into her sad brown eyes and couldn't help but feel the temptation to go back with her. To try and make things right. To help the guild rebuild. But he then remembered. He couldn't do those things. He wasn't strong enough. Joshua grabbed Wendy's right hand with his own.

"I promise, I will find a way for you to see me." he said to her.

Wendy felt tears in her eyes as she looked at her friend, "You're really going then?"

Joshua nodded, "Yeah."

Wendy bowed her head and began to cry a little but then she felt Joshua's fingers pull her chin back up.

"Hey, don't cry." He said, "I won't be gone forever."

Wendy threw herself at him and engulfed him in a hug, "You better not be gone forever." she whispered.

Joshua hugged her back with his lone arm and then quickly ended the embrace.

"Goodbye Wendy." he said to her before turning and beginning his journey north.

Wendy stared off after him as he disappeared into the night.

"See you later Joshua."

….

The snow was blinding. It was a complete white out. The white powder reached up to his hips as he waded his way through the snow and freezing cold. White mountains towered around him as the small boy trekked through the mountainous terrain of northern fiore. He had left Magnolia three weeks ago. And he saw the last town five days ago. But he kept walking. Joshua wrapped his cloak around him tightly and he tried to shield himself from the bitter elements. He felt the snow clinging to his hair under his hood as he trudged forward. He rubbed his hand against his thigh trying to regain some sort of feeling in his fingers.

 _Why am I all the way out here again?_

Joshua coughed and shook some snow out of his face. He made his way to the top of one more ridge. The boy shielded his eyes as he peered from the top of the ridge at a massive thing that sat in the valley below, half buried in snow. Joshua stared in awe at the sheer size of the thing. It looked like a magic air ship, but it's wreckage ran almost the entire length of the valley. Joshua gulped then descended quickly. He felt himself being drawn to the wreckage of the massive, gray craft.

After an hour or so he finally reached the wreckage. It looked years old, the metal was brittle from exposure to the cold. Joshua pulled off his glove with his teeth and ran his bare hand against the cold metal. A strange sound emitted from the metal and a hissing noise filled the air. Joshua jumped back as a metal hatch swung open in front of him. The boy narrowed his eyes.

" _ **Enter."**_ A voice said in his head.

Joshua gulped and held out his right hand.

"Requip."

Erza's sword appeared in his hand. He wasn't about to go into a strange craft without being prepared. Joshua wiggled down into the hatch and dropped into a long, gray hallway. Wires and Cables ran along the walls and ceiling. Some of them still sparking. Joshua cautiously moved down the large hallway. He felt nothing in this ship. His sensory magic was coming up empty. Not a single living thing was aboard.

" _This way…"_

A voice called to him as he neared a hallway that turned left. Joshua raised an eyebrow and carefully followed the voice. He then heard metal clanking. Joshua turned around and readied himself for a fight. But there was nothing there. Just the ships shadows.

 _I'm getting paranoid._

"Knock him out." uttered a low robotic voice.

"Roger roger."

Joshua felt a heavy metal object hit him hard in the back of the head. His vision blacked out instantly as he slumped to the floor.

"Wow." said a high pitched robotic voice.

Stepping over Joshua was a robot that looked like a thin, tan skeleton with a strangely sloped, elongated head atop a thin metallic neck. It looked into his three pronged hand at the hunk of metal it was holding,

"That actually worked!?"

"Take the intruder to the mistress." Ordered another robot that stomped forwards.

This one was a towering, round, dark gray machine with a wrist blaster.

"Yes sir!" The skeleton like droid grabbed Joshua's legs, "C'mon human, Mistress Ventress wants you alive."

 **And chapter! Ventress is alive! She didn't die at the tower. What could she want with Joshua? Revenge? Who knows. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	35. Chapter 35: The Supremacy

**Hey everyone! I've got another chapter ready for you guys! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 35

The bridge of the CIS dreadnought Supremacy was a shell of what it once was. During the glory days of the Clone Wars, this dreadnought carried the Separatist fleet to many resounding victories. It was one of the few to escape the shutdown of the separatist army. How did it escape? Upon the death of the separatist leader, Count Dooku, the ship was assigned a new mission: the transportation of precious cargo beyond the reach of the Republic and eventually the Empire. It had run out of fuel upon hitting unknown space and crash landed on this planet decades ago. Now, it was a smoldering wreck. A memorial to the struggles of an entire galaxy. And on the bridge stood a single figure, shadowed in a dark cape and hood. The figure was thin and stood calmly near the upturned commander's chair. Sparks leapt from the ceiling from damaged and exposed wires as the blast doors behind the figure slid open.

"Um… Mistress." said a high pitched robotic voice that, despite it being incapable of feeling emotion, was able to express fear.

"What?" hissed the figure as she looked out the bridge windows at the snow peaked mountains that dominated the valley the dreadnought rested in.

"We found the intruder ma'am. As requested, we brought him to you."

The hooded woman slowly turned to look at the boy lying down on the cold metallic floors of the bridge. The woman frowned as she saw the brown haired brat. He was much rougher looking than she remembered him. He looked malnourished now, possibly from travelling through the snow covered mountains. His left arm was missing entirely. But despite all of this, she could feel the dark side radiating from him. He had grown in power, in fact, the growth in his abilities was significant compared to when she last encountered this child.

"Shall we terminate the intruder?" the battle droid that dragged him in asked.

"No." hissed the woman, "Back to your post droid."

"Roger roger."

The battle droid quickly marched away, it's metal feet clanking and echoing through numerous hallways that made up the dreadnought.

The hooded woman calmly walked over to Joshua's unconscious form. She frowned and quickly buried a foot into his ribs. Joshua groaned and coughed as he was rudely awakened. His eyes widened as he realized that he was not in the mountains anymore. The boy jumped to his feet, requiping a simple metal sword into his hand and facing his assailant. The woman on the other hand was shaking her foot, she just kicked some strong armor that was hidden under the layers of clothes the boy had on to keep him warm. Joshua narrowed his eyes at the woman and held his sword parallel like he was taught.

"Who are you?" he asked as he readied for a fight.

The woman smirked underneath her hood, "Do you really not recognize me?"

"Am I supposed to remember every person I see?"

"I thought for sure you'd remember me, brat. After all, you and I had quite the fight at the Tower of Heaven."

Joshua blinked as he thought back to that incident. His eyes bulged as he looked at the woman.

"Since when did you become a woman, Jellal?"

"I'M NOT JELLAL YOU URCHIN!" the woman shrieked at him before sighing and rubbing her forehead, "You are just as irritating as I remember."

"Well I don't remember you so can you refresh my memory?"

The woman let out a frustrated sigh before removing the hood from over her head. Joshua's eyes widened. The woman had very pale skin, almost completely see through. Her eyes were made more noticeable by black lines that ran along her eyelids and further brought out the blue color of her irises. But what stood out to Joshua the most was her hair, more specifically, the lack thereof. Then it clicked in his mind.

"Oh, hello bald lady." Joshua said as he recognized the woman from that he fought at the Tower of Heaven.

"I'm not bald, it's shaved." she mumbled irritated at Joshua, "And it's insulting that you can only remember me based on that fact."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't be bald."

Ventress snarled over at him but Joshua just shrugged back.

"It's just a thought."

"I'm beginning to hate this deal I made." Ventress muttered as she walked by Joshua, "C'mon brat, there is someone who wants to meet you in person."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. Who would want to meet him? He watched as the bald lady strode down the dark hallway. She glanced back at Joshua and nodded her head, motioning him to follow her. Joshua kept his sword out just in case. He was in an unknown place in an unknown location and he was following a old enemy. He couldn't be too careful. As he followed her through long hallways he began to learn that this wasn't just some building. This had to be some sort of magical airship. It was the biggest one he had ever seen too. He felt like they had walked miles before the bald lady stopped in front of a set of sealed blast doors. Joshua stopped behind her and gulped.

"Ok, what's going on?"

"Hm." Ventress turned around to face the boy

"First I get knocked out. Then I end up inside some magic air ship, now the mysterious sealed room. Can I get some answers before we do anything else?" Joshua crossed his arms.

Ventress frowned, "First this isn't a magic airship. This is an old CIS dreadnought, Supremacy. The purpose it has for being on this dull rock of a planet is beyond these doors. Now would you quit with your moronic questions. I don't have the patience."

Joshua frowned and waited as Ventress moved over to a dusty control panel on the wall. She tapped a few buttons on the panel and the doors in front of Joshua hissed. Steam billowed out from door frame as if the room was being depressurized. After a few more moments, the blast doors opened. Joshua held his breath waiting for some sort of incredible thing beyond the door. A monster, a wizard, a monster wizard? But as the doors opened all he saw beyond them was a large, dark room. In the center of the room was a small pedestal with a red, pyramid shaped object resting atop the pedestal. Joshua raised an eyebrow.

"That it?" he asked.

"That's it." Ventress snarled back. She pointed at the strange object that was the sole purpose for the room, "Go ahead, grab it."

The boy glanced at Ventress then back at the pyramid.

"How do I know you won't try something when I go in that room?"

Ventress glanced back at him, "I'll give you some credit. You aren't being stupid. Annoying, but not stupid. You are right to not trust me, yet. But I swear on my life, I will not harm you."

 _I want to, but if I did I'd be a dead Dathomirian._

Joshua kept an eye on Ventress before he stepped into the room. The room was even more massive once inside of it. Joshua couldn't even see the ceiling above him. The walls were circular and wrapped around the pedestal in a massive circle. He cautiously approached the pyramid on the pedestal. As he neared it he felt like he could hear whispers, many whispers, all of them dark in nature. Joshua gulped as his eyes glanced around looking for the source of the whispers only for his gaze to rest back on the pyramid once again. He took a deep breath before grabbing the pyramid from the pedestal.

Nothing happened when he removed the red and gold pyramid. It was just a simple object. Joshua raised an eyebrow in confusion before turning around to look at the woman, who was now slowly entering the dark room.

"Ok, I've got this… thing." he said, "What the heck do I do with it?"

"Open it." Ventress replied.

Joshua blinked and looked at the pyramid, "How?" he asked.

"Figure it out brat."

Joshua frowned before he attempted to twist the corners off. Then he tried to pry it open. The pyramid remained closed. Joshua let out a frustrated huff before he sat down next to the pedestal and just stared at the pyramid in his right hand.

 _Maybe if I… no, a sword won't work._

Joshua looked closely into the heart of the red pyramid and saw the red colors in it flowing around like a nebulous cloud inside of it. Almost like whatever it contained was alive. Joshua eyes wouldn't move away from it, he was wholly encaptured by its strangeness. Joshua then heard some more whispers in his head. They were telling him to use it. To embrace his power and use it. Joshua closed his eyes breifly before opening them once again. The hazel was gone and a crimson color was filling his eyes. He watched as he saw the corns of the pyramids twist on their own and the walls of the small pyramid folded out. Ventress watched in complete silence. A bright white light shined out of the pyramid. Joshua looked on, unblinking as the pyramid continued to moved in his hand. He felt it leave his right hand and begin to float on it's own in the air. The white light moved away from the pyramid and stayed beside it.

"It's about time you arrived, boy." Said an elderly, aristocratic voice coming from the pyramid.

Joshua shook his head and blinked as the bright light reformed it a familiar person. He wore a dark brown shirt and black pants with black boots. Over his shoulders was a black cape that was kept in place by a single chain that ran from shoulder to shoulder. His face was old and wrinkled but also very regal in appearance. It was covered by a thick, but neat white beard. His head was balding slightly but he did have white hair that was slicked back over his aged scalp. The old man glared down at the stunned boy.

"I was beginning to think you would never choose to come here." The old man continued as he folded his ghostly arms.

"Old...geezer."

Ventress's jaw practically dropped to the floor when she heard the brat call the old man that.

Dooku sighed and rolled his eyes, "Yes it is I. But I think it's about time you started calling me by my name boy."

Joshua looked up at the tall old man, "Ok, what's your name?"

 _They are being awfully friendly with each other._ Ventress thought as she stared on, _Am I missing something important here?_

"I am Count Dooku, leader of the Confederation of Independent Systems, Sith Lord, and your new master."

Joshua tilted his head to the side, "I don't remember agreeing to anything about someone becoming my master."

Dooku frowned, "You are a pest, aren't you?"

 _I'm not the only one!_ Ventress smiled internally.

"And you just said that you were a Sith lord." Joshua clenched his fist around his sword and pointed it at Dooku, "Last I checked. They were my enemy. That Maul guy was apparently one of those as well. And he almost killed me, and managed to help kill Erza." Joshua glared at Dooku angrily, "Why should I even stay here, why don't I just leave?"

"I suppose I should've said former Sith Lord. My master ended that title when he had me killed." Dooku sighed, "And you shouldn't leave, because you have finally found what you are looking for."

"That being?"

Dooku grinned, "Power."

Joshua frowned, "I don't want power."

"Don't lie to yourself boy. You crave power. I was inside of your mind after all, I know these things. You desire power so that you can protect your little friends."

Joshua bowed his head. He wasn't wrong.

"I can give you that power. I can teach you to become the most powerful force in the galaxy. So powerful, that none would dare stand in your way. And protecting your friends would be child's play for you."

Joshua's head rose.

"All you need to do, is let me teach you. Let me be your master, and you will be my apprentice."

Joshua gulped and stared up at Dooku's face. He saw it all in his mind again. The island, Maul, Wendy, Acnologia, Erza. He couldn't protect them then. He had failed then. He need to be stronger. And this was his path to it. It was being handed to him on a silver platter.

"You promise that I will become powerful enough to protect those I care about?"

"And then some." Dooku replied with a smirk.

Joshua was silent for a moment then he slowly nodded, "Then teach me."

Dooku's grin widened. He finally had him.

"Good." Dooku grinned, "Good, you have taken your first step towards your destiny." He then glanced at his left shoulder, "Before we do anything though, you will need a new arm."

Joshua blinked, "A...new arm?"

Dooku nodded, "Ventress."

"Yes?" snarled the woman.

"Take the boy to the medical bay of the ship. I'm sure there must be one even if there was no organic life aboard. Have him outfitted with a prosthetic, make sure it's the best one possible. He will need it."

Ventress nodded before motioning the boy to follow her. As they left the room Joshua looked back and saw the pyramid had returned to its pedestal and Dooku was gone. His eyes widened and he quickly caught up to Ventress.

"Hey, bald lady."

"The name is Ventress." She snarled backi.

"Ok, Ventress. Who was that guy and what was that thing?" Joshua asked as they made a turn down another corridor.

"That guy… was Count Dooku. When he was alive, he was one of the most powerful beings in the entire galaxy."

"Alive?"

"He died almost thirteen years ago." Ventress replied.

"Then how-"

"That object, it's is Dooku's Sith holocron. A holocron is used to store information or other important things. Some sith become powerful enough to be able to store part of their very beings in their holocrons. Making it so that they can live forever. He learned that trick from a holocron he once acquired. But if he uses that essence to, say, save your life on more than one occasion, then he will slowly begin to lose power and fade from this plane of existence completely." Ventress explained.

"Oh…" Joshua said before stopping and processing all of that information, "I still don't get it."

Ventress shook her head, "Just follow me and keep your mouth shut dammit." she snarled.

Joshua followed quietly for all of three seconds, "So why are you here then?"

Ventress groaned, "I hate children."

"C'mon! Tell me."

Ventress exhaled, "I'm here to be your instructor."

Joshua frowned, "I thought this Dooku guy was teaching me."

"He is. But since he is technically dead, he cannot give you the full instruction he once gave me."

The two entered a room filled with lots of strange equipment. Different robots wheeled around the room. There were many storage units in the room and in the center was a medical table.

"So wait…" Joshua stopped once again, "He was your teacher too?"

Ventress nodded, "But we had a falling out of sorts. I'd rather leave it at that." Ventress moved over to one of the storage units and pulled the hatch open, "Lie down on the table."

"Why?"

Joshua felt himself get picked up by an invisible force and thrown down onto the table. He glanced over and his eyes widened as he saw Ventress holding her palm out as she casually sorted through the storage unit. She just picked him up and tossed him like he was nothing. And she did it without even concentrating too hard.

"I will only ever ask nicely once." Ventress snapped to him, "You ask a stupid question like that again and I will hurt you." she stopped digging through the storage unit and carefully pulled out an artificial, robotic arm. "This should be your size. When you grow out of it, we'll install a different one."

Joshua stared wide eyed at the robot arm. Ventress handed it over to a cylindrical looking, black robot with many different hands and arms protruding from it's body.

"Start your work." she ordered the droid.

The droid uttered some low bleeps and bloops before wheeling towards Joshua's left shoulder. The droid then produced a small arm with a spinning saw at the end of it. Joshua looked at the spinning serrated blade with fear. He tried to wiggle away but felt an invisible force keeping him firmly in place on the medical table. He glared over at Ventress who had a wicked smile on her face.

"First lesson, don't annoy me." The saw dug into Joshua's shoulder and the boy cried out in pain, "Second Lesson, pain is fuel. Pain is what should drive you, strengthen you, and force you to learn from all of your mistakes, such as annoying me." she leaned over Joshua's pale face, "Pain makes a Sith strong."

Joshua felt some tears in his eyes as pain was washing over his arm. Then he felt the droid beginning to pry and poke at his shoulder, inserting wires and connecting the wires to nerves. Joshua winced and cried out in pain.

"Don't fear pain." Ventress said lowly, "Learn from pain. Embrace pain."

Joshua felt an enormous amount of electrical shocks as the droid continued the operation. He began to convulse on the table. His shoulder did not move the entire time. He then felt the droid begin to furiously work on what was left of his tissue, tendons, and ligaments. Pulling and snipping. Attaching more components to nerve ending and ligaments to metal. This process took what felt like hours. Then he felt the droid being to put a metal socket over his shoulder. The droid sealed the socket in place before welding the robotic arm's main body onto the socket. It then welded the protective casing that guarded the many wires and motors on. After several more moments of agonizing pain, the droid finished. Joshua was covered in sweat and the table was stained red from his shoulder bleeding throughout the operation. He felt the invisible hand move away from him and he was finally able to move on his own again.

"Well, aren't you going to test it out?" Ventress asked.

Joshua gulped and took shaky breaths as he sat up from the table. He moved his arms to his head and rubbed his face.

 _Wait a moment! I moved my other arm, but that arm is supposed to be gone!_

Joshua opened his eyes and his left eye was staring into a metallic palm. He moved the hand away from him and stared wide eyed at the contraption that was his new arm. It was a copper colored robotic arm. Joshua stared in complete wonder as he twisted the robotic forearm then bent it at the elbow. Despite it being metal, he could feel with it. He felt the air moving around the metal casing. When he touched it with his right hand, he felt it. Joshua rotated the wrist, he couldn't even hear the gears or motors whirring. He glanced over at Ventress before sliding off of the work bench and walking over to the wall. Ventress watched his every move and smirked slightly as the kid quickly punched the wall with his new arm. The wall caved and a large dent was left where the fist hit. Joshua looked at the arm and smiled widely as he turned back to Ventress.

"I like it."

….

Joshua sat quietly in the holocron chamber. A couple months ago, he had started his training under Count Dooku. He had learned much during that brief span of time. He learned that his magic was actually not really magic, but a phenomenon known as the force. He learned that there were two natures to the Force, dark and light. The sith primarily used the dark while a people known as Jedi primarily used the light. Joshua at the time correctly inferred that this made the two groups enemies. Although he was surprised as to why people though the Jedi were good during his studies. What perplexed him was Jedi philosophy. There is no emotion only the force, or something along those lines? That seemed almost inhuman. It made them sound like control freaks, robots even. That didn't sound good to him. Yet he also learned in his studies that the sith were always seen as evil. He could understand why as he read up on the fascinating history stored inside of Dooku's holocron. The ancient sith were always one of two things, cowardly wizards (go figure.) or brutish, bloodthirsty warriors. But he also knew that there had to be some sort of bias in this. The Sith always seemed to be on the losing end of wars and conflicts, and as the saying goes, history is written by the victor. But overall, most of what he learned was philosophy and history. And while parts of it were interesting, he was starting to get bored.

"Joshua…" The low voice of Count Dooku echoed out of the open holocron, "What is the Sith code?"

Joshua's response was automatic. The code had been drilled into his brain since he started this training.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through Strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The Force shall free me."

If Dooku could nod then he did, "Well said young one." Dooku appeared out of the holocron, "Rise."

Joshua opened his eyes and carefully set the holocron down before standing up.

"You absorb history like a sponge."

"It's interesting." Joshua replied, "But it can also be boring."

Dooku snorted, "You sound like one of my old apprentices."

"Ventress?"

Dooku was silent for a moment, "No, someone older, and and at the time, just as hard headed." Dooku turned his back to Joshua, "I do however think you have learned enough about the ideology for now. But you will meditate and continue your studies in it."

"Yes master." Joshua replied, "So what's next?"

"Now begins your true training. You will learn how to utilize the force, wield it, and manipulate it as a true Sith should. And you will begin formal lightsaber training."

Joshua frowned, "I don't have a lightsaber."

"You will do what generations before have always done. You will build your own."

"And how exactly will I do that?" Joshua asked.

"The parts are in this ship. The difficult part to acquire will be the crystal that powers and focuses the saber."

Joshua grinned, "On this world there are plenty of magical crystals. A lacrima may do the trick."

Dooku turned back to his apprentice. The boy was intelligent. He was quickly adapting and learning. He was a strong apprentice, no doubt. But would he become strong enough to take on Sidious? Only time would tell.

"Do you know where you can find this… lacrima?" Dooku asked.

"They're everywhere in Fiore. Hell, they sell them at markets. All I need to do is go buy one. Then I can get building." Joshua then remembered, he didn't have any money. He was broke, not a dime on him. "Master?"

"What?"

"In order to get the lacrima, I'll need money. And I… well I don't have any."

"Then just take it."

Joshua frowned, "First problem, that will draw attention. Drawing attention means people will want to track me down which will lead them here. And as you very specifically mentioned when we started this whole thing, 'this place must remain hidden and secret', end quote."

Dooku nodded, "You continued to impress. You are planning things out and anticipating situations before they even occur. So what is your plan for dealing with this income issue?"

Joshua rubbed his chin, "I could be an independent wizard for a while. Work out of a cabin outside of the valley. I mean, I wouldn't be the only one. And besides, it'll allow me to get some good food. No offense, but Ventress is a terrible cook."

Dooku actually chuckled a little, "Don't let her catch you saying that." Dooku thought over his plan, "Very well, build this cabin of yours and then get to work. Do not return until you have acquired a crystal for your lightsaber."

Joshua bowed to the ghostly visage before it returned into the Lacrima. He then carefully placed the pyramid back onto it's pedestal and was about to step out the door when he heard a foot tapping nearby.

"So you don't like my cooking?" Ventress snarled.

Joshua was not intimidated in the slightest. He had known someone far scarier than Ventress. A sad smirk crept across his face.

"Nope, and for the record Ventress, you can't really intimidate me."

Ventress growled and began to grumble under her breath as Joshua exited the room and then the ship altogether. He had a shack to build. It'd take some effort and time, but he could get it done. He sighed and began to trudge through the snow towards the southern edge of the valley, far away from the crashed dreadnought. He eventually made his way to a small clearing in a snow covered pine forest. Joshua glanced around and nodded.

"This will work." He held out his right hand and gathered magic to it, "Requip!"

In his hands a saw appeared and at his feet were a bunch of hammers, nails, and other tools he'd need for this job. Joshua got to work immediately and by the end of the day had enough trees cut down to build himself a small little cabin. But night was drawing near, he'd have to work on it later. He was about to return to the dreadnought when he remembered. He couldn't go back yet. When Master Dooku said something, you damn well better follow it. He learned that the hard way. The old geezer may be a ghost or apparition or essence whatever… but he was still terrifying when angered.

Joshua grabbed a bunch of kindling and quickly made himself a small fire. He then lay down in the snow next to the fire and stared up at the clear sky above him. Stars twinkled above him and occasionally he saw a shooting star dart across the night sky. He smiled at the peaceful scene. It was nice to be able to look up at the stars for a night. It had been a while. He'd been in the holocron chamber for forever. His mind then drifted off as he started recognizing different constellations in the sky. Virgo, Leo, Capricorn, all of them were there. Joshua smiled sadly, Lucy would've loved seeing the stars like this. He glanced over at the fire.

 _Natsu would be chowing down on those flames._ He laughed a little, _Gray would be bare ass naked despite the cold. Wendy would be chatting with Carla. Erza…_

Joshua's thoughts trailed off as he thought of his big sister. It had been months already, months since she died along with the others on Tenrou island. Joshua's smile faded and was replaced with a melancholic look. She could see her face still. He was desperately holding onto every single memory of her she had. But as the days went on, it became harder and harder to remember. Joshua sighed and his breath misted up in the air.

He really missed her. He missed them all. He'd give anything for them all to be together again.

" _I'll find a way for you to see me."_

He remebered that promise he gave to Wendy. They were the only two survivors. The only two to get away from Acnologia and Grimiore Heart. His face saddened. She may still be with the guild, but no one could possibly understand what they went through. And he gave her a promise that he had yet to keep. Joshua then had a brilliant idea.

 _When I finish this cabin. I'm gonna send a job request to Fairy Tail and specifically ask for Wendy._ He closed his eyes as he tried to fall asleep, _It'll be good to see her again._

….

The ships jumped out of hyperspace near the massive super star destroyer Executor. A dozen frigates and star destroyers slowly lumbered through empty space. Descended out of the lower hanger of one of the lead star destroyers was a small Imperial shuttle that began to rocket towards the devastator. On the bridge of the massive, black star destroyer stood an black armor clad giant with an intimidating mask and helping. His labored, mechanical breathing set all of the officers on the bridge on edge. All with the exception of Admiral Yularen. For some reason, he seemed to be quite comfortable around the imposing fist of the Empire, Darth Vader.

"Lord Vader, the shuttle has docked." said a low ranking officer.

"Send an escort down and bring them to the conferance room. I will brief the Admiral myself."

"Yes sir!"

While the officer called for an escort to head for the hanger Vader turned, his cape swirling around him, and marched forcefully towards the ship conference room. It only took him several moments to reach the conference room. But he was still rather surprised when he saw that he was the one who was last to arrive. Standing at full attention were several stormtrooper guards. At the end of the conference table a blue skinned alien with red eyes and black pupils stood to his feet. He wore a white officer's uniform, highly unusual for a member of the Imperial Navy and he had short black hair on top of his head.

"Admiral Thrawn." Vader boomed, "I did not expect you to arrive so quickly."

"I read up on the schematics of the Executor, Lord Vader." replied the Chiss admiral in a smooth voice that still harbored some malice behind it's soothing tone, "I was quite impressed with what I read. This ship is the finest I've ever seen. But it is rather simple for one to find their way around."

Vader said nothing in reply. The Chiss admiral motioned for his guard to leave the room, which they reluctantly did. Thrawn then took a seat while Vader still stood.

"Tell me, what is this mission I'm here for. The Emperor seemed very stressed about this. The fact that he pulled me away from quashing rebel cells and being assigned to you only added to my intrigue."

"The Emperor wishes for us to explore the unknown reaches of space. He believes that there is a threat in the unexplored portion of the galaxy and wishes for it to be eliminated immediately."

Thrawn narrowed his red eyes, "Interesting mission. This threat must be a grave one if he is sending the two of us on it?" he leaned back slightly in the chair and pressed his fingertips together, "I'll need more information than that."

Vader knew of Thrawn's infamous reputation. But the man's behavior was irking him. Vader liked commanders with creativity and initiative, and Thrawn certainly had both. But he didn't seem to know where his place was on the food chain.

"We are searching for a specific planet." Vader's low metallic voice explained as he pulled up a hologram on the conference table. "The name and location is unknown. We have already sent a pair of bounty hunters to search for it. One is dead."

Thrawn eyed the hologram carefully, "I can assume that this is only an approximation of what the planet may look like?"

Vader nodded and Thrawn pursed his lips.

"It'll be like looking for a single grain of sand in the entire ocean of Mon Calamari." Thrawn grumbled, "This is going to be quite the undertaking. From the looks of things, we can assume this planet is within the goldilocks zone from their sun, just from the massive changes in terrain and weather we are projecting. Almost Alderaan or Naboo like in nature. That may help narrow it down. Who were the bounty hunters you sent?"

"Cad Bane and Boba Fett."

Thrawn nodded, "Good choices, I've worked with those two before. Now, which was killed and where?"

"Cad Bane."

Thrawn breathed a sigh of relief. Cad was an old bounty hunter. He was legendary but nowhere near as effective as he once was. Fett on the other hand was an incredible asset. He was glad he wasn't the one that ended up dead. "The distress signal came from these coordinates." A map of the galaxy was displayed and a certain portion of unknown space was highlighted in yellow.

"Fett is already enroute."

Thrawn rubbed his long chin, "Do we know who killed him?"

Vader didn't answer instead he played a recording.

" _Who would that be?"_

" _The grandson of the infamous Count Dooku of course."_

" _What?"_

" _Oh dear. It seems I've said way too much. I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you now old friend."_

" _NO PLEASE DON-"_

" _No one must know that little secret."_

Thrawn frowned. It was a recording of Cad Bane's distress call. And he knew who that second voice was. The snarl and malice behind it was unmistakable.

"Maul…" Thrawn mumbled, "Searching for the grandson of the man who threw the galaxy into full scale civil war. This is quite the problem then. That boy he's searching for could become a symbol for both rebels and rebellious planets to rally behind."

"That is what the Emperor fears. So we have been tasked with finding and eliminating the boy as well as all life on the planet he lives on."

Thrawn nodded, "Like I said, this will take lots of time. Years even. Throw in an extra few months to gather enough supplies for such an undertaking..." He looked up at Vader.

"Can you do it? Or should I find someone else?" growled Vader.

The Chiss admiral chuckled, "Oh I can do it. In fact, you won't find anyone better suited for this." Thrawn rose from his chair, "Once the necessary supplies and resources are allocated we will jump to the location of that distress signal and being the search from there." He walked to the doors of the conference room and they whooshed open, "Lord Vader, consider that planet as good as found."

 **And chapter! The hunt is in full swing for Earthland. And Joshua is now in the middle of his training under Dooku. Should be interesting to see how all of this goes down. Now I'm going to blow your mind. Remember in the Edolas arc the character Joshua Knightwalker. Here's another parallel for you all, Knightwalker started evil but felt himself being pulled towards good from his experiences. Earthland Joshua started off good but is being pulled to the dark side because of his experiences. I thought that was a pretty cool detail. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	36. Chapter 36: Where Did I Come From?

**Hey everyone! Man I'm having fun writing this story. So many ways to go with it. Here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 36

Joshua awoke to a red sky with black clouds swirling above him. Dark lightning crackled overhead in the scarlet sky. All around him was a shadowed out world made of jagged red and rust colored rocks. Joshua knew this world well. He had seen it several times already. He didn't know the name of this place. But he knew where this vision would eventually take him. Joshua rose to his feet and found out a surprising fact. He could move on his own in this vision. It was allowing him to. Normally, when he visited this world he was whisked from place to place by force. But now, he had control. Joshua glanced around and stared into the deep shadows around him. He didn't sense anything out of the ordinary.

" _ **This way…"**_ he heard a deep voice down a dark trail to his left.

Joshua frowned. He didn't like it, being ordered around in his own mind like that. But at the same time, he wasn't going to get any answers without following the strange disembodied voice. Joshua turned and walked down the dark trail until he came face to face with a very familiar cave. The cave still set him on edge. He could feel his skin forming goosebumps as he got closer to it's mouth. Joshua looked to his right and left and saw two pale women dressed in skin tight, red robes and veils moving towards him. They quickly barred his entrance with two nasty looking blades. They were swords unlike any Joshua had ever seen. He could feel the power in the blades as well, as if the force itself was being used in them. Joshua frowned and looked back and forth from the two guards.

"No one enters the coven unless called up by the Mother." hissed one of the pale women.

Joshua frown deepend, _Coven? So these are witches of some sort._ He eyed the two women carefully. They obviously meant business. There was no hesitation being betrayed in their steely gazes.

"I wish to speak with Talzin." Joshua replied, remembering that Maul had referred to the horrifying woman by the term Mother.

The two guards blinked as if shocked by what he was asking.

"Mother Talzin has no visitors." Snarled the woman on the right.

Joshua stared hard at her, "You obviously don't know who you are speaking to."

He decided to ham it up now. He had learned some of Erza's patented glares after all. And he could use them just as effectively. Add on his new Sith apprentice pedigree, and you had a character he could play that no one would dare mess with.

"I am the apprentice of Darth Tyrannus." Joshua growled as he glared at the two guards.

The guards audibly gulped at the mention of that name.

"Dooku is dead." snapped the one on the right. "And you can't claim to be his apprentice. Only Ventress was ever his apprentice."

"They had a falling out." He snarled back, "And he wished for me to speak with your Mother. Do you want me to return to him with news that you barred my entry. Because I can inform you, that will severely displease him. He may be dead but his spirit live on as well as his temper." He could see the fear slightly glinting in the eyes of these pale women, "And I'm sure you know how my Master can get when he is displeased."

"We will not-"

"My dear sisters," Joshua stiffened as he heard the low growling voice. It was younger and less weathered than he remembered. But it was him nonetheless. Joshua stared stunned as a Zabrak with red skin and black tattoos strode out of the shadows of the cave, "Let the young one through. We wouldn't want to displease a Sith lord now would we?"

 _It can't be!_ Joshua shook with fear as he saw Maul fully emerge from the shadows.

"Brother Maul, Mother ordered-"

"Mother will be intrigued by this particular visit." Maul interupted, "Now, step aside, before I force you to."

The two pale woman glanced at each then back to Maul before reluctantly opening the way forward for Joshua.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Maul chuckled before waving Joshua to follow him into the cave.

Joshua visibly hesitated. He then gulped back his fear. It was just a vision. Maul was dead, he couldn't do anything to hurt him. And this was obviously the past as well. Joshua shoved his fear into the far corners of his mind and strode forward after Maul. As they entered the cave, the shroud of darkness enveloped them. Only the dull glow of green lanterns along the jagged walls of the cave illuminated the darkness, but it only made it that much more creepy.

"Tell me young one, how goes your training under me?" Maul asked with a grin.

Joshua glared hard at the dead Zabrak, "You don't train me."

"Oh?"

"You're dead."

The Zabrak paused and turned to look at Joshua, "Am I?" He shook his head, "That's… rather unfortunate to hear. How did it happen?"

Joshua snorted, "You'd like to know wouldn't you?"

"I guess that's your equivalent of telling me to shove off?"

"Wow, the Zabrak is learning." Joshua remarked snidely.

Maul growled and continued to guide him through the labyrinth of caves.

"Do you know why you always end up in this cave, boy?" Maul asked after several moments of silence.

Joshua shrugged, "I always thought it was just your way of torturing me further."

Maul chuckled, "I wish it was that simple. Visions are a complex thing. Visions of the past only reveal a little. Visions of the present reveal a possibility. And Visions of the future reveal one possibly of many."

"And this is the past I assume?"

Maul nodded in front of him as he walked powerfully forward.

"So how little information am I getting this time?" Joshua pressed as he cautiously followed the younger version of Darth Maul.

"Depends on the will of the force, boy." Maul replied, "I can't give you a total explanation."

The tunnels opened into a large cavern with a single, round oculus in the roof of the cave. Somehow, light was streaming into the lit cavern. Joshua was about to walk forwards when he felt Maul's powerful arm hold him back.

"Don't, the ritual is about to begin."

Joshua followed Maul's gaze and saw six pale women in blood red robes moving towards the center of the cave. He could see that the ground was perfectly smooth, not a single pebble on the cave floor. In the arms of one of the robed women was a small child, not even a few years old. The baby was crying in the woman's arms then continued to wail on the ground as it was placed on the cold stone in the center of the light, directly below the oculus. Joshua gulped as he watched the baby.

"Is that… me?"

He saw Maul nod to his side, "It would appear so."

Green smoke began to billow into the cave and out of the ground a sinister witch appeared and joined the circle of scarlet clad women. She wore blood colored robes as well, and her face was painted black and white, as if to resemble a skull. She wore an elaborate pointed crown on top of her head as he glided along the floor towards the circle around the small baby.

"What are they doing?" whispered Joshua.

"What do you think?" Maul replied back in a hushed tone, "This is how you gained your powers."

Joshua's eyes widened as he stared on. The women began to chant in a strange language that Joshua could not understand. But he did see Maul twitch ever so slightly at some words. He could only assume that this was the language of Dathomir. And it was having an unsettling effect on the Zabrak that stood quietly to his right. The shadows deepened around them and more green mist filled the air. Joshua saw the little boy being covered by the green mist. The chanting continued and the pace of the woman's chanting grew in intensity. The light was soon blocked out from the Oculus. Joshua looked up and his eyes widened. Descending down from the hole in the cave ceiling was a shadowed out figure with black mist hiding it's features. He glanced over at Maul and saw genuine terror on his face.

"They didn't say anything about placing him inside of you." Maul gasped as he stared wide eyed at the descending menace.

"Who?" Joshua asked.

The dark spectre hovered over the child and seemed to peer down at him through a deep hood. Not a single feature was visible. It was as if darkness itself was descending down onto his small form.

"I met him once. When my Master first began training me." Maul shook with fright, "Even in the presence of my former Master, this being overshadowed him in the Dark Side."

"WHO?" Joshua barked at the Zabrak trying to snap him out of his terrified stupor.

"He is a plague on the galaxy. Is Mother insane!?" Maul muttered as if he was completely oblivious to Joshua.

"Hey! Maul! Answer me!"

The sounds of blaster fire behind them drew Joshua's attention. Maul's head whipped around as red blaster bolts arced around the cave. Then Joshua saw a familiar red glow entering the cave. Joshua stared in silent awe as a black armored figure stalked slowly into the cave. He glanced back at the witches. The shadowy wraith was gone and now Talzin was shouting orders and trying to weave several spells at once. Blaster fire ricocheted into the cavern and Joshua heard the gutteral screams of several pale women as they were gunned down by the foreign weapons. He then looked back at the armored giant of a human storming towards Maul. The Zabrak grit his teeth and stepped forward.

"Better end your vision now kid." Maul snarled, "Before he discovers you."

Joshua felt a rush of power and a green explosion erupted behind him. Joshua wheeled around and saw his small, infant body being sucked into a green spiral. Talzin was muttering words at an incredible pace. But in mid sentence a red saber sliced through her body. Joshua saw Maul's horrified gaze jump from the black armored man to the saber that now twirled back to the outstretched gloved hand of the armored monster. The green swirl became unstable and strange magic began to leap out from it. With a final blast of green energy the spiral disappeared and so did the small boy.

 _That is… that is how I ended up in Earthland!_

Joshua heard Maul activate his own lightsaber.

"RUN NOW! Before you are found!" Maul barked before charging at the menacing man with the labored mechanical breathing.

The vision then chose to begin to fade and soon blackness engulfed Joshua's vision once again.

….

The city of Magnolia was buzzing with activity once again. The city streets were filled with vendors as they hawked their goods. Summer was fast approaching, which meant big festivals were about to occur. The little blue haired girl sighed as she walked along the canals. Too bad her guild was not gonna be taking part in the summer festival.

"Why so glum child?" asked a white cat that wore a green dress and walked on two legs beside her.

"Seems like Magnolia just completely moved on." the blue haired girl replied as she shifted the bag on her left shoulder so that it was more comfortable.

"Times change Wendy," The cat replied, "And they often change more quickly than we can anticipate."

"I didn't think they'd completely forget about Fairy Tail in just a few months." Wendy replied sadly.

"I'm sure they haven't forgotten." the white haired cat replied reassuringly, "They just have more important things on their minds than us."

"Maybe."

Wendy and her best friend Carla exited the town through the main gate and walked quickly towards the forests that surrounded the town. It was a pleasant walk. The birds chirped happily around them and the warm summer breeze made the day that much more bright as they passed through the thick greenery around them. Wendy then found the small trail she was looking for in the forest. The pair quickly walked up the dirt trail until they saw a farm with a large building dominating a hilltop. On top of the large building, was a beat up, run down windmill. Pigs oinked and snorted in a small pen near the tiny shed that was to the left of the main building and several chickens raced about. Wendy smiled, it wasn't the guild hall she wanted, but it was still a peaceful place. Her smile widened as she pushed open the rickety doors that led to the inside of Fairy Tail's guild hall.

"Hey everyone!" she cheered and waved as she entered.

"Wendy!" greeted Nab, Vejeeter, and Warren.

"Hey Wendy! Carla! How was the last job?" Laki asked from a picnic table near the doorway.

"It went well." Wendy smiled back, "Got the full reward and no destruction added."

"That's a relief." Said an exhausted voice near the bar. Wendy looked over and smiled at the familiar face of Macao Conbolt.

"Hi, Macao how are you?"

"How many times must I tell people to call me Master?" he groaned as Kinana filled his beer mug once again.

"Sorry," Wendy smiled sheepishly, "Master Macao."

"That's better." Macao glanced over at Wakaba, "See how it's done Wakaba?"

"Eh." The cigarette smoking wizard dismissed as he read a newspaper, "I didn't hear anything, Macao."

Macao grumbled under his breath before turning in his bar stool to look at the young dragon slayer.

"How much was the reward?" he asked.

"Ten thousand jewel." smiled Wendy.

Macao sighed relieved, "That's good to hear. We don't get many jobs like that anymore."

Wendy observed the haggard looking man. He looked thinner than he did a few weeks ago when she left on the job. And was it just her imagination or was his hair beginning to gray rapidly. Wendy frowned.

"You need to rest up Macao, you look stressed."

Macao grunted and placed the beer mug to his lips, "Tell me something I don't know."

Wendy pulled a wooden barstool out from under the small bar counter and jumped up to sit next to the fourth guild master. Her short legs swung in the air slightly. As soon as she sat down, the purple haired bar maid Kinana set down a small glass of juice for her.

"Thanks Kinana." Wendy said before sipping on her juice.

The barmaid then place a steaming cup of tea in front of Carla. The white cat nodded her thanks before greedily sipping on the steaming white cup. Wendy exhaled as she finished off the last of her juice. She then glanced around the guild hall.

So many people had left. They were down to just a handful of members compared to what they had just a few months ago. They all began to leave as the requests board began to dry up. She shot a glance over at the small bulletin board in the corner. Only four or five request were on there. And none of them payed very well. She sighed.

"Looks like it'll be a bit of a wait before another good job comes along."

"Hopefully not too long of wait." Macao replied.

Kinana then snapped her fingers, "That's right! I just remembered." She pulled a drawer behind the counter open and grabbed a rolled up scrap of paper. "Wendy, a job request came in for you. Asked for you specifically."

Wendy grabbed the paper from Kinana and read the job request over.

"Help! Need to clear snow from fields in order to plant food. Request Wendy Marvell. Please do not send the annoying cat." Carla frowned at the paper, "Reward… twenty thousand jewel!"

"Whoa!" Macao exclaimed.

"Signed, a friend."

"I don't like that request Wendy." Carla said as he glared at the sentence that said do not send the annoying cat.

"But Carla, twenty thousand jewel." Wendy whined.

"You can't go on a job all by yourself like that." Carla replied stiffly.

"Oh c'mon Carla," Macao replied, "Wendy is probably our most powerful wizard right now. Hell, if I could, I'd name her our ace. She can handle a simple farming job on her own."

"It's all the way in the northern mountains of Fiore!" Carla snapped back.

"Carla, this money will help out a lot." Wendy replied, "I'm going to do it."

"Wendy!"

"Carla, the guild needs this." Wendy replied. The cat opened her mouth to reply back but saw the determined look in Wendy's eyes.

"I swear if anything happens to you I will make sure you won't hear the end of it." Carla grumbled.

Wendy grinned and grabbed the request note as well as her bag before bolting towards the door.

"Hey Wendy! Aren't you going to rest for a bit?"

Wendy shook her head as she ran out the doors. This was too good of a job to miss. It was far away for sure. At least two days by train then another several days walking. But it was well worth it. Wendy ran towards the train station and reached it just in time for the last northward bound train. After quickly purchasing a ticket she climbed aboard the train just as it began to steam off down the tracks. Wendy quickly took a seat in the passenger compartment. She stared out the window as Magnolia flew past her and the open countryside filled the view. She smiled, this was a great job. Twenty thousand jewel would pay off a lot of the guild's debts that they had. She glanced down at the job request. She was curious as to why this farmer specifically asked for her. Did she previously do a job for them. And who signs a request, A Friend. Wendy stared down at the writing.

"Don't send the annoying cat." She mumbled, "Signed a friend."

" _I'll find a way for you to see me, I promise."_

Wendy blinked. Was it really possible!? Her hands crumpled the edges of the paper as she tightly gripped it. Her eyes welled up a little. Only one person had the courage to call Carla an annoying cat. Wendy felt a small smile grace her lips. It took him forever, she was beginning to think he had forgotten. But he hadn't. He had kept his promise.

….

Joshua wiped some sweat from his forehead before gripping the axe handle once again. He bent to his right and grabbed a hunk of wood with his robotic hand. He then carefully placed it on the stump. Joshua grunted as he struggled to bring the heavy axe over his head. He carefully aimed and let the axe come thundering down. The satisfying sound of wood snapping and the addicting feeling of the axe cleaving the hunk of wood in two made a smile form on the boy's lips. This was fun. Hard work, but fun.

"You seem to enjoy working yourself to the bone." he heard a woman's voice from the woods around him. Joshua stopped what he was doing and let the axe drop to the ground. He turned around and looked over at a hooded, pale woman striding towards him from the woods that led to the valley.

"Hey Ventress, long time no see." he smiled at her.

"Quit smiling. It's annoying." she hissed.

"What? I can't be having a good day with you around." He laughed before rubbing his sleeve along his head again, "What are you doing outside of the valley anyways?"

Ventress stared the boy down, "It's been a month since you left the ship to get a crystal. Dooku wants to know what is taking so long?"

Joshua nodded his head and then sat down on the stump, "Lacrima's vary in price. I believe that I'm going to need a very strong one to use for a lightsaber crystal, not just some run of the mill lacrima that you can use to power a light or a stove. No, it'll have to be powerful and very sophisticated. And those kind of lacrima do not come cheap."

Ventress frowned, "A month-"

"Being an independent wizard doesn't allow jobs to flow very freely Ventress. I've mostly been doing favors for the farmers in the hills nearby. Clearing the melting snow so they can plant sooner. I'm getting paid, just not enough."

Ventress sighed, "Just steal a crystal already."

Joshua shook his head, "Stealing a lacrima of the caliber I'll need will attract the wrong kind of attention. Trust me, the lacrima I have in mind would have guilds up our asses if they found out I stole it."

Ventress frowned. The kid had a valid point.

"Besides, a Sith hides in plain sight. What better way to hide in plain sight than to follow the law?" Joshua smiled at the former Night Sister.

"Very well. But the Count is starting to get impatient."

"Tell him to do what he always tells me."

"That being?"

"Be patient brat." Joshua grinned as he did his best Dooku impression.

Ventress's eye twitched a little before she sighed and quietly left the clearing that housed Joshua's small cabin. Joshua breathed a relieved sigh as well. Ventress was a pill. She didn't seem to have a single funny bone in her. A stark contrast compared to Erza. She had Erza's temper and then some. But she didn't have that warm side to her at all. It was just a cold, heartlessness that filled Ventress. Joshua had no doubts that the only reason she was even agreed to basically babysit him was because she feared whoever ordered her to do it. That didn't stop him from trying to get her to lighten up a little. But so far, all of his attempts had failed miserably. She wasn't the playful type.

"And she always seems to have a stick up her ass." Joshua grumbled before he began to sense a familiar power approaching.

Joshua's heart skipped a beat as the power got closer. Soon he saw a blue haired girl wearing a green and yellow dress come out from the trees. Joshua grinned widely at here.

"Hey! You got here quick!" He smiled at her.

Wendy furrowed her eyes at him and Joshua gulped as she stomped towards him.

"Wendy what's-"

*SMACK*

Wendy's hand slapped across his right cheek.

"Five months!" Wendy snapped at Joshua, "Five months! I had no idea if you were alive or dead or hurt or anything! And all you can say is hey!"

Joshua blinked. _Damn, I did something wrong again didn't I?_

Wendy huffed then sat down next to the sweating ten year old. She glanced over at him. He hadn't changed too much. Same messy, spiky hair. Same stupid smile. He still fidgeted with his hands when he was nervous. Wendy blinked. She looked and saw that he had two hands. But how was that possible? Last she saw him, he didn't have a left arm.

"Joshua?"

"Yeah?"

"You're arm." Wendy pointed at his left hand.

"Hm? Oh this." Joshua pulled off the black leather glove he had over his mechanical arm. Wendy stared wide eyed at the copper colored device. It looked fragile but also very strong. "Pretty cool huh?" Joshua smiled as he wiggled the copper fingers in front of her face.

"How?"

Joshua blinked. He hadn't thought this one through. He couldn't just tell her how he got the arm. That would lead her to the Supremacy. And that would in turn make her run into Ventress, which was the last thing he wanted to have happen. He thought quickly.

"I made it." he lied.

Wendy's eyes ballooned, "You made that?"

Joshua was shocked that his lie worked, "Uh… yup. I made it. Pretty neat huh. Just like an actual arm."

"That's amazing!" Wendy gasped.

"I know, I'm pretty amazing."

"Don't get too big headed." Wendy deadpanned.

"Aw c'mon. Give me a little credit." Joshua complained.

Wendy laughed a little and the two sat quietly for a moment.

"So why all the way out here?" Wendy asked.

"Why here?" Joshua looked back at her and shrugged, "Dunno. Nice and peaceful. Good place to think." He lied once again. No one could know about the Supremacy.

Wendy nodded, "Makes sense. You like your peace and quiet after all."

Joshua nodded back, "So how's the guild."

Wendy's smile faded a little. Joshua frowned.

"What's wrong?" He asked the girl.

"The guild is barely holding together."

Joshua widened his eyes, "What?"

"We couldn't afford to stay in the original guild hall. So we had to leave it. That, and we got into debt with some people and they aren't exactly nice about payments." Wendy said to him, "Macao is barely keeping it all together right now."

Joshua grimaced, "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You could come back."

Joshua closed his eyes. He wished he could. But he wasn't strong enough yet. He wouldn't be able to protect jack squat now.

"Anything else I could do?"

Wendy frowned at him, "Why don't you want to come back."

Joshua closed his eyes and stared at his hands, "You know full well why."

"Master Makarov isn't around anymore."

"That's not the point Wendy." Joshua replied calmly, "The point is, no one trusts me at Fairy Tail. Not even Makarov did. He trusted some Phantom Lord converts before me."

"Joshua!" Wendy snapped at him as her mind reeled at the accusation. Did he really hold that against Juvia and Gajeel all this time?

"What? It's true." Joshua replied

"No it's not. Not even in the slightest." She shook her head, "But you can't seem to accept that."

"Wendy…" Joshua took a deep breath, "I will be back eventually. But not for a while. I-I need to get stronger first."

Wendy stared back at him. "The truth at last." she muttered to him, "But you can get stronger with us."

Joshua shook his head, "No I can't."

"Why not?" Wendy asked nicely. She wasn't mad at him. She was just looking for answers.

"My magic is," Joshua tried to find the right words, "Unique. No one at the guild would be able to help me train with it."

"And being alone in the mountains helps?" Wendy asked, "Why are you all the way out here to train?"

Joshua sighed, "I can't tell you."

That irked the dragon slayer, "Why not?"

Joshua shrugged, "I just can't."

"That's not an answer."

Joshua glared at her, "It's for your own safety." He finally admitted which surprised Wendy. "If you knew what I was doing up here, your safety would be at risk. And I will not allow that to happen. Not again."

 _He's still blaming himself for what happened on Tenrou Island._ Wendy observed as his face fell.

They sat quietly once again, just listening to the peaceful silence around them.

"You hungry?" Joshua asked, "I can get some stew made."

Wendy nodded, "Sounds good. Then I better get home."

Joshua nodded in understanding, "Don't worry, I've got your twenty thousand jewel as well." He walked with her over to his small cabin behind the tree stump.

"Don't worry about that."

"Wendy, I don't want the rest of the guild knowing I'm here. We've got to make this look convincing. And that means." he opened the rickety wooden door, "You leave with twenty thousand jewel."

Wendy smiled at him and entered his small cabin and he quickly followed and shut the door.

Far above, quietly observing from a nearby hilltop was Ventress in her dark cape and hood, binoculars pressed to her eyes.

"Well well…" She mumbled, "We are having visitors now?"

Ventress noted it in her mind. The blue haired girl, she'd have to ask him about her. Dooku specifically told her not to do anything that would provoke the boy to leave. And she knew that if she attacked this girl that would cause the boy to leave. Her hands were tied for now. But she would find a way. She always did.

 **And chapter! A little bit of a slow chapter. Although it did reveal how Joshua ended up in Earthland in the first place as well as peeled a layer back on who this other being is inside of him. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed. Have a nice day!**


	37. Chapter 37: The Basics

**New Chapter! This one skips ahead a few years. Originally I had it planned out to wear we got to see every little detail of training but as I wrote it I found that it was actually kind of dull. I don't want training to take up the next, like ten chapters. That would probably bore you guys too. So I sped things up a little. Anyways, enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 37

Four years had passed and the warm summer winds and hot sun once again swept across the continent of Fiore. Grass grew wild around the hulking wreck in the valley hidden among the northern mountains. Pine trees littered the land and provided further cover for the dreadnought. The metal hull on the outside was boiling hot. So hot in fact, that if you touched it, your skin would sizzle on it's surface like an egg cooking on a hot skillet. But the inside of the ship was still ice cold. Not from the lack of heat, the heat was still trying to enter the craft. But the sheer amount of darkness that littered the air of ship choked out all heat and light. Only artificial lights flickered in the ceilings of the Supremacy's many halls and rooms. But in the holocron chamber, there was no artificial light. Just pure darkness. The only lights came from the ominous red glow that flowed from the Sith Holocron in front of Joshua and the dull white glow of Dooku's essence floating around the boy.

Joshua's eyes were closed and his hands rested on his knees as his legs were crossed. His breathing was even and deliberate as he meditated in the dark side. He saw it all in his mind. First it was the Phantom lord incident. The incident that showed him how dangerous his powers actually were. It was an incident that introduced true fear to him for the first time in his life. Then he saw the Tower of Heaven and the blue haired bastard that always accompanied it. Joshua felt anger swelling in him as he watched the memories in his mind. He saw Maul and Tenrou island. Upon seeing the Zabrak, Joshua felt an intense hatred build in him. That was the creature that took his arm. That was the creature that nearly killed Wendy and Erza. He felt his teeth grinding behind pursed lips. Then a new feeling washed over him as he saw Erza fling him away from the island for the millionth time. A deep sorrow that sprouted in his heart came to the surface once again. His heart ached just as much as it did when it first happened.

"I sense it in you boy." An elderly voice echoed around the holocron room, "The fear, the anger, the hatred, the suffering."

Joshua's face remained like stone, unchanging and unwavering as he saw his most painful memories replay over and over in his mind.

"What are these feelings? Why must you face these painful feelings?" Dooku asked him.

Joshua took a deep breath before softly replying, "No emotions means peace. Hiding from my emotions makes me weak. Hiding from who I am, makes me weak. A Sith is not peace. A Sith is not weak. A Sith is strong. These emotions, they are another form of passion."

"And what is the Sith code?"

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Through strength I gain power. Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The force shall free me."

Joshua opened his eyes. The crimson glow that was once behind his closed eyelids faded back to hazel as the dark side crept away from him. He looked up and saw the ghostly form of Count Dooku standing in front of him.

"Do you now know why you must feel those emotions?"

Joshua nodded, "Those emotions are the most basic emotions of a living creature. They are emotions of survival. Without them, we do not survive, we do not adapt, and therefore we fail."

Dooku nodded, "Precisely." Dooku nodded his head, "Rise my apprentice."

Joshua stood up and face his Master.

"Now then, time for a little quiz."

Joshua groaned.

"If I was alive I would've blasted you with lightning for that." Dooku snarled lowly. Joshua sighed and Dooku frowned, "What is the first form of lightsaber combat?"

Joshua crossed his arms, "Shii-Cho." He said with boredom evident in his voice.

"Don't give me that tone of voice!" Dooku snapped and Joshua stiffened. Dooku could be just as terrifying as Erza, but he was far more subtle about it.

"What are the strengths of Shii-Cho?"

Joshua took a breath, "It's a very simple fighting style, easy to master, easy to use. It's broad and deliberate movements mean it's perfect for blaster deflection and fighting multiple opponents."

"And the drawbacks."

"It's clunky and unrefined. Unless fully mastered and built upon, it's a form that is easy to predict and counter."

Dooku nodded, "Very good. And that means?"

"Facing a single opponent is difficult with this form of combat."

"Correct. Now," Dooku began pacing like an aged professor in front of the boy, "What is the second form of lightsaber combat."

"Makashi." Joshua replied with a little more enthusiasm.

"Benefits?"

"Makashi is designed for sword to sword combat. It's fast and accurate, almost like fencing."

"Good. Now…" Dooku sighed, "The weaknesses?"

Joshua smirked a little at his master. He knew full well the weaknesses of Makashi, it was the cause of his Master's untimely death fourteen years ago after all.

"Makashi is not very strong. If facing an opponent who has brute strength and precision it can be beaten. It's also not effective at blaster deflection."

Dooku nodded, "Again, well done." He then smirked at the boy, "What is the third form of lightsaber combat?"

Joshua blinked. There was a third form?

"I thought there were only two?"

Dooku shook his head, "No, there are in fact seven. The first two, Shii-cho and Makashi, were the first ever developed. They were created thousands upon thousands of years ago. Back when both Jedi and Sith still wielded normal blades. These two forms you have practiced and know. You haven't mastered them, but you know them."

Joshua heard the holocron chamber's blast doors hiss opened and the light footfalls of Ventress echoed around the cavernous room.

"The third form of lightsaber combat is known as Soresu." Dooku explained, "It is a defensive form of fighting. In the hands of a master, it is an impenetrable defense. The user fights back with swift counterattacks followed by returning to a defensive posture." Dooku motioned to Joshua's hip, "Activate your saber."

Joshua grabbed the hilt of his lightsaber with his mechanical hand and ignited it. A red blade crackled to life in his hands. Dooku could still not wrap his head around the ancient design the boy used. The main portion of the blade was normal enough, slightly unstable due to the blade not being focused by an actual lightsaber crystal but rather a lacrima, but it was still effective. What perplexed Dooku were the two small beams that emitted from the top of the blade and protruded outwards like a crossguard. When he first saw the blade, Dooku heavily criticized it.

At the time, Joshua replied with, "You wish you had the cross guard when you were defeated."

That comment was effective enough to shut Dooku up then and there about the design. But it still didn't mean he liked it. It looked bulky and brutish. He thought lightsabers were meant to be elegant weapons, not something that looked so savage.

"Ventress," Dooku looked past Joshua at his former apprentice. Her own saber had already hissed to life and the low hum of her blade echoed around the room along with the violent crackling of Joshua's red sword, "Demonstrate Soresu."

Ventress nodded then turned to Joshua, "Attack." She ordered.

Joshua gripped the hilt of his blade and charged. He raised it high over his head and brought the blade thundering down towards Ventress. The pale woman smirked and easily shifted into a defensive form of fighting. Joshua was shocked by the lack of wasted movement with this form of fighting. He thought a defensive style of fighting would exhaust a duelist. But thirty minutes later, he was the one who was panting while Ventress looked as fresh as before.

"Damn…" Joshua gasped before standing up straight once again.

Dooku chuckled, "I see training the boy has sharpened your skills once again Ventress."

Ventress nodded at the ghostly apparition before deactivating her saber.

"That and he's too slow still." she snidely commented.

"I'm not slow you old hag." Joshua muttered.

"What'd you call me!?" Ventress snapped at him.

"Enough!" Dooku barked, "Enough! You two are worse than children."

"I'm technically still a kid." Joshua replied.

"You're fourteen." Ventress said.

"Still a kid." Joshua shrugged as he reaffirmed his position.

"Stop arguing!" Dooku argued. Joshua and Ventress both frowned at each other before glancing back at Dooku, "Ventress, teach Joshua the basics of Soresu."

"Fine." she replied.

"Joshua, pay attention to Ventress. She may not be a master, but she knows how to fight. Follow her teachings. We will continue with your lessons in the morning."

"Yes master." Joshua bowed.

Dooku's ethereal body disappeared back into the glowing red holocron. Joshua picked up the pyramid and nonchalantly tossed it up and down in his left hand before placing back on it's pedestal. He turned around to Ventress and activated his lightsaber once again.

"Ok, what's the basics?"

Ventress grinned and readied herself in a defensive stance. She found that the brat learned best when in the heat of combat. He couldn't do basic studying. He'd get bored to easily and zone out. Demonstrations occasionally worked, but they usually failed to take root in the boy's mind. However, when he would actually try to utilize the fighting style against Ventress, his learning improved exponentially. Ventress grinned.

"Watch and learn, brat."

Ventress continued her defensive posture and Joshua charged at her. As their blades clashed and sparked in the holocron chamber, Joshua studied every slight move his combat instructor made. Each defensive parry was deliberate yet fluid. Her movements were like a small circle around her body, making it so that no matter where Joshua swung his lightsaber, Ventress's was there to meet it. He also saw that each movement was very slight. She only swung her lightsaber enough to keep Joshua's lightsaber from hitting her. This style both frustrated and intrigued the boy. He had easily broken through Ventress's form one fighting. They fought as equals at from two. But this form was challenging.

"You're too slow." Ventress hissed as Joshua swung and missed as she ducked under his sword. He then saw what Dooku meant by a quick counter strike.

Ventress stopped her sword just short of Joshua's stomach. The boy sucked his belly in as he felt the heat from her red blade. Her blade was still kept close to her, so that if the counter failed she could immediately jump back to the defensive posture that dominated this form's movements. Joshua sighed and extinguished his red blade. The unstable crackling sword quietly returned to the hilt.

"Ok." Joshua breathed heavily, "How did you do that?"

"Simple." Ventress sheathed her own lightsaber, "You are slow and you have no strength behind your attacks. You need not only precision to beat this form but strength. And a great deal of it." She looked over the scrawny fourteen year old, "And you lack the latter."

"I'm fourteen, it's not like I am going to be super muscular."

Ventress snarled, "Age is no excuse! You are soft!" Joshua frowned and narrowed his eyes at Ventress, "I think it's about time we fixed that."

Joshua blinked, "Huh?"

"I'm about to put you through the most intense physical training of your life." Ventress said with menace, "And you will learn to hate it."

Joshua gulped, "What about lightsaber practice?"

The former night sister shook her head, "A lightsaber is no good in the hands of a weak user."

"I'm not weak!"

"Physically you are!" Ventress decided to hit him where it hurts, "How long did you last against Maul?"

Joshua grit his teeth as he reminisced the most intense fight of his life. That fight felt like it lasted hours when in actuality it was more like thirty minutes.

"Now if only you had trained your body, your dear Erza may still be here."

Joshua roared and charged at Ventress, saber ignited. Ventress smirked evilly and decided to put this boy in his place. She easily ducked under a slow, wild blow and brought her knee up into his stomach. Joshua felt the breath leave his body as he stumbled forward. He then felt Ventress bring a fist up to his face as he bent over. The fist hit his face with a sickening crack and Joshua fell flat on his back.

"I don't need a sword to beat you." Ventress said, "you beat me at the Tower because of Dooku. You lasted against Maul because of Dooku. Alone, you are nothing."

Joshua shook his head as he got on all fours on the ground. He spat some blood from his mouth before rubbing his bloody lip with the back of his right hand.

"But I'm going to change that." Ventress grabbed Joshua roughly by his collar and threw him across the room, "It will not be nice, it will not be painless." Joshua felt his lightsaber being ripped out of his grasp by Ventress's strong left hand then tossed to the side. She then planted an uppercut under his chin causing the boy to stumble backwards, "You will be in agony." She stomped forwards and Joshua felt fear building up in him, "Your body will be in so much pain that you will not be able to get up in the morning with me throwing you out of that damn cabin." Ventress blocked a weak swing from Joshua and jabbed his quickly in the nose, "It will not be fun. Well, it will be fun for me. But certainly not for you." Her fist hammered the side of his head and the lights went out in Joshua's head.

….

"I don't understand why you insist on going on this same job without me again?" Carla crossed her arms and tapped her foot at Wendy.

The blue haired girl finished stuffing her brown purse before she swept some blue locks out of her face.

"Because that is the request Carla." Wendy replied as she slung a brown purse over he shoulder, "And the family is really allergic to cats."

"You said the same thing for the past four years! And I'm an Exceed! There is a difference!"

"Not to them. Sorry Carla." Wendy blinked and looked at the clock above the bar counter, "I gotta go! The train is about to leave. I'll see you in a few days!" she waved as she raced out of the rickety guild hall doors and towards the train station.

Carla sighed as she watched her best friend run out of the guild.

"She's growing up fast isn't she?" said the voice of Macao as he walked up beside the worried white exceed.

"Too fast in my opinion." Carla replied, "She's taking more and more solo jobs. And not taking me along. It worries me."

Macao shrugged, "You can't do much about it Carla. Part of growing up is becoming self reliant. And that's exactly what she is doing." He

glanced down at the white cat, "Don't worry, she'll be just fine. It's that farming job anyways, it's not like there is any danger on that job."

Carla nodded reluctantly, "I suppose you are right." She saw Wendy disappear into the forest, "But she better stay my little Wendy for a while longer."

Wendy ran quickly down the wooded trail to the train station. And she arrived just in time. She weaved her way through the large crowds of people until she was finally able to clammer aboard the train. It was going to be a long ride, but it was going to be worth it. It had been almost a year since she last saw Joshua. And he did make a really good stew. She purchased the same train ticket she bought this time every year for the past four and ran over to the train. The train whistled and began to rumbled quickly down the tracks. Wendy looked out the window at the peaceful scenery as the same uneventful train ride began. Then slowly felt herself drifting off to sleep.

….

Wendy's brown eyes slowly opened. She was staring upwards at a strange gray ceiling with a soft white light above her. Wendy groaned as she sat up. She felt the sheets over her slide down her sleepy form as she rubbed her eyes.

 _That was a good nap._

Wendy blinked and her eyes went wide. Since when did trains have soft mattresses and sheets. Wendy gasped and her head quickly spun around as she tried to figure out where she was. Next to her bed was a small, metallic desk with an equally dull chair. There was a plain gray dresser on the far wall. Wendy then saw the small beam of sunlight coming from the small, slit like window beside her bed. Wendy pressed herself against the window and peered out. What she saw made her heart stop in her chest.

There was a massive city. The biggest city she had ever seen. Buildings towered high into the sky and disappeared into the white clouds above them. Strange, flying magic mobiles whirred through the air. There were thousands of them flying in invisible lanes above and around the strange buildings. She looked down and saw that the room she was in was high above the ground. Down below, she saw people in robes and cloaks walking about a large, serene garden with many plants Wendy had never seen before.

 _Wh-where am I? Where is the train!?_

 __Wendy gulped. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. She looked around her room and saw that the walls were almost completely flat. Where was the door? Wendy felt fear building in her as she ran her hands along the sleek walls searching for some sort of latch or handle. Her hands then ran across a section of the wall that was warmer than the rest. The wall beeped and Wendy jumped back as a small section hissed and slid into the rest of the wall, creating an exit in front of her. The dragon slayer hesitantly took a step through the doorway and jumped once again when she heard the wall beep again and the section replaced itself. She then heard a gentle chuckle nearby.

"Afraid of doors are you?" chuckled a little green creature with pointy ears and wispy gray hair on top of it's wrinkled head. The short creature shambled forwards with the help of a small, gnarled wooden cane. He wore brown robes underneath a cream colored coat that looked very warm.

Wendy stared at the strange little creature. Just what the heck was he? And where was she?

"Not a padawan you are?" The creature asked in his strange speech pattern.

"Um…"

The little green creature chuckled lightly again and walked past her. He then looked back and waved for her to follow with one of his three fingered green hands.

"Come, come. Talk in private we can."

Wendy looked back the direction the creature came. The hallway she was standing in was empty.

"Come Wendy, come." Wendy jumped as the little green thing said her name, "Much to discuss we have."

Wendy gulped. The creature seemed to exude a warm and kind aura. But she was still very uncertain about all of this. However, she knew she wasn't going to get any answers unless she followed the old green guy.

 _Oh, Carla would kill me if she found out about this!_ She thought before she swallowed her fear and followed the small green creature.

The green creature led her to a room farther down the hallways. He gently stepped towards the wall and the wall once again beeped then hissed open. Wendy peered inside as the old creature waddled in. It was a windowed room with two circular red chairs in the center. The blinds were drawn over the vast windows, letting only a little light stream through the cracks.

"Seat you may have, young one. Much to talk about we have."

Wendy nodded and took a seat on the suprisingly comfortable circular stool. The little creature hopped up onto the one opposite of her and crossed his small legs. He gently set his cane to the side of his small chair and looked kindly over at Wendy.

"Who are you?" he asked kindly.

"Um…" Wendy was still not entirely sure she should reveal that.

"Fear me, you should not, young one." the creature said, "No harm, I mean you."

Wendy could feel the genuineness in his tone. It was almost like she was talking to old Master Makarov again. Only a little more polite and less temperamental. Wendy exhaled.

"Wendy Marvell." She said shyly.

"From where are you?"

Wendy shifted nervously in her seat, "The Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia."

The creature nodded, "Sensed as much I did."

Wendy bowed her head and then looked quickly up at the creature, "Who are you? Where am I?" she asked quickly, "Where is the train? Why am I here? What-"

Yoda raised a hand which instantly calmed her down somehow.

"Many questions you have. Limited time however we posses." the creature smiled kindly at her, "Yoda, my name is. Why here you are, know not I do."

The door beeped and hissed open. Wendy's eyes snapped over to the new person who was quietly entering the room. This person at least look human, though at this point Wendy was questioning everything. He was a dark skinned man with a very bald and shiny head. He had an intense look in his eyes yet at the same time gave off an aura of wisdom that calmed Wendy. He wore light brown colored robes and he strode powerfully into the room before he stopped and glanced over at Wendy.

"Is this a bad time Master?" the man asked.

The creature named Yoda shook his head, "Not at all." Wendy felt her jaw drop as she saw a third chair hover over from the shadows and place itself next to Wendy, "Master Windu, meet Wendy Marvell."

The man named Windu nodded at the small girl before sitting down next to her.

"About to discuss future with Wendy we were." Yoda explained.

"Future?" Wendy breathed.

"Ah… another young jedi with premonitions, like Skywalker?" Asked Windu as he leaned forward.

He was surprised when he saw the grand master shake his head. "No, not premonition. For us, illusion she is. Created by the Force for us to see."

Windu's intense eyes widened and he quickly looked over at the shy girl.

"Are you saying she is from the future. And we are seeing her?"

Yoda nodded, "And for her, vision we are."

Wendy's eyes widened.

"Vision!?" she mumbled completely stunned, "L-like Joshua."

Yoda's ears twitched, "A friend of yours?"

Wendy's head snapped up to look at the old creature. Windu noticed the slight blush on her cheeks. He was about to scold her for holding attachments when he realized, this girl wasn't actually part of the Jedi order. In fact, in all likelihood she didn't even exist yet. At least for them. But when he looked at the girl he could feel the force coming off in waves from her. Only it felt very different from what he was used to.

"Close to you he is?" Yoda asked.

Wendy nodded, "He's saved my life on more than one occasion. And… he has the same magic as you do Mr. Yoda."

Yoda couldn't help but laugh lightly, "Mr. Yoda." The aged Jedi Master chuckled, "Long time it has been, since referred by that I have."

"Pardon my interrupting," Windu interjected politely, "But did you just call the force, magic?"

Wendy nodded, "Yeah, isn't this Earthland? Magic is everywhere here right?"

Yoda's face turned solemn, "You're planet you are not on, Wendy." Wendy's eyes widened.

"You are in the Jedi Temple on the planet of Coruscant. Capital world of the Galactic Republic." Windu then looked over at Yoda, "I've never heard of Planet Earth Land though Master."

"Undiscovered it most likely is." Yoda replied.

"Or it could be the same situation as Kamino." Windu said suspiciously, "Hidden from us intentionally."

Yoda stiffly shook his head, "Sense deception, I do not."

Yoda looked back at Wendy. He was intrigued by this Joshua. She said he possessed the force. Yoda sensed her as well. She was very powerful in her own right. It was just a different power than what he normally sensed. The only thing he could compare it to was the "magic" the Nightsisters used on Dathomir. But that felt evil in it's entirety, her power felt warm and bright. But she described this Joshua as having similar abilities to him.

"This Joshua, describe him can you?"

Wendy hesitated but then decided to tell the creature, "He's my age. Spiky brown hair and fair skin. Hazel eyes but…" Windu narrowed his eyes, "When he gets angry in a fight, his eyes somehow change to crimson."

Yoda's face saddened while Windu's face hardened into a slight snarl.

"A young sith." He growled.

"Describe you just did, the boy Master Qui Gon saw ten years ago."

Windu's eyes widened, "I didn't even remember that conversation till now. Master, are you saying that the boy Qui Gon saw was an apparition as well?"

Yoda nodded sadly, "Taken a dark path, the boy has." he looked at Wendy, "but close to you he is. Keeping him in the light, his relationship with you is." Wendy felt the weight of both of their gazes, "Stay close to him, Wendy Marvell." Wendy saw her sight begin to blur. Windu stared in stunned silence as the girl began to flicker and fade before his eyes. "Keep the darkness at bay, you can."

And with that, the little girl disappeared. Master Windu waved a hand slowly through where the young girl once was but was only met with air.

"What did I just see?" he asked.

"A rare fluctuation in the force you saw." Yoda explained, "Result of instability in the force it is."

Windu frowned, "That is not comforting to hear. It's also troubling to hear of a young Sith lord on a planet we do not know of."

Yoda frowned, "Far in the future that is. Worry not on it we must. Focus on the clone wars we must."

….

Wendy's eyes snapped open as she felt a hand shaking her shoulder.

"Miss. Miss." Wendy looked over at a man dressed in a train conductor's uniform. She quickly looked around her surroundings and saw that she was back in her train compartment. There was no green creature, no intimidating man, just her and the red vinyl seats.

"Miss, this is the last train stop north."

Wendy blinked and grabbed her brown purse, "Sorry, I fell asleep."

"Not to worry miss." The conductor said, "But please hurry off. We depart back south in a few minutes."

"Yes sir." Wendy quickly rushed off of the train.

She was then greeted by the warm summer breeze of northern Fiore. As she quickly walked away from the small train station towards the mountains she couldn't help but continue to think about what she saw on the train. She had just had a vision similar to Joshua. But how was that possible? And what did they mean by he had taken a dark path? She gulped. There was only one way to find out, she'd have to ask him herself.

….

Joshua's eyes opened as the warm sunlight of a new morning streamed through some holes in the roof of his small cabin. Normally, he'd be happy to see a brand new day and jump out of bed. But this time, he just groaned and threw the covers over his head once again. He instantly regretted it as his body protested his sudden movement with intense aches and pain. Joshua was now awake. The soreness in his muscles and limbs did the trick. He shakily tossed his blankets away and rubbed his head with his mechanical arm, the only part of his body that was incapable of bruising or getting sore. He groaned as he rubbed several blue and black bruises along his left side.

 _Ventress really wasn't kidding. This is torture._ He yawned and cringed as his jaw cramped up as well. _Man, this sucks!_ He swung his legs out from the bed and he gingerly set his sore feet down on the wooden floor. Joshua took a few quick breaths, _One. Two. Three._

"OOOOOOH!" he groaned loudly as he got to his feet.

He had been taken sheer physical punishment from Ventress for over a month now. The results were bruises and cuts along his skin and well as the occasional fracture that he was told to walk off. Thankfully, the medical droids were very good at their jobs. Joshua sleepily stumbled over to the small wood stove he had in the far corner of his cabin. He yawned and cracked it open before easily starting a small fire in it. He'd cook something up today. Ventress said it was his day off. So he was going to be a complete lazy bum today.

A small series of knocks resounded through his cabin. Joshua blinked sleepily.

"Who could that be?" he mumbled as he staggered over to the door and undid the latch. He opened the door.

Wendy smiled at him.

"Hey!" she grinned.

Joshua smacked his lips before shutting the door.

"Nobody." he mumbled.

"JOSHUA OPEN THIS DOOR!" Wendy shouted.

Joshua's eyes snapped open. Now he was fully awake. He had just managed to piss off a dragon slayer. Never a good plan. Joshua raced back to the door and yanked it open.

"Sorry Wendy," he smiled sheepishly, "Was still sleeping there, I think."

"Oh sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Joshua waved the apology off, "I was sorta up anyways. You know, that gray area where you don't know what's real but you know you are awake."

Wendy laughed a little, "Yeah, I know what you're talking about."

Joshua yawned again and moved back over the stove while Wendy stepped in. Wendy eyed him as he moved away. He had gotten a little taller. And was it just her or was he getting some muscles now too? But what really caught her attention was the myriad of bruises that covered his torso and right arm.

"I can make some tea for you if you want?" Joshua called to her as she stepped inside his small, cozy cabin.

"That'd be nice." She replied as she looked around.

It looked exactly the same as last year. A small bed in the far left corner. The stove in the corner beside it. A small desk in the far right corner, and a few cupboards near the door.

"Joshua."

"Yeah?"

"How'd you get all of those bruises?"

"Oh those." Joshua thought of a lie on the fly, it was getting easier by the day, "Fought a bear."

"You fought a bear?" Wendy said skeptically.

Joshua nodded, "Yup." He set a tea kettle on the stove and nodded, "Dumb thing was snooping around the cabin. Had to chase it off somehow, but it put up a heck of a fight."

Wendy frowned, "Come over here."

Joshua walked over and sat down on his bed next to Wendy. He then felt healing magic cover him as Wendy began to heal his bruises and cuts.

"That must've been quite the bear."

"It was huge." Joshua laughed convincingly, "Damn thing didn't know when to quit."

Wendy nodded quietly.

"Joshua?"

"Hm?"

"Um, the training you are doing out here. Is it bad at all?" Wendy asked carefully.

"What do you mean by that?"

Wendy sighed, "Like, is it using your dark magic?"

She could see Joshua tense up, "My magic isn't dark." He replied back, "And no, the training isn't bad. Different yes, but not bad." he looked over at her, "Why are you asking that?"

"I just- I just heard that you might be going down a dark path." she said honestly.

"From who?"

Wendy caught her breath.

"It was a Jedi wasn't it?" Joshua said quietly. Wendy's breath went to her throat. How did he know that? "In a vision?"

"How-"

"This training I'm doing. It's making me more powerful than I could've ever imagined. One ability I have learned in this time is to sense what's in others minds. Whether it is specific thoughts or emotions, I can sense them."

Wendy frowned, "So you just invaded my privacy?"

"Only to figure out the truth."

"And I can't do that with you?"

Joshua was quiet for a moment, "I'm telling you the truth."

"Don't lie to me again." Wendy replied catching Joshua off guard, "A bear? Really? That's the best you could come up with?"

"I-"

"Joshua, please just tell me the truth."

Joshua's face saddened, "I can't."

Wendy's face scrunched up in anger, "Why not!?"

"You know why." Joshua replied quietly, "I told you last year. It's for your own safety."

Wendy stopped healing him and stood up abruptly.

"I'm not some weak person that needs constant protection Joshua!" she shouted at him, "I'm stronger too. I'm not that scared little girl anymore. I've had to take the guild's most difficult jobs because I'm the only one strong enough to do them. I can take care of myself." Wendy stopped shouting at him, "I'm your friend Joshua. Please just tell me, maybe I can help."

Joshua just shook his head. He couldn't risk it.

Wendy frowned, "Joshua, I'm not going to keep coming here only for you to lie to me about what is going on." Joshua's head snapped up, "This is your last chance. Let me know, or I won't come back again."

Joshua's face hurt Wendy. He looked so betrayed when she said that. She almost wanted to say she didn't mean it. But she did, she wanted to know the truth. She wanted to help him.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Joshua whispered.

Wendy felt hurt and sadness grip her. She quietly stood and grabbed her purse, "Then… then I guess I may as well go home." Joshua bowed his head, "Don't send another request until you are ready to tell me the truth." The cabin door shut.

Joshua sat there silently for what seemed like forever. He felt it. He had just lost her. He had lost her completely. He couldn't tell her the truth. The truth would put her in danger. And the truth would only confirm what Master Makarov saw in him, darkness. Joshua felt anger swell in him and he

reached out and violently tossed the tea kettle across the room using the force. It was at that moment that the door opened to his cabin once again.

"Throwing another temper tantrum." Hissed a high voice at him.

Joshua's eyes flickered crimson. This was the last person he wanted to talk to right now.

"What do you want?" he snarled lowly.

"Who is the girl?" Ventress asked bluntly.

Joshua stared darkly at the floor, "No one."

"Doesn't seem like no one." Ventress hissed, "An old friend of yours? A guildmate." She moved up to him, "Perhaps I should pay her a little visit."

Lightning leapt from Joshua's right hand. Ventress shriekd louldy as she was thrown back through the door by the lightning. She then felt a metallic hand wrap itself around her throat before she was violently slammed against the wall.

"Go anywhere near her," Joshua snarled, his eyes a blazing crimson color, "And I will kill you."

Ventress glared back at him. After one more shove into the wall Joshua released his iron grip from her neck and she slumped to the ground. The boy went to his door and looked back at her.

"She is no one. She is no longer part of my life." _It's the only way to truly protect her._ Ventress looked up and saw a small tear dribble down the boy's right cheek, "I'll be moving back into the Supremacy tomorrow. I don't want anymore distractions."

The door shut and Ventress smiled. He finally cut away the last distraction. There was no doubt now. He was about to become truly powerful. Ventress sensed the turmoil coming from the cabin. That girl was far from nothing to the young Sith apprentice. Ventress frowned. She may yet have to deal with the little girl, especially if she ever ventured back up here.

 **And chapter! Again, a little bit of a slower chapter. Mostly character and relationship building. Though that vision Wendy had was interesting. I think the force may be trying to correct something and it thinks Wendy has a part to play in that. Like I said before too, I am speeding this up a little bit so we can get back to the really good stuff and the return of Erza during the GMG arc. That should be a fun moment. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	38. Chapter 38: Sith Trials

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Let's Start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 38

The chamber was dead silent. Not a noise, not a single breeze of air whistling past the metal plates that formed the large circular room. There was no light. Only the dull red glow of the holocron on it's pedestal illuminated the chamber. Sitting beside the pedestal was a young man. His brown hair had grown long due to him not focusing on keeping it tamed. He wore a black shirt with black pants, making it so that you could barely make him out in the dark room. Only his pale skin illuminated by the soft red glow from the holocron was visible. He sat quietly beside the pedestal, eyes shut and face like stone. Not a single muscle of his body moved. His face didn't even twitch. The darkness that hung in the air seemed to swirl around him, as if being bent by his will. He was barely breathing. The young man was in a state of total zen. All of his energy and focus was on what was occurring in his mind.

Inside of his mind, lightsabers flashed and whirred around him. The crashing of waves nearby filled his mind as he fought with Maul yet again on the beach. Only this time, he was alone. There was no one else there to fight with him. And he wasn't a boy anymore. He was the age he was now. And he had Maul on the ropes. The Zabrak's aggressive fighting style kept him on his toes. He danced lightly in the sand, utilizing his prefered fencing style of fighting with his crossguard styled lightsaber. He then saw the opening. Deftly twisting his wrist he felt the red blade slash through Maul's left arm before digging into the Zabrak's torso and cutting him in two. He grinned triumphantly down at the body before he was dragged away from the scene. His mind switched to a different battle. One that had a very different outcome. It was the battle with Maul as it originally happened. In the past, this battle would stir up hatred in him unlike anything he had ever felt. But that explosive, uncontrolled hatred had turned to a slow burning anger, focused and precise, like a deadly knife. He could thank his years of training for that. His master had taught him not to give into hatred and anger, but rather to use them as one would use a tool. He remembered his Master's words as he watched Maul stab the red haired woman that ran towards his ten year old self.

"The Dark Side will consume you unless it is controlled. You do not want it to devour you. If you allow that, then you are nothing but a slave. And the force shall not free you. A true sith, controls his anger, controls his fear, controls his hatred, and focuses it on a target. Then, and only then, does the explosion occur. This is how the Sith have survived for centuries. This is how we have stayed hidden for centuries. And that is how we will be victorious."

The young man's crimson eyes shot open as he heard the deadly hum of a lightsaber bearing down on him. In one lightning fast motion he tucked into a roll and somersaulted to his feet, dodging the deadly red blade that thundered down and pierced the metal patch he was previously sitting on. The young man's head rose and he saw Ventress jumping towards him, twin blades drawn. The man grinned. He just loved these little practice sessions. They were always entertaining.

His right palm opened and a large, black lightsaber hilt lept to his open hand from his dark belt. The young man gripped it with expert care and immediately activated the sword. The red blade boomed to life and it's loud unstable, crackling echoed around the cavernous chamber. The young man instinctively brought it over his head and caught Ventress's two blades. He then kicked Ventress away and rolled backwards to gain some separation. He finally was able to jump to his feet but he had not time to breath as Ventress was once again on top of him. Her twin blades hummed around him and he dodged and blocked the deadly red glows.

"Form three, very good." Ventress acknowledged as she swung and the man deftly blocked it once again before shoving her away.

He shifted his feet, going to his preferred fighting style. Ventress smirked at him. He may like Makashi a lot. He was very skilled in it. However, it was her preferred form of fighting as well. And as far as she was concerned, they were equals. Ventress twirled her blades and danced forwards. They young man gracefully blocked the various swings and stabs despite his strangely crafted saber. He had learned to use it to it's fullest potential. Adapting to it's cross guards and changing the three forms of combat he knew to accommodate them.

The two swordsmen continued to dance around the pedestal, the red glow of the holocron continuing to illuminate one side of their bodies while the sinister red light of their sabers revealed the rest of their features. They were evenly matched, neither one was gaining an advantage and neither was doing anything the other hadn't seen before. The young man knew it would be foolish to change to form one. That was useless in one on one combat. If he shifted to form three he'd be put on the defensive, and against a Makashi user that was always a risk. His long red blade locked with Ventress's shorter two blades. The two muscled against each other each trying to overpower the other. Ventress saw the young man's lips part into a slight grin and a sparkle formed in his eye. He was planning something. She felt a large force push hit her, causing her to slide backwards. Ventress snarled and looked at her opponent angrily.

"Cheater!" Ventress saw his approach had completely changed.

He stood with his left side facing Ventress. Both hands gripped the lightsaber as he pointed it at her while holding it in front of his torso, parallel to the ground. His right leg bent and his weight shifted backwards onto the bent leg. His eyes narrowed at her. His face scrunched into a nasty snarl as the dark side billowed out of him. He then propelled himself forward at a speed that shocked Ventress. But what surprised her the most was the animalistic roar that came out of her opponent's mouth. The roar was terrifying and made her spine crawl. She barely had time to sidestep the twirling red sword. Just before she could catch her breath she had to block an incredibly powerful strike towards her face.

 _What is this!?_ Ventress thought as she blocked another powerful blow.

Then another and another. All of them viciously thrown at her and sending her off balance. She felt his blade slam into her two once again, but this time the sheer force behind them sent her sprawling on the ground. Before she could get up she felt an enormous amount of heat beside her left temple. Her opponents red blade was buried in the floor, centimeters from her face. Ventress's face sagged.

"Gotcha!" smiled the young man before he deactivated his lightsaber and stepped away from her.

Ventress groaned. She had just taken a thrashing. She rotated her head as she shook out some cobwebs from her mind and then popped her neck a couple times.

"What did you just use there?" she asked.

"I picked it up from meditating on my fight against Maul." The young man replied as he walked towards the holocron and casually picked it up from it's pedestal, "Every time I fought him in my mind, I studied how he moved and how he fought." He placed the holocron down on the floor before sitting down cross legged in front of it, "After all, he was the most powerful opponent I have ever faced. I figured I may as well learn from the person that beat me like a drum."

Ventress nodded, "And what did you learn?"

The young man took a deep breath as he began to recover from the short duel he just had with Ventress, "Form seven."

Ventress's eyes widened, "H-how? That is the most complex fighting style. Very difficult to learn, and few have mastered it!"

He shook his head and laughed lightly, "I never said I mastered it. Far from that. I think I've just picked up some of the basics from observation." He stretched his right arm, "But it is damn exhausting to use. A little overaggressive for my taste, but it sure caught you by surprise."

"I wasn't surprised." Ventress defended.

"Liar." he snorted back, "I don't think I've ever seen you look more stunned. I mean, other than the time I hit you with my lightning."

"I told you we don't talk about that." Snarled Ventress.

"It's still funny to think about."

"For you." Ventress replied as she cringed at the memory of being shocked by some of the most powerful sith lightning she had ever felt.

The young man waved his hand over the holocron and the corners of the small red and gold pyramid twisted. The sides slowly descended and the ethereal form of Count Dooku emerged from the holocron.

"How were your exercises this morning, Joshua?" Dooku asked immeadiately.

"Good morning to you too, Master." Joshua replied sarcastically. Dooku glared down at him but the young man shrugged the glare off, "They went well."

"Meaning?"

"He's figured out form seven somehow." Ventress interjected causing Dooku to raise an eyebrow at the teenager that sat down before him.

"How did you manage to do that?" Dooku asked.

"Observation. I watched Maul do it over and over again as that memory continues to torture me. Figured I may as well try to figure it out instead of getting pissed about losing all of the time."

Dooku couldn't help but smile a little. Joshua noticed. A genuine smile from the crabby old man. Was he dreaming?

"You have grown very powerful my apprentice." Dooku glanced away from Joshua and seemed to be thinking hard about something before nodding, "I think… the time has come."

"Time has come for what?" Joshua asked.

"I am running out of things to teach you my young apprentice." Dooku admitted surprising Joshua, "My own training in the Dark Side was incomplete. I can't teach you what I don't know. And I've already taught you almost all that I do know. Now you are passing me up in knowledge. Your quick learning of a completely foreign fighting style is proof of that." Joshua smiled proudly, "It is now time, for your last trial."

Joshua heard Ventress audibly gulp behind him, "You want me to take him there."

"Yes. Take him there."

"Where?" Joshua asked.

"Joshua, you have been my apprentice for nearly seven years now. You've overcome every obstacle I have thrown at you. But this will be unlike anything you have ever faced." Dooku explained, "Do you know why this ship crashed here?"

Joshua shook his head, "I'm not going to say by coincidence. There is no such thing after all."

"Correct." Dooku took a breath, "This planet is not an undiscovered one. It has only been intentionally hidden. Why and by whom I still do not know and never will know. I only learned of it thanks to the holocron of an ancient Sith that I discovered while I was still alive. In the days of the old republic, this planet was part of the ancient Sith empire. It was a remote outpost for the ancients. Used primarily for training." Joshua sat with his mouth agape as he heard this, "Hidden in the northern tip of this valley, is a cave. That cave contains within it, an ancient Sith Temple. The immense amount of dark side energy coming from this temple is what drew my holocron to it when the Supremacy lost power in the unknown reaches of space. That is how this ship came to rest on this world."

"I'm going to take a guess and say you want me to go to this temple for my last trial." Joshua said.

Dooku nodded, "Correct. This temple most likely contains a holocron of great power and knowledge at it's heart. As did all other sith temples of the era. Your last trial is to venture into the temple and retrieve the holocron. Come back with it alive, and you will have passed. If you never return then-"

"I'm dead." Joshua finished, "Sounds about right for something like this. I knew a final trial wouldn't be easy."

Dooku nodded.

"Anything else I need to know about this place?"

Dooku shook his head, "Be prepared. And may the force be with you."

His essence faded back into the holocron and once again the chamber was shrouded in darkness. Joshua closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was it. The final test was here. He had trained for nearly seven years for this moment. If he passed this, he will have completed his training. Joshua gulped and rose to his feet.

"We should get going." he said to Ventress.

The night sister from Dathomir nodded and Joshua followed her out of the ship and into the snow covered valley. Their feet sank into the deep snow around them as they were met by the snowstorm that raged outside of the ship. Joshua wrapped a balck cloak around his muscular shoulders and raised his hood over his head as he fought against the elements along with Ventress.

"He picked a hell of a day to do this!" Joshua shouted at her through the howling winds.

"Ha! He's been going easy on you from the start!" Ventress scoffed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is, he's been going easy on you. He's been almost parent-like with you. With me he was a cruel master. I recieved no praise nor sympathy from him. You've gotten both."

Joshua stopped walking and let Ventress's words sink in for a moment.

"I'm worried that because of that you will fail this trial." Ventress said over the wind as they continued to trudge forwards.

Joshua grinned at her as he pushed his thoughts to the side. He'd discuss this with his Master later. "Aw, you're worried about me. How sweet!" Joshua chuckled.

"Open your mouth again and I'll shut it with my sword."

"You can only try." Joshua laughed while Ventress huffed irritated and stopped in front of a large cave.

Joshua stopped beside her. The cave's mouth towered over him and the shadows inside refused to pierced by any light.

"Is this it?" Joshua asked.

"This is it." Ventress replied.

"How did you know about this place?" Joshua asked.

"I had to pass through it as well. Only I just had to survive it. I didn't have to search for something. Dooku wouldn't let me teach you until I had proven myself to him."

Joshua nodded, "What'd you see on the inside."

He saw Ventress's eyes go blank and her face lost some color.

"Don't worry about it." Joshua said quickly, "You don't need to tell me. I'm about to find out anyways."

Joshua stepped towards the cave mouth but felt a strong, thin hand grab his right shoulder.

"Kid…" Ventress sighed, "Don't die in there."

Joshua smiled at her, "I've faced death already. It wasn't very fun, I don't plan on going through it again."

And with that, the seventeen year old disappeared into the cave's deep shadows. Ventress clenched her jaw as all sight of him disappeared almost instantly as he entered the ink like blackness. All she could do now was wait.

….

 _Damn, it's dark in here._ Joshua thought as he walked calmly through the blackness that had engulfed him upon entering the cave.

He couldn't see anything in front of him. He even had his lightsaber drawn yet it's red glow failed to penetrate the darkness around him. Joshua narrowed his eyes before slowly letting the dark side ebb out of his body. It's invisible tendrils spread out around him as he tried to sense where he was in the cave. But all his senses came back empty, as if he was being blocked out. That's when a dull red glow filled the air around him. The glow became a rust color and soon Joshua realized he was treading on rust colored soil. He glanced around and saw towering statues around him, all made of the same red stone that was now under his feet. Joshua breathed some of the air and coughed. It tasted almost poisonous, like ash had completely filled the air around him.

"Having trouble whelp?" said a disembodied voice around him.

Joshua stopped coughing and stood up straighter. He spread the dark side out around him as he searched for whoever was speaking.

"Your power…" The voice said, "It's remarkable. Dangerous too. To think that the Sith have advanced so far in the thousands of years since I was alive."

Stepping out from the swirling red dust around Joshua was a strange looking creature. He wore rich purple and blue colored robes with gold trimming. An equally opulent hat was atop the creature's head. This creature could almost pass for a human if it wasn't for the red colored skin and skin flaps on his cheeks that looked almost like antennae but weren't. He was roughly the same height as Joshua was as well. Joshua raised an eyebrow at the strange being.

"Who are you?"

The being seemed offended by Joshua's question.

"You do not know of me?"

Joshua shrugged, "Should I?"

The creature snarled at him, "I am the pinnacle of human sith hybrids! I am the greatest of the dark lords! I am Naga Sadow." He shouted.

Joshua tried to keep a straight face as he watched the flaps of skin on this guy's cheeks flap as he talked. But he couldn't help it. He felt some coughs of laughter burst from his lips.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY!" shouted Naga Sadow.

Joshua gasped, "You're cheeks. They keep jiggling. And your name." Joshua put his hands on his knees as he continued laughing, "It's hard to take you seriously."

Joshua then saw the world around him suddenly change. The grass turned into sand and he saw a large tree towering above him. Joshua's eyes widened. This wasn't a vision, he was actually here. But how? He turned and saw this Naga Sadow staring at him triumphantly.

"You fear this place don't you whelp?" Sadow said with a sinister smile.

Joshua then felt his heart reach his throat as he saw his worst nightmare. Erza, Wendy, Natsu, all of them were in a heap in the sand. All of them were dead, their blood running in rivers in the sand towards the shore. Joshua dropped to his knees as he saw who was standing over them. It was him, it was his ten year old self.

"Your fears are fuel for my powers whelp!" roared Naga Sadow, "I was once the greatest Sith Sorcerer in existence!"

Joshua closed his eyes and felt a tear drip down his cheek. He opened his eyes once again. The hazel color was gone and crimson glowed in his irises. He looked once again at the bodies of his friends before rising to his feet.

"Do you take me seriously now!?" roared Naga Sadow.

Joshua turned and Sadow felt an ominous feeling take over him. He saw the crimson glow in the boy's eyes. Joshua raised his right hand and pointed his fingers at Sadow.

"My worst nightmare came true seven years ago." he snarled lowly, "And you have managed to piss me off by reminding me of it."

Lightning raced across the sand towards the sith hybrid across from him. Sadow's eyes widened and he quickly dodged the lightning as it slammed into the sand, turning it to glass where he once standing. Sadow glared at the teen and sent his own barrage of lightning towards Joshua. Joshua frowned and ducked quickly underneath the lightning. He could feel the static in the air above him. He then quickly rolled to the side as Naga Sadow redirected his powerful lightning. Joshua rose to his feet and sent a powerful force push at the ancient sith lord. The creature grunted as he was flung across the sand. Joshua's face gave off no emotion as he stomped forwards in the sand. He raised his hand into a fist and lifted Nada Sadow into the air, gripping the creature's throat with the force.

"Joshua…" He froze. That voice, it couldn't be. Joshua turned his eyes and saw Erza standing behind him. "Why did you do it?"

"Erza…" Joshua dropped Sadow as he lost his concentration.

"Why did you kill us?" Erza asked, "I thought you were my brother. Yet you killed me."

"Erza!" Joshua whispered as he felt tears building in his eyes, "I-I didn't mean to. I didn't want my darkness to hurt you. I-"

A flash of steel and Joshua was sent flying backwards. He tumbled in the sand and landed next to the water's edge.

"Well done woman." growled Naga Sadow, "End this whelp for me."

Erza's eyes glazed over and she charged at Joshua as if she was a mindless drone. Joshua quickly dodged her sword strike.

"Erza! Listen to me! He's controlling you!" Joshua shouted at his big sister.

"She can't hear you." chuckled Naga Sadow, "And neither can the others." he pointed a red finger. Natsu and Wendy rose, brandishing swords of their own.

Joshua was now dodging three swords simultaneously. He didn't want to raise his saber against them. That would damage them beyond hope. It would most likely kill them. Natsu's sword arced through the air and clipped Joshua's mechanical arm. Joshua grit his teeth in pain before jumping high over them and landing outside of the deadly circle they had created around him.

 _Since when was Natsu so good with...a...sword._ Joshua stared blankly for a moment before he began to curse himself mentally. _DAMMIT JOSHUA! You are an idiot! Natsu wouldn't use a sword! Neither would Wendy!_ He ducked and dodged more slashes and he stayed on his toes and bounced around the beach, _This isn't a vision, so that could mean only one thing._ Joshua glanced over at Naga Sadow and saw his hands moving like a puppeteer's. _This is an illusion._

Anger boiled up in Joshua. This creature dared to use his friends like this. Joshua's crimson eyes glowed and he roared in anger. A wave of dark side energy pulsed out of him, shattering the illusion and sending Naga Sadow tumbling in the rust colored dirt of the strange world they were on. Sadow groaned as he raised himself onto his elbows. He shook with fear as he saw the teen stomping towards him. Naga swallowed his fear. This whelp couldn't defeat him, he was Naga Sadow, the Dark Lord of the Sith. He roared defiantly at Joshua and drew his force infused sword. He quickly jumped to his feet and raised the sword over his head.

"DIE!" he shouted as he sent the sword thundering down at Joshua.

His eyes widened as his sword was stopped by the boy's left hand. He saw the force infused blade digging into the leather glover. Beneath the leather glove, Sadow saw only metal. His eyes were bulging from his skull as Joshua continued walking forwards, backing the ancient Sith lord. He then saw his sword crack down the middle before it shattered into a million pieces. Only now did he notice the dark side swirling around the human like an invisible cloud.

"Wh-what are you?" stammered Sadow as Joshua placed his right hand on Sadow's red face and gripped him tightly.

"I am Joshua Scarlet." He said lowly, "And I am the Sith apprentice who defeated you."

Lightning jumped from Joshua's hand straight into Sadow's skull. The creature screamed out in agony before his skull began to smoke. With a final crackle of blue lightning, the great Naga Sadow fell on his face, dead. Joshua let his hand fall to his side as he stared grimly down at the fallen Sith lord.

"You tried to use my fears against me." The red rust covered world began to fade around him as darkness began to envelop Joshua once again, "I always feared losing them. And you're plan would've worked." The statues disappeared with the poisonous air, "But you lacked knowledge of my friends. And," Darkness engulfed Joshua's vision once again, "That fear has already come true."

Joshua stood silently in the darkness as he quietly pondered what had just occurred.

 _So this is the trial. I must pass through these little… scenarios, in order to reach the temple._

A deep chuckle echoed around Joshua. It had a menace to it that made the teen's hair stand on end. Was it Naga Sadow? Did he not kill him?

"I am not that weakling young one."

The darkness faded and was replaced by a large room. The room was lit with several rows of electric lights high above Joshua's head. Joshua looked around and his eyes widened as he saw the see through blue walls far to his left and right. Outside of the glowing blue barrieres was outer space. Stars twinkled outside but the serene appearance was soon interrupted by a flaming wreckage plummeting past the room he was in. It was then followed by the entire room shuddering and green blasts of energy bouncing against the blue shields as several ancient fighters whizzed by the ship. Joshua's eyes widened in realization. This wasn't any normal room. He looked around and saw several small ships docked around him. This was a hangar on a star ship.

He then heard the low, deadly hum of a lightsaber nearby. Joshua clenched his jaw and turned around to see a hulk of man slowly walking towards him with a red lightsaber activated. This man looked war torn. He had deathly pale skin and a bald head covered in veins and scars. On his face was some sort of respirator that covered his nose and mouth. Piercing crimson eyes starred Joshua down as the man stopped marching towards him. He was heavily armored and had a small primitive control panel on his chest. Joshua could see that he was also very muscular. The man was easily two of him.

"You are the physical opposite of the last guy."

"Indeed, Naga Sadow will always be remembered for his knowledge." said the man with a rasping, deep mechanical voice, "But he was a weakling compared to me."

"And who exactly are you?" Joshua asked as he slowly grabbed his own lightsaber and readied himself for his next trial.

The man narrowed his eyes as Joshua activated his red blade.

"You are prepared for a fight young one." the man said, "Good. Maybe you will provide me some entertainment."

"Who are you?" Joshua demanded one more time.

The massive man chuckled lowly, "I am Darth Malgus."

 **Cliffhanger! Sorry about the slight delay on this update. I've been pretty sick lately and it makes writing a little difficult. Anyways, Joshua has entered his trials. What do you guys think? Let me know. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	39. Chapter 39: So Who's Right?

**Hey everyone! Still sick but getting better, so I was able to get a new chapter cranked out a little faster for you all. Hope you all like it!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 39

Joshua could only stare in awe at the legend standing before him. This was Darth Malgus. One of the most feared Sith Lords of his era. Dooku spoke of him with a reverence usually reserved for a select few in Joshua's history lessons. This was the Sith who sacked the Jedi Temple, took Coruscant, and laid waste to the Republic's capital without the support of his own Empire. Joshua gulped as he felt sweat dripping down the sides of his head. He could feel his hand shaking around his lightsaber hilt. The Naga Sadow guy was nothing when he got up close and personal with him. But Darth Malgus was another monster entirely. The ancient Sith tightly gripped his archaic lightsaber in his right hand, the red blade glowing hideously from an emitter with two razor sharp blades jutting up from it.

"Do you know who I am young one?" Malgus asked in his deep voice as he began to circle Joshua like a predator finding it's prey.

Joshua gulped, "Yes, yes I do. My master spoke very highly of you."

"Did he know?" chuckled Malgus, "Who is your master?"

"Tyrannus." Joshua replied using Dooku's sith name.

Malgus nodded a little.

"A good name for a Sith. Hopefully, if you survive me, he will give you one just as powerful."

With that Malgus barreled towards Joshua, twirling his lightsaber in his right hand before powerfully slashing at Joshua's head. Joshua raised his own blade and caught the powerful blow. However, the force behind it was so great that it sent the young Sith staggering to the side to meet Malgus's strong left fist. Joshua flopped to the ground and skidded along the slick hangar floor. He was just able to clear the fog in his mind when Malgus charged at him once again and delivered another powerful slash. This time Joshua used both of his hands to catch the blade with his own, yet he still strained against the overwhelming strength of Darth Malgus. Joshua felt his elbows buckle and get pressed down against the floor as he was kept pinned by Malgus's strength. Joshua felt the heat of his crossgaurds nearing his neck. He glared at the deadly red gaurds that were now inches from his throat. He had to think quickly. Joshua glanced back at Malgus who betrayed no sense of triumph. His face was pure determination. He wouldn't be satisfied until Joshua was dead. Joshua then smirked a little causing the Sith Lord to narrow his eyes puzzled. Joshua brought his foot up quickly and he kicked in between Malgus' legs as hard as he could. But Malgus didn't even flinch. Joshua's eyes widened as he felt the heat of his crossgaurd now centimeters away.

"How did that not hurt?" he said throat gritted teeth, "You a girl or something?"

Malgus face remained like stone. He wouldn't acknowledge this weakling's humor. He wasn't worthy of acknowledgement if he was this easy to defeat.

"Alright, take that as a… yes." Joshua felt the heat beginning to scorch his skin. His muscles in his arms were screaming from the strain.

 _Think Joshua think!_ Joshua then smiled again. He wasn't going down yet.

"Requip!"

Malgus raised an eyebrow before he felt steel digging into his left shoulder blade. The Sith lord cried out in pain and staggered off of Joshua. Joshua gasped for breath before calling his trusty old rapier back to his mechanical hand. Malgus rolled his left shoulder and winced. The brat stuck him good with the primitive weapon in his robotic hand.

Joshua rose to his feet, his arms still pulsing from the strain they were previously under. Joshua then held both of his swords in his hands as he quietly thanked Ventress for teaching him the basics of Jar Kai as well as Erza for teaching him requip. Her magic had saved his life yet again.

"What was that?" Malgus snarled as he glared angrily over at Joshua.

"Requip magic." Joshua replied.

"There is no such thing as magic, only the force." Malgus spat back.

"Yet you just got stabbed by a magical sword." Joshuar replied, "So, that kinda disproves your theory."

Malgus roared and barreled towards Joshua once again. Joshua knew he couldn't take this guy head on. He was way to strong for him. So Joshua decided to wait for the right moment to sidestep Malgus, like a bull fighter would dodge a raging bull. Malgus reached back with his saber and suddenly threw it at Joshua as he was charging.

"Oh crap!" Joshua exclaimed as he ducked under the saber throw.

He then felt Malgus's large form hit him in the stomach. Malgus picked Joshua up off of the ground and body slammed him into the hangar floor. Malgus then threw a punch at Joshua's head. Joshua moved his head just in time and Malgus's armored hand left a dent in the floor. The saber then quickly returned to Malgus's hand and he quickly slashed downwards at Joshua.

 _I'm not doing that again!_

Joshua quickly stored his rapier back in his requip space and grabbed Malgus' sword arm with his mechanical hand. He could hear the pistons, gears, and engines in his arm shudder and whine as the arm struggled against Malgus' sword. Joshua knew his arm wouldn't hold out for long against the Sith Lord's raw strength. He flicked his lightsaber at Malgus' mask and clipped the edge of the respirator as Malgus jerked his head backwards. The Sith Lord howled in pain as he stumbled backwards. Joshua tossed his lightsaber into his mechanical hand as he surged up to his feet. He then pointed his right hand at Malgus and sent a torrent of lightning at him.

Malgus' eyes widened in surprise as he brought his own sword up and blocked the lightning with his saber. The surge of lightning then suddenly stopped. If Malgus had an eyebrow left he would've had it raised as he stared at the stance Joshua was in. The boy had his sword pointing at Malgus while it was parallel to the ground and in front of his body. His left side faced Malgus and he had his body weight back on his bent right leg. Malgus had never seen an approach like that before. He then saw it for the first time in the this fight. The crimson glow of the dark side in the boy's eyes glowed like a beacon at the ancient Sith. He was finally taking Malgus seriously.

With a loud, animalistic roar, Joshua launched himself at Malgus. His body twirled in the air as he flew towards the Sith Lord. Malgus's lips parted into a smile underneath his mask. This was the fight he was looking for. He quickly sidestepped Joshua's spinning thrust before blocking the boy's follow up slash at his head. Malgus's eyes widened. He had never seen this style of lightsaber dueling before. Joshua slashed at him again displaying a newfound strength that surprised the Sith Lord. The boy then flipped in the air, over Malgus' head. Malgus slashed up at him but the boy brought his lightsaber over his head and batted it away mid air. The sith lord quickly turned and met another powerful slash from Joshua. Malgus's eyes burned with anger and adrenaline. He was beginning to enjoy this. He was fighting an opponent that he actually had to figure out in order to beat. It had been far too long since a challenge like this had appeared.

The red blades clashed in front of the two and their blades locked together. Joshua's mechanical arm creaked and his right arm ached as he tried to outmuscle Malgus. He began to pour the dark side into his body, attempting to enhance his strength in order to keep up with the legend he was dueling. Malgus smirked as he sense this occuring. So the boy was attempting to play that way. Malgus poured his own power into his body and soon he forced Joshua's blade to the side before hitting the boy with a powerful force push.

Joshua flew backwards and slammed into the wall bending the steel behind him. He groaned and pushed himself away from the wall only to be instantly slammed against it again by another force push.

"Your shield is very weak young one." Malgus scolded as he calmly walked forward, "And with this weakness, you have proven yourself unworthy."

Malgus pointed his blade at Joshua as he continued to pin the boy against the wall. Joshua looked fearfully at Malgus as he slowly plunged his blade towards his heart. He couldn't beat this guy. He was too powerful. Even more powerful than Maul ever was.

 _ **My turn!**_ Said a voice in Joshua's head.

The boy's hand moved away from the wall and down to where the blade was about to pierce him. Malgus's eyes widened in shock as the boy's right hand caught the tip of the red blade. Malgus couldn't believe it. This child, he was capable of that advanced of a tutaminis! Malgus angrily plunged his saber deeper into the the child's palm, but the energy never touched the boy's body. The lightsaber just launched sparks to the side and flashed violently at the boy held it at bay. Malgus then felt a huge force push send him slidding backwards in the hangar. The Sith Lord silently looked at his lightsaber and clenched his jaw.

" _ **I will not allow you to destroy my host."**_ said a new voice in the hangar.

Malgus's gaze returned instantly to the young sith apprentice. His demeanor had completely changed. His eyes glowed a fierce crimson. There was no fear on his face, but rather irritation. He confidently strode forward. The boy called his saber back to his left hand and activated it.

" _ **It has been ages since I have needed one of these."**_ said the new voice as it quickly glanced down at the boy's lightsaber. " _ **It'll be interesting to see if my skills are the still the same."**_

Malgus felt through the force and he quietly caught his breath. The darkness coming from the child now was beyond anything even he could comprehend. The Dark Side billowed like a massive cloud out from the boy's body. It's venomous tendrils spread out across the entire hangar and all life seemed to leave the area. Malgus then felt his own powers begin to fade slightly. Whatever this person was, it was not the boy he had been fighting. The creature inside of this boy was capable of gathering the dark side around him as if he was the force's master, not the other way around as so many other Sith were. Malgus then felt that pit in his stomach that hadn't been felt in decades. It was genuine fear.

" _ **Darth Malgus,"**_ The boy stopped walking forward and he stood several yards from Malgus, " _ **I always admired your power, your ambition, and your drive. It was always a joy studying your conquests of the galaxy."**_

 _ ****_Malgus frowned. He didn't like small talk in a battle, "Who are you?"

" _ **Me? I am a Sith lord that exists thousands of years after you."**_ he answered simply.

"Are you this boy's master, Darth Tyrannus?" Malgus snarled lowly.

The creature chuckled, amused at Malgus's question, " _ **Me? You are comparing me to that weakling? I am rather offended. No, I am not Tyrannus."**_

"Then answer my question."

" _ **Very well. My name is Hego Damask."**_

"That's not your sith name." Malgus scowled.

" _ **You asked for my name, and I gave it to you."**_ the being said.

The billowing clouds of the dark side began to swirl violently. Malgus could feel the very energy of the force being bent to Hego Damask's will. He knew he couldn't charge head on against a power like this. This being would just swat him away like one would swat a gnat. Malgus exhaled, he'd have to use it.

He formed a force bubble around him. The barrier grew and swallowed Malgus in it's protective embrace. His telekinetics then kicked in. Every object in the hangar began to rise in the air and float towards him. Force lightning began to crackle around the Force Bubble and it began to arc over to each individual object. The boy's head snapped back and forth as star fighters began to rise in the air as well.

"I never wrote this technique down." Malgus smirked at Hego Damask, "But it's one of my favorites."

The boy's eyes widened. He knew what this was. Other records of history described it. A maelstrom of the force. A deadly synergy of a protection bubble, telekinetics, and lightning. There was no defending against it. And there was no avoiding it. That was the reason for the protection bubble. It would protect the user from any damage that obliterated the environment around him.

"Behold my powers!" Malgus roared, "This is my Force Maelstrom!"

Hego Damask felt a tinge of fear in him. He had studied this technique extensively and attempted to master it. But he could never figure it out despite his massive intellect and power. And there was no defending against it. His studies proved as much. People had survived it, but they were usually much farther away from the epicenter of the maelstrom and they were barely alive afterwards. Damask closed his eyes. He'd just have to hope the boy's body wasn't totally ripped apart. He balled his fists up angrily. Years of planning and patience were being spaced as the Maelstrom began to intensify in strength.

"Malgus!" a new voice boomed powerfully around them, "Stop this now!"

Malgus snarled, "Why should I?"

"You'll bring the entire temple down on us! You will then not only destroyed all the knowledge in this temple but your own essance as well!" the voice said forcefully.

Malgus growled in frustration.

"End this or I will intervene!" The voice ordered.

Malgus then visibly gulped. The maelstrom of objects and lightning quickly died away and the force bubble dissolved into the air. Hego Damask raised one of Joshua's eyebrows. Who the heck was speaking? And who could force someone as fearsome and powerful as Darth Malgus to back down.

"What of his trials?" Malgus growled lowly.

"We will forgo yours and the next two. This boy has proven himself."

"How?"

"He's kept that thing in front of you at bay in his mind. Even if he did do it subconsciously."

Malgus glared over at the boy.

"I don't think you are reading that correctly." Malgus said lowly.

"I don't care Malgus. I will speak with the boy now." the voice said once again, "You may leave now."

Malgus sighed. There was no arguing with him. He was too powerful to argue with and it would just be a waste of Malgus' time. The hangar around Hego and Malgus began to shimmer and fade.

"You know," Malgus addressed the voice, "Nihilus and Sion are going to be pissed that they missed out on a fight."

The voice actually chuckled a little, "I'm sure I will get an earful. Now hurry up and leave. I want to take care of this Hego Damask quickly."

Malgus nodded before he began to fade into the air like dust. Hego Damask glanced around and saw that darkness had once again engulfed everything around the boy.

" _ **What is going on?"**_ Damask muttered.

"What are doing inside of the boy, Plagueis."

Damask's eyes widened. In front of him, in the darkness, appeared a man. He wore layers of black and brown robes and he was lightly armored. His black hood was drawn over his head. But that is not what concealed this person's features. What hid this person's face was a red and gray mask with a small view visor running across the mask. Hego could tell it was Mandalorian in nature, but very ancient Madalorian. The appearance of this man was unmistakable. And Hego Damask actually began to feel some uncertainty about this situation.

" _ **How do you know my Sith name?"**_ Plagueis asked.

"You and your Master tore a hole in the force decades ago. Every being in the force, even those long dead, felt it occur. But only those long dead and part of the force knew who exactly caused it. That is how I know your name." The figure's eyes burned a hole in Palguies, "Do you know who I am?"

Plaguies nodded slowly, " _ **Who doesn't know you. You are the greatest Sith lord to have ever lived. You are also the greatest traitor the Sith order has ever seen. You belong niether to the light nor the dark… You are Revan."**_

Revan audibly sighed, "I hate long declarations like that." He glared at Plagueis from beneath his mask, "Why are you possessing the boy?"

" _ **Why do you think? Revenge, my desire for more power, immortality, you name it."**_ Plagueis replied.

"You will leave his body and never return." Revan said sharpley.

Plagueis clicked his tongue and shook his head, " _ **Why would I do that?"**_

"Because if you don't, then I will force you out. And I don't think you are very confident about your chances in a fight with me."

Plagueis nodded internally. He was powerful, but not as powerful as he had once been. He was still attempting to gather enough power to eventually reform and return to this plane of existence. And every moment he spent outside of the boy's mind meant that he was losing more and more power. He couldn't take Revan in a fight. Not now. Revan's power, even in death, was immense. Plagueis would be able to hold his own for a while, but he would lose in the long run. Patience was key now. He'd have to wait this one out.

"Will you leave?"

Plaguies shook his head, " _ **I can't. You see, the ritual the Night Sisters performed tied this brat's life with my own. If I leave, well… he dies."**_ Revan lowered his head so that he was gazing threateningly at Plaguies. " _ **So, unless you really don't care about the boy, forcing me to leave would be a bad plan."**_

Revan cursed under his breath. This Sith was a crafty one. "Then dispossess him. Or I will beat you back into his mind."

 _ **"**_ _ **Must the threat always be violence?"**_

A powerful force lifted the boy into the air and Plagueis's eyes widened.

"Last chance." Snarled Revan.

Plagueis glared angrily at the powerful Sith Lord before he relented. He must be patient, his time would come soon. For now, it was best to remain dormant. He didn't anticipate Revan's spirit in this temple. That was an unfortunate surprise. Plaguies retreated into Joshua's subconscious.

Revan watched as the crimson in the boy's eyes faded away and his irises returned to a natural hazel color. Revan dropped his body back onto the floor. The boy coughed and was on all four as he breathed heavily.

"I feel like I just ate Erza's strawberry cake and she caught me doing it." Joshua mumbled as he winced. This was one hell of a headache.

"Dispossession can be rather uncomfortable. Especially when it is so sudden." Revan replied.

Joshua's head slowly rose to look at the robed and masked figure standing before him. He blinked and rubbed his right eye with his hand. Was he just seeing things right now?

"I know I shouldn't ask. But I need to confirm what I'm seeing right now." Joshua gasped before falling back on his butt and looking up at the masked man, "Are you Darth Revan?"

The figure seemed to flinch at the mention of Darth but he also nodded, "No longer Darth, just Revan." he replied before extending a hand to Joshua.

Joshua grabbed the outstretched hand with is mechanical one and he was quickly hoisted up by Revan. He shook his head as he cleared some more cobwebs from his mind. He then winced as his whole body ached.

"That Malgus guy gave me one hell of a thrashing."

Revan chuckled, "And he wasn't the strongest opponent you would've faced today."

Joshua blinked and glanced to his right at Revan, "What?"

"Sion and Nihilus were waiting for you after Malgus."

Joshua gulped. Malgus was a name that struck concern, but Sion and Nihilus were names that spread genuine fear throughout his body.

"A proper reaction to those two. They even unsettle me a little." Revan said as he began to walk through the darkness. "Come along Joshua, we have much to discuss."

Joshua cocked an eyebrow before following Revan through the darkness. He quickly caught up to the striding man.

"Listen, um… Revan. I'd love to chat, but I need to get to a temple in this cave and retrieve a holocron for my master."

"You are already in the temple." Revan replied. Joshua blinked, "You have been inside the temple the entire time."

"Then why is it so dark?" Joshua asked.

" The light bulbs went out several centuries ago." Revan replied.

Joshua sweatdropped at the simple explanation, "Really? No dark side explanation to it?"

Revan laughed a little and shook his head, "Not everything can be explained through some long winded lecture on the nature of the force. Sometimes you just need to use common sense, and flicker the light switch a little bit."

"Oh ha ha." Joshua replied sarcastically. The two continued to walk in the darkness and Joshua soon noticed he was ascending some stairs, "Where exactly are we going?"

"Just walking. I like to talk and walk. It's a good way to get to know people." Revan replied, "You should try it sometime."

"Are you accusing me of being anti-social?"

"No, I'm just saying you should try it." Revan replied, "But I believe it's time we stopped talking so candidly. I'm sure you are looking for answers, I know I am."

"Ok then." Joshua stopped walking and Revan turned to look down from the next set of stairs, "Let's get serious then."

Revan nodded and turned himself so that he was facing Joshua, "Do you know what is inside of you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Joshua asked.

"You forced Malgus to use Force Maelstrom. Something that he does not do lightly." Joshua gulped at that bit of news, "You accomplished this by being possessed by an unnatural and evil force. Do you know of it?"

Joshua bowed his head. He had lost control again. And he thought he had finally reigned in his powers.

"You did not lose control Joshua." Joshua's head slowly rose to look up at Revan, "You were taken over by a being named Darth Plagueis."

Joshua's eyes widened. He couldn't help but breath an enormous sight of relief despite his shock.

"I'm going to ask again, are you aware of Darth Plagueis inhabiting your body."

Joshua shook his head, "No, I was not aware of it. I always thought that it was my Master, Tyrannus."

Revan frowned beneath his mask. That was not the answer he wanted to hear. Plagueis was much more crafty than he gave him credit for.

"Is that a major problem?"

Revan folded his arms, "For now no. I managed to make him back down."

He motioned for Joshua to continued to follow him to which the teen readily did. Soon they had reached the peak of the ancient temple. Joshua knew this because the stairs had ended and Revan had stopped walking.

"Next question Joshua. What is the Sith Code?"

 _Am I seriously reciting this again?_

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion." He began with a bored tone, "Through passion I gain strength. Through strength I gain power. Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The force shall free me."

Revan chuckled a little, "Not your first time reciting that?"

"How'd you know?" Joshua replied sarcastically.

"Lucky guess." Revan chuckled, "Now then, do you know what those words mean?"

"Of course."

Revan nodded, "Good."

"You're not going to make me explain them?" Joshua asked as he silently prayed that Revan wouldn't make him rehash his memorized reply to Dooku's daily question.

"No. Instead I'm going to ask you a different question." Joshua frowned, "Do you know why that is the Sith Code? Do you know why it was created and written the way it was?"

Joshua was caught off guard by the question. He legitimately had no idea.

"It was written that way," Revan replied, "To distinguish the Sith from their opposites, the Jedi." Revan sat down cross legged and Joshua mirrored him, "Now, can you tell me the Jedi code?"

Joshua blinked, "Um…"

Revan sighed, "I should've known that the Sith wouldn't bother with that. I hate to break it to you kid, but you had a poor Master." Revan paused then continued, "This is the Jedi code: There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

Joshua drank in the knowledge he was gaining eagerly. This was something completely new to him. And he was loving every second of it.

"Can you tell me the difference?"

Joshua nodded, "They are polar opposites. There is no emotion, there is peace. Right away that contrasts with the Sith code. There is no peace, there is passion. That is how the two distinguished themselves from each other."

Revan nodded, "Very true. But let me ask you another question. Which is correct?"

Joshua sat silently for a moment. He folded his hands and rested his chin on them as his elbows rested on his legs. This was a difficult question. He wanted to say the Sith code was correct. But at the same time that felt like the incorrect answer. And he knew the Jedi code wasn't correct, if for nothing else than their wholesale rejection of emotion, something that was impossible to achieve in Joshua's mind. Joshua looked up at Revan and shrugged.

"I don't know."

Revan smiled under his mask, "A wise answer."

"Do you know?" Joshua asked.

"Maybe." Revan replied, "But I want you to figure it out first."

Joshua sighed, "It's always a puzzle."

"It wouldn't be a trial if it wasn't a challenge." Revan replied, "I'll help you along a little. You say you know the Sith code. To say that is to say you understand it. But do you know its faults as well as its virtues?"

Joshua blinked in surprise.

"Can you tell me some faults of the Sith code?"

Joshua nodded slowly as his mind raced. What were some of the faults?

"It doesn't acknowledge others." Joshua replied, "It's fully based on self."

Revan nodded, "And the Jedi code."

"From what I heard from you, it sounds like it is completely selfless." Joshua replied.

"Correct. Now then, what are some other faults?"

Joshua pursed his lips and thought hard, "Both fail to acknowledge something. The Jedi code, it fails to acknowledge the reality of the world we live in. It claims that there is no chaos, no emotion, no passion, and no ignorance. Yet those things are everywhere. The Sith code claims there is no peace and that the only thing that matters in the world is personal power and strength. Both advocate that their way is the way to freedom in the force. Yet… it doesn't seem that way now that I think about it."

Revan opened his palm and gestured at Joshua, "Care to explain?"

"Well… It seems to me that both don't free you, but rather, both mantras imprison you in a way of thinking. The Jedi code forces you to think one way, the Sith code the other. And both ways of thinking ignore either yourself or everyone else around you. Something that you cannot do if you want freedom."

Revan nodded, "Very good… very good. You are beginning to pierce through the dogmatic fog you have lived in your whole life. So, I'll ask again, which is correct?"

Joshua thought for a second, "Neither." he said quietly. "Both are flawed and therefore incorrect."

"So then, how do we go about our lives if the very principles that we are supposed to live by are flawed?" Revan asked.

Joshua smiled, "You don't stick to a single mindset. You incorporate both. You take the selflessness of the Jedi and balance it with the selfishness of the Sith. Balance in the force."

"Bingo." Revan said.

"That way, you don't reject reality like the codes do. But you end up embracing it and learning how to deal with it. You learn how to deal with emotions and how to become strong thanks to the Sith code, but you also learn how to deal with conflict and achieve peace thanks to the Jedi code. You balance the opposing sides in order to achieve…" Joshua's eyes widened and he stared at Revan, "True freedom."

"And now, you have become wise." Revan stated, "To balance the two philosophies means to live within both, yet to not live within their restrictions. Very few have learned this with the Jedi and Sith. Even fewer have ever put it into practice."

"Like you?"

Revan laughed, "Yes, I figured it out. But unlike you, I had to learn the hard way. Another who learned this was someone you actually have met. Remember Qui Gon Jinn?"

Joshua smiled and nodded as he recalled the kind Jedi Master he saw in one of his visions.

"He was a rare Jedi wasn't he?" Joshua said quietly.

"Indeed." Revan then exhaled and dug into his robes.

He then pulled out a strange device. It was a cube with a pyramid embedded in it. It glowed purple as Joshua saw the opposing holocron's lights mix. The blue of a jedi holocron, and the red of a sith holocron perfectly blended together. Revan then tossed it over to Joshua who caught it and stared down at the magnificent holocron.

"I think you've earned that." Revan said, "Remember Joshua. Freedom is being both a Sith and a Jedi. Freedom is to not be a slave to the light or the dark. It means to not be imprisoned by guilt," Joshua stared wide eyed as a bright light began to fill the room, "Or imprisoned by pride. It means to embrace emotions and attachment while also knowing the limits of such things." The darkness was gone completely and so was Revan. Joshua looked around and saw he was staring at the cave's mouth once again. "Remember what you have learned Joshua. And may the force be with you."

Joshua sat unblinking outside the mouth of the large cave in the valley. He then felt it in his hands and knew everything that had just happened was real. He looked down and saw the unique holocron of Revan in his trembling hands. Joshua looked at the cave as he stood, the cold air of night brushing through his long brown hair.

"Thank you. Master Revan."

….

"He has been gone for too long." Ventress grumbled as she leaned against the walls of the holocron chamber in the Supremacy.

Dooku nodded, "It is strange. It has been several days now." The Sith lord sighed from his holocron, "Most likely, he is dead."

Ventress glared at her former master, "I thought you'd have more faith in your own grandson than that."

"You don't think he is dead?"

"I've fought him everyday for the past seven years. He wouldn't go down easily. And he wouldn't let himself be finished off in a cave." Ventress's shoulders sagged as she crossed her arms, "I still think he'll come back."

The holocron chamber's blast doors slowly slide open.

"At least one person didn't doubt me." Said a voice both Ventress and Dooku recognized.

Ventress smirked over at Dooku as Joshua walked into the chamber.

"That was one hell of a trial." The teen said as he approached Dooku.

"And you come back unscathed." Dooku replied, "Impressive. But more importantly, did you retrieve the holocron that powered the temple?"

Joshua reached into a small pouch he had on his left him and pulled out the strangest holocron Dooku and Ventress had ever seen. He then slowly floated the holocron over next to Dooku's before gently placing it down on the chamber floor.

"What is that?" Dooku asked with a slight hint of anger in his voice.

"The holocron." Joshua replied nonchalantly.

"That is not the holocron. That was a Sith temple." Fumed Dooku, "The holocron should look just like my own!"

"Well, expectations are often time never met." Joshua replied, "That is the only holocron I found in there. Take it or leave it."

Dooku sighed. Regardless of how the holocron looked, the boy performed his duty.

"Whose holocron is it?" Dooku asked, "Treya? Bane? Malak?"

Joshua shook his head, "Revan."

Ventress's jaw dropped and she stared at the purple holocron with stunned reverance. Dooku too, was taken aback by this declaration. He glanced over at the holocron then at Joshua then back to the holocron.

"H-how?" Dooku stammered, "You- you found the holocron of Darth Revan."

"Not Darth." Joshua replied, "Just Revan."

"That's… that's incredible." Dooku gasped. All anger about the boy possibly bringing the wrong holocron faded. The power and knowledge he could acquire from this holocron far outweighed anything else in existence, "You have more than exceeded my expectation." Joshua bowed his head, "It is time, you are no longer my apprentice. I will now give you your title of Darth-"

"No." Joshua said.

Dooku blinked, "What?"

Ventress took her eyes away from the legendary holocron and stared shocked at Joshua.

"I will not take a Sith title."

Dooku grit his teeth, "Why not? It is a great honor."

"Because I don't plan on being a Sith. Well, not entirely one." Joshua replied.

"Do you not know why I taught you?" Dooku fumed.

"Do you fail to remember why I allowed you to teach me?"

Ventress stayed to the side and held her breath.

"Enlighten me."

"I agreed that you'd teach me if you made me powerful enough to protect the ones I care about." Joshua said while pointing a finger at Dooku, "I feel like that goal has been accomplished. I have no desire to be a Sith Lord. I have no desire to fulfill some sort of pre planned destiny. And I have no desire to be your puppet… or Plagueis's."

Dooku's eyes widened, "How do you know that name?"

"A lot happened in the temple." Joshua replied before calling Revan's holocron back to his hand, "And I learned that both the Sith and the Jedi are wrong. So why would I align myself with one of them when I can create my own path instead."

"That is a path of weakness!" Dooku shouted.

"But it is the path I choose." Joshua replied calmly, "You have taught me all you know. And now I am stronger than I ever thought possible. For that I am grateful. But I will not abandon my true purpose for coming here seven years ago." Joshua turned and Dooku realized he was holding the holocron.

"Get back here with that holocron!"

Joshua started walking away.

"Ventress stop him! Get me the holocron!" Dooku's face paled as he saw the sly grin spread across Ventress's face.

"Revenge really is sweet." She hissed at Dooku before using her own powers to close Dooku's holocron before he could scream out.

The holocron slammed down on the floor. Neither apprentice willing to place it back on it's pedestal. Joshua was already out of the chamber when Ventress caught up to him. They both exited the ship.

"Do you plan on stopping me?"Joshua asked, "Do you plan on taking the holocron for yourself?"

"It's tempting." Ventress replied, "But… I have a feeling I'd lose, and lose badly."

Joshua smiled at the Night Sister, "Told you I'd get you to soften up you old hag."

"Don't make me regret my decision." Ventress growled while Joshua laughed.

"Hey Ventress, look out for the place while I'm gone. I may come back and say hello some day."

Ventress watched as he student began to walk away.

"Where do you plan on going?"

Joshua stopped and smiled back at Ventress before disappearing into the pine forests that surrounded the Supremacy.

"I'm going home."

 **And chapter! What a chapter! I had so much fun writing this one! The fight with Malgus was meant to be very brutal and vicious and I hope I captured that well. And the conversation with Revan was very eye opening. It took so much time and research to get that written out, I've been planning that for weeks. I hope it turned out well. And now Joshua's training is done, and he is on his way back to Fairy Tail. Should be a fun chapter to write. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	40. Chapter 40: Fairy Tail X791

**Hey guys! Feeling a lot better today! So I've got a new chapter ready to go for everyone! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 40

Joshua stood at the train station. Steam billowed out from many steam engines as several began to chug away from the station. More steam soon poured into the station as other trains arrived to take the place of the ones departing. This had to be the biggest train station Joshua had ever seen. It was easily half the size of the Supremacy, and that was still massive. Not only that, but this station was impeccably fancy and clean. But then again, he should've expected as much. After all, this was Crocus, the capitol of the Kingdom of Fiore. If it wasn't the best then it wouldn't last long in this city. He had arrived in the sprawling metropolis just a few hours ago after walking for several days towards the city. He then spent what precious time he had waiting in a damn line for a ticket for two hours. He had gained much patience during his training in the valley. But his patience was starting to wear thin when he finally reached the ticket counter only to realize that he didn't have nearly enough money to afford a ticket to Magnolia.

So now, he just stood on the train station platform. It was easy to sneak past the security checkpoints in the train station. His Force cloak ability made it so that as long as no one bumped into him or heard him he would be able to sneak by. It was a lot harder than he thought it was going to be. The security line was jam packed with people and he almost bumped into someone on more than one occasion. He felt like an acrobat as he had to duck and weave between throngs of people before he was finally past the security checkpoint. At one moment, he thought he was found out. A damn lap dog smelled him and began barking at him just as he passed a guard. Thankfully though, they thought the dog was crazy. Once on the platform he went into the restroom, jumped into the nearest stall, apologized to the terrified man who screamed ghost inside of that stall, then jumped into the next stall and let his force cloak fade away. He then exited the stall, terrifying the poor man who exited at the same time as him and then quickly snuck out of the stall and waited for the next train to Magnolia. And that train had finally shown up.

The massive machine groaned to a halt in front of the train platform. Passengers quickly scurried out of the train and unloaded their baggage before the conductor and crew allowed new passengers on the train. Joshua lazily walked to the end of the train and was about to board when a hand pressed against his chest. The teen looked up and saw one of the crew holding out a gloved hand.

"Ticket sir?"

Joshua blinked and he quickly looked around to make sure he was the last to board the train. When he was certain he was Joshua casually motioned with his right hand across his body.

"You don't need to see my ticket."

Silence for a moment then a glazed over look came over the crew man's eyes.

"I don't need to see your ticket." he replied back monotonously.

Joshua subtly waved his hand again, "You will allow me on the train and not inform the conductor I'm aboard."

"I will allow you on the train and not inform the conductor you are aboard."

Joshua nodded as the crew man stepped aside and allowed Joshua to climb aboard and duck into the cargo space that made up a majority of the caboose. As he shut the door behind him he saw the crew man blink for moment before woozily shaking his head. He then shouted to the conductor that all passengers were aboard. Joshua smiled a little. He loved that little mind trick. It always seemed to work when he needed it to. Moments later, the train lurched away from Crocus.

Joshua waited an hour in the cargo hold before he decided it was safe for him to move to the passenger area of the train. Still, he decided to take a precaution. He quickly slipped into a Force Cloak and tip toed into the passenger cars. At first, this plan was going splendidly. Untill he saw the five year old charging down the aisle towards him. Joshua frowned and jumped up, quietly pressing his hands and feet up agains the walls as he hovered over the screaming toddler.

 _That was close…_ Joshua breathed.

"Jack get back here!" shouted a woman.

Joshua's eyes widened then his face scrunched up in pain as a grown woman ran right into him in the area where the sun never shines. The woman fell backwards and Joshua landed ontop of her, accidentally knocking her out in the process. Joshua groaned and winced.

 _Why'd she have to hit me there!?_

"Miss, are you alright?"

Joshua was alert once again as he saw the conductor rushing up to check on the woman. Joshua panicked and saw the passenger compartment to his right was open. He quickly slipped in and silently closed the door without the Conductor or the woman noticing. He then relaxed and let his force cloak fade away.

"Way too close." he breathed.

A loud clank rang out across from him. Joshua clenched his teeth nervously and looked across to see a young man, probably twenty something, staring at him in shock. The man had black hair and wide, circular glasses over his eyes. Joshua smiled nervously at him.

"A-are you a wizard?"

Joshua kept his smile on and nodded.

"A dark wizard?"

Joshua, still smiling, shook his head quickly.

"That smile makes me think you are lying."

"I smile like this when I'm nervous." Joshua replied. He saw the woman getting up with the help of the conductor and then he saw the man in the compartment shoot a quick glance at the conductor. "Please don't say anything." Joshua pleaded.

The man looked back across at Joshua, "Why?"

Joshua gulped and pulled out the small amount of jewel he had and showed it to the man.

"Because you could be four hundred jewels richer."

"Why don't you just do that little hand wavy thing you did to that crew man earlier?"

Joshua blinked and his smile went away.

"You saw that?"

"I see many things." replied the man.

"Well, just from how you speak and carry yourself," Joshua began as he leaned back in the vinyl seat, "I can tell you aren't weak minded. That little trick only works on a weak mind. Plus, I don't really like using it on people unless I have to."

The man narrowed his gaze at Joshua. Joshua sighed.

"Eight hundred jewel?"

The man stared for one more moment then held out his hand. Joshua then slapped four hundred in his hand.

"This is only-"

"You'll get the rest when I get off of this train." Joshua replied sternly.

"Heh, very well." The man replied, "You're smarter than you look."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The man leaned back and put a cigarette in his lips, "Well, you look like some country bumpkin first off." He flicked a lighter out of his suit jacket and held it to the cigarette before flicking it to life and lighting his cigarette, "You need a haircut. Your clothes are dirty, torn and old. I'm amazed that you can even call yourself a wizard."

Joshua smirked a little, "Appearances can be deceiving, pretty boy." He retorted back.

"Indeed."

"You a wizard too?" Joshua asked.

The man puffed on his cigarette then nodded.

"What guild?"

"None, but that will change here soon." He tapped ash onto the floor, "In fact that's why I'm on my way to Magnolia."

"Oh really?"

The man nodded back, "I'm joining the guild there."

"Fairy Tail?"

The man choked for a second before laughing a little. Joshua frowned slightly at the reaction.

"That guild?" The man chuckled, "Please, they are a terrible guild. Last place in the Grand Magic Games every year. Their wizards are weak, and they never get good paying jobs. No," He puffed on the cigarette and blew out a ring of smoke, "I'm joining the real powerhouse in Magnolia."

"That being?" Joshua asked.

"Twilight Ogre."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Never heard of them."

"How could you have never heard of them? They came in fourth in the games last year."

Joshua smiled, "Like you just said, I'm a country bumpkin."

The man laughed a little, "Good one." He then extended his right hand, "Michelangelo."

Joshua hesitated a moment before extending his mechanical left hand and shaking the outstretched hand.

"Joshua."

The man shook Joshua's gloved mechanical hand briefly before leaning back in his seat and glancing out the window.

"How long of a train ride will this be?" He wondered as he finished off his cigarette and flicked it out the cracked window.

"Most likely eight to ten hours." Joshua replied.

Michelangelo raised an eyebrow at the teen, "You've ridden this train ride before?"

Joshua nodded, "A long time ago."

"How long ago?"

"Seven years."

The man whistled, "A long time to be away from home then?"

"How'd you guess Magnolia was home for me?"

"Why else would you be heading there?"

"I could be joining Twilight Ogre too." Joshua replied but Michaelangelo shook his head.

"You wouldn't join a guild you've never heard of. That wouldn't make sense." Joshua nodded and glanced out the window at the setting sun, "So why are you going back? Seeing family or something?"

Joshua cracked a slight smile, "You could say that. I guess… it's more like I'm finally going home."

"Why'd you leave in the first place?"

Joshua's smile faded as he remembered Tenrou island. As much as the talk with Revan helped him with that painful memory, it was still just that, a painful memory. Michelangelo saw the change and waved the question.

"Ah, don't worry about it."

"Thanks." Joshua replied softly. He then decided to change the subject, "So what kind of magic do you use?"

"Observation and gun magic." Michelangelo replied quickly.

"Observation magic?"

He nodded back, "I can remember every detail I see, if I so choose to. It's an effective tool against troublesome opponents."

Joshua leaned back, "So that's how you were able to figure me out so easily."

Michelangelo chuckled, "Yup. Although, I'm nowhere near great at it. If you want to see a true master of observation magic you should see Rufus Lore of Sabertooth. He takes it a step further."

"How so?"

"Memory make magic." Michelangelo replied, "He can literally memorize opponents moves and add them into his own abilities."

Joshua's eyes widened, "All from memory?"

"Uh huh."

The brown haired teen nodded, "Impressive."

"You're telling me. I hope to be as powerful as him one day." Michelangelo lit a new cigarette and crossed his legs. The lamp above them flickered to life as the sun's rays began to fade away. "What about you Joshua? What kind of magic do you use?"

"Me?" Joshua rubbed his chin. He didn't want to reveal himself to be a force user. He wanted to maintain that secrecy. From what he remembered from his training, staying hidden was paramount. He wasn't interested in fighting this Sidious that Dooku always spoke of, but he still didn't want to the guy to find him, "Mainly requip." Joshua easily replied with the half truth, "But I've also got a few other little tricks I've picked up."

"Why requip? I mean, that seems really basic."

Joshua grinned, "In the hands of a master, it is one of the most powerful magics out there."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Joshua nodded, "Ever heard of…" he paused for a moment, "Titania."

"Who?"

That hurt. Joshua felt a slight pang in his heart as the man replied so casually. Even Erza's fame was gone.

"Ah… no one."

Michelangelo shrugged, "Suit yourself." he puffed on his second cigarrette, "You should join Twilight Ogre with me. I get the feeling you're a powerful wizard."

Joshua shook his head, "Nah, I've got a guild already."

"You do?"

"Yup, I bet you can guess."

Michelangelo stared at him, his jaw hanging open and the cigarette hanging limply on his lower lip, "Fairy Tail?"

"Yup. I've been gone for a while, training. But now, I'm ready to make my guild a powerhouse once again."

The man narrowed his eyes at Joshua. "Who are you?"

"Hm?"

"What is your last name?"

Joshua smiled sadly as he looked at his knees, "Scarlet." he replied quietly.

"I knew it." Michelangelo replied. "The way you reacted to my lie about the great Titania." Joshua blinked, "Your first name, your preference for requip, and the fact that you're a Fairy Tail member. I just wanted to make sure." He took a long puff on his cigarette, "I can't believe I'm actually talking to a survivor from Tenrou Island."

Joshua cringed slightly at the mention of the island, "Yeah." he replied back, "That's me."

"How'd you make it out?"

Joshua's gaze hardened as the memories hit him, "I'd prefer not to talk about it."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know it was that-"

Joshua waved a hand, "You don't need to apologize. It was an honest question. I gave you an honest answer." Joshua yawned and stretched his right arm, "Well, it was nice chatting with you Michelangelo, but I need to get some sleep. Been walking all day."

"Yeah sure."

And with that Joshua rested his head back against the seat and shut his eyes.

….

Joshua's eyes opened and he stared at an all too familiar ceiling. But it had been years since he had seen it. He still recognized it though. Joshua smiled slightly as he heard the buzz of vehicles outside of the slit like window in the wall. Joshua peeked out and saw that it was nighttime over the planet of Coruscant. The skyscrapers towered into the air and were illuminated by thousands of sparkling lights that twinkled like stars against the cityscape. Among all of the sparkling lights and neon signs sped transports and speeders. Joshua rose from his small cot and got to his feet before walking across the room to where he knew he would find the door. Before he did though he noticed his clothing was different as well. He was wearing cream colored robes and had a brown cloak over his shoulders as well. The one thing that remained the same, was his artificial left arm, still covered by the black leather glove. Joshua made a mental note in his head as he sniffed himself.

 _First thing to get in Magnolia, clothes and deodorant._

He then pressed his right hand against the wall and the door hissed open. Joshua calmly walked out into the hall and saw something strange. There were people running to and fro in a panic. Joshua narrowed his eyes as he saw Jedi Masters, guardians, and younglings running terrified through the halls.

 _What is going on?_

The floor shuddered and Joshua's head whipped over to the lifts at the end of the hall. The blast doors were blown away and soldiers in white armor with blue striped marched into the hall, blasters lowered. Indiscriminately they began firing. It didn't matter who was the target. Old men, women, children they were all targets. Joshua gasped as he saw a small child blown away by a blue blaster bolt. He then ducked as he sensed a blaster bolt scorch over his head.

"Run!" shouted an elderly alien Jedi to some children before getting blasted by the soldiers in white.

The children screamed and turned to run. The soldiers turned their blasters at them.

"Hell no!" Joshua shouted and activated his lightsaber that he was surprised he still had on his hip.

The red blade crackled to life startling the younglings. He quickly shifted into Soresu and expertly deflected the many blaster bolts back at the soldiers. But no matter how many he took down, another always filled their place. It was like fighting against a never ending swarm. Joshua glanced behind him and saw the children were huddled up at his back. The blaster fire was growing thicker. Soon there would be too many for him to defend against. Joshua looked at a column that was holding up the roof.

"Kids! Start running!"

Joshua then extended hand and grasped the column with the force. The stone was crushed and the roof above them began to shudder. Chuncks of metal and stone fell down around them. Joshua could hear the clones shouting orders then screaming out as more of the cieling collpased on them. Joshua nodded as the hallway was soon sealed off by a large rubble blockade. He then looked back and saw that every kid was still staring at him.

"Why are you still here?" He asked in disbelief, "Don't you wanna live? Get out of the temple!"

Several of the younglings began crying a little and Joshua sighed.

"Fine, but if I tell you to run. You better do it." he began to jog down the hall, "Until then stay close to me."

Joshua ran to the lifts on the other end of the hall with the younglings trailing close behind him. He made sure every kid was on the lift before he too stepped aboard.

"I hate these things." he muttered, "Down or up?" he asked the human boy closest to him.

"Up." the small child replied.

"Why?" Joshua asked.

"Downstairs is overrun." Replied an older alien child with red and white skin.

Joshua nodded, "Good reason to go up then." Joshua punched the lift button and the platform rocketed up to the top.

When they reached the top Joshua quickly clambered off of the lift while the children calmly stepped off. Joshua then looked around and saw the familiar area that he had met Qui Gon Jinn at. This was outside of the High Council chambers. Which meant, they were trapped. Joshua groaned and sat against the wall.

"We're so fucked." he moaned.

He then heard several sabers hum to life. Joshua looked around and saw the blue and green blades of the younglings were activated. And they were all staring fearfully at him.

"Are you a Sith?" asked the human boy.

Joshua looked at the boy with surprise, "No. Well… kinda I guess… it's complicated."

"Then why should we trust you?" shouted another child.

Joshua looked over at the trembling kid, "Because you've got no other choice right now."

"But you have a red lighsaber." The kid replied terrified, "Which means your a Sith. And the Sith are evil."

Joshua snorted and stood to his feet, "Not all Sith are evil." his head turned to the lift as he heard it begin to come back up, "Into the council chambers, now!" he hissed at the kids.

They didn't question him this time. All of the them scrambled into the chambers and hid behind the large chairs with Joshua. Joshua expected to see white armored soldiers step off of the lift but instead a lone figure wearing a brown cloak and brown and black robes stepped off. His hood was drawn over his face. Joshua heard some of the children whisper hopefully at each other.

"Master Skywalker!"

"We're saved."

Joshua wasn't so sure about that. How'd this Skywalker get past all of those soldiers on his own. Something wasn't right. Joshua began to feel through the force when suddenly the small human boy jumped out from his hiding spot and walked up to the cloaked Jedi.

"Master Skywalker! There are too many! What are we going to do?"

 _This isn't right._ Joshua thought as he searched the force only for his search to come up empty. He the heard the hum of a lightsaber followed by the terrified cry of the boy as he was cut down by Skywalker. The other children cried out in fear. Joshua stared at the small boy's body and felt rage boil up in him.

 _That boy was defenseless! Innocent!_ Joshua's eyes began to burn crimson and before Skywalker could take another step forward Joshua stepped out of the shadows and stood between him and the other younglings.

His actions seemed to surprise this Master Skywalker. Joshua then saw the anger filled eyes underneath the hood. They weren't crimson like Joshua's but they held a very similar hatred that Joshua knew all too well.

"Who are you?" Skywalker asked him as his blue lightsaber hummed ominously in the circular room.

"Someone you've manage to really piss off." Joshua snarled back before he activated his own red lightsaber.

Skywalker's eyes widened slightly at the red, unstable saber this teen was holding. Who was this child? He had never seen him before. And there was no way he was a Jedi. The red saber and crimson eyes were evidence enough to prove that.

"No matter." Skywalker stepped towards Joshua, "You will share the Jedi's fate."

Joshua snarled and launched lightning at Skywalker catching the man offguard and launching him through the doors of the council chamber. Skywalker slid along the floor before rising to his feet only to be met with a brutal kick from Joshua. Skywalker grunted as he was kicked out into the lift shaft. He quickly twisted his body and safely landed on the lift dozens of feet below. Joshua summoned the force around him and jumped down. But before he did, he looked back at the younglings.

"Survive." he said before jumping down to face this new enemy.

Joshua landed heavily on the lift and rose his lightsaber to meet an immeadiate attack from Skywalker. The space was very claustrophobic. Their sabers slashed into the walls around them and left deep, molten gashes as they viciously slashed at each other. Skywalker was genuinely surprised by this mystery child. He had some skill and power. But he was no match.

Skywalker began to make his movements more and more complex causing Joshua to have to block with awkward parrys. The speed of his enemy's attacks increased too. Soon Joshua couldn't strike back unless he wanted his head taken off. He was purely on the defensive now, thanking his lucky stars that Ventress drilled him relentlessly in form three. The lift then suddenly jerked and began to plummet to the ground. Joshua and Skywalker reacted quickly and jumped off of the lift and onto a new floor.

This floor was mainly a catwalk with many stone columns covered in scorch marks. Bodies of fallen Jedi littered the floor around the two as the duel grew more intense. Joshua had fought many great swordsman in his life. Erza, Maul, Malgus, they were all incredibly powerful and talented duelist. But none of them, not even Erza, held a candle to this Skywalker. Joshua was amazed he was even able to keep up.

 _He's toying with me._ Joshua concluded, _I really hate being toyed with._

Joshua got into a blade lock with the man. When the red and blue glows locked together Joshua decided to take a risk. He removed his left hand from his saber and balled it up into a fist before throwing a punch at Skywalker's face. Skywalker raised his own right arm and caught Joshua's punch. Both of their eyes widened in surprise as they heard metal crunch and grind in their hands. Joshua could feel the pistons and gears in his own arm straining.

 _That didn't work._

Joshua felt a foot hit him in the gut and he stumbled backwards towards a large set of windows. Just as he recovered he ducked underneath a vicious slash that shattered the glass behind Joshua. The winds of Coruscant rushed in and Joshua could felt like the planet itself was trying to suck him out of the Jedi temple while Skywalker looked completely unaffected. Joshua blocked a few more saber strikes before Skywalker extended a hand. He had grown bored of this fight, and he had a mission to complete. Joshua felt a large force push, larger and stronger than any he had ever felt before slam into his body. He flew out from the temple, his saber flying out of his hands as well. Joshua screamed the entire way as he fell hundreds of feet to the ground below.

Skywalker peared over the edge as the screaming stopped. He searched the ground but couldn't make anything out. It wasn't too dark, the burning temple provided plenty of light. No, there were just too many bodies already on the ground for him to discern any details. But he was certain that they mysterious teen had died. No one, not even him, couldn't survived a fall from that height. Skywalker turned away and ascended some stairs to reach the high council chamber and finish off those younglings. But when he entered the room he was greeted by nothing. The younglings were gone.

….

"GAHHH!" Joshua shouted as he woke up. The morning sun was streaming through the train window. Joshua closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands.

"You ok?"

Joshua looked up and saw Michelangelo staring at him kinda concerned.

"You seemed to be having a pretty bad nightmare."

Joshua groaned, "You could say that again."

" _Next stop! Magnolia! Please prepare to disembark!"_ warbled the train speakers.

Joshua looked out the window, completely forgetting about the terrifying vision as he eagerly searched for the town. And there it was. It looked the same as when he left, maybe even a little bigger. But still a lively town.

"Finally here." Michelangelo breathed as the train began to slow to a stop at the train station in Magnolia.

Both Joshua and Michelangelo rose to their feet and quickly left the train as it came to a full stop. On the platform the Michelangelo handed Joshua back his four hundred jewel.

"I promised that to you in exchange for not talking." Joshua said.

"Take it. I don't really need it." Michelangelo began to walk away but waved at Joshua as he did so, "See you around Joshua. And good luck."

"You too Michelangelo." And soon he dissapeared into the city.

Joshua grinned widely as he stepped out of the train station's shadow and into the city streets of Magnolia. The town was more crowded now, but it still felt the same. The canals were still a sparkling blue color, the cathedral was still the biggest building in town. Joshua took a deep breath of the fresh air in the city.

"It's good to be home." Joshua then sniffed again and looked down at himself, "Right… clothes and deodorant."

….

"That'll be eight hundred jewel sir."

Joshua had tears streaming down his face as he reluctantly placed what little money he had on the counter. Now he knew what Macao and Master meant when they complained about money. The cashier happily took the money and handed Joshua his reciept and new clothes.

"Have a lovely day!" she said cheerily.

"Sure…" grumbled Joshua before he retreated to the changing room and quickly got into his new clothes. After he changed he placed his old clothes in the plastic bag and gave him a once over in the mirror.

He now wore a gray shirt with tan pants. Not his prefered colors, but that was all he could afford. And he couldn't show up to the guild looking like a bum. He frowned at his long brown hair. He really let that part go didn't he. Joshua nodded at his reflection before walking out of the dressing room.

"Excuse me."

"Yes?" replied the cashier.

"Can you point me in the direction of Fairy Tail?" he asked.

"Why would you want to go there?"

Joshua gave the woman an Erza glare and she immediately answered him, "Top of the hill, outside of town."

Joshua smiled at her, "Thanks."

And with that he raced out of the shop and onto the dirt trail that led to the new fairy tail guild hall.

The trail wasn't too difficult to hike. Although Joshua could tell it wasn't traveled very much. There were plants overgrowing it in places. But compared to hiking to the Supremacy, this was a cakewalk. Soon Joshua reached the top of the hill.

Joshua stood silently at the top, his jaw hanging open and his right eye twitching as he stared at an old farm building with a large windmill on the top. The Fairy Tail sign was falling apart and crooked, paint was peeling from the sides of the building, overall, the place looked like crap. Not to mention the constant oinking of pigs nearby and the several chickens that clucked past Joshua as he stared in disbelief at the dump that his guild had become.

"I'm going to have a few choice words for Macao." Joshua grumbled under his breath as he strode up to the doors.

….

"Macao."

A purple haired man with gray hair starting to overtake what little hair he had left on his head turned to look at his good friend at the bar. His weathered face sighed.

"What Wakaba?"

"Did you make the payment this month?" the smoke mage asked as he puffed on a cigar.

Macao frowned, "Of course I made the payment this month." Macao took a swig of his beer, "And I told you to call me Master!"

"Sorry did hear you there." Wakaba replied.

Macao was about to shout back at him when the guild hall doors creaked open. Macao twisted around in his bar stool and saw a tall young man standing in the doorway. He wore a blue t-shirt and tan pants as well as muddy, black boots. His right hand carried a plastic bag filled with other clothes while his left hand was covered in a black leather glove. He had long brown hair that went down to his shoulders and covered his left eye up a little bit. Macao also noticed that the kid was very physically fit. His shirt wasn't for fitting but you could tell he was all muscle underneath despite the fact that he was not very bulky. Wakaba turned to look at the stranger.

"Who are you kid?" Wakaba as as he smoked his cigar.

" I was about to ask the same thing." Macao mumbled as he turned to fully face the newcomer.

"Perhaps a customer?" Kinana asked hopefully from behind the bar counter.

"I really hope so." Wakaba muttered.

"Oh guys!" The stranger said, "I'm hurt! I can't believe you all don't recognize me."

"Were we supposed to know you?" Macao asked, "Cause I don't remember ever running across someone like you.

Wakaba nodded and noticed that their conversation had drawn the interest of the others in the guild hall. By others he meant what few remained which were Max Alors, Vejeeter, Nab, Jet, Droy, and Reedus. The stranger looked over at Jet and Droy.

"Looking good Jet."

"Do I know you?" Jet questioned.

The stranger then looked at Droy.

"You really let yourself go didn't you Droy." Joshua sighed.

"ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT!?" shouted the incredibly obese Droy as he tried to rise from his chair but bumped against the table and sat back in his chair. "Who the hell are you anyways?"

The stranger sighed, "God, has it really been that long?" He looked over at Macao and Wakaba, "Macao, you told me that if I ever wanted to come back the door was open. Is that offer still on the table."

Macao squinted for a moment as he stared down the stranger in the doorway. He saw the young man's face then he saw the cheerful, hazel eyes. Macao's eyes widened.

"Joshua." he breathed with shock.

"WHA!" Wakaba exclaimed while Jet and Droy stared stunned at the young man in the doorway.

"Nice to see your old brain is still working." Joshua smiled at Macao.

Joshua walked into the guild and set his bag up against the bar before pulling a seat up next to Macao.

"The past seven years haven't been kind to you have they?"

Macao couldn't believe his eyes. Joshua, the young boy that had left seven years ago, had returned a full grown man. He couldn't help but feel joy taking over his body and he clapped a hand against Joshua's left shoulder.

"Welcome back!" Macao said happily.

That was when Joshua was swarmed by the others in the guild. All of them hugging him or shaking his hand and sending a barrage of questions his way.

"Alright! Everyone! Give the kid some space!" Macao ordered.

"He's not really a kid anymore Master." smiled Kinana from behind the bar counter.

"True. But he's still younger than me, so I get to call him kid."

Joshua glanced over at Macao, "If you get to call me kid then I get to call you geezer."

"I ain't that old!"

Joshua laughed out loud, "You look it."

"He ain't lying Macao." Wakaba replied.

Macao grumbled under his breath before downing the last drops of his beer, "Kinana, another please."

"Coming up!"

"Say Joshua, where have you been for all these years?" Droy asked with his now chubby sounding voice.

"Yeah man," Jet continued, "I mean you just up and left one day and seven years later you come back. What have you been doing all this time?"

"Training." Joshua replied.

"Training?" Macao questioned.

Joshua nodded, "Yup. I wanted to become strong enough to protect everyone in the guild. And now, I feel like I can do that."

"Really?" Nab questioned.

"How strong are we talking Joshua?" Wakaba asked.

"Strong enough to mop the floor with you." Joshua replied with a smirk as Kinana place a beer in front of him.

"Enjoy you two."

"Thanks Kinana." Macao said before he and Joshua raised their glassed, "Cheers."

They smacked their mugs together before tipping them back. Macao easily drank his beer while Joshua took a sip, choked for moment, before setting down the mug and coughing. Macao chuckled.

"What? You didn't have any while you were gone?"

Joshua shook his head and cringed at the aftertaste of the drink.

"That tastes like shit."

"That's because it is." Wakaba said.

"I get the best we can afford Wakaba!" Macao exclaimed.

Joshua laughed at his two old friends as they began to argue back and forth. He then put the mug up to his lips again and took sip. This time it tasted a little better.

 _Must be an acquired taste._

"Hey Joshua! Are you just visiting?" Nab asked.

"Yeah man. Are you visiting or-"

"I'm staying." Jet and Nab blinked, "I don't plan on going anywhere."

The whole guild cheered and Joshua felt happiness build up in him. He wasn't expecting this. He had left the guild thinking everyone hated him for the Phantom Lord incident and for what happened on Tenrou Island. But instead of a few quiet hellos, he was greeted with a full blown party. Well, as big a party as you could get in this Fairy Tail. There weren't very many members any more. Joshua smiled widely as the celebrations began and Kinana broke out a couple barrels of alcohol.

"Say Joshua. When did you decide to grow out the hair?" Wakaba asked.

"Just kinda happened." Joshua replied, "I didn't really have any clippers on me while training."

"What kind of training were you doing to keep you away for seven years?"

Joshua's grin faded slightly. _Sith training. Training my dark magic to become unbelievably strong._ Joshua shook his head.

"A magician doesn't reveal his secrets." He smirked at Wakaba before sipping his glass.

"That's a bullshit excuse." Wakaba replied.

"Well, that's my answer." Joshua laughed.

Joshua glanced around and noticed something. A certain blue haired girl and white cat were missing from the celebration. Had they left the guild too?

"Hey Macao."

"Yeah?"

"Where are Wendy and Carla?"

Macao grinned at Joshua, "Oh, asking about the Sky Dragon are we? Ha! Oh well, they went on a job yesterday. Should be back tomorrow or the day after."

Joshua nodded, "Ok."

Macao saw the concerned look on Joshua's face and he placed a hand on Joshua's shoulder.

"Hey, she ain't mad at you kid. It's been seven years since you left. I don't think she'd hold a grudge that long."

 _She kept her promise and didn't tell anyone. But Macao… you have no idea how badly it went when I talked to her last._ Joshua smiled slightly, "I hope so."

Macao frowned, "Hey quit with the long face!" He grabbed his beer mug, "Drink up! This is a party after all!"

Joshua chuckled and grabbed his mug, "It's good to be home!"

 **And chapter! Joshua has returned to Fairy Tail after seven years! I hope I captured the moment well. Also, what was up with his latest vision? Why'd he see Order 66 at the Jedi Temple? And did he expose himself to Sidious and Vader because of his intervention? We shall see won't we? Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	41. Chapter 41: 7 Years of Change

**Hey Everyone! New chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 41

The sun lazily rose over the town of Magnolia as the next morning arrived. It was another bright day for the town. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and the warm breeze of summer continued to liven up the town. The streets were still empty right now, it was still too early in the morning for any of the shops that lined the roads of Magnolia to be open. In fact, only two people walked down the stone streets that ran alongside the crystal clear canals. One was a regal looking white tabby cat wearing a yellow kimono. Walking beside said cat, was a young woman with striking blue hair and even more striking brown eyes. She wore a red coat with a dark skirt that went down to her mid thigh. As the pair made their way through the empty streets, the woman removed her long hair from a ponytail and let it fall around her shoulders. She then looked down to her left at her cat companion.

"Hey Carla, what do you think the others at the guild have been up to?"

Carla crossed her arms as she walked along, "It's only been acouple days Wendy. Most likely they all burned through the beer supply and nothing else."

Wendy laughed slightly, "I guess that'd make sense. But you should give them a little more credit than that."

"I've been trying to give them credit for the past seven years child. And they continue to prove me right." the cat replied snootily.

"They've just hit a rough patch." Wendy replied.

"Quite a long rough patch."

Wendy sighed. Carla wasn't wrong on that one. The job they had just completed was the highest paying one left on the request board. The reward was a whopping three thousand jewel. Not nearly enough for the pair to afford rent and food for the week. And nowhere near the amount they would need to help keep the guild afloat.

"Twilight Ogre's payment date is coming up." Wendy sighed.

"Hopefully the others have gotten some jobs done to cover the amount." Carla said gloomily.

The two exited Magnolia through the town gate and starting hiking up the dirt trail to the guild hall.

"Wendy."

"Yeah Carla?"

"Have you ever thought about leaving." Wendy looked at her friend shocked, "You know, finding a better guild."

Wendy frowned, "In my opinion, no guild will ever be better than Fairy Tail."

"I understand you've had great times Wendy. But all of that is in the past. When was the last time we had a decent meal?"

"When-"

"Insta Mac doesn't count." Carla interupted.

Wendy looked down at her feet as she walked, "A while huh?"

Carla nodded, "I'm not forcing you to make any major decisions Wendy. I'm just asking you to consider it. We have to look out for ourselves too, not just the guild."

Wendy nodded and looked up at the run down farmhouse that was now a few yards away.

"Regardless of all of that, it always feels nice to get back home." Wendy smiled widely and she pushed the doors open. "Hey everyone!"

Wendy blinked and her eyes widened. The guild hall was a mess. Barstools were in the rafters, tables were overturned, empty barrels of alcohol were strewn across the guild hall floor. And the furniture wasn't the only thing that was a mess. Wendy saw Macao draped over the bar, blacked out drunk. Wakaba was lying face down on the floor, Jet and Droy were completely wasted in the corner, Nab was stuck in the roof, even Kinana was completely gone. The only one that wasn't passed out was the Reedus, the Pict magic wizard. He was sitting quietly in his usual spot, painting a perfect image of the guild's drunken state.

"I told you so." Carla frowned.

Reedus looked over at the two and waved to them.

"Madmoizelle Wendy, Madmoizelle Carla, welcome home."

"Thanks." Wendy replied as she continued to stare at the rampant destruction of what was obviously a wild party, "Why-"

"Check the windmill." Reedus replied with a smile before he continued his painting.

Wendy raised and eyebrow and quickly walked outside. She craned her neck to look up at the window where she saw a man lying on top of the highest spoke with beer mug in hand. This guy had long brown hair and wore a dirty blue shirt with tan pants that had some stains on them now.

"How in the world did someone get up there?" Carla asked with wide eyes.

"Alcohol can do some weird things." Wendy muttered.

"That's why I don't let you drink it." Carla replied before sprouting her wings, "I'll grab the buffoon."

"Be nice." Wendy mumbled as Carla shot up into the air.

In a couple seconds, Carla had grabbed the guy and flown him back down to the ground. He was snoring the entire time. Carla set him down in the dirt then landed next to Wendy.

"I don't recognize him from the guild. Do you?"

Wendy tilted her head to the side as the guy lay face down in the dirt. There was something familiar about him. But she didn't remember knowing anyone with long brown hair. He looked about her age too. Then she saw it, the hint of metal underneath a leather glove on the left. Her brown eyes widened and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Wendy?" Carla looked over at her friend.

"Joshua?" Wendy whispered.

Carla's own eyes widened and she whipped her gaze back to the young man asleep on the ground.

"That can't be Joshua." Carla reasoned, "Joshua didn't have two arms when he left."

Wendy was about to respond with the story of how he made one but she bit her tongue. She promised him he wouldn't say anything about what they talked about after he left.

"He must've gotten a new one somehow." Wendy replied.

She couldn't believe it. He had come home. Wendy smiled a little as he stirred in his sleep before mumbling some incoherent words.

"C'mon Carla. Help me get him inside."

Carla lifted Joshua's right arm while Wendy wrapped his left over her shoulders. The two dragged Joshua back into the guild hall where several of their guild mates were starting to stir from their drunken sleep.

"Oooooh man." groaned Jet as he held his forehead.

"I don't feel so good Jet." blurped Droy as he held his stomach.

Macao rubbed his own throbbing head as he leaned against the bar counter. He then heard a thump and saw Joshua placed on one of the barstools. His head immeadiately smacked down against the wooden counter and he continued to snore. Macao blinked for a moment before he saw Wendy sit down next to Joshua.

"Oh," Macao yawned and stretched, "Hello Wendy."

"Hi Master." Wendy replied with a smile.

Macao silently burped as he felt the hangover begin to take over. He saw her glanced down at Joshua while Carla excuded disgust as she tried to tidy up the place.

"Where'd he end up?" Macao asked.

"Top of the windmill." Wendy replied as she walked behind the bar counter and grabbed a glass of orange juice.

Macao blinked, "H-how?"

Wendy shrugged, "You tell me."

"Can't, don't remember much." Macao replied as he rested his head on the wooden counter. Lying down further along the counter was a groaning Kinana.

"Must've been quite the celebration." Wendy laughed lightly as she took her seat once again.

"If I can't remember it then it definitely was." Macao rubbed his wrinkled face once again, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you why we had the party."

"I already know," Wendy sipped her juice before nodded her head at Joshua, "He's home."

A mixture of emotions was swirling through her right now. She was overjoyed to see that he had decided to come back to Fairy Tail but at the same time she was still angry with him for the lies she told him all those years ago. She was still upset over the fact that he left in the first place using what she felt was a poor excuse.

Macao nodded, "Heh, he probably didn't want you to see him like this."

"You're probably right."

The door slammed open behind them. Macao winced at the loud noise as his head began to pound once again.

"Wow! This place sure is a dump!" smirked a young man with very poofy black hair. Beside him stood several other trouble makers that caused Wendy to scowl, something she rarely did.

"Thibault." She greeted, "What do you want?"

"Oi, Thibault! The Sky Dragon is here!" exclaimed a short man with black hair and slanted eyes. He wore a light blue, long sleeved shirt with grey pants and a pointy metal collar around his neck.

"I see that." smirked the obvious leader of the troop as he not so subtly grabbed a massive, spiked bat on his back.

"I thought I told you to never come back here." Wendy snarled lowly as she narrowed her gaze at Thibault.

The man wearing the light, red shirt shrugged, "I can't recall."

"Perhaps I should jog your memory." Wendy was about to stomp forward when Thibault held up his hand.

"Hold up Sky dragon. I'm here on my Master's business." He glared over at Macao who was watching the situation unfold, "He wants his payment."

Macao bowed his head and Wakaba looked over at his old friend.

"I thought you paid them Macao."

"I told you to call me Master." Macao said glumly before looking back at the Twilight Ogre troublemakers, "And I did."

"You're still a payment late." Thibault replied back, "I've come to collect."

Macao sighed, "We don't have enough money right now. We can get it to you in full next month. Tell your master that."

Thibault smiled maniacally, "Our master said you'd say that. So, he told us to rough you all up a little bit."

Wendy had enough and charged forwards, her fist balled up. But as soon as she got close to Thibault, the muscular man backhanded her, sending her sprawling on the floor.

"Don't try it. Or I may just have to wreck your pretty face."

The guild hall began to tremble and several tables began to rattle on the floor. Thibault cocked an eyebrow.

"What's going on Thibault?" Asked one of his comrades.

"Dunno? But I know it ain't the little sky dragon." he spat as Wendy got onto her hands and knees. She rubbed her bruised cheek with the back of her hand and was about to unleash on these goons when she noticed the tables shaking.

"Yo, Thibault. Do you feel that?"

Thibault felt it. He could feel it in his bones. The magical pressure in the air was growing dense. But where was it coming from. His gaze shifted to a young man who was rising from a barstool next to this pathetic guild's master.

"Did. You. Just. Hit. Her?" He said lowly to Thibault as he strode forward.

Thibault heard some of his comrades gulp a little. But he wasn't fazed. This guy put on a spectacle but there was no way he was this strong. He was part of this weak guild after all.

"Yeah. So what if I did?"

The guy raised his head so that his eyes were no longer shadowed out by his long hair. Thibault was now subject to the most anger filled and intense stare he had ever felt. The guy balled up his fists and in a flash buried his right hand into Thibault's stomach. Thibault gasped as he felt the air leave his body.

 _How'd he move so fast!?_

"Hey! You'll pay for that!"

A bald man wearing a purple cape over his clothes swung a fist at Joshua. Joshua eyes glanced over and he casually caught the strike with his left hand. He then began to squeeze. The bald man's face twisted in pain as Joshua's mechanical hand began to crush the bones of the man's right fist. He then began to cry out as a crunching sound echoed through the building. All of the Fairy Tail members in the guild hall stared wide eyed at Joshua as he let go of the man's fist and ducked under a punch from a man wearing a green hooded cape. Joshua rolled over to his new attacker and delivered a quick three punch combo followed by a kick to the head that sent the man flying out the door. The bald man ran out after him, terrified of this new fairy. Now only, Thibault, his short companion who fear the Sky dragon, and another bulky man with blonde hair and a red and black shirt stood before Joshua.

Thibault had finally recovered his breath and he quickly grabbed his spiked bat.

"Eat this!" he roared as he swung the bat at Joshua's head.

Joshua smirked and swung his left arm at the bat. As soon as the two collided, the bat shattered into splinters. Thibault's eyes widened in fear as did the eyes of his companions. Joshua quickly dispatched of his two companions, sending them scurrying out of the guild hall before he grabbed the frozen in place Thibault by the neck of his shirt. Joshua pulled the muscular man close.

"Come anywhere near this guild again, and I will break you." Joshua growled, "Understand?"

Thibault nodded immediately and Joshua tossed him violently out the doors. The Twilight Ogre members sprinted away from the guild hall and soon disappeared into the forest as Joshua stepped outside to make sure that they stayed away.

Macao and the others followed him outside, eyes wide with shock at the display of strength they just saw.

"I guess we know how powerful Joshua is now." Warren muttered.

"He didn't even have to use magic to take them on." Droy said with wide eyes.

"Crazy." mumbled Nab.

Joshua exhaled and the furniture in the guild hall stopped trembling. He almost let his anger get the better of him there, he'd have to be more careful. Revan wouldn't have approved of him losing control if he did. Macao immediately noticed the magical pressure plummet around them back down to how it normally felt around here. His shock only increased as the pressure decreased. All of that power was coming from the kid!?

Wendy was equally as shocked. Unlike the others, she knew about Joshua's training in the past seven years. Well, at least that he was training, she didn't know the specifics. But she too was amazed by how drastically his skills had increased. And she thought that she had gotten strong in the past seven years. She needed magic to take on Thibault and his gang. Joshua on the other hand, only needed his fists.

"Hey Joshua, how did you break Thibault's club with just you're… arm?" Asked Warren.

"Yeah, I wanna know that too!" Jet exclaimed.

Joshua sighed as he turned around at the few guild members left in Fairy Tail. He then silently pulled up his blue sleeve and took off his leather glove on his left arm. All of their eyes but Wendy's widened in shock at the copper colored arm.

"Mechanical arm." Joshua replied, "Kinda like Gildarts' arm but maybe a little better." He quickly rolled his sleeve back down and fit his metal hand back into the black leather glove.

"Where did you get something like that?" Wakaba asked as a cigar hung limply in his mouth.

Joshua rolled his shoulders, "Made it." he replied with another half truth.

He did have to make this one. He grew out of his original mechanical arm, so he had to take the parts of that one and build a new one. Ventress made him build it. She said it was a good thing for him to learn. Being away from the Supremacy was causing a lot of good things Ventress taught him to come to light that he never noticed before. He'd have to thank her if he ever went back there. The old hag could be very nasty, but she'd appreciate the gesture.

"Really? That's- that's damn impressive."

"Sure is." Wendy said quietly so that no one else would hear.

Joshua yawned and rubbed his head, "Why do I feel like I hit my head against a brick wall and then ate a dirty sock?"

Macao began to laugh loudly as did Wakaba.

"It's called a hangover kid. You'll get used to it."

"The sun is so damn bright." Joshua complained.

Wendy walked over and placed a healing spell on him that corrected the hangover almost instantly. Joshua blinked as he felt the pulsing headache fade away.

"Thanks Wendy."

The blue haired girl didn't reply. She just turned on her heel and walked back into the guild hall. Joshua blinked and sighed. He did something wrong, again.

"Um… What did I do wrong?" Joshua asked Macao who merely shrugged.

"Dunno." Macao looked past Joshua and saw a trio of travelers walking back up to the guild hall.

One of the travelers had short, spiky black hair and wore a light poncho over his body along with tan pants. The second traveler was a woman with green hair who wore a skimpy black bikini top with an open red vest over top, large black cowgirl boots, and a dark cowboy hat on her head. In between the two walked a young boy with slightly spiky, dark purple hair. He had a glum look about him and wore a purplish red waistcoat that was unbuttoned along with green pants, brown shoes, and an orange scarf. Joshua glanced back over his shoulder and saw them approaching as well. A smile appeared on his face as he recognized all three despite the changes in appearances.

"Bisca, Alzack!" Macao called as the three walked up, "Welcome back!" He then smiled over at the young boy walking past him, "How did the job go Romeo?"

"Fine." he snapped back as he walked past his father.

Joshua frowned, "Now hold up a moment kid."

Romeo stopped walking as he heard the unfamiliar voice of the stranger standing beside his father.

"Why are you talking to your old man like that?"

Romeo shrugged, "What's it to you?"

Joshua saddened a little at Romeo's demeanor. Since when had such a bright kid become so sullen, "Hey Romeo, before you go and sulk in a corner."

"I'm not going to go sulk in a corner."

"Ok." Joshua smiled, "Did you complete my job request?"

Romeo glared over at the stranger, "What job request?"

Joshua clicked his tongue as he walked up to Romeo and knelt down so that he was at eye level with the kid, "The one I gave you seven years ago. I hope you kept it."

Romeo's eyes widened, "J-Joshua."

Joshua grinned then winced as he felt a kick hit him in the stomach.

"That's for leaving!" Romeo shouted before storming into the guild hall. Joshua sighed and stood up, barely feeling the slight ache the kick left on his abdomen.

"Don't take it personally Joshua."

"Since when did Romeo become such a moody turd?" Joshua asked.

"A few days after everything went down seven years ago."

Joshua nodded in understanding before looking over at Alzack and Bisca. He saw how the two were holding hands and then he saw the rings on their fingers.

"So, Alzack finally grew a pair and asked you out?" Joshua smirked.

"Hey!" Alzack exclaimed while Bisca roared with laughter.

"I guess you could say that." She then walked up and hugged Joshua, "It's good to see you again kiddo."

"You too Mrs. Bisca." Joshua replied as their embrace ended.

"Mrs. Bisca!" the cowgirl chuckled, "Hey Alzack! Apparently I'm Mrs. Bisca now!"

"Well you are. You're married to me after all." Alzack replied, "Hey Macao, how's Asuka doing?"

"She's still asleep in the room upstairs." Macao replied, "Put her to bed early so we could celebrate Joshua's return."

"Who's Asuka?" Joshua asked.

"Our daughter." Both Bisca and Alzack replied.

Joshua's eyes widened and his pupils shrank as he stared at the two.

"She'll be what, five in a couple months?" Alzack said.

"She sure will." Bisca smiled, "Our own little cowgirl. She'll be ready to learn magic soon."

"You guys got busy quick." Joshua commented before looking over at Macao, "I can't believe how much everyone has changed."

"I can't believe how much you've changed kid. You've grown up in the blink of an eye." Macao replied as he waved them all to come inside, "Let's get some cards out and play a game."

Joshua chuckled, "How much money do you want to lose geezer."

Just before they could all enter the guild hall a large shadow covered the entire area from above. Joshua tilted his head to the side and looked up to see a giant magic air ship shaped like a white pegasus floating in the sky above them.

"Oh wow! It's the Christina 2!" Kinana exclaimed as she shielded her eyes and looked up.

"Blue Pegasus? What're they doing here?" Macao wondered.

"MEEEEEEEEEEEHN!"

A short, troll like man began to plummet gracefully down towards them. Joshua stared up calmly before taking a short step to the side, allowing the man to face plant right into the ground beside him.

"Oh come on Ichiya sir!" shouted a smooth voice from above, "You could've allowed me to help you out!"

Joshua looked up and saw three men descending in bubbled to the ground. All three wore a sleak suit and all three wore the latest fashion in hair, clothing, and jewelry. Joshua recognized all three as they hit the ground and the bubbles popped, allowing them to walk forward.

"Oh… the trimens." Joshua mumbled unenthusiastically. "Great."

"And me!" said the man who face planted beside Joshua. The man with spiky orange hair and the bulldog esque face began to pose in his white suit, "Ichiya!" He then sniffed the air and looked over at Joshua, "This parfume is so familiar. I must sniff some more."

"You smell me, you die." Joshua glowered at the man.

"But the parfume of friendship is strong on you!"

Joshua rolled his eyes and glanced over at the guild hall door to see Wendy stepping back outside with Romeo to see what the commotion was all about. Almost as soon as she stepped out of the door the Trimens surrounded her.

"Oh my Wendy, you are so beautiful." Said Hibiki as he placed an arm around her.

"Can you be my sister Wendy?" Asked Eve as he gently grabbed her left hand.

Ren held out a box of chocolates at Wendy, "This is for. But don't act like it's anything special."

Joshua sweatdropped. These guys still couldn't keep it in their pants. He had half a mind to go over and teach them a lesson in giving personal space.

"Mehn!" Ichiya clapped, "We are still here on business. Leave the girl alone."

"Yes sir Ichiya sir!" they all said in Unison before lining up behind Ichiya.

"What business are you here for Ichiya?" Macao asked.

"Ah, Master Macao. We have come to give you the results of our ethernano findings."

"Huh?" Macao replied.

"We've been using the systems on Christina 2 to measure ethernanos in the air all over the continent." Hibiki explained, "All of the levels have remained consistent for the past seven years, until now that is."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Why are you asking?" Hibiki replied, "I don't remember you being a member of Fairy Tail."

"I was ten the last time you jokers saw me." Joshua replied sharply, "Of course you don't recognize me."

Ichiya snapped his fingers, "That's how I recognize your parfume." he pointed at Joshua and posed, "You are my sweet honey's little brother, Joshua!"

"She isn't your sweet honey." Joshua muttered as Hibiki cleared his throat to continue.

"The ethernano levels, they have skyrocketed around the area that Tenrou island once occupied."

Joshua felt his heart stop as he stared wide eyed at Hibiki. He didn't even register any of the other words coming out of the Blue Pegasus mage's mouth. That first sentence just kept playing over and over in his mind. He knew what that meant. Ethernano levels don't go up unless there is something big there, like a giant magical tree. Joshua could see it in his mind still. He felt fear and pain that he thought had long since been buried. A part of him hoped what he was concluding was true. Because that meant there was a chance she was alive. But a part of him hoped that he was wrong. He never wanted to lay sight on that speck of land ever again. It was a source of so much pain and suffering that he wanted it to just permanently disappear from his memory.

"Wha-what does that mean?" Macao asked as he tried to absorb this onslaught of new information.

"It means-"

Joshua cut off Hibiki, "Tenrou Island still exists."

 **And Chapter! A little bit of a short chapter, but this one's main purpose is to set up the next one. And you all know what is about to happen. Erza and Joshua are going to be reunited! It'll be fun to write! And if you all noticed, Wendy has a lot more confidence now. I wrote her that way because she has basically been the Ace of Fairy Tail with the Tenrou team gone, she'd have to be strong for the guild in order for them to survive. That would mean that she would probably have to shed her timid demeanor. Anyways, that's why I wrote her that way. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	42. Chapter 42: Siblings Reunite

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter! I delayed this one on purpose because I really wanted to plan this part out and get it right. I hope I did! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 42

The hot sun beat down on the wooden deck of the small ship with a burning intensity that made it incredibly uncomfortable to stay above deck. Jet had already removed his shirt as he tried to stay cool in the blazing heat of the waters just south of the country of Fiore. Warren had followed suit along with Max. They had to beg Droy not to removed his shirt though. That was an image none of them wanted in their head. Jet wiped some sweat from his brow and stumbled along the ship deck. He still didn't have his sea legs and the constant wobbling of the ship was making it difficult for him to move quickly, something the speedy wizard liked to do. Droy was lounging on a chair with his head tilted back as he baked in the sun. Max was up at the wheel steering the ship towards the familiar waters they had searched for weeks all of those years ago. Warren was at the bow of the ship, fingers pressed to his temple as he tried to use his telepathy to communicate with anyone that might be in the area. As Jet walked over to Warren he heard the sound of someone sickly burping to his left. He glanced over and saw Wendy draped over the railing of the ship with Carla rubbing her back.

"She ok?" Jet asked.

"Wendy will be fine. She just has motion sickness." Carla replied.

"*blurp* j-just g-give me a moment *blurp*." Wendy's cheeks puffed out and she threw her head over the side of the ship once again.

"Can't she cast a Troia on herself?" Droy groaned from his seat.

"Her magic doesn't work on herself." Carla explained.

"*Hic* *Blurp* Wh-what Carla s-said." Wendy groaned.

"There, there now Wendy." Carla kept rubbing the blue haired girl's back, "Just let it out and relax."

"So much movement… why is the world spinning so fast?"

Jet couldn't help but laugh a little. She had it just as bad as Natsu did. Jet glanced over at Warren.

 _Speaking of the pyro._ "Hey Warren, you getting anything?"

The telepath shook his head and closed his eyes, "Not a thing." He looked back at Jet, "We've been out here for hours Jet, do you think we will actually find anything?"

Jet shrugged, "I dunno. But you can try to convince Joshua if you want. Be my guest."

Warren gulped. After that display he put on against Thibault and his goons, Warren didn't want to be the person that was going to piss off Joshua by saying they had to go back.

"Why does he get to stay below deck?" Max asked as he leaned against the steering wheel and wiped sweat from his forehead.

"He said something about needing to concentrate and not having any distractions." Jet replied, "Whatever the hell that means?"

Below deck, a young man heard everything that was going on above him. In fact he could see everything above him as well. The force was swarming around him and the ship, he then had it's invisible hands extend out around the ship like a massive invisible cloud as he desperately searched for any sign of Tenrou Island. He smirked a little at Jet's comment. Yeah, he wanted some peace and quiet so he could do his work. But he also didn't want to bake up in the sun. When Joshua first started using his sensory abilities, the others were shocked by how strong they had become. The slight weird feeling they had before was replaced by a full blown buzzing on their bodies as the force moved around them. Joshua took a little bit to explain that to them and the others seemed fine with it. All except Carla that was. She was concerned that he was going to use such an ability to spy on Wendy, especially since she was wearing a swimsuit in order to beat the heat. Joshua just rolled his eyes at the cat and retreated below deck in order to begin his search.

"You tell him Max." he heard Jet's muffled voice say above him.

"Why me?" Max asked.

"Cause you're the strongest one of us other than Wendy and she well-"

"Soooo sick." Wendy moaned before throwing up over the side again.

Max sighed, "Fine, but if I die then I will haunt you."

Joshua frowned as he heard the door to the lower deck open. Light streamed into the space and he heard Max's heavy footsteps against the wooden planks that made up the ship.

Max at first didn't see Joshua. It was so dark down here that he couldn't see a single thing. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. Then he saw Joshua sitting cross legged in the center of the floor, hands on his knees and eyes closed. Max then felt the darkness swirling in the area. It felt like he had just entered a black hole. He felt goosebumps forming on his skin. What nature was this magic that Joshua was using.

"We're not going anywhere." Joshua said quietly with his back turned to Max and eyes still closed.

"H-how did-"

"My sensory magic is on full blast right now. I can sense everything around me right now."

"Well, Joshua," Max paused, "We've been searching this area for the past six hours now. And we've found nothing. You-you've found nothing. It might be time to call it a day."

Joshua's face was like stone as he slowly let his eyes open. A crimson glow was in them but it quickly faded away back to Hazel before he sighed.

"Max, I don't want to give up that easily."

"Neither do we Josh. But we… we just gotta face the facts at this point."

Joshua's shoulders sagged. The sand wizard was right. He had been trying to sense out anything and everything for the past six hours and had come up empty. If he couldn't find it, then no one could. Not even that damn flying pegasus that got his hopes up. Joshua nodded and rose to his feet, letting the force subside in strength around him. Instantly the darkness in the room retreated ever so slightly. Joshua turned to Max.

"Alright, let me just get above deck and have a look around before we go."

Max nodded, "Sure."

Joshua followed the older mage up the creaky steps back to the top deck of the ship. The heat of the day instantly hit Joshua. It felt like he had walked into a wall of fire. Joshua squinted his eyes at the bright light of the sun and felt his pores begin to produce sweat almost instantly.

"Hey, look who came out of his cave." Jet joked as he looked back at Joshua.

"Ha ha." Joshua replied sarcastically, "look at the dumb ones who didn't think of staying below deck. It's a lot cooler down there."

"You said you couldn't have any distractions!" Jet replied.

"Are you now figuring out that was bullshit?" Joshua smirked as he walked past a flabbergasted Jet and stood next to Warren.

"Got anything Warren?"

The man shook his head, "Not a thing."

"*Blurp* Who's up?" Wendy groaned from her spot against the railing of the ship.

"It's just Joshua."

"Oh please don't let him see me like this!" She exclaimed before letting her cheeks puff out once again as her face turned green.

"So you do care?" Joshua laughed, "I thought I pissed you off back at the guild?" He walked up to the two and leaned up against the railing.

"Y-you did *blurp*." Wendy opened her mouth and a blast of wind came out.

"How?" Carla asked, "I thought you'd be thrilled he was home?"

"It's complicated." Joshua replied quickly before Wendy could tell her friend anything.

Carla frowned, "I swear if you tried anything-"

"Relax. I didn't do anything." Joshua laughed, "Although, my sensory magic did make Wendy look really good."

Carla face became absolutely appalled while Joshua just laughed lightly.

"Hang in there Wendy, we'll be turning around now."

"Thank *hic* god."

"What do you mean by sensory magic made Wendy look good!?" Carla demanded but Joshua ignored her as he walked up the stairs to where Max was with the wheel of the ship.

"Ready?" Max asked.

Joshua nodded, "Yeah, let's turn around."

Max raised an eyebrow as he got ready to twist the wheel, "I thought you'd be more upset?"

Joshua nodded in understanding, "A part of me is very upset. But another part of me is relieved that damn island is no more. I hate that place."

"Yeah… I guess if you survived it you'd be happy to know it was gone." Max replied solemnly. He began to turn the wheel, "Alright, let's go home."

Joshua instantly grabbed the wheel with his left hand and held it firm. Max struggled against Joshua's iron grip but the wheel wouldn't budge.

"Hey what gives!?"

Joshua pointed with his right hand at what he was staring at. Max looked out at the ocean and his eyes widened as well. Out on the ocean, appeared a young girl wearing a flowing white dress. She had incredibly long blonde hair with wing like ornaments in it as she stared back at the vessel. But what caused Max's jaw to drop was that she was standing on the water, like it was concrete.

"What the-"

"Max, full speed towards her." Joshua said as he let his sensory magic instantly roar back to life around him.

He sent it's dark tendrils towards the stranger as he tried to figure out who exactly that was. Just as Max was about to ask Wendy for a blast of wind against the sails, the person raised their arms. The entire ocean began to churn and the waves crashed unpredictably around the boat. As this was occurring Joshua's own jaw dropped. This person was stonewalling him. The last time someone was able to block out his sensory abilities this effectively was Ventress back when he was only twelve or thirteen. Who in the world was this girl?

Then his eyes ballooned, as did everyone else on the ship with the exception of Wendy, who was still draped over the side of the ship. Rising out of the waves, was a large orange orb with the Fairy Tail symbol emblazoned brightly on the side of the orb. As the translucent orange object ascended from the waves Joshua felt the magic in the area climb to incredible heights. The force as well, had gone into total flux. Joshua could feel the dark side of the force retreating away from the orb as if it was a plague. The orb stopped it's ascent and stood silently for a moment before the girl clapped her small hands together. Instantly, the orb began to dissolve away revealing what it was protecting. Joshua stared slackjawed as he saw the massive tree that dominated a very familiar looking island.

"No-no way!" Max gasped as he saw the island appear before his very eyes.

"Max, full speed at the island!" Joshua barked.

"Huh- right! Wendy!"

"*blurp* Sky dragon wing a-*blurp* -ttack!" Wendy weakly waved her arms and a blast of wind hit the sails sending the ship clipping through the waves quickly towards the island.

They reached the shore in record time. As soon as the ship beached on the sand, Joshua leapt from the ship and landed easily in the sand. The others soon followed while Wendy was floated down by Carla. Joshua glanced around the shore. This was Tenrou Island. No doubt about it. The force here was exactly the same as it was seven years ago. It was both a relief and really unsettling.

"Where do you think they are?" Jet asked as they slowly made their way up the beach.

"They are safe! Just follow me!" Said the girl that had made the island appear out of nowhere.

Everyone jumped as they suddenly saw her sitting on a bluff next to the beach. She grinned cheerfully at them.

"C'mon, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

"Y-you mean they're all alive!?" gasped Max.

"No way!" Warren exclaimed.

"WE GET TO SEE LEVY AGAIN!" Cheered Jet and Droy as they wrapped their arms around each other.

Joshua stood quietly in the sand. _Erza…_ His eyes widened as he remembered the state she was in when she flung him away from the island. _Hang on Erza!_ Joshua turned and grabbed Wendy.

"C'mon!" He began to sprint down the beach with Wendy.

"Where are you going!" Carla shouted. She was about to fly after them when Warren stopped her.

"Hold up Carla! We may need your help lifting the others." He turned to the strange smiling girl, "Lead the way to the others."

"Of course."

….

"Joshua slow down!" Wendy shouted.

"We can't!" Joshua shouted back before he heaved Wendy up into his arms and carried her along the beach as he ran full speed through the sand.

"Why?"

"Erza's hurt. Badly." He explained.

Wendy's eyes widened, "H-how bad are we talking?"

Joshua looked down at her, "Bad enough to scare me." _Please let me get there in time!_

 __Joshua then saw the remanants of his titanic battle with Maul. There were weapons strewn about the sand and scorch marks in the sand from where lightsabers slipped into the land. Parts of the beach were black from smoke as well. Joshua gulped as he saw the scene. He hadn't realized how much destruction the fight had caused. Wendy was also stunned by the rampant destruction. Then she saw the boulder. Joshua saw it as well. The boulder had deep gashes in it from Mauls' lightsaber. It looked the same as when Joshua left the island. And resting against the boulder was a red haired woman wearing a dirty white shirt and blue skirt.

"Erza." Wendy heard Joshua whisper.

Wendy made Joshua put her back down and she rushed over to Erza. She slid in the sand and knelt down beside the unconscious red head. Wendy didn't even need to examine the damage. She already knew it was life threatening just from her appearance. Erza was covered in gashed and scrapes. And there was a large reddish splotch in her shirt. Wendy placed hands over Erza and quickly let her powerful healing magic flow into her. Wendy's hands began to glow an intense green color as her sky magic began to take effect. Joshua then slid to Erza's right and knelt down beside his wounded sister. His eyes were filled with worry and panic as he quickly grabbed hold of Erza's limp right hand with his own.

"Hang on Erza." Joshua said quietly before looking up at Wendy, "Is she-"

Wendy narrowed her eyes, "I can keep her alive. But I'll need some help heal her completely. We have to get her to Porlyusica quickly. I'm… I'm going to be honest Joshua. I have no clue how Erza is even alive."

Joshua looked up at Wendy, "What do you mean?"

"She should be dead." Wendy replied, "That wound in her chest should have killed her. I'm-I'm at a loss right now."

Joshua let out a shuddering breath, "Let me know when we can move her. I'll carry her back to the ship."

Wendy nodded, "Just give me a few more moments."

Joshua gulped and clutched Erza's hand as he felt some tears form in his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so scared and so happy at the same time. He rocked back and forth as he knelt beside Erza. She was alive. He could hardly believe it. This had to be some sort of trick by the Force. But it wasn't, this was real. She was really here. Joshua studied her face. She hadn't aged a single day. She looked exactly the same as when she tossed him away from the island, away from the Dragon. Joshua felt the tears begin to drip down his cheeks. They were a mixture of sadness and joy. A strange combination. He couldn't help but be happy beyond comprehension that Erza was alive. But he also was filled with anger and sorrow. She looked terrible. Her body was broken and she was barely alive. If they hadn't rushed here as soon as they landed then they might've found a body instead of her. Joshua gulped as he watched Wendy unbutton Erza's shirt and place her hands over the hideous lightsaber wound in Erza's chest.

 _More evidence of my failures._

Wendy took a deep breath as she focused on that one spot for several minutes. She then re-buttoned Erza's shirt.

"We can move her now. But carefully." Wendy said sternly, "I'm monitoring her with my magic. If anything changes, we stop moving and I get back to work. Got it?"

Joshua nodded quickly before gently lifting Erza up in his arms.

"C'mon Erza." Joshua and Wendy began to slowly walk back towards the ship leaving the destruction behind, "Let's get you home."

….

Max and Warren raced after the young girl. For such a small girl, she flew over the ground very fast. Only Jet was able to easily keep pace with her. And poor Droy was gasping for breath behind them.

"How much farther are we gonna run?" shouted Max.

As if to answer his question, Jet abruptly stopped in front of him and Max crashed into him.

Max rubbed his face, "Warn me when you stop like that!"

"Sorry!" Jet replied back sheepishly.

"Guys! Look!"

Max followed Warren's finger to a clearing in the jungle canopy. Buried in some dirt was a person with spiky pink hair. He was wrapped in bandages and was lying completely still in the earth. Jet and Droy caught their breath as they recognized the features. Max slowly approached with Warren.

"Is he alive?" Warren whispered.

*SNORE*

Both jumped a foot in the air and raced back behind a tree. They then peered out from behind the tree trunk and heard the man with pink hair snore again before muttering some words under his breath about fire and food. That's when they both sweatdropped.

"Yup, he's alive." Warren muttered.

"And of course he's sleeping."

"Fiiish." They heard a high voice mumble beside them. Both looked down and saw a blue cat poking out from a pile of dirt.

The two wizards blinked before pouncing on the cat, startling it awake.

"HAPPY!" They exclaimed as they squeezed the blue cat.

The cat's eyes shot open as he felt himself get squeezed by the pair. Happy cried out and struggled against the pair of arms before realizing that the arms that were wrapped around him belonged to Max and Warren. Happy's eyes widened as he looked at them.

"Guys!" Happy exclaimed, "What're you doing on the island? And why do you look old?"

"We're not old!" exclaimed Max as he had tears going down his face.

Warren just blubbered as he held the blue cat. He never thought in his life he'd be happy to see the little guy. At that moment, Jet and Droy pounced on Natsu.

"NATSU!" They both shouted as they landed on the guy.

"WAH!" Natsu woke up and instantly lit them on fire, "Who's there!? Where's the crying guy!? Why is there no dragon!?"

Max glanced over and smiled widely while Jet and Droy frantically rolled on the ground trying to put out Natsu's fire that covered them.

"Hey there Natsu." He grinned.

"Max?" Natsu tilted his head to the side, "Why're you so old?"

"I'm not old!" Max exclaimed.

"We're so happy to see you are ok!?" Both Jet and Droy exclaimed as they hugged Natsu yet again.

"Of course I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?" Natsu said. He then saw Droy's massive form, "Since when did Droy become a fat ass!?"

Droy was about to snap back at Natsu when Warren cleared his throat and recovered from the crying he was doing.

"Natsu… you've been gone for seven years."

Nastu blinked, "Huh?"

"He's right." Said the sweet voice of the little girl, "You and the others in your guild have been frozen in time for the past seven years."

Natsu squinted at the blonde haired girl, "I don't get it."

Everyone in the clearing sweatdropped. There was no explaining this to Natsu.

"Oh well, he'll understand soon enough." Warren muttered.

"Hopefully, he is dumber than a rock." Happy shrugged.

"Take that back!" Natsu roared.

Everyone stopped as they heard the thicket near them began to rustle. Natsu glanced over with the others. Jet, Droy, Max, and Warren all smiled widely as they saw Lucy crawl through the bushes with Lisanna, Makarov, and-

"LEVY!" cried Jet and Droy as they rushed up to the shocked, nerdy blue haired girl. The two wizards were about to embrace Levy when they ran head first into an Iron pole. Stepping up beside Levy was Gajeel, covered head to toe in bandages.

"I recognize the skinny weakling." Gajeel grumbled as he looked at Jet, "But who's the fat one?"

"I'm not fat!" Droy exclaimed, "I eat to gain magic power."

"Keep telling yourself that." Jet muttered.

Soon, everyone had arrived at the clearing. It was almost like all of the missing wizards were drawn to the clearing by a mysterious power. Now, all of them sat quietly in the clearing as Max and the others tried to explain to the Tenrou team what happened to them. As they explained Makarov shook his head.

"If you all hadn't aged before my very eyes, then I wouldn't have believed you." The old man grumbled.

More bushes rustled and stepping out of the jungle was Laxus and Freed. Laxus was gently carrying an unconscious Mira in his arms while Freed was struggling with the massive Elfman. Evergreen and Bickslow stared at Laxus and Freed for a moment before rushing over and completely swarming them. On the other side of the clearing appeared Gildarts who complained about feeling the worst hangover he ever had in his life and asking if any of them had seen a guy with a really long pony tail and blue clothes. Soon, all of the others were brought up to speed.

"I don't believe you." Freed said.

"What I don't believe is…" Makarov took a deep breath, "HOW YOU AND LAXUS ARE EVEN HERE! YOU ALL DARED TO COME TO THIS ISLAND WHEN YOU WERE EXPELLED FROM FAIRY TAIL! I OUGHTA POUND YOU INTO THE DIRT!"

Laxus and Freed shrank at the sight as Makarov shouted at them angrily. Makarov was about to continue his shouting when Gildarts laughed and placed a hand on the old man's shoulder.

"They came here to help obviously." Gildarts looked over, "Right Laxus?"

"Uh yeah." Laxus replied.

"See old man. There's no reason to get all worked up."

"I've got plenty of reasons to get all worked up." Grumbled Makarov.

"I happen to agree with your ace third master." Smiled the girl that was now sitting on a tree stump in the clearing. All eyes turned to look at her.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked.

The girl smiled, "I am Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis Vermillion."

"EH!"

Makarov began to stammer out some apologies for allowing Grimoire Heart to come on the island but Mavis just giggled and waved them off.

"Don't worry about it Third. You all fought bravely." She then looked at Freed, "And yes, it has been seven years. Don't believe me, you should see your two youngest members. They're all grown up now."

"Two youngest?" Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Does she mean Wendy and Joshua?" asked Lisanna.

"But…" Lucy's face saddened, "We were told Wendy was killed."

Mavis shook her head, "She wasn't. She survived the island, as did Joshua. Both of them ran off to look for Erza. In fact, they should be waiting at your ship by now."

"She's right." Max said, "We should get back. After all, some of you are wounded. We've got medical supplies on the ship and Wendy of course."

Everyone nodded in agreement and set of to return to the ship. The walk back was quick since they didn't have to find anyone else. As they approached the ship, the Tenrou team saw a young man with long, brown hair waiting at the bow of the small ship. He was wearing a blue shirt with long sleeves, tan pants, and a leather glove over his left hand. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"Who's that? Someone new in the guild?" Freed asked.

"That's Joshua." Max replied.

All jaws dropped as they looked up at the young man. They all then fully realized, it really had been seven years. They all quickly boarded the ship and Joshua turned around to look at all of them. He smiled at Natsu, Gray and Lucy.

"Welcome back you guys!" he grinned widely.

"W-woah!" Lucy stammered, "You've gotten a lot… older."

"I'll say!" Gray said with wide eyes.

Natsu smacked his fist into an open palm, "Older means stronger!" he grinned, "How powerful are you now? I want to find out!"

Joshua chuckled, "Later you pyro." Joshua's smile faded away instantly as he saw Laxus, Freed, and Master Makarov. "Hey… Makarov." Joshua said plainly.

Makarov frowned at Joshua, "What are you doing here? I thought I expelled you."

"Eh!" exclaimed Natsu, Lucy, and Gray.

"I got reinstated by the Master of our guild."

"I'm the master!" Makarov replied but Joshua shook his head.

"Not for the past seven years." Joshua crossed his arms, "So, unfortunately for both of us, we'll have to put up with each other." Joshua's gaze then moved to Laxus and Freed, "And unfortunately for them, they'll be stuck on a boat with me for a few hours."

Freed gulped as Joshua stared him down. Laxus just glared back at Joshua with a stare almost equal in intensity. The air was silent around them.

"There can only be one." both muttered at each other, "WHAT'D YOU SAY!?" Laxus and Joshua's foreheads pressed together as they glared at each other.

"I'm the only outcast allowed in the guild!" Laxus shouted.

"Outcast means you're not allowed period." Joshua snarled, "Sparky."

"Don't call me sparky, you hippy bastard."

"Just cause I have long hair doesn't make me a hippy!" Joshua shouted back.

"Do you want me to teach you a lesson in pain, kid!" spat Laxus.

"How did it go last time sparky? Oh yeah, I electrocuted you! And I'd be happy to do it again."

"ENOUGH!" shouted a new voice from the doorway that led below deck.

Joshua gulped and Laxus glanced over to see a blue haired woman stomping towards them. Wendy stormed forward and pushed Laxus and Joshua away from each other.

"You two knock it off. I don't need fighting breaking out when I've got a person in critical condition below deck!" She growled. Laxus gulped. He didn't know who this girl was but she was surprisingly intimidating.

Wendy exhaled, "Max! Hurry up and cast off! I need Ms. Porlyusica's help with Erza!"

Max nodded and raced up to the wheel. Wendy then summoned a large amount of wind and sent it surging against the white cotton sails. The sails billowed out and the ship pulled away from the island. Below deck, Joshua sat quietly beside Erza while Wendy continued to use her Sky magic to heal her extensive wounds.

"You didn't have to intervene with me and Laxus." Joshua said as he leaned back against the wall, arms crossed.

Wendy glared up at Joshua which quickly shut him up.

"How come you're not motion sick right now?"

Wendy stared annoyed at Joshua as if to say, don't bother me I'm still mad at you.

"Since when did you get so intimidating?" Joshua asked.

"Since I had to be the guild's ace and take care of everyone for the past seven years." She replied back as she reached into a pack and pulled out some bandages.

Joshua pursed his lips and decided to stay quiet. It was obvious she was not in a talking mood.

"You're going to help me get her to Porlyusica's as soon as we get back." Wendy ordered.

"Of course." Joshua replied.

He looked down at Erza as she stirred slightly and moved her head to the left. Joshua clenched his jaw and looked over at Wendy. Her magic power was beginning to dip. He hadn't realized how much strain she was putting on herself to heal Erza. Joshua folded his hands in his lap and leaned over to Wendy.

"Hey, take a break."

Wendy shook her head stubbornly.

"You said she was stable." Joshua frowned at Wendy, "You can't heal her if you run out of magic. I'll keep an eye on her, you go up with the others for a bit. If anything changes I'll grab you."

Wendy sighed and looked up at Joshua. Joshua nodded to her.

"I got this." he said quietly.

Wendy looked at him then back at Erza. She was stable at least. And she was Joshua's big sister. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Wendy sighed and let her magic fade away.

"Fine," she stood up, "I'll be just above deck."

Joshua nodded and Wendy quickly strode out to the deck of the ship leaving Joshua alone with Erza. Joshua silently watched Erza for a few moments.

"I'm glad you're ok." he said to her. He took a shaky breath, "You'll be ok. I won't lose you again." Joshua leaned his head back against the hull of the ship, "I won't lose you ever again."

 **And chapter! I planned on making the reunion one big chapter, but there are a lot of details to cover so I decided to break it up in order to keep the chapters of a good quality for you guys. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	43. Chapter 43: He Has Chosen A Dark Path

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! OR HAPPY HANUKAH! OR HAPPY WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE TODAY! I've got a new chapter for you guys! My present to you! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 43

Erza's eyes fluttered open. Her body immediately tensed up as she braced for the unimaginable pain she was expecting. But surprisingly, there was no pain. She felt completely fine. In fact, she felt great. Erza stared up at the strange looking ceiling above her and frowned. This wasn't the guild hall. As far as she knew, the guild hall didn't have a smooth, metal roof in the infirmary. So where in the world was she? Erza carefully sat up, still under the impression she might be injured. She looked down and was surprised to see that she was in some rather strange clothes. They were cream colored robes that fit nicely around her. Erza raised an eyebrow, she didn't remember having an outfit like this. And she wasn't the biggest fan of the look either. Erza closed her eyes and attempted to requip into her armor. She sighed and looked down to see that she was still in the robes.

 _The hell?_

Erza tried again. And once again, the requip spell failed. What was going on? Erza frowned and glanced around the room she was in. It was a plain looking room. A simple desk was next to the simple bed and there was a small opening in the wall that led to what looked like a bathroom. But there was no door to get out. Erza then noticed the window beside the bed she was sitting in. She quickly peeked out as she tried to figure out where in the world she was. Her eyes widened when she saw the outside world. Outside of the room, was the biggest city she had ever seen in her life. Even bigger than Crocus. Some of the towers she was seeing jutted up into the sky for what seemed like forever, their tops lost in the in the white clouds that hovered high overhead. Swarming around the buildings were magic mobiles unlike any Erza had ever seen. All of them were somehow flying and they were speeding around as fast as her eye could see.

 _What is this place!?_

 __Erza carefully backed away from the small window and clumsily fell backwards out of the small bed.

"Ouch…" she muttered.

"Are you alright?" she heard a voice say behind her.

Erza looked towards the other side of the room from where she was lying down. Standing in the doorway was an older looking man with short light brown hair. He sported a well kept beard the same color as his hair and had bright blue eyes. The man looked exhausted but also surprised to see Erza in the room. Erza glanced him over and saw that beneath the brown cloak he was wearing were the same cream colored robes she was in, only slightly dirty and… were those burns in the fabric? Erza then saw what was hooked onto the dark belt beneath his cloak. There was no mistaking it. It looked to similar to what Maul and Joshua carried into battle just moments ago. Erza jumped to her feet and readied herself for a fight, but the man just raised his hands.

"Easy now. There is no need for you to be alarmed." he said softly.

Erza narrowed her eyes, "Where am I?"

"Well, you're in my room for one." The man walked in, hands still raised in front of him, "and you are in the Jedi Temple young one."

Erza frowned, "What is the Jedi Temple? Who are you? How did I get here?"

The man seemed to frown slightly, "Are you not someone's padawan?" he asked as he slowly let his arms cross over his chest.

Erza glared over at the man as she stood up, "I don't know what you are talking about. That last thing I remember is being on Tenroujima with a sword wound in my chest and bracing for death by dragon. Now I wake up and I'm in a strange room with a strange person and I have no access to my magic?"

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"I'd like to know how I got here before I blow a gasket and start aggressively asking around." Erza said trying to intimidate the older man.

The man stared incredulously at Erza, "You're speaking nonsense."

"I'm not crazy!" Erza replied, "What's crazy is this place."

The man frowned and was about to call for some assistance when the door behind him hissed shut on it's own. The man's hand instantly went to the silver cylinder on his belt and he ignited it on instinct. Erza gulped as she heard the low hum that sent shivers down her spine. She hated that sound. It reminded her of some terrifying battles. But what intrigued her was the blue glow coming from the lightsaber. She had never seen one that glowed blue before. She knew red was the color of the Sith, whatever they were, they were evil that's all she need to know. But she had no idea who would use a blue lightsaber.

"What's going on?" the man asked Erza lowly, "Why did you lock us in here?"

"I didn't do anything." Erza replied, "And you still haven't answered my question!"

"Are you a separatist spy!?" the man demanded to know as he pointed the deadly glowing weapon at Erza, "If so how did you get in here?"

"What the hell is a separatist?"

The man stared down Erza for a moment. He couldn't sense any deception coming from the woman with the incredibly red hair. She was genuinely lost. Still, that didn't mean he was about to let his guard down. War had taught him that it was always best to air on the side of caution. He was about to further interrogate the woman when he felt a very familiar presence enter the room.

"Obi Wan, what did I tell you about being so reckless?" said a kind voice in the room that seemed to be coming from nowhere.

"Who said that?" Erza asked bewildered as she whipped her head around. This situation was growing more and more confusing.

"Qui gon?" breathed the man in shock.

"Obi wan, she is not an enemy." the kind old voice said, "Put away your weapon. I need to speak with both of you."

Obi Wan hesitated for a moment before exhaling and deactivating his lightsaber.

"How are you speaking to us Master?" he asked quietly.

"Who is speaking to us? Can someone please explain to me what is going on!?" Erza was started to get a little past the point of irritation.

"My name is Qui Gon Jinn." The voice said, "The man before you is my former apprentice, Obi Wan Kenobi. I am speaking to both of you through the force."

"The what?"

"That's incredible." Obi Wan gasped.

"Obi Wan, this is Erza Scarlet. The older sister of a young boy we both met over ten years ago. Remember… the one I helped escort to the library."

Obi Wan's eyes widened, "I remember. But how is she the older sister? She looks no older than nineteen. The boy was ten when we met him."

"The force works in mysterious ways." Qui Gon's voice replied, "What we saw was an apparition. A glimpse into the future." Obi Wan's eyes stayed wide, "The boy even now, does not exist. And young Erza here, is most likely not even born yet either."

"Seriously, can someone please tell me what's going on?" Erza grumbled.

"Erza, I have been attempting to contact you like this for a long time." Qui Gon replied, "I needed to speak to you. It just so happens, that the force has chosen Obi Wan to also be present for this conversation." Erza narrowed her eyes, "I am glad I was finally able to contact you. I have been blocked from doing this for some reason. The need to speak with you had grown more and more urgent."

Erza frowned, "Why?"

"Because Erza, young Joshua has taken a dark path."

Obi Wan's jaw tensed, "Do you mean the path of the Sith, master?"

Erza gaped at Obi Wan, "He couldn't have! He doesn't even know what that is."

Both Erza and Obi Wan got the sense that Qui Gon was nodding.

"He has followed the path of the dark side." Erza's heart jumped to her throat. She didn't fully trust these guys, whoever they were. But she had a gut feeling that they were not lying to her. "But he hasn't fallen to the dark side."

Obi Wan raised an eyebrow, "I don't understand? I thought following the dark path meant-"

"It means to study it Obi Wan. But it doesn't mean to give into it." Erza let out a relieved sigh. "But it does make him much more susceptible to falling to the dark side. And if that happens, the galaxy itself could be put into peril. Thankfully, a friend of mine was able to speak with him. But there is still a real possibility that the darkness in him can take over. "

Erza let her jaw hang open a little. The galaxy? What does that even mean? Was she on some other planet?

"How so Master?"

"Joshua is incredibly powerful in the force. And his power has grown exponentially recently. I feel, that if he were to fall, then the dark side would reign supreme for years to come. The force would become unbalanced, and I'm not sure it would ever recover. At least, not until a new hope would come."

"The boy is that powerful?" Obi Wan said stunned.

"Joshua is only ten." Erza replied, "He can't be that strong yet. I mean, he's strong, I have witnessed that. But he isn't strong enough to put a galaxy in peril."

"The Force says otherwise." Qui Gon sighed.

"How can we prevent this Master? We already have one Sith lord causing chaos in the galaxy." Obi wan asked, "We cannot have another."

"That is why I wished to talk with Erza so urgently. Erza, you are one of the few links Joshua has left to the light. You and the girl named Wendy are what is anchoring him." Erza eyes widened, "His desire to protect both of you is what is keeping him from falling to the Dark Side." Qui Gon paused for a moment and Erza noticed that this vision was beginning to blur, "We are out of time. Erza, listen carefully." Erza felt her consciousness being to slip, "Keep Joshua close. Be there for him when he needs it. And he will not fall." Erza's vision went black.

Obi Wan stared in shock as the woman flickered then vanished into thin air. Obi Wan slowly moved over to where she was once standing and waved a hand where she was supposed to be. There was nothing but air.

"Master, what in the world was all of that?"

There was no response. His master had left, his presence was no longer in the room. Obi Wan sighed and sat down on his bed.

"Even in death he is able to confuse me."

….

Joshua frowned and he looked down at his mechanical arm. The armor casing he had around the arm had been removed and the parts were placed neatly beside him. The many wires, gears and pistons of his mechanical are were exposed to the air. Joshua blew some air onto a group of wires before using a small toothbrush in his right hand to scrub the metal gears and pistons. As he was doing this a spark flew out and Joshua winced in pain as his mechanical arm twisted funny.

"Dammit." he mumbled.

Joshua set the toothbrush down and used to force to call over a very small screwdriver and some pliers. He had the screwdriver hover beside his arm as he gently pulled the wires to the side. Joshua frowned as he looked down at the intricate inner workings of his arm.

"Yup, that stupid club knocked a screw loose." He muttered before using the force to gently lower the screwdriver down into his arm, "I can't believe I didn't notice that until now."

"What are you working on?" asked a woman's voice.

"Hm?" Joshua looked to his right and saw Wendy walking up to him. "My arm." he fidgeted with the screwdriver a little more as Wendy sat down in the grass beside him, "That club that one twilight ogre guy used managed to knock a part or two loose." Another small burst of sparks came from the forearm and Joshua winced before smacking his arm.

"Son of a rancor!"

Wendy giggled a little and Joshua glanced over at her.

"I thought you were pissed at me."

Wendy leaned back on her elbows, "I'm not too mad anymore. Carla was right, I should just be glad you're home. And what happened in the past should just stay there."

Joshua nodded, "I couldn't agree more on that." He pulled some more wires out of the way, "How's Erza?"

"Porlyusica was able to stabilize her. She's just resting up now. Although, I do need to go in every now and then and help Porlyusica with some of Erza's wounds." Wendy heard Joshua grunt as more sparks flew, "I figured you'd be with her in the room."

"Well, I trust you and the old lady. You all patched me up really well seven years ago. So, I shouldn't be worried."

Wendy smirked, "If you really weren't worried you'd be playing cards with Macao and Wakaba instead of messing with your arm."

"Heh," Joshua floated another tool over to his right hand and began to fidget with some wires, "You're probably right."

Wendy peered over at the complex mass of machinery that was Joshua's arm.

"Need any help?" she asked.

Joshua shook his head, "Nah, I can get it." He twisted the screwdriver and another shower of sparks came out from the arm. Instead of cursing though, Joshua grinned, "There we go." he dropped the tools into the dirt and used the force to place the metal casing back over his arm. The casing snapped shut and Joshua made sure it was tightly sealed. He then wiggled the fingers quickly and twisted his forearm, "Much better."

The small hut door opened behind them. Both Joshua and Wendy looked back and saw Porlyusica standing in the doorway of her hut.

"She's awake if you want to see her."

Joshua gulped and looked nervously over at Wendy.

"She won't recognize me." Joshua breathed.

"So?" Wendy replied, "She's your sister! Go say hello already!"

Joshua nodded and got to his feet before quietly walking into Porlyusica's hut.

….

Erza's eyes slowly opened and she instantly felt a wave of aches and pains all over her body. She quietly uttered a groan and squeezed her eyes shut as the sunlight that was streaming through a circular window nearly blinded her. She then carefully opened her artificial eye and looked up to see a familiar wooden ceiling. She was in Porlyusica's hut. Which meant she had survived the dragon attack somehow. Erza smiled a little. It was nice to know that she didn't go down that easily. She then remembered the vision she just had. Panic arose in her as she thought of Joshua. She had tossed him away from the island and into the ocean as a last ditch attempt to save him from the dragon. Erza tried to sit up and begin search for him when she felt a gentle hand push her back down into the bed's warm embrace.

"Take it easy Erza. You took a beating." said a man's voice to her right.

Erza blinked. Since when did Porlyusica have allow anyone in her hut other than the injured? Erza turned her head to look at the person who just spoke to her. Her entire body ached as she moved but she fought through the pain. Sitting beside her on a small wooden stool was a young man with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail behind his head. He wore a simple, blue long sleeved shirt with tan pants. A black leather glove covered his left hand while his right hand rest on the mattress. Erza raised an eyebrow. She didn't recognize this person. Was he a new guild member?

"Who are you?" she croaked.

She noticed that the question seemed to cut the young man deep. His face became solemn and she saw some water brim up in his once happy hazel eyes.

"I-I thought I was prepared for this." the young man shuddered, "But I guess hearing you say that in real life was more of a jolt than I thought it'd be." Erza raised an eyebrow. What was he going on about? "I should've expected it though. It has been seven years."

Erza blinked. "What?"

"Erza…" Porlyusica was now standing at the foot of her bed, "You and the others that went to the S-class trials were under some sort of time freeze spell for the past seven years."

Erza looked at the old healer, "You can't be serious." She croaked quietly, "It feels like just yesterday that we were there."

"That's what the spell does. You are physically the same age as what you were seven years ago. So is everyone else. Except…" The man took a deep breath, "Except for the two that were able to escape the island."

Erza stared hard at the young man. His hazel eyes were still a little watery but he now seemed very relieved to be looking at her. But why?

 _He has some nice eyes…_ Erza thought for a moment, _Nice happy_ _hazel eyes…_ Her own brown eyes slowly widened. _I only know one person with those eyes. But- but it can't be-_

"J-Joshua?" she croaked.

The young man nodded slightly before smiling, "This is a bit of a role reversal isn't it? Usually I'm the one in your position and you'd be the one sitting in the chair." Erza gaped at the young man, "Yeah… it's me big sis."

Erza felt the air catch in her throat. It couldn't be. But if what Porlyusica just said is true then it would make sense. She had thrown Joshua away from the island. So he wouldn't have gotten caught up in the blast or whatever time spell she had been under. Which means he would've gotten older. It means he grew up without her there. Erza let out a shaky breath as the full weight of what had just happened hit her. Joshua was all grown up now. And she wasn't there to see it. She felt some tears come to her eyes.

"Joshua," She gulped, "You're-you're all grown up."

Joshua smiled a little, "I guess I am huh."

That did it. Erza began to sniffle and cry. Joshua cried out in panic.

"Why are you crying Erza!? Don't cry! Is something hurting you? Should I get Wendy?"

Erza laughed a little through her sniffles, "You may be grown up but you are still just as clueless as before."

"Huh?"

"Joshua," Erza forced herself to lean up against the headboard despite Joshua and Porlyusica's protests, "I'm- I'm so sorry." Erza gripped the sheets tightly as she bowed her head, "You had to go through life without me for so long." Erza sniffled, "I can't imagine-"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Joshua smiled at her as Erza raised her head to look at her grown little brother, "You did what you could. And now, you're back. Everyone is back. And we are a family again."

Erza felt a wide smile break out across her lips, "Right." she nodded.

"Now, you need to rest up." Joshua stood to his feet, "I swear if I see you out of bed without Porlyusica's permission I'll have to do something drastic."

"Ha!" Erza scoffed lightly, "Like what? Beat me up? A little late for that."

"No, something even you would find devastating."

Erza thought for a moment then her eyes widened, "You wouldn't!"

"Stay in bed, or I'll make sure there is no strawberry cake when you wake up."

"THAT IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT!" Erza shouted before coughing and instantly regretting that she raised her voice.

Joshua laughed and went over to the door, "I'll let you and Wendy do your thing." he said to Porlyusica before looking back at Erza, "It's good to see you again Erza."

He quietly shut the door behind him and Erza smiled.

"He's become a good man." she heard Porlyusica say as the old woman began to mix some potions nearby.

"Has he?"

The old woman nodded, "He was gone for several years. Training I think. But as soon as he came back he was able to protect the guild and find you. I've never seen the guild more alive than when he came back."

Erza couldn't help but beam with pride as she saw Joshua through the window, sitting down beside a beautiful blue haired woman. Then she realized, he was sitting down next to a girl.

"Is that his girlfriend?" Erza asked with a slight snarl.

"Oh relax!" Porlyusica barked, "That's Wendy! Those two have always been close but I'd hardly call them a couple."

Erza blinked as she stared at Wendy, "Oh my gosh. She's grown up too!"

"Yes she has. She was evacuated from the island by a magic council member due to injury. And from Joshua's account, that's when you arrived to help him fight this Maul creature."

Erza's blood went icy in her veins at the very mention of Maul's name. But she quickly was able to calm down. Maul was dead. Killed by that man with black hair and the toga.

"Erza, drink this."

Porlyusica walked over and handed Erza a bottle with a pink liquid in it. Erza didn't even question the old woman. She just quickly uncorked the clear bottle and down the liquid before handing the empty bottle back to Porlyusica. Erza heard Wendy bust out laughing. She glanced back out the window and saw Joshua flailing about with his left arm spraying blue sparks.

"He replaced his missing arm with an artificial one that he built." Porlyusica said noticing Erza's confusion, "It's quite a marvel of engineering if I say so myself."

Erza sighed, "So much has changed."

The old healer nodded, "You'll get up to speed eventually. For now lay back and rest. I want to get you out of here as soon as possible."

Erza nodded and lay back down flat in the bed. She suddenly felt very tired and soon her eyelids shut and she embraced the welcoming arms of sleep.

….

The dark cave that was hidden in the northern edge of the valley was as quiet as a tomb. Not a single sound came from it. But the silence was soon broken by the sound of boots crunching against the ground. Appearing from the deep shadows of the night was a man with black hair that drooped slightly past his eye. His eyes blazed with determination as he strode towards the cave. He stopped for a moment outside of its gaping mouth. A cold wind blew through the area causing his coat to sway in the wind and expose his arms to the biting cold. But the cold did not bother the man. He hardly noticed it at all. The man calmly raised a hand and held it out in front of him. His hand pressed up against an invisible barrier. The man frowned and muttered a few words under his breath. The barrier glowed orange for a moment before burning away like paper being held to a match. The man exhaled before entering the dark shadows of the cave.

As soon as he went into the cave he felt the presence nearby. All five presences to be exact. He had disturbed their long slumber. Good, he wanted to take care of them anyways.

"Who enters the domain of Naga Sadow!?" roared a red skinned creature that stomped from the shadows.

The man's expression was emotionless as he waved his hand through the air. Naga Sadow uttered a short scream before exploding into nothingness. The landscape around him hadn't even finished forming when this occurred. The world shifted and now a hulk of a man in dark gray armor charged at the man.

"You are forbidden to be here!" Malgus roared as he charged at the man, lightsaber raised.

The man's face was like stone as Malgus swung the blade. As he blazing red sword descended the man calmly raised his bare hand and caught the blade as if it were a mere stick. Malgus' eyes widened as he saw the mad tightly grab the red lightsaber blade before twisting it out of Maglus' hands. A ball of black energy formed in the man's left hand and was launched at Malgus. In the blink of an eye, a massive explosion engulfed Malgus, obliterating him in seconds. The hangar disappeared and now the man stood in a dark cave.

Two figure slowly stepped from the shadows of the cave. One was a hideous looking man. He looked half dead. His skin was cracked like dried mud and his right eye was completely opaque. The second figure was hidden within dark robes. The only visible thing of the second figure was the white mask that looked eerily like a skull.

"A fight at long last." snarled the half dead looking man as he grabbed his lightsaber and activated it.

"Indeed." Hissed the phantom like figure beside him as he activated his own lightsaber, "But keep on your guard Sion. This one is diff-"

Blue lightning leapt across the cave and slammed into the phantom figure. The phantom screeched in pain as the lightning crackled around his shadowy form. With a final burst of electricity, the ghost like figure dropped to the ground, smoke streaming up from his dead body. Sion stared at the man stalking towards him. He felt fear grip him as he began to fathom the amount of power this mysterious person wielded.

"Darth Sion." The man said lowly as his onyx eyes changed to a dark crimson color, "You are standing in my way."

With a wave of his hand, the man buried Sion underneath tons of rubble as the cave collapsed around him. The man didn't even move as the cave crumbled around him. He simply set up a barrier around him. Soon, the cave fully collapsed and all that was standing was the man in his barrier, surrounded by rubble. He exhaled once again as he let his powers subside a little. He then felt the final presence approach. This one was far more powerful than the previous four. It made the man actually frown. This one may end up being a challenge. He turned around and saw that he was standing at the peak of the temple that was inside of this cave. Standing across from him was a tall man wearing layers of brown and black robes with an ancient Mandalorian mask hiding his face.

"Revan." The man acknowledged.

"You." Revan snarled, "You are not permitted here."

The man made no show of emotion, "Yet here I am." he said monotonously.

"Yes," Revan began to circle the man, "Why?"

The man's red eyes followed Revan, "A new era has come. The old one has passed. Which means that the spell on this temple must be released."

Revan stopped his circling, "You do that, and you will expose this planet to the rest of the galaxy. The Sith will find this planet, they will come here, and they will destroy everyone!"

The man smiled, "Good."

Revan shook his head before he grabbed his own lightsaber and activated it.

"I cannot allow you to do that."

"Once the sith come, I can take care of two birds with one stone. The sith will wipe out life on this planet." The man built up the magical pressure around him to heights Revan could barely fathom, "Then I shall destroy the sith." Revan charged and the man sidestepped the lightsaber before summoning a black energy ball and placing it an inch away from Revan's mask, "Once the sith are destroyed. I will be the most powerful being in existence. Then… not even Acnologia can oppose me."

Revan sighed and closed his eyes as a mighty black explosion roared in his ears and engulfed his ethereal form. He was now one with the force.

 **And chapter! Interesting chapter, Erza had her first force vision. She was reunited with Joshua after seven years. And someone just completely wiped out the Sith temple in the valley. I wonder what'll happen next. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	44. Chapter 44: Farewell Old Hag

**Hey everyone! I've got an itch to write right now. Just can't help it, so here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 44

The Supremacy remained nestled in the thick wildlife and flora of the valley it was hidden in. To most it would be a serene scene. One that would bring peace as birds chirped cheerfully around the metal hulk that had crashed in their domain. But to the person sitting outside the main hatch, it was a scene that utterly disgusted her. There was too much bubbly goodness in this system. It the pale woman want to retch. But still, it was nice to get some fresh air. One could only stand the artificial oxygen of the Supremacy for so long. And the sun, it was so warm and inviting. The woman closed her eyes and let it's rays kiss her skin before they shot open again.

 _NO!_ She scolded herself, _No enjoying life. You are supposed to be a miserable Sith!_

But this sun was nice. Ventress leaned back against the hull of the ship and exhaled.

"It's too damn quiet now." She mumbled as she reminisced about the annoying little brat she had successfully trained.

"I could give you some conversation Lady Ventress." replied the robotic voice of a B1 battle droid beside her.

Ventress quickly glanced over at the battle droid.

"Shut up." she snapped and the battle droid instantly replied with it's typical roger roger before returning to attention beside the hatch.

Ventress rolled her eyes. It wasn't that she wouldn't mind the friendly conversation. It's just that it would be a conversation with a B1 battle droid. That would be like having a conversation with a toddler that had just decided to consume a death stick. In short, it would be asinine and would drive her absolutely insane. Probably to the point that'd she'd destroy the machine. And she didn't want to do that. They were a luxury to have right now. Ventress sighed. She never thought she'd actually somewhat miss the brat and his antics. It provided some entertainment everyday. But now she was alone with a crotchety old ghost that she hated and some idiotic battle droids. Yup, living the dream.

The heat suddenly began to die away despite the sun's lively presence. Ventress frowned. She knew what this feeling was. Someone that used the dark side was approaching. And clearly, this person was very powerful. Ventress let the force guide her sense as she tried to find its origin. She then felt a tremendous tremor in the force that made her feel incredibly woozy. The dark side of the force itself seemed to be screaming out in pain. It was something that she had never felt before and it made her want to crawl into a ball and hide. That was when he appeared from the pine forest around the ship.

He wore a simple black coat with gold trimmings and a white toga wrapped overtop. He had black hair atop his youthful head and his eyes were a dark onyx color that seemed like an endless black sea. Ventress didn't delude herself as she saw the human male approaching. The power she had been sensing was originating from him. Ventress gulped and rose to her feet.

"Hold it right there." She hissed.

The man stopped his advance and stared down Ventress.

"Who are you and how did you find this ship?" She asked the man.

The man's brow furrowed as looked at the Separatist dreadnought. His gaze then fell on Ventress and his lips bent into a slight frown.

"Yet another sith." he muttered quietly, "How many must I destroy before you all take a hint."

Ventress narrowed her eyes and quickly grabbed her twin lightsabers. She pressed the buttons and the red blades hummed to life at her sides.

"I'm giving you one chance to back away human. Or I will make this messy." She snarled.

But she didn't even believe her own attempt at intimidating the man. On the contrary, she felt like she sounded like a ten year old bully on a school yard trying to intimidate the one kid she knew could fight back. It was an empty threat she just made, and she knew it. Ventress then winced again as the dark side of the force cried out in agony again. The man took notice as well.

"I see. You were connected to that temple as well."

Ventress' eyes widened. This human found the temple! But how?

"You are now asking yourself how I found it." the man stated simply, "It is a simple explanation. I've been there before." He slowly walked towards Ventress who held her lightsabers weakly out in front of her, "Have you ever wondered why this planet, despite a massive Sith temple being present, was never discovered by anyone?"

Ventress raised an eyebrow, "My former master said it was hidden away by the ancients."

The man nodded, "Somewhat accurate. If four hundred years is considered ancient then yes, it was hidden away. This planet was hidden by a powerful spell so that no Sith would ever set foot on this world ever again." The man moved closer to the dreadnought, "I cast that spell to protect this world. To save lives. When the Sith ruled here thousands of years ago, the people suffered. They were slaves and servants. Nothing more than meat to be bought, sold, killed, and bred. They served their Sith masters, building temples and academies for them. But then they left suddenly. And they never returned until roughly four hundred years ago, when the temple was rediscovered by a Sith Lord named Darth Ramage. An inquisitive one for sure. He was searching for clues to immortality." The man leaned casually against the hull of the ship, completely ignoring the deadly hum of Ventress's swords pointed at his chest, "That's when he met me."

"You are claiming to be centuries old. For a human that is impossible." Ventress replied with disbelief etched into her voice.

"For a normal human it is impossible. But for one cursed by the gods themselves, immortality is a way of life. You see, Ramage found what he was looking for in me. During that day and age, I was hungry for knowledge. So I made a deal with him. I would reveal to him the secrets of immortality if he would teach me his magic, or the force as you call it.

Of course I had no intention of revealing any secrets. I didn't know how it worked myself. All I knew was that I could not die. But I didn't tell him that. I absorbed what he taught me like a sponge until he felt it necessary for me to pay up my end of the bargain." A small smirk spread across the man's face, "That's when I killed him. Only then did I realize what I had just done. I had alerted his apprentice of where I was. I never learned his name becuase he was never able to find this place. You see, at the same time as I killed Darth Ramage, I finished my greatest project, END. With it completed my goal was in sight. But then…" The man trailed off a little, "A damn black lizard decided to intervene along with his brethren. And I also naively gained a new appreciation for life."

"You are speaking total nonsense right now." Ventress grumbled.

"Maybe." The man stood up straight again, "I've kinda been monologuing a little haven't I? The point is, the Sith temple here was hidden by me. I hid it so that the Sith would never come here again. So that they not only would never enslave the people here again, but so that they would never come across the dragons that lived here. Can you imagine? A sith lord with dragons at his beckon call. It's a terrifying thought. But during this time, I also saw the evil of the world. I swore that if the world failed to change, if it failed to expel its darkness and evil, I would return and I would lay waste to it. And the first step has been taken. I plan to accelerate the destruction of this world, by allowing the Sith to find it once again. I ended my spell over the temple. And those guardians inside of it were greatly weakened because of it. Now… the planet's magic is flashing like a beacon to the rest of the universe. And soon, the Sith shall arrive, and this world will end."

Ventress stared incredulously at the man. This human had to have eaten a death stick or two. He was talking about the literal end of this planet. The destruction of all life on it. Even by Sith lord standards, such a step was extreme.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked while her lightsabers slowly fell to her sides.

The man smirked at Ventress, "Because, you won't be alive to tell anyone."

"Huh?"

A pillar of black light engulfed Ventress and the Supremacy. The massive ship was vaporized instantly by the magical attack. But Ventress remained. Her body fell from the sky and landed heavily on the scorched earth. She lay completely still, not even breathing. The man pursed his lips.

"And so ends another Sith." he said before he looked into the wreckage and saw a slight red glow beneath some rubble.

The man wandered over and sifted through the metal until he came across the a golden pyramid with a red glow emanating from it. The man frowned and quickly pocketed the artifact. He rose and surveyed the damage around him. There was nothing left of the Supremacy. The man nodded to himself. His work was done here. And within minutes, he disappeared once again into the forest.

As soon as she was sure he was gone, Ventress gasped and cried out in agony. Her whole body felt like it had been lit of fire. Only the force was keeping her alive at this point. Her scarred lungs wheezed for air as she lay there in the rubble. Her charred fingers fumbled to a small pouch on her hip. Silently praying to any deity she could think of she reached into the scorched pouch and breathed a sigh of relief through her cracked lips. The communicator was still there. She had stationed some droids nearby, away from the ship as a precaution. Ventress shakily pressed a blinking green button on the communicator. Within minutes three humanoid droids stomped towards the blast zone.

They were different from the other battle droids. If droids could look muscular, then they were indeed muscular. Their silver metal armor was slightly covered by a tan cape over their durasteel shoulders. They had no mouths. Round red eyes stared down at Ventress from beneath tan head wraps similar to Khaleesh warriors far out in the stars beyond this star system.

"You there…" wheezed Ventress, "Magna Gaurd… get me to Fairy Tail. Get me there now." Ventress then fell unconsciousness.

….

"Pair of aces!" smirked Wakaba.

Macao bowed his head in shame as he placed his hand of cards down on the table, "I got nothing."

"Ha! Three kings boys." Cana smirked triumphantly as she smacked her hand down on the small, round table before taking a large swig from a mug of beer.

All three stopped and looked over at the young man at the fourth chair. His feet where kicked up on the table and he was leaning back in his chair so that the front legs were off of the ground. He glanced down at his hand before looking up at the three.

"This is a familiar sensation that I haven't felt in years." Joshua put his hand down revealing a straight in diamonds, "The feeling of winning money off of some poor souls." he grinned as he put his own beer mug to his lips and sipped.

"Dammit!" Macao exclaimed as Joshua used his telekinesis to pull the small pile of money over to him, "Why'd I agree to do this again?"

"You thought it's be a good way to relive the past, old timer." Wakaba replied as he puffed on his cigar.

"Yeah, but you could've reminded me about how badly I used to get thrashed at this game. I still got to buy food for Romeo tonight."

Joshua laughed, "Shoulda thought of that before you challenge me to a game." He down the last drops of his drink before setting his feet back down on the floor and pulling his chair closer to the table so he could gather the cards and shuffle them. "Shall we go another round?"

"I'm game." Cana replied.

"You've got no money Cana." Wakaba deadpanned.

Cana grinned over at Wakaba, "I've got other assets I can bet."

All three men at the table felt a blush come over their cheeks.

"Like what?" asked Macao.

"Oh I dunno… maybe a peek or two?" Cana purred as she chugged another mug of beer.

"I can just find an old issue of Sorcerer Weekly magazine to do that." Joshua laughed.

Cana spat out some of her beer and glared angrily over at Joshua while Wakaba and Macao chuckled.

The doors to the guild hall creaked open. Joshua glanced over and smiled widely as he saw Wendy walk in. The sky dragon slayer had Erza leaned up against her as the red haired mage used her as a crutch to get into the guild hall.

"Hey Erza!" shouted Natsu from the corner he was sitting at.

"Erza! Feeling better?" Asked Gray as he subconsciously stripped out of his clothes.

The redhead nodded as she placed her weight on Wendy, "Much better. It was nothing that a few days rest couldn't fix."

Joshua laughed a little and shook his head, "You should be resting still, not moving around."

"You were just as stubborn when you got hurt." Erza retorted as Wendy set her down in a chair beside the table Joshua was sitting at. She then frowned as she saw the beer mug in Joshua's right hand.

"What?" Joshua asked.

"You shouldn't be drinking." Erza scolded.

"Aw c'mon Erza." Macao replied, "He's a man now. Let him do manly things."

"Real men, drink till they can't see straight!" They heard Elfman shout from the bar.

"Well maybe not that far." Macao deadpanned.

"I happen to agree with Elfman's logic." Cana said.

Erza shook her head, "No more Joshua." She then noticed Joshua glaring over at her, "Why are you giving me that look?"

"I'm not ten anymore Erza." Joshua replied.

Erza frowned and said nothing in return. She rested her head against her hand as she leaned against the table and watched the four start another game of cards. She then glanced over at her little brother yet again. He had grown up so fast. His face no longer had that boyish look, but was hardened and sharp. Erza frowned again.

 _That hair is a mess…_ Erza narrowed her eyes.

"Joshua?"

"Yeah Erza?"

"When was the last time you had a haircut?"

Joshua blinked and looked back at Erza, "Um… I don't recall."

Erza was then enveloped in a brilliant golden light as she began her requip. She didn't change out of her normal armor, but now she was holding a pair of clippers in one hand, and a brush in the other. Joshua stared at her for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nuh uh! Not happening! You are not touching my head!"

"Get over here!" Erza lunged towards him and Joshua quickly backed away only to run into Wendy who quickly clamped her arms around him and held him in place.

"Got him Erza!" she shouted to the red head.

"Good work Wendy, hold him still."

Joshua's eyes glared back at Wendy, "You two planned this!"

Wendy laughed lightly, "Someone's gotta make sure you're groomed."

Joshua heard some scissor open and close and looked up to see Erza standing menacingly in front of him, her one hand balancing herself on a chair and her other readying to use the scissor to chop off Joshua's hair.

"Please don't." Joshua whimpered.

Erza didn't listen. She just began chopping. After nearly an hour and half of Erza's scissor flying through the air, Joshua struggling against Wendy, Wendy barely holding him down, and the rest of the guild laughing their asses off, Erza finished and stored the scissors and comb back into her requip. She looked at Joshua's head. His brown hair was cut short and was once again the spiky look she was familiar with.

"Much better." She nodded with a smile.

Joshua grumbled under his breath as Wendy let him go.

"Do you think he looks better?" Erza asked Wendy.

Wendy looked at Joshua. He did look a lot better. The short hair suited him. His face was no longer hidden behind long brown locks. Wendy felt a slight blush in her cheeks before she nodded quickly and forced the blush to go away.

"I now know what a sheep feels like when it gets sheared." Joshua grumbled.

"It's not that bad!" Erza replied, "Now you look like a respectable wizard."

Joshua groaned in his seat and smacked his head into the table, "I forgot about all the mothering you used to do to me."

"Mothering?"

Before anyone could reply, the guild hall doors opened once again. Master Makarov, Gildarts, and Mirajane strolled into the shabby guild hall with grins on their faces.

"How'd talking to Twilight Ogre go?" Macao asked nervously.

Makarov smiled over at Makarov, "Oh it went very well."

"You beat the piss out of them didn't you." Joshua stated bluntly.

Mira nodded, "Beat them right into the concrete." She said with the sweetest smile possible.

Joshua gulped at the creepiness that accompanied the smile and statement. How was it that Mirajane was able to intimidate with such a sweet smile. He'd never know.

Wakaba cleared his throat, "So our debts are cleared?"

Gildarts nodded, "Clear as crystal. You owe nothing."

The residents of the Guild for the past seven years cheered loudly. Joshua couldn't help but grin widely as he saw the guild break out into yet another large party. He looked over at his big sister and smiled.

"Now it feels like home." he laughed

"COME HERE SNOWFLAKE! I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!"

"IN YOUR DREAMS FLAME BRAIN!"

The others in the guild were soon involved in a full scale brawl that threatened to bring down the entire building. Joshua, Wendy, and Erza stayed to the sidelines and watched as they saw members of the guild crumple to the floor thanks to a well placed punch or kick.

"Twenty jewel says Natsu comes out on top." Joshua whispered to Wendy.

"You're on." Wendy replied.

They watched the fight intently until finally a victor stood among the heap of unconscious bodies.

"A real man always wins!" roared Elfman victoriously.

Wendy held out a hand to Joshua, "And a real man pays up."

Joshua dug into his pocket and placed twenty jewel in her open palm, "Beginners luck." he grumbled.

Joshua noticed Wendy reply back. But he didn't hear her. Instead he heard the force, screaming out in pain. Joshua's eyes widened a little and his head became very woozy. He shook it briefly before steadying himself with his right hand. The force, it was crying out.

 _What's going on?_ Joshua took a shaky breath as he felt a familiar presence being expelled from this world, _Master Revan is gone!? That's impossible! He's the most powerful being on this planet! There is no way-_

"Hey Joshua," Erza shook his shoulder once again causing Joshua to snap out of his daze. He glanced blankly at Erza, "Are you alright?"

Joshua blinked his eyes and sighed, "Yeah… never better." He then pointed at the mug, "Just might've had too much of that I think."

Erza frowned, "Well then it's probably time we got home."

"But Fairy Hills was shut down." Wendy stated.

Erza smirked, "But my room wasn't. No one would dare touch my stuff. Even if they thought I was dead. Right Joshua?"

Joshua was drawn out of his thoughts once again, "Hm.. yeah… sure."

 _I need to meditate and figure out what is going on, asap!_

 __Joshua rose to his feet and helped Erza up, allowing her to use him as a crutch since she was still weak from her wounds. Joshua waited a moment as she steadied herself.

"Ready?"

Erza nodded and the two quietly left for home.

….

Joshua helped Erza hobble up to the pink door with the golden number one nailed to it. He then reached into his requip space and retrieved an old, dusty key.

"Home sweet home." he mumbled before turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open.

Sure enough. Everything was right where it was supposed to be. Not a single thing had been touch, and not a single thing was out of place. It was as if they had just left for Tenrou island not moments ago. Well, it would've looked that way if it wasn't for all of the dust that blakented every single square inch in the room. Joshua closed the door and some dust swirled up from the floor causing him to sneeze.

"Excuse me." he sniffled.

"We'll have to clean this place up."

"Yeah." Joshua nodded, "I can handle that, you rest up."

Erza frowned, "This was my home before yours. So I'm going to help."

"Not in your condition. You need rest." Erza was about to protest, "No buts about it." Joshua said firmly, "Porlyusica's orders. And I'd rather not piss her off."

Erza sighed, "Fine, I'll go sit in my chair."

Joshua nodded, "I'll start cleaning in a second, I need to… figure something out real quick."

Joshua set Erza down in her favorite chair before he walked quickly over to his small bedroom. He quietly opened the door and smiled softly at what he saw. He wouldn't be able to fit in the twin bed anymore. He was too tall now. Joshua pushed the nostalgia of seeing his old room to the side. He had to focus. He quickly shut his door behind him and knelt down on the floor. He began to focus. The Dark side began to swirl in the room and the shadows deepened around him. His eyes briefly flashed crimson before he shut his eyelids and let himself become lost in the force.

It was all quiet. The air around him was deathly still. Then he heard it again. The force, screamed out at him causing him to flinch. Joshua let his mind flow through the dark side just as his Master had taught him. There was nothing there. No explanation as to why the force was acting erratically, not a shred of evidence for anything.

" _Joshua…"_

His spine began to crawl and goosebumps formed on his skin as he heard that voice.

 _Master Revan? What is going one? Why is the force screaming out like this?_

" _Someone has returned. A dark being that surprised me with his power. If I had been prepared I wouldn't have lost to him or charged so recklessly. I was a fool in that regard. Thankfully, you've kept my holocron safe, which means it is my new refuge."_

 _We all make mistakes I guess. But that still doesn't explain what is wrong?_

 __Revan sighed, " _The Sith temple. It has been destroyed. And the spell that hid it as well as this star system has been dispelled. Such a disturbance in the force was only natural to occur. However, that natural disturbance will resonate across the stars. And some unsavory figures will be attracted by it."_

Joshua gulped _, "You mean this Sidious my Master spoke of?"_

" _Correct. This system is no longer hidden. Which means it will not be difficult for the Sith to locate and storm. You must be prepared young one. For when they come I will not be able to assist you."_

Joshua nodded _, I understand._ Revan's spirit nodded in approval and was about to turn away when Joshua stopped him _, If I may ask, who was powerful enough to create such a spell, dispel it, and best you._

" _I wouldn't say he bested me. More like he caught me off guard." Revan replied, "From what I know, his name is Zeref."_ Joshua audibly gulped. That name was never a good one to hear on this world, " _He was the one who did all three."_

 _How can a man with no force training do all three of those things?_

" _Who said he had no training in the force?"_

Joshua's jaw clenched as he realized the gravity of Revan's words, " _Zeref has been trained in ancient Sith magic and alchemy. By whom, I know not. But he is an opponent you shall not cross until the time is right. He is far too powerful for you to handle on your own."_

Joshua sighed as he meditated, _What must I do to become powerful enough to face him?_

Silence, then, " _Continue your studies. Continue to learn. Continue to train. I can no longer assist in this world. He made sure of that. Until we meet again, may the force be with you."_

 _Yes, Master Revan._

The door to Joshua's bedroom creaked open. Erza had limped over and watching him calmly sit in the center of his floor. She felt the darkness hit her like a wall as she entered the room. She gulped nervously, this was a familiar feeling. However, the dark power in this room felt somewhat different from when Joshua lost control when he was younger. It no longer felt wild. It felt focused and concentrated. Despite her worries about such dark magic, she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in her. Joshua had learned how to control his magic.

"Joshua."

Erza's voice interrupted Joshua's meditation and his eyes opened quickly. The crimson glow evaporated away before he turned to look at Erza.

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"You've been sitting in here for a long time. I just wanted to check on you."

Joshua smiled, "I'm fine, don't worry." He glimpsed to the window of his room and saw that the sun had started to set over Magnolia, "Oh. I guess I have been in here for a while."

"You think?" Erza leaned against the doorframe, "Let's go to guild and get something to eat. I'm sure you're starving."

Joshua felt his stomach rumble as she said this, "Yeah, maybe a little."

Joshua got to his feet and helped Erza to the front door of her large area in Fairy Hills.

"What do you think Kinana and Mira will have cooked up?" Erza asked.

"Dunno," Joshua shrugged, "I'm sure it's something good." Joshua grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open.

Joshua pulled the door open and a pit formed in his stomach. Standing on the other side of the doorway was a severely burnt woman. Joshua instantly recognized who it was. There was no mistaking those burning blue eyes that bore into him as he stared at her in shock.

"Ventress?" he gasped.

Ventress snorted before collapsing to the floor. Before Joshua could even move to help her, Erza was already at Ventress' side, checking for a pulse.

"She's alive." Erza said.

Joshua looked at Ventress in stunned silence. How was she here? He studied the damage to her. The burns were extensive. It looked like she had fallen into a pit of fire. His skin crawled as he saw some of the skin peel away as Erza tried to grab her and pull her into the apartment. Erza ignored it though. Her first priority was helping whoever this person was. She ignored her own aches and pains and pulled the woman into the apartment. Joshua quickly shut the door as Erza lay Ventress down on the couch.

"Joshua, I'll stay here. You go get Wendy."

Joshua didn't move. His mind was still racing. Who could've done this to Ventress?

"JOSHUA!"

Joshua's snapped out of his thoughts and his head turned to look at Erza.

"Go. Get. Wendy." Erza said firmly, "I'll stay here. Hurry up!"

"R-right."

Joshua turned and raced out of Fairy Hills. He gathered the dark side of the force around him and used it to increase his speed as he sprinted out of Magnolia towards the guild hall. Within minutes, he arrived and burst through the doors, interrupting the party that was occurring on the other side.

"Wendy!"

The blue haired girl was sitting with Natsu and Lucy when Joshua burst in. He was sweating and seemed to be incredibly worried.

"What is it?" She asked from her seat.

"Medical emergency!" Joshua replied quickly as he grabbed her by the wrist, "No time to explain. C'mon!" He pulled Wendy quickly out of the guildhall, slamming the doors behind him as he raced away with her.

Macao blinked as he watched Joshua suddenly appear, shout medical emergency, grab Wendy and rush out. He looked over at Wakaba as the doors shut and the party resumed.

"Medical Emergency?"

Wakaba chuckled as he puffed on his cigar, "Maybe his lips hurt and he needs a kiss from the sky dragon."

Macao laughed as well, "It'd make sense. Those two have been practically inseparable since he got back."

"Hopefully he doesn't do something stupid though."

Macao glanced back at his old friend, "What do you mean?"

"Can you imagine if Erza found out if those two... you know…"

Macao gulped and buried his face in his beer mug, "There'd be nothing left of him."

Wakaba chuckled and nodded before he called for another beer as the party got back into full swing.

….

"Joshua! Slow down! You're running too fast for me to keep up!" Wendy shouted.

Joshua didn't hear her. He just kept sprinting as fast as he could through Magnolia until he finally reached Fairy Hills. He shoved the door open and quickly rushed into the apartment. As soon as they entered, Wendy lost all doubts about a medical emergency. Her sensitive nose instantly picked up the smell of burnt flesh and blood. Wendy shook Joshua's grip from her arm and ran over to the smell that was coming from the couch. When she arrived she gasped and covered her mouth with both of her hands. There was a woman lying down on the couch, burnt from head to toe, her skin blackened. Erza was sitting beside the woman in a chair. Wendy quickly rushed up and let her sky magic go to work. A green glow covered her hands as she attempted to repair the damage.

"Joshua, what happened?"

The teen shook his head, "I don't know. I-I don't know."

Wendy poured all of the magic she possibly could into healing the woman. But the damage had already been done. The magic power in this woman's body was leaving her, and there was nothing Wendy could do about it. But that didn't mean she stopped trying. Wendy intensified her magic and poured everything she had into healing her. As she did, a charred hand reach up and lowered Wendy's hands to her side. The woman was awake, her labored breathing was interrupted by a few dry wheezes as she stared at the three fairy tail wizards. Her blue eyes slowly moved to her young student.

"Damn brat." she croaked, "I could've really used your help." Her face scrunched up in pain and she gasped for air.

"Hang in there Ventress." Joshua knelt down beside his teacher, "Save your energy."

Ventress wheezed again, "Beware brat. Beware of….the one with black hair. He's too… powerful…" The light left Ventress's eyes and she stared vacantly at Joshua.

"Ventress…" Joshua reached out with the force and closed his eyes. There was no life coming from her. Wendy's eyes widened as she felt all life leave the woman's body. Erza frowned as she saw Joshua bow his head and close his eyes.

"We will bury her in the morning." Erza replied.

Joshua shook his head, "No, we do it in the traditional way of her people. We cremate her."

Erza raised an eyebrow. That was a rather intimate fact to know about someone like this.

"Joshua, how do you know this woman?" Erza asked.

Joshua sighed and his shoulders shuddered as he felt the impact on the force. Ventress' passing caused another tremor that made him feel sick to his stomach.

Wendy glanced worriedly at him, "Joshua?"

"Wendy, remember I told you I was training for the past seven years." Wendy nodded. "She was my teacher." Her brown eyes widened, "Her name was Asajj Ventress. And she was one of the most powerful force wielders I have ever encountered." Joshua rose to his feet, "I-I need to be alone for a bit." He quietly walked to his room and shut the door.

As the door shut Joshua dropped to his knees and gasped as he felt his emotions overcome him.

 _Why am I acting like this? Ventress was a cruel teacher! So, why am I so upset?_ Joshua gasped between some quiet sobs, _I guess… seven years by someone's side allows an attachment to form._ He remembered what she said to him. "I could've really used your help." Joshua felt guilt wash over him. If he had been with her, would he have been able to save her? _Stop it!_ He berated himself, _You couldn't do anything. It's not your fault._ Joshua took another shaky breath, _I need to meditate, clear my head._

He sat down and closed his eyes, allowing the force to envelop him yet again.

….

A star destroyer lumbered through space, it's massive gray form cutting like a sword through the blackness that surrounded it. It was the lone ship left in the small fleet that had journeyed into unknown space seven years ago. The others had returned back to imperial space. Only this one remained to scour the universe for the planet the Emporer so feared. Standing on the bridge, gazing out at the stars was a blue skinned Chiss wearing a white admiral's uniform. His hands were behind his back as he looked out at the endless void. He frowned as he saw another star system come into view. Most likely, it would be another fruitless search. Seven years of his time had been wasted on this futile search for a planet that he was now certain did not exist. That wasn't the only thing that irked the Chiss. He was now searching alone. The Sith lord that accompanied him was recalled just days ago and took the majority of his fleet with him. Something about plans being stolen by rebel spies. Such a trivial thing to worry about in his mind, but he couldn't argue with a direct order from Emperor Palpatine himself. So, he saw Vader off and continued his search through the cosmos.

"Admiral, a new starsystem approaching. We are mapping it out." reported a young ensign form one of the many monitors on the bridge.

"Good, scan for any planets that may have life on it." He replied with his silk like voice. There had been none so far, but he still had a mission to accomplish.

"Sir."

The admiral looked over at the ensign, "What is it?"

"We found one."

The Admiral's red eyes widened in surprise before he quickly returned to his abnormally calm demeanor. After seven years of fruitless searching, they had finally found a planet with life on it. And in this sector too. They had picked up nothing seven years ago when they passed through here. Maybe they just missed something.

"Show me." the admiral ordered.

A large hologram of a planet formed in front of the admiral's body, blocking his view of the stars. It was a decent sized planet, mostly composed of water. But there were several large patches of dry land dotting the world. Very similar in appearance to planets like Alderaan and Naboo. The admiral's thin blue lips curled into a smile. This was the one he was searching for.

"Deploy probe droids." He ordered, "I want to know everything about this planet. What its elements are, where the major population centers are, the species that inhabits it. I want to know it all. We will not move in until we know what we will be facing."

"Yes sir!"

The hologram in front of Thrawn faded away and he looked out the viewscreen to see a bright, blue planet coming into view. As they approached, Thrawn saw several fiery specks shoot out towards the planet. The probe droids had been launched. In a few days, he would have all of the information necessary to make a full report to the Emperor. Thrawn allowed a thin grin to grace his lips. This would be his greatest achievement. And the Emperor would be most pleased.

 **And chapter! A little bit of a filler chapter but it still had some important stuff in it. I attempted to explain Zeref's actions in the previous chapter a little better, I hope I was successful in that regard. I also gave Joshua a real reason to want to defeat Zeref when he finally meets him. And now the Empire has found Earthland, only Vader is not there. Something about some plans being stolen called him back. I wonder what that could be about? Let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	45. Chapter 45: A Spark of Hope

**Hey everyone! Another chapter ready to go! Sidenote: I'm thinking about adding chapter titles. You know, so you guys can better figure out where you left off if you decided to put the story down for a bit. I know that I do that sometimes with stories and it's a little difficult to find your place if there is no title to the chapter. PM me if you think that's a good idea. I'd love to know. Anyways, let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 45

Joshua took a deep breath as the force swirled around him like a billowing, dark blanket. He could feel his consciousness slipping a little bit. A sign of what was about to happen. He sighed yet again as a sense of profound irritation came over him.

 _Another vision. My luck is amazing isn't it?_ Joshua saw the world around him begin to brighten ever so slowly, _Alright, what's it gonna be this time? More of Talzin, Maul, Tenrou? How much torture this time?_

His vision cleared and confusion filled the teen as he awoke sitting in coarse sand. At first he thought the sand was on Tenrou Island but a quick glance around made it very clear that he was nowhere near that cursed island. He was in a sea of sand and dirt. All around him was a desert as far as the eye could see. The air was dry and the wind whipped around his form causing some sand to scrap against the skin on his right arm as it blew by him. Joshua cocked an eyebrow as he observed the sea of sand around him. His head slowly turned around and he soon saw a small hut in the distance.

It was a strange looking building. The hut was incredibly small, he didn't know how someone could live there. It's domed roof was very low to the ground as well.

 _It's a midget's home. It's gotta be a midget's home._

Joshua slowly walked closer then stopped and immediately used his force cloak ability. The force had shifted around the house, and he didn't like the feeling. His experience with the force had always been dark, as if interacting with an evil intelligent cloud that surrounded his very existence. But here, the force felt bright, hopeful, but uncertain still. That wasn't the only reason for him to suddenly hide himself in the dark side. Emerging from the small hut, was a full grown human man with wavy blonde hair. He had a youthful look about him despite the fact that Joshua could tell he was acouple years older than he was. He wore white robes with cream colored pants that looked much cooler to wear in the intense desert heat.

As the man emerged from the hut he grabbed a large pair of binoculars from his belt and pressed them against his blue eyes. He spun around, desperately searching for something.

"Master Luke sir." Joshua turned to the hut's entry and saw a golden droid stiffly shuffling up to the man, "Do you see R2?"

The man shook his head, "I don't believe it! He's nowhere in sight!" He pulled the binos away and cursed under his breath.

"Are we going to go searching for him sir?" the droid asked politely.

The man looked back at the golden droid, "It's too dangerous with all of the sand people around. We'll have to wait till morning."

"LUKE, I'M SHUTTING THE POWER DOWN!" an older voice shouted from the hut.

"Alright, I'll be right in!" this person named Luke called back, "Boy am I going to get it!" He turned to the golden droid, "You know that little R2 unit is going to cause me a lot of trouble."

"Oh he excels at that sir."

The two quickly walked back to the hut. Joshua quietly snuck forwards, wanting to get a closer look. It wasn't like the force for him to see something completely random like this. There had to be some sort of purpose. Joshua heard a pile of sand crunch loudly underneath his shoe and he closed his eyes.

 _Damn…_

The young man wheeled around from the doorway to the hut and quickly looked around. Thankfully, he didn't see Joshua. The force cloak around him was well executed.

"Are you alright Master Luke?" the droid asked.

"I swear I just heard something." he mumbled. He then shook his head, "I must be more tired than I thought." And with that he disappeared into the hut. As he walked away Joshua felt the force ripple around the young man. He had some sort of importance, he could sense as much. But why?

Joshua frowned and looked over at the horizon as he tried to contemplate the meaning behind this vision. His eyes widened at the sight he saw. Twin suns were setting below the horizon, one sun a deep red, the other a luminous yellow. It took his breath away. He had seem many incredible sights in his travels around Fiore, but he didn't remember ever seeing a sunset as stunning as this. It was comforting and peaceful. Two feelings that he very much enjoyed.

A low whir sound echoed around him and the lights of the hut dimmed away as well as a small group of metal rings that opened up to caverns in the earth.

 _Power's out._ Joshua smirked, _Everyone must be going to bed._ He let his force cloak drop away, _Which means it's time for me to-_

Joshua stopped and was about to throw up his force cloak yet again when he quickly had to duck under a deadly blue glow that nearly took his head off. Joshua lost his balance and scrambled away from the deadly hum in his ears as the heat of a lightsaber whizzed by him yet again. He quickly leapt in the air and flipped around, drawing his own lightsaber from his hip but not activating it yet. He wanted to know what he was dealing with first.

Joshua landed and was forced to turn on his lightsaber in order to deflect a swift strike from the glowing blue blade that was swung at his body. His red lightsaber burst to life with an unstable crackling as red energy arced around the core of the blade. Joshua narrowed his eyes at his opponent as the two locked blades. It was an old man. He looked haggard beneath his brown hooded cloak. His elderly, wrinkled face was illuminated by the clashing red and blue glows giving Joshua more details on his face. His white beard betrayed how old he truly was, but his blue eyes glowed with the fury of a young man.

"So," he said lowly, "The Sith have come for him at last."

Joshua's eyes widened and he glanced around looking for another red lightsaber, "I don't see any Sith." He glanced back at the old man, "And come for who?"

"Don't play coy." The old man snarled back, "You are working for him aren't you? For Vader."

Joshua raised an eyebrow at the crazy old man, "Eh?"

Joshua pushed the blue lightsaber away and stepped back quickly. The old man was just about to charge again when Joshua deactivated his lightsaber and dropped it in the sand at his feet. The old man stopped his charge, confused by the sudden action.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, old man." Joshua said reassuringly, "In fact, I don't really have any control over how I got here." The old man narrowed his eyes at the boy, "Visions are a tricky thing."

The old man's frowned, "Visions?"

Joshua nodded, "That's what I'm assuming this is. Unless I have been suddenly kidnapped from the home of my big sister and brought to a desert planet I know nothing about." he blinked, "Oh if that actually happened I think Erza would be beyond pissed."

The old man blinked. That name, he had heard that name before. His mind went back to a day during the clone wars when he and his apprentice had returned from a mission far in the outer rim. He was looking forward to some well deserved rest when he suddenly walked in on a young woman with red hair falling out of his bed and landing in a heap on the floor. That woman, her name was Erza. Qui Gon said as much when he spoke to the both of them. And this boy just referred to her as his big sister. Which could only mean one thing?

"Who are you?" the old man asked as he cautiously lowered his blue blade. He wasn't going to do anything until he confirmed his suspicions.

Joshua glanced back at the old man, "Why should I tell you that, Jedi?"

The old man stared hard at Joshua, "How do you know what I am?"

Joshua snorted, "Only a Jedi uses a blue blade like that. At least, that's what my Master told me. He could be wrong. However… you don't strike me as a Sith lord."

The old man sighed and deactivated his lightsaber. The force didn't feel like it was in turmoil around the boy. Which meant that he most likely was telling the truth about not wanting to hurt anyone. And he did seem genuinely confused about working for Vader.

"You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." Joshua said.

"What?"

"Names. You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." Joshua nodded to him, "Well?"

"Ben."

Joshua shook his head, "That's a lie. I can sense as much. I'm not a novice you know."

The old man grit his teeth. This kid saw through his lie instantly. He sighed. "Obi Wan."

The boy's eyes ballooned as he stared at Obi Wan Kenobi, "Holy shit!"

"What?"

"Age hasn't been kind to you has it? And you are still a super uptight guy too." Joshua laughed.

"How do you know me?"

Joshua laughed, "I met you and old Qui Gon seven years ago. Well… seven years ago for me. He escorted me to the library."

That confirmed it for Obi Wan. This was the same exact boy that Qui Gon spoke of when he talked with him and Erza. No one else knew of the boy and the library except for him, Yoda, and his old master.

"I'm surprised to see you again young one." Obi Wan sighed, "I'm also rather… disappointed to see that you chose to follow the dark path."

"What?" Joshua replied, "The path of the Sith. Hate to counter your prejudice buddy, but I am not a Sith. I don't believe in their view of the force, just as much as I don't believe in the Jedi view of the force." Obi Wan looked at the boy with surprise, "I actually am more inclined to forge my own path in it. I've just been trained only in the dark half. But one day, I do hope to learn more of the light path." he exhaled and rubbed his hands as the temperature disappeared with the twin suns, "Now, how did you find me here geezer?"

Obi folded his arms in the sleeves of his cloak, "I sensed a disturbance in the force as well as the Dark Side approaching Luke. So I moved quickly to intervene. I feared you were one of the Emperor's minions coming to kill him."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Kill him? A farm boy? Why would someone do that?" He saw the hesitation in Obi Wan's face, "Oh come on. You can tell me. I live on an unknown planet the Empire does not know about. And… I'm pretty good at keeping a secret. Ask my friends if you ever meet them." Obi wan still hesitated, "I'm no friend of the Emperor, geezer. I'm pretty sure if my guild knew about this guy they'd oppose him in a heartbeat. And that means I oppose him, in theory."

Obi Wan couldn't argue with that logic, "That boy is our last hope to destroy the Empire."

Joshua's eyes widened in surprise and he glanced over at the dark hut, "He's that powerful in the force. I mean… I sensed it ripple around him but I didn't think that… wow." Joshua sat down in the sand, "So what, his destiny is to destroy Sidious?"

Obi Wan nodded, "And Vader, Sidious' apprentice."

Joshua grimaced, "I didn't know that the Emperor had an apprentice. That's… a rather disturbing revelation." Obi Wan sat down across from him as the two got more comfortable talking candidly with each other, "So, Jedi… have you started training him."

Obi Wan shook his head causing Joshua to frown, "His uncle won't allow me near the boy to teach him."

"Fuck his uncle then." Joshua replied, "You're a space wizard. Do some… space wizard stuff to get the kid trained up. If I was able to find him through a vision, then I'm sure it won't be long before Sidious discovers him. Then you all are screwed."

Obi Wan snorted, "I wish. But, Owen has only the best intentions for his nephew. I can't argue with that. And… it should be Luke's choice as to whether or not he wished to learn."

Joshua nodded, "Makes sense in theory. Allowing him to choose his own path is a nice thing to do. But doing nice things is not a good thing to rely on in these dark times." Joshua rose to his feet as he felt the vision begin to fade a little, "My time is almost up."

Obi Wan looked on calmly as Joshua's form began to flicker and fade. His mind was absorbing the fact that this Luke was so powerful. It was amazing to learn. A man strong enough in the force to give Maul and Dooku the shivers. Joshua was almost giddy with excitement at the possibility of coming face to face with him.

"Tell you what geezer. Once you get Luke off of the farm, pay a visit to Earthland. I'm sure old Qui Gon can tell you where it is. I'd love to meet him."

Obi Wan frowned, "I won't allow him to learn the ways of the Sith."

Joshua shook his head, "I didn't say anything about that you stick in the mud. It'd just be cool to meet a guy who's… a chosen one of sorts. It'd make for a good time." Joshua felt his vision beginning to darken, "Farewell geezer. May the force be with you."

And just like that, he faded away from Tatooine. Obi Wan's face was still hardened as he wrapped his mind around the conversation he just had. The boy wasn't wrong about Luke being found out. Obi Wan considered it a minor miracle that Vader had never bothered to search for him on this planet. And Luke does need training if he is to fulfill his destiny. Obi Wan sighed and began to slowly walk away from the moisture farm. He had much to ponder right now.

….

Joshua stared at his reflection in the glass mug. His tired face was looking back at him through the golden liquid that occupied the inside of the mug. He frowned and raised the mug.

"Here's to you, old hag." he toasted Ventress before taking a large gulp of the alcohol.

As Joshua quietly mourned his teacher the others in the guild were listening to Romeo recount what happened to the guild over the past seven years.

"We've become the weakest, lowest ranked guild in all of Fiore." Romeo finished.

"HOW!?" Natsu exclaimed stunned.

"Because of the Grand Magic Games." Wendy replied, "We came in last place every year. Those games determine a guild's status in the kingdom. As we lost, jobs disappeared and so did members."

"Even with you helping out?" Gray asked.

Wendy nodded, "One person can't win for a whole guild. I did my best but… we just couldn't compete as a guild with everyone else."

"That sucks." Cana grumbled, "I'm sure if we all didn't get suspended in time for seven years, Fairy Tail would still be number one."

Romeo's eyes lit up as the subject of the Grand Magic Games was brought up, "Hey! With you guys back, we can win the games and become the number one guild again!"

"Romeo," Macao sighed, "I don't think we should put the guild through that again."

"Yeah kid," Wakaba continued, "We are the laughingstocks of the magic world. There is no point in going to that when we will be just laughed out of the arena."

"Wow…" Joshua said from his seat at the bar. The others turned to look at him as he quickly swirled the alcohol in his mug, "That is the most bullshit excuse I've ever heard in my life." He gulped down the last drops before holding the mug up to Mira, "Another please." he mumbled quietly.

Macao looked over at Erza, "What's eating him?"

"Don't worry about it Macao. He's just, having a rough time for some reason." Erza lied.

Joshua had begged her and Wendy to not reveal anything about Ventress. They had demanded he tell them everything but he refused to, which highly irritated both women. But they also saw the desperation in his face when he asked them not to say anything to anyone about her. It was only later, when she was eating some strawberry cake at home that Erza fully understood why. At least, what she thought was the reason for Joshua asking her and Wendy to keep it a secret. Joshua was still not on good terms with Master. And if this Ventress was his teacher, then she taught him everything about his dark magic, which Master Makarov would be furious about. The last thing Erza wanted, was Joshua to get kicked out of the guild when they had all just reunited all because of Master's paranoia over Joshua's magic.

"I know he's having a rough time Erza, but why?" Macao asked.

"Macao," Wendy interrupted, "Just drop it for now."

Macao met both glares of the women before he nodded reluctantly.

"Joshua is right!" Bellowed Natsu, "That excuse you guys made is total crap! You all are afraid to be embarrassed!? I think it'd be more embarrassing if you didn't try to win!"

"I'll drink to that." Joshua called while raising his tenth mug of beer and downing it in one go.

"And besides." Natsu grinned, "This games thing is a competition between the strongest wizards! And I wanna fight someone!"

"Natsu," Master Makarov entered the conversation, "I think it'd be wiser if we waited till next year. After all, it has been seven years. We can't say for sure that we would be able to compete."

Macao and Wakaba nodded in agreement. The others that had been in the guild for the past seven years sighed in relief.

"The prize is thirty million jewel to the winning guild." Romeo deadpanned.

"EVERYONE! PREPARE TO ENTER THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!" Makarov declared abruptly as soon as he heard the prize money, "We shall win for the thirty mill- I mean- the pride of being the number one guild!"

"Alright!" Natsu smacked his palm into his fist, "I'm all fired up now!"

The others in the guild that hadn't been on the island face faulted at the Master's sudden declaration. Joshua smirked a little before burying his sorrows in another glass of beer.

"When is the next games?" Lucy asked.

"Three months from now." Wendy replied, "Not a whole lot of time to get prepared."

"That's plenty of time for a real man to train!" Elfman declared.

"Sound like enough time to me." Gajeel growled, "Gihi, I may even get a chance to beat you, Salamader."

"In your dreams!" Natsu roared back.

The two were about to brawl when they saw Erza glaring harshly at them. The intense stare instantly made the two back away from each other.

"It's settled then!" The master cheered, "In three months time we all will meet back here to select the teams for the Grand Magic Games. Good luck with your training."

Everyone in the guild cheered except for Joshua who just raised another mug and gulped it down. As he did this, Laxus pulled up a stool next to him.

"What do you want sparky?" Joshua growled, his speech slightly slurred.

"You should probably slow down a little." Laxus replied, "Don't want to have a hangover as you are about to go train."

"I do what I want." Joshua grumbled back. He gulped some more alcohol before staring over at Laxus, "Why are you and Freed even here? I thought you all got kicked out."

Laxus smirked, "Well, while you and Erza were at home. Gramps made Gildarts the fifth master. Only thing is, Gildarts didn't want it. So his only act as master was to reinstate me and Freed before he took off. That made Gramps the master by default once again."

Joshua chuckled, "I would've loved to see his face when that happened." He then blinked, "Wait… that means-"

"We gotta put up with each other every day now. Yes I know." Laxus replied.

Joshua sighed, "Damn it all. This day just gets better by the moment." He glared over at Laxus, "You are not getting my forgiveness anytime soon."

Laxus closed his eyes as he exposed an emotion Joshua was surprised to see from the once proud lightning mage, shame.

"Yeah, I expected as much. I did kill you technically."

Joshua shook his head, "I don't care about that. Do you have any idea how many times I've almost died?" Joshua sipped his drink, "No…that is all fine and dandy with me. What I'm hung up on… is that you had Freed torture Erza. And that is unforgivable in my eyes."

"Joshua!" Erza called across the room, "C'mon, we need to pack up then go train!"

"Yeah! I get to spar with you now!" Natsu shouted at him.

"Why does that worry me so much?" Lucy complained quietly.

Joshua nodded back to them before finishing off his drink and glaring back at Laxus, "If we meet in the games arena. Don't expect mercy. You won't get any from me." Joshua rose from his barstool and walked over to the others leaving Laxus alone at the bar to mull over what Joshua just told him.

….

"THE BEACH!" cheered Natsu as he charged at the ocean in front of him, ripping his clothes off and revealing the swim trunks he was wearing underneath his billowy white pants. Gray was sprinting towards the ocean as well.

"Swimming competition!" They both shouted at each other before bolting through the water as fast as they could.

"We aren't here for pleasure. We are here for training!" Carla commented.

"True," Erza laid down on a towel on the beach, "But this sun is nice. After all, we shouldn't overexert ourselves."

"But we just got here!" shouted a dismayed Jet and Droy.

"I actually agree with those two." Joshua commented, "We only have three months to catch up with the strengths of the other guilds. We don't really have much time to sit around."

Erza frowned at Joshua before sighing, "Fine." She rose to her feet and requiped some swords in her hands, "C'mon Joshua. Let's go train." She began to walk towards a small cliff a few miles away when she noticed that Joshua wasn't following her. "Joshua? You coming or not?"

Joshua shook his head, "I'm going to train on my own for a few days." he turned on his heel and walked in the other direction, waving to them as he went, "I'll see you guys back at the lodge tonight." He disappeared into the palm tree woods near the quiet little beach.

"That's unlike him." Jet said.

"Yeah. I thought he'd want to train with you in a heartbeat." Wendy said as she pulled out a small bunch of papers from her bag.

"It is rather strange." Erza muttered. "But, it's what he wants."

"You're not going to go drag him away?"

Erza shook her head, "No Wendy. I can't be a parent to him anymore really. He's grown up like you now. So it'd be best for me to let him do his thing. He'll eventually come to train. And I'll be ready when he does."

Wendy smiled, "That's a nice way to put it."

Erza smiled back as Wendy shuffled through the papers. Erza glanced over her shoulder and saw that the papers had strange writing scribbled onto them.

"What are those?"

"These? These are spells written by my mom, Grandine."

Erza's eyes widened, "Really? How'd you get those?"

"When I woke up after the incident on Tenroujima, I learned that Porlyusica is actually from Edolas."

"WHA!" Exclaimed everyone but Natsu who was currently blasting Fire Dragon Roars out from the depths of the ocean.

Wendy nodded, "She is my mother's counterpart. She doesn't really know how she ended up in this world. Only that when she arrived, Master Makarov found her and took her in. She decided to stay in Earthland after that." Wendy's face became slightly somber, "She told me this because…. She didn't think I was going to make it when we got back from the island." Her face brightened up a little, "But I did. And she told me all about how she actually met Grandine. My mom gave Ms. Porlyusica these spells to give to me if I ever ran into her. Which I eventually did. But… I haven't been able to figure them out. I can't get the translation right."

"Translation." Levy walked over and looked at the papers, "Oooh… I see. I can help if you want."

"Really!?"

Levy smiled, "Of course. It's kinda my thing anyways."

"Alright!"

From the shadows of the palms, Joshua smiled at the sight. Everyone looked so happy. It was a nice change to see. He'd love to stay and watch the whole thing, but he knew he had training to do. He wanted to be at his absolute best for the Grand Magic Games. Turning on his heels, he trekked deeper into the palm woods before coming across a clearing.

 _This will do…_

Joshua knelt down in the soft grass and took his pack off of his shoulders. He quickly opened it and pulled out a strange object that looked like a combination between a red pyramid and a blue cube. The object gave off a small, purple glow as he held it in his hands. Joshua exhaled and closed his eyes allowing the force to consume his consciousness. As he did this he could feel the holocron begin to float out of his hands and out in front of him. The holocron's corners began to twist and soon the oddly shaped storage device opened up. Joshua let his eyes slowly open and he saw words appear in from the holocron along with diagrams, pictures, videos, and graphs. There was just one problem… they were in a language Joshua didn't recognize. He stared hard at the strange series of glyphs and let out a frustrated snarl.

"That's less than helpful."

He quickly closed the holocron up. He'd have to figure out a way to translate it somehow, without the others discovering the holocron.

 _That's going to be a pain in my ass… Ugh!_ Joshua sat down on his butt and cross his legs, _Let's just do this the old fashioned way then… meditation._

….

"C'mon Happy, hurry up!"

"I'm coming Natsu!"

The two best friends snuck through the palm tree forest as they silently searched for their target. Natsu had his scaly, white scarf wrapped around his head so that only his eyes were visible. He jumped from hiding spot to hiding spot, from tree to tree, as he silently moved forwards.

"Like a ninja." he grinned triumphantly as he laid eyes on the target.

Sitting in the clearing was a teen with short, slightly spiky bronw hair. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even as he sat silently in the clearing. Natsu shuddered with giddy anticipation as he crept closer and closer.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Natsu?" Happy whispered to him as he tiptoed beside Natsu.

"This is a perfect idea. It's my signature sneak attack after all." Natsu whispered back. He squatted behind a large boulder, "Besides I want to know how strong he iIIIIIIS!"

The boulder suddenly was lifted in the air by an invisible force, startling the dragon slayer and causing his scarf to drop back down around his neck. Both he and Happy stared wide eyed as more boulders in the clearing were lifted in the air and began to circle around Joshua. They circled slowly at first before beginning to pick up speed. Soon, they were a blur around Joshua. Rocks, dirt, and leaves were being kicked up by the wind created by the whirling stones as they spun wildly around Joshua. Natsu stared in silent awe, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Natsu, this feels bad." Happy trembled.

Natsu then noticed it as well. The magic in the air was really dark. Black as night. The ominous feeling in the air made the Fire Dragon slayer's skin crawl as he watched the display of power. That's when the stones stopped moving and just hovered silently in the air. Joshua's eyes slowly cracked open revealing crimson irises. One of the boulders shuddered in the air before flying at blinding speeds towards him.

"WATCH OUT!" Natsu shouted.

Joshua smirked and jumped to his feet before leaping in the air and flipping over the boulder. A second boulder shuddered and careened towards him. This time he ducked under then rolled to the side of a third boulder. Soon he was dodging five flying rocks of death. He jumped, ducked, rolled, sidestepped and flipped away from the boulders with almost perfect timing. And he was always set up for another move as he landed from the previous maneuver. Natsu watched with a wide grin as Joshua displayed an athleticism that only years of training and practice could achieve. After thirty minutes of the exercise, the boulders stopped chasing Joshua and they gently settled back down into the earth. As they did, Natsu saw Joshua let out a shaky breath before dropping to a knee.

"Wow…" Happy breathed wide eyed.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Natsu shouted.

Joshua blinked and looked over at the smiling dragon slayer. He had no idea he was being watched. He was too focused on using the force to launch the rocks at him while dodging at the same time. Joshua wanted to be angry at him for spying, but instead he laughed a little.

"You were about to do a sneak attack on me weren't you?" Joshua asked with a smirk.

"Damn right!" Natsu replied, "Then you started doing those flips and boulder things and it was just awesome!"

"Thanks." Joshua smiled, "It took a long time to get that down. Such an exercise requires a lot of focus and power."

"I'll say! You must be super strong if you do that when you train."

Joshua nodded, "I hope so."

"Alright then." Natsu got to his feet and pointed at Joshua, "It's time you and I went a round!"

"Huh?"

"You heard me! We're gonna fight! One on one! I want to see how powerful you have become in the past seven years!" Natsu bellowed with fire leaking out of his mouth.

"If he's anything like Max, then the past seven years have made him as strong as you Natsu." Happy said cheerfully, "Good luck!"

"Thanks for the moral support." Natsu frowned.

"Your welcome!" Happy cheered happily.

Joshua sighed, "You won't leave me alone until I fight you?"

Natsu nodded his head up and down, "That's right!"

Joshua placed his hands on his hips and bowed his head thinking about this. He wanted to train his own magic powers. But at the same time, maybe an opponent would do him some good. But, he didn't want to give away his full range of abilities yet. Joshua rubbed his chin then nodded. There was a remedy that.

"Fine… but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You tell no one about this fight." Joshua said sternly, "You don't tell them what magic I used. You don't tell them what techniques I used. You don't even tell them that we even fought."

"Why not?" Natsu asked.

"I prefer to make my abilities a surprise for the games." Joshua replied, "If I end up fighting someone in our guild during a battle royale then I want to be able to catch them off guard."

Natsu nodded, "Makes sense I guess."

"Promise?"

Natsu gave Joshua a thumbs up, "You have my word."

Joshua smiled. If there is one thing he could count on, it was Natsu's word. He didn't go back on that. "Very well. Get ready then."

Natsu grinned widely and set his feet. Joshua stood calmly in the same exact spot. The two eyed each other down as the wind steadily rose in the area, causing loose blades of grass to fly through the air. The silence was deafening as the two waited for the one of them to make the first move. A seagull cawed in the distance, and Natsu barreled forwards. His right hand instantly went aflame as he charged headlong at Joshua.

" **Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"**

Natsu swung his right fist in a wide arc at Joshua's head. Joshua smirked and quickly ducked under the wild punch before kicking his left leg out at Natsu. He felt his foot connect with Natsu's stomach, forcing the dragon slayer back several feet. It didn't faze Natsu one bit. He lit both his fist on fire and charge at Joshua once again. Joshua ducked under the first fist and rolled away from the second before raising his hand and sending a large rock at Natsu. Natsu was grinning like a madman as he batted the rock away and socked Joshua in the jaw with a well placed uppercut. Joshua flew into the air and Natsu jumped up after him.

" **Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"**

Natsu swung his arms and whips of fire swung out at Joshua. Joshua twisted in the air and narrowly avoided one but felt the other lash him across the chest, sending him plummeting back down to earth. He landed with a loud wham and dirt flew up from the ground as a small crater formed where he hit. Natsu landed easily back on the ground and watched as Joshua winced and slowly got to his feet.

"What's the big idea Joshua?"

Joshua grunted, "Huh?"

"I can tell you're not going all out? Why not!?" Natsu demanded angrily.

Joshua then began to chuckle lowly, "So… you want me to go all out?"

"Damn right!" Natsu roared while smashing his lit fist into his palm causing a small, fiery explosion around him.

Joshua smiled at him, "Very well. I'm going to try something on you. Something that I have been working on for the past few weeks. I want to see if I can do it."

"Bring it on! I can take it!"

"Your funeral."

The air around Natsu instantly went cold. So cold that it felt like he was trapped in one of Gray's spells. He then felt the darkness in the clearing. The shadows from the trees grew in length and the sun seemed to dim in the area. Natsu looked at Joshua and saw his eyes were closed and hands outstretched to his sides. His eyes then opened revealing the crimson irises Natsu saw earlier. That's when Natsu began to tremble. The magic power in the area was increasing to heights he had barely ever felt. And it wasn't a friendly magic power. No, this magic felt as dark as dark can get. Everything in the clearing slowly rose up in the air and hovered for a moment before circling around Joshua. Natsu then noticed a small, bubble like barrier forming around Joshua as he the teen started this spell. The objects in the clearing began to spin around Joshua, including Happy who was helpless to the storm being created by the young man. Natsu felt himself being sucked towards the center of the spell as well. But he dug his heels into the earth and fought to stay in place. Blue lightning thundered from Joshua's right hand and began to arc from one object to the next. Happy grew his wings and flew out of the way just in time. Joshua felt it. His power was reaching it's zenith. He couldn't produce much more. It was now or never.

"This spell, is called Force Maelstrom!" He shouted at Natsu over the roar of lightning.

Natsu could feel himself shaking a little at the display of dark magic. But he shook himself out of his fear and placed his hands in front of his mouth like a funnel.

"I'll counter it then!" He bellowed, " **Fire Dragon…"**

" **Force…"**

" **ROAR!"**

" **MAELSTROM!"**

Fire charged at Joshua while the bubble around him shimmered for a moment.

 _It's going to work!_ Joshua thought when suddenly he felt the power in him plummet. The objects in the air slammed back to the ground and the powerful lightning that was leaping from them vanished as well. The bubble around him burst and exposed him to Natsu's flames.

"Shit." Joshua breathed exhausted.

The roar hit him head on. Joshua yelled out in pain, but it was drowned out by Natsu's fire. After several moments of being engulfed by fire, the spell ended. Joshua blinked and dropped to his knees, his magic power spent.

"Damn…" he gasped, "It didn't work."

"YES!" Natsu pumped his fist in the air, "I win!

Joshua coughed and looked up at the grinning dragon slayer. "Yeah, guess you did." He grunted and steadied himself with a hand. Natsu stopped smiling and quickly walked up to Joshua, helping him to his feet.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," Joshua grunted, "That spell just took a lot more out of me than I thought. I got a lot of improvements to make."

Natsu smiled as Joshua placed his weight on him, "Well, whatever it was, it sure was powerful. Thing almost took me off of my feet before you even tried to cast it."

"Ooooouuuuch." Happy groaned next to a tree as he nursed a large bump on his head.

"I noticed." Joshua replied as they began to trudge towards the lodge, "I've been working on that thing for a while now. But I just can't quite get it right. It takes a tremendous amount of power. And… it's not really feasible to use in a fight right now. It takes a while to power up. But, it'd be cool to know how to use."

"Definitely."

They eventually made it back to the large lodge they were using as shelter while they trained. Natsu discreetly dropped Joshua off at his and Erza's room so as to avoid any suspiscion of them having a fight, just like he promised. Joshua groaned as he sat down on his bed. He rolled his head and felt his neck pop several times as he did.

 _That attack took way too much outta me. I better not use that in a fight until I have it mastered._ Joshua peeled off his sweaty clothes and walked over to the shower, _Stick to the basics._

The hot water from the shower felt amazing on his aching body. He sighed and let the steam fill the bathroom. He had a long way to go, and he knew it. But soon, he'd been far stronger than anyone could ever dream of. He just knew it.

….

Wendy knocked on the door.

"Joshua, Erza! Are you in there?" When she heard no reply she decided to just let herself in. Wendy quietly opened the door. There was no one in the room. There was a small pile of clothes next to one of the beds, but it was empty other than that. Wendy frowned and was about to turn around and leave when she heard the bathroom door creak open.

"Erza?" Wendy's face became redder than Erza's hair as she saw who stepped out of the steaming bathroom. It was Joshua, with a towel wrapped around his waist and a toothbrush dangling out of his mouth.

"Uh… Wendy…" Joshua said, "What're you doing here?"

 _Holy crap he's shredded!_ Wendy screeched in her mind as he saw the muscles. Her face only grew redder and redder as she stared.

"Wendy!" Joshua snapped his fingers causing the blue haired woman to snap out of her daze, "Hey! You ok?"

"Oh y-yeah j-just f-fine!" Wendy stammered. She craned her head, "I think I just heard Carla call me! Bye!" Wendy jetted out of the room as fast as her feet could carry her.

Joshua stood there in his towel utterly confused.

"What was that all about?" Joshua mumbled before he shrugged and continued to brush his teeth.

After finishing his nightly routine. He slowly crawled into his bed, his muscles aching from the training he had been doing. He pulled the blankets over him, sighed with content, before using the force to flick the light switch off.

….

The next morning came quickly. As soon as the sun rose over the horizon Erza's eyes opened and she jumped out of her bed.

"New day! Time to train!" she exclaimed as she requiped out of her pink pajamas and into her armor.

"Five more minutes…" Joshua mumbled from his side of the room as he rolled over.

Erza frowned and walked over to her little brother.

"Time to get up." She said sweetly.

"Noooooo…." Joshua groaned as he threw the pillow over his head.

Erza scowled now. She grabbed Joshua's arm with her armored hand and yanked him out of his bed.

"Gah! Erza!"

The redhead didn't hear him as she dragged him across the floor and out of the room towards the beach for training. Joshua struggled against her iron like grip but her hand didn't budge.

"Erza! I'm not even dressed!" Joshua cried as he pulled on his arm.

"I gave you the chance to get up. And you didn't take it." Erza replied.

"Giving me five seconds isn't much of a chance!"

"Oh quit complaining."

Joshua huffed and just let himself be dragged around as he came to the realization that he wasn't getting out of Erza's hand. The damn thing was like a bear trap. Once it took hold you weren't getting out unless you wanted to cut off your own hand. He simply crossed his arms over his chest.

 _This is just like seven years ago… only my legs are longer now._ Joshua thought as he sand beneath him.

Eventually they arrived at the beach. Joshua was surprised to see that everyone else was already there. Lucy was talking chatting with Wendy. Levy was reading a book. Jet and Droy were doing pushups. And Gray and Natsu were already about to slug it out. All activity stopped when Erza and Joshua finally arrived though. Wendy's cheeks flushed as she Joshua in just his boxers being dragged behind Erza.

"About time you guys showed up." Gray said as he turned away from Natsu.

"Hey Joshua, since when did you become a stripper like Gray?" Nastu asked.

"I never did!" Joshua nodded his head at Erza as she finally let him go, "She just didn't give me time to get dressed." He glanced over at Gray, "And put some clothes on snowflake."

"GAH!" Gray rushed around the beach searching for his missing clothes while Juvia swooned the sight of him.

Joshua rose to his feet and brushed some sand off of him.

"Requip." He mumbled. His body became covered in a golden light and soon he was wearing armor similar to Erza's.

"Hey! I thought you used tele-kittens!" Natsu shouted as he pointed at Joshua.

"You mean telekinesis." Lucy deadpanned.

"I do, but Erza taught me requip when I first arrived at the guild." Joshua replied, "I'm nowhere near as skilled at it as her. But I can use it in a pinch."

Erza smiled, "It's good to see that you're still using it." She looked at the armor he was wearing. It was a very familiar Heart Kruez armor, "Where'd you get that armor, Joshua?"

"This?" Joshua smiled at her, "you got it for me, remember. According to the note you left it was supposed to be a present for after the S-Class exams. I had to modify it in order to continue to use it since I kinda grew out of it more than once. But it still gets the job done."

Erza smiled widely, "I remember. It's a good armor. I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up." She began to walk down the beach, "Are you going to train with me today?"

Joshua stole a glance back to the palm forest before sighing. He couldn't use the holocron because he couldn't read the strange language it was written in. So there was no point in training alone.

"Sure." Joshua started walking forwards when he was suddenly launched in the air by someone appearing from below ground.

The person tunneled up through the sand revealing a woman with pink hair wearing a maid's outfit with chains on her wrist.

"Virgo!" Exclaimed Lucy as Joshua yelled out and face planted behind her, "What're you doing here?"

"Hey! Warn a guy next time!" Joshua shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry for the disturbance, princess." Virgo bowed to Lucy, "Does this mean you will punish me."

"No!" Lucy cried out as she waved her arms.

Virgo looked disappointed for half a moment before she looked at Lucy, "Princess, there is a major issue."

Lucy stopped flailing her arms, "What is it."

The others gathered around Virgo, eager to hear what was wrong. Virgo bowed her head and somberly replied.

"The Spirit World… is in danger of being destroyed."

 **And Chapter! I think this is the longest chapter I have ever written. But there was a lot to squeeze in here. Let me know what you guys thought of it all. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	46. Chapter 46: Blue Haired Bastard's Guild

**This chapter is dedicated to one of the greatest heroes the silver screen has ever seen. May the force be with you Princess Leia. You live on forever in the hearts of every Star Wars fan.**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 46

The deck of the Star Destroyer that silently orbited over the glistening blue orb known as Earthland was bustling with activity. Ensigns, aides, and officers were scrambling along the catwalks and computer stations as they analyzed the massive amounts of data coming in from the probe droids that had rocketed down to the planet just a day ago. There was only one calm presence on the bridge.

Admiral Thrawn stood regally with his hands behind his back as he looked at the shimmering planet. It truly was a beautiful world to look at, even if he couldn't make out any of the finer details. He looked forward to setting foot on this Earthland. He may be considered a harsh Chiss, but he wasn't without his hobbies. Knowledge was his passion. And the prospect of an unknown planet with new species of flora and fauna greatly intrigued him.

"Admiral!"

"What is it Ensign?" Thrawn said with his incredibly calm voice.

"The first images from the probe droids are coming in now."

Thrawn smiled thinly, "Show me."

A blue hologram appeared in front of the Admiral. Images flew past his red eyes as he studied each one with great interest. It appeared this was a relatively primitive planet. Trams still seemed to be the preferred mode of transportation as well as beast drawn carriages. There were hardly any vehicles to speak of in the images. The cities that dotted the world were interesting to look at. Each had their own different aesthetic that was pleasing to the eye no matter what. But all of them seemed relatively small. Not major population centers. A video then surfaced over the hologram. Thrawn's red eyes widened.

"Freeze this image!" he barked quickly.

The image instantly froze. Thrawn gaped in stunned awe at what he was seeing. In the image before him was a derelict Separatist Dreadnought. Not just any dreadnought, the markings matched only one. A legendary ship of the Confederacy that disappeared after the death of Count Dooku. It was none other than the Supremacy in all of it's rusted and wrecked glory. But that wasn't the only thing that caught Thrawn's eye. Standing in front of the Supremacy, swords drawn was a pale, bald woman wearing black robes.

"Asajj Ventress…" Thrawn mumbled with disbelief, "I was under the impression she was dead."

A new figure stepped out of the shadows as the hologram continued to play out. This figure was a human male. He looked fairly young as well, but his presence seemed to strike a chord of fear in the old Separatist assassin's face. Suddenly, the entire area the Supremacy occupied was obliterated by a massive column of black energy. Thrawn stared in awe as he realized that it was caused by the newcomer. As soon as the explosion died away, the human male went over to the piles of ash and pulled out a strange red and gold pyramid before looking over to where the probe droid was.

"Sir, he sees the probe!" an officer stated.

The human made a fist with his left hand and the footage went to static. Silence filled the bridge. No one had any idea what they had just seen. But Thrawn had a basic idea. There was only one thing that seemed even remotely similar to what that human male did. Thrawn sighed. Vader's foresight was impeccable. It was a good thing he ordered "them" to join his ship when he left. He'd need there help dealing with the population if what he saw in the hologram was just a taste of the population's military capabilities.

 _But that was just what one human could do… what about the others on this planet?_ Thrawn folded his hands in front of him.

"Sir… a new image coming in…"

This time the droid's lens was focused on a flyer written on primitive paper. It seemed to be of something of great importance since there was a crowd of humans gathered around it.

"Freeze and focus." Thrawn ordered.

The hologram froze and zoomed in on the flyer. The language was unrecognizable to Thrawn.

"Get a protocol droid in here." he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

Thrawn waited patiently for several moments before he heard the metallic shuffle of a droid's feet against the metal floors of the bridge. He turned to see a silver protocol droid shuffling towards him.

"Greetings!" it said in a monotonous robotic tone, "I am designated as C4-5PZ. Protocol droid and interpreter."

Thrawn nodded, "Translate the image." He ordered calmly.

The protocol droids luminous eyes stared at the image. It jumped a little in shock.

"Oh.. My." Thrawn frowned.

"Do you not know it?" Thrawn asked as he crossed his arms.

"I know the language sir. However, it is considered a lost language entirely. There are barely any relics left of it. If my memory banks are correct."

Thrawn's curiosity soared, "What language?"

The protocol droid took a closer look at the frozen image, "It seems… to be an ancient dialect from the planet Korriban sir."

That caused murmurs to break out among the bridge. Even Thrawn found that revelation difficult to believe.

"As in the ancient Sith Empire?" Thrawn asked.

"Correct sir." the protocol droid confirmed, "This language has been considered extinct for nearly seven thousand years. Ever since the time of the Great Hyperspace War."

Thrawn stared in wonder at the image, "Translate." he ordered.

"Of course." The droid replied, "It says: 'Prepare for the Grand Magic Games Festival! Three months time! All legal wizard guilds welcome to participate! Winner receives thirty million…. Um… jewelry." The protocol droid turned to the admiral, "That is a rather rough translation sir but my memory banks are incomplete when it comes to such an ancient language."

Thrawn sighed, "No matter. You served your purpose. Dismissed."

The protocol droid bowed rigidly before shuffling off of the bridge.

"Grand magic games…" Thrawn rubbed his chin as he mulled over what the flyer said. "It's possible… Ensign, show me the video of the explosion."

"Yes sir!"

The recording of the destruction of the crashed dreadnought replayed. Thrawn studied it carefully.

"Yes… entirely possible." He mumbled as he saw the human's hand flick just before the massive column of black energy filled the screen.

"Lieutenant."

"Sir?" replied a young human male wearing a gray officer's uniform.

"You have the bridge. I need to speak with our guests."

The Lieutenant gulped, "Y-yes sir."

Thrawn quickly strode out of the bridge and quickly walked to the conferance room. He turned a corner and the blast doors to the room hissed open. Thrawn walked in and was very nearly startled by who he saw on the other side.

"How good of you to join us, Admiral." growled a Pau'an male.

Thrawn's heart beat quickly for half a moment before his calm demeanor returned to him.

"Grand Inquisitor. I wasn't expecting you until I called."

"We felt we should meet you here." Said a sinister female voice to Thrawn's right.

The Chiss admiral calmly glanced over to see a female Mirialan sitting casually on the conference table. Her face mostly hidden by a black helmet and mask. He then noticed the two other figures clothes in black standing around the room. At the far end of the room was a lone figure, sitting on the floor, legs crossed and eyes closed. Thrawn had never seen him before. He was a human male, young in appearance, most likely eighteen, with short black hair and pale skin. He wore black tattered robes with gray armor over his shoulders and chest.

"Who might your new friend be, Inquisitors?" Thrawn asked.

"Him?" The female Mirialan shrugged, "Don't ask me. Only the Grand Inquisitor and Lord Vader know who he is. And I'm not at liberty to ask them."

"That's because you got your ass handed to you when you did." Grunted a hulking gray alien with opaque eyes.

"Shut up Fifth Brother."

The second inquisitor clothed in black robes and armor let out a gravelly chuckle before a sharp glare from the Grand Inquisitor silenced all of them. His crimson eyes turned back to Thrawn.

"I assume you wish to speak with us." he asked through razor sharp teeth.

Thrawn nodded, "Indeed. I want you to see this."

Thrawn pressed a few buttons on a control panel embedded in the conference table. The hologram of the black explosion appeared. The three lower inquisitors stared slack jawed at it. The grand inquisitor frowned while the final human remained completely still, sitting silently at the far end of the room. Then the image of the flyer appeared as well as the translation in subtext. When Thrawn felt he got the point across, he switched off the hologram and waited.

"Magic?" snorted the Mirialan, "Seriously?"

"Seventh sister." The Grand Inquisitor growled, "What have I told you about underestimating things? Doing that will get you killed eventually."

"It'll be a hilarious day when it does." growled the last figure in black, his face completely hidden behind a black armored mask and helmet.

"Can I please destroy the eighth brother?" snarled the Seventh sister. Another glare from the Grand Inquisitor made her rethink the idea.

"So… this planet seems to be inhabited by 'magic' users. Am I guessing correctly Admiral?"

Thrawn nodded, "Indeed. However, we don't know how powerful or how many. But this could be evidence of their military strength. If that is the case, then to invade such a planet would be rather costly. And seeing as we only have one ship, we cannot afford costly." Thrawn stared at the smirking Grand Inquisitor, "I wish to learn more about these beings capabilities."

"And the best way to do that would be to see these games." The Grand Inquisitor finished, "You want us to enter as a 'legal guild'?"

Thrawn nodded, "Recordings only reveal so much. I need evidence from the ground. This is our best option to gather such evidence. I am ordering you all down to the planet surface. Find a way to get into those games so we can learn more about our enemy. Once the necessary intel is gathered, return to the ship and we will contact Lord Vader."

"Why not just contact him now and get it over with?" asked the Fifth brother.

"Yes, why not?" The Grand Inquisitor asked, "After all, he could bring more ships to aid us. Taking a small planet like this should be nothing to him."

The human male sitting in the back finally spoke up, "Because, my Master does not dirty his hands with such small matters." Thrawn glanced back and saw the young human rise to his feet, "He has deemed this our task. To ask for his assistance would be seen as failure in his eyes. And I'm sure you know how that goes."

The Seventh Sister audibly gulped while the Fifth Brother's face went ashen. The Grand Inquisitor swallowed realizing the young man's point.

"Very well…" The Grand Inquisitor sighed, "I understand your plan Thrawn." The Chiss Admiral nodded to him.

"Then get it done." The Admiral replied with his unnervingly calm tone, "Remember, this is an intelligence and stealth mission. Maintaining cover is of the utmost importance."

"Don't worry Admiral." The human male replied, "I'll keep them all in line."

Thrawn didn't know why, but he got the feeling that the human was not someone to trifle with. Which meant that the wild bunch of the inquisitors, namely the Seventh Sister and Eight Brother, would not cross him unless they wanted to lose their lives. Whoever this human was, he was strong. Strong enough to keep them on a leash. He'd have to learn who this human was.

"Good." Thrawn replied, "I have a bridge to get to. There is a shuttle waiting for you in the hangar."

And with that the Admiral left. The Seventh sister jumped up from her seat on the table and stretched.

"Alright, we won't be cooped up in here anymore. Finally!"

"I couldn't agree more sister." The Fifth Brother rumbled.

"All of you prepare to go planetside." The Grand Inquisitor ordered, "And do not forget the purpose of this mission." He nervously watched as the human male walked out and headed to the shuttle bay by himself.

"Who is he sir?" asked the Eight Brother, "And why do I sense fear coming from you when you look at him."

"Silence." The Grand Inquisitor snapped, "You are not someone that needs to know. Just get prepared. We have a guild to set up after all. And only three months to do it."

….

"What do you mean the spirit world is in danger of being destroyed!" Lucy exclaimed to Virgo.

"We are in danger. There is no time to explain. But we need your help." The maid spirit looked at everyone, "We need all of your help." she said with desperation in her voice.

"Virgo…" Lucy breathed.

"Of course we'll help!" Natsu shouted, "You're one of Lucy's friends. Which means you're our friend."

"Hate to say it but the pyro is right." Gray continued, "We'd be glad to help out."

"But… it's impossible to go to the spirit world for us." Erza said, "You told me that once before Lucy."

"That's right." Lucy bowed her head, "We can't survive in the Celestial Spirit World. So how can we help?"

"Don't worry princess." Virgo pulled out hangars filled with clothes out of seemingly nowhere, "As long as you are wearing clothing from the Spirit World you all will be able to pass through and enter the Spirit world."

"That makes literally zero sense." Joshua grumbled.

"Awesome!" Lucy exclaimed. The blonde turned around to look at everyone, "Alright everyone! Get ready to go to the Spirit world and save it!"

"Damn right!" Natsu shouted.

"Very well. Thank you so much." Virgo bowed before she spread her hands.

A bright light engulfed all of the Fairy Tail wizards with the exception of Jet and Droy who had left to go find some breakfast. At first, Joshua panicked as he felt the warmth of the light envelope him. His panic increased as his vision whited out for several moments. Then his vision returned. Joshua landed heavily on a strange rainbow colored stone floor. Joshua winced and rubbed his back before getting up and marveling at the sight around him.

"Holy…. Cow…" He gaped as he saw the Celestial Spirit world.

Before them was a stone archway with rainbow lights dancing around it. Past the archway was a large stone platform with a table set perfectly for the amount of people that arrived. The world around the area was dark yet at the same time glowed with a warm light that made Joshua forget all of his worries. Stars twinkled all around him as he looked down to see the strange outfit he was wearing. He was in a golden long sleeved shirt with green pants and a green and gold cape around his shoulders. He couldn't help but somewhat like the look, even though he normally wouldn't be a big fan of it. There was something magical about it that made it feel good to be wearing such outlandish clothing.

"Woah!" Lucy gasped as she stared around her.

Joshua smirked at the Celestial Spirit wizard as she drank in the sights around her. His own eyes widened as well as he caught a glimpse of the blue haired wizard wearing a sparkling green dress that extended down to her feet.

"Woah is right." Joshua said as he stared.

"Woah!" Natsu and Happy shouted.

Joshua frowned, "We get it, we all already woahed for you."

Natsu and Happy then pointed up, "Giant Moustache!"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

He looked up and his eyes ballooned as he saw a giant… something towering over them. He wore an strange, angular, crown like headpiece that shadowed out part of his face. His most striking feature however, was the massive moustache that extended stiffly down to his torso.

"I have brought Fairy Tail as you requested Celestial Spirit King." Virgo bowed.

"Celestial Spirit King!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Holy crap!" Natsu shouted with his eyes bugging out of his skull.

"Your majesty." Lucy stepped forward, "Virgo told me that the Celestial Spirit World was in danger! How can we help?"

They all waited with bated breath as the Celestial Spirit king drew in a deep breath.

"Grin.." his massive mouth parted revealing a bright smile, "Welcome back my old friends!" he boomed happily.

"Eh?" Lucy was then embraced by Virgo.

"Surprise!" shouted a slew of voices around the wizards.

Joshua spun around and saw all of Lucy's Celestial spirits appear around them as well as a slew of other spirits Joshua didn't recognize. Joshua's mind processed what was going on for a moment before he smiled over at Lucy.

"Well we just go played." he grinned.

"Tell me about it." The blonde replied, "You all got me super worried just so you could get us to a surprise party!?"

"Oh c'mon Lucy!" Loke swept the blond off her feet, "You can sit next to me for the entire party now."

"Uh…"

The Celestial Spirit king chuckled loudly, "Now then! Let us eat, drink, and make merry! For our friends have returned home!" he bellowed.

"Alright! Party!" Natsu roared before he charged towards the food that had appeared at the long table.

Joshua laughed to himself as Natsu ate the apologized quickly to Cancer and Aries as he learned he was chowing down on crab and veal. He then noticed someone step up beside him.

"This is amazing isn't it?" Wendy said as she stood beside Joshua.

Joshua grinned. He could just say a really cheesy thing back but- "As amazing as seeing me in a bath towel?"

Wendy's face turned bright red, "I-I-" Joshua began to laugh loudly, "Why you! You tried to embarrass me!"

"Admit it… that was funny!" roared Joshua as he laughed.

Wendy fumed but eventually couldn't help but laugh with Joshua. Joshua extended a hand to her.

"Shall we sit and eat?"

Wendy smiled, "Sure thing."

Across the table glared Erza and Carla. Both of them had their arms crossed and their fingers tapped lightly on their arms as they watched Joshua and Wendy interact.

"I swear if he does anything to Wendy I will claw him for eternity." Carla growled.

"I'll help you out with that." Erza said.

"Oh relax you two!" Levy laughed, "This is a party. Have some fun!"

Erza looked over at the smiling Solid Script mage before sighing, "Very well. I suppose it wouldn't be a bad thing to relax a little."

The party then went into full swing. Joshua lost track of how much food he ate. In fact, he ate so much that Wendy had to use her healing magic on his stomach after a certain point. Lucy was chatting constantly with her spirits as the party went on. Natsu and Gray were having an eating competition in which Juvia silently cheered for Gray from the sidelines. Levy was reading some books that were only in the Celestial Spirit world. And Happy was gorging himself on fish. But, all good things had to come to an end, and eventually they all had to leave the Celestial Spirit world. They had to train for the games after all. There was no time to just party all day. Virgo happily transported them back Earthland.

"Alright! Now we have fully bellies and a three whole months to train!" Natsu cheered.

"Yeah!" Lucy exclaimed with him.

Virgo blinked, "I'm sorry… I'm afraid you may be mistaken. You don't have three months to train."

"What do ya mean?" Joshua asked, a sinking feeling forming in his gut.

"Well, time passes by differently in the Celestial Spirit World. So-"

"So you're saying we have more time!" Both Erza and Natsu said cheerfully.

Virgo shook her head, "Nope. One day in the celestial spirit world…"

 _Oh god, please don't say it!_ Joshua thought.

"Three months in the real world." Virgo smiled at all of them, "good luck in the games." Her body shimmered and she quickly disappeared.

Everyone kept that same goofy grin plastered on their faces as they stared blankly out at the sea in front of them. The grins slowly fell away as what Virgo just said slowly began to sink in.

"Th-three m-months…" Erza stammered.

"We lost three months?" Wendy whispered somberly, disbelief filled her voice.

"Eh?" Natsu croaked.

Joshua sighed, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go smack my head into a palm tree and hope I wake up from this nightmare."

"GIVE US BACK OUR TIME!" Lucy screamed while the others just face faulted into the sand.

….

Everyone sat glumly in the sand and stared out at the ocean. The sun was slowly setting before them creating a beautiful scene. Oranges and reds painted the thin clouds overhead and brilliant golden rays stretched out from the horizon as the sun settled below it. But none of the wizards currently on the beach were willing to enjoy it. They were too busy sulking over lost time. The worst of them was Erza who was just balled up on the beach, rocking back and forth and muttering about how much ground they still had to make up. Joshua was still by a palm tree, smacking his head repeatedly into it as he grunted in frustration. After several more moments of doing that, Joshua sighed and stepped away from the palm tree, a giant blue and black bruise on his forehead. He marched in front of everyone and stood tall.

"Alright! I've got it outta my system!" He shouted. The others looked up sullenly at him, "We still have five days to train! So… we have no time to waste!" Erza stopped rocking back and forth and looked up at her little brother, "Prepare to not have time to sleep! For we must train nonstop to reach our potential!"

*Splat*

Joshua's face scrunched up as he felt something wet plop on top of his head. His eyes looked up to see a small pigeon had decided to land on his head, and it had promptly pooped on him right as it landed.

"Oh that's just fucking great…" Joshua growled.

"Hahahahaha!" Natsu broke out of his sad state and howled with laughter. Joshua gave him a glare worthy of being as terrifying as Erza's glares which promptly shut the pink haired dragon slayer up.

"Hey look," Juvia got to her feet and walked up to Joshua. She reached up to his head and grabbed the pigeon's leg. Tied to the leg was a small note, "There is a note."

"Hm?" Erza got to her feet and walked over to see the note Juvia was holding. "What does it say Juvia?"

Everyone was now crowding around Juvia as they tried to get a peak at the note.

"It says: Fairy Tail, meet at the broken suspension bridge… signed CS."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "That's weird."

"You're telling me." Lucy replied, "It sounds too mysterious and weird to be something good."

"Do we know anyone with the initials CS?" Gray asked Levy.

The bookworm shrugged.

"I think we should go." Natsu smiled, "Who knows, maybe there'll be someone to fight there!"

"Is fighting all you think out." Lucy deadpanned.

"That and food." Happy finished.

"I think about other things too!"

"I agree with Natsu." Erza said.

"Huh!?" Lucy exclaimed.

Erza looked around at everyone, "It doesn't hurt to check it out, besides there are how many of us… nine?" Happy bemoaned how they forgot about him and Carla, "I don't think anyone could overpower all nine of us together. Besides… I'm curious."

Joshua frowned, "I don't like it."

Erza glared over at him, "You don't have to like it cause it's what we're doing."

"Yes ma'am!" both Joshua and Lucy replied quickly.

"Alright!" Natsu roared, "Let's go!"

The group of wizards quickly travelled inland, following Erza and Natsu as they made their way to the old, broken down suspension bridge that was deep in the palm tree woods. The sun was set low in the sky when they finally arrived, making the sky a deep pink color with splashed of purple mixed in. The shadows of the forest were long as they emerged from the thicket to see the broken bridge over a deep ravine. Joshua narrowed his eyes at the bridge.

"I got a bad feeling about this." He said quietly.

"Yeah… me too." Wendy agreed.

Suddenly the broken ends of the bridge began to reform. The two sides were lifted into the air and pieces of rotted wood became solid again and reconnected with each other. Within seconds, the old suspension bridge looked brand new.

"H-how?" Lucy stammered.

"Almost looks like an invitation to cross." Levy observed as they all edged closer to the bridge.

Joshua subtly increased his magic power as he readied himself to draw his lightsaber from his requip space.

"Indeed, it does seem that way." Erza replied.

"But how do we know it's safe?" Wendy asked.

"Like this!" Gray shoved Natsu onto the bridge.

The dragon slayer cried out in a panic as he braced himself for the bridge to fall out under him. When it didn't, he grinned a little until he noticed it. The bridge was swaying, back and forth, back and forth. Natsu gulped and felt his cheeks puff out before he weakly leaned up against the rope that he was clutching.

"Seriously!" Lucy cried, "You're getting motion sickness from a bridge!"

"C-can't *blurp* help it!" Natsu called back before he grimaced and willed himself to sprint across the swaying bridge to the otherside. Once on the other side he thrust his arms in the air and yelled out victoriously.

Joshua lowered his magic power, "Well… looks safe enough." He turned to everyone else as he stepped onto the bridge, "Let's get across this thing."

Soon everyone was on the other side of the ravine. The shadows of the forest were now pitch black as the sun had almost completely disappeared.

"Alright, we're across the bridge. Now what?" Gray asked.

As if to answer his question, four figures emerged from the shadows of the palm woods. All four wore blue capes with deep hoods over them. Their faces were shadowed out but it was easy to make out their genders. Two were women and two were men. One of the men was built like a tank while the other was much slimmer. The four figures stopped in front of them. Joshua was on high alert as was everyone else in the group.

"It's good to see you again… Fairy Tail." Said the leader.

The four figures moved their hands up to their hoods and took them off. Every Fairy Tail member gasped in shock at who they saw. The first was a young girl, roughly eighteen in age with long pink hair and bright smile on her face. The second was an older woman with raven colored hair and dark eyes. She wore a black and white battlesuit underneath her cape and had a sad smile on her face. The third was the tank like man. He was incredibly muscular with dark skin and long brown dreadlocks ontop of his head. He had a thin beard on his chin and wore dark green leather armor underneath his cape. The final was someone that made Joshua's anger rise up out of him. He did his best to suppress it but…

"BLUE HAIRED BASTARD!" Joshua roared as he charge forward only to be hit by a flying silver orb.

Joshua backed up and glared harshly at the four. The man with blue hair at the front chuckled a little.

"I see I haven't lost that charming nickname." he said.

"Jellal…" Erza whispered with wide eyes.

"Meldy!" Juvia exclaimed.

The pink haired girl smiled brightly over at the water wizard and waved, "Hi, Juvia!"

Natsu, Gray, and Lucy glared at the final two.

"Hey…. weren't you two members of Grimiore Heart?" Natsu asked.

"They were," Gray got into a fighting stance, "And that woman was the one who told us that they killed Wendy."

Jellal raised his hands, "Now hold on everyone. Calm down. All of this can be explained."

"Yup!" Meldy said cheerfully.

"We start talking." Joshua snarled, "My patience is running thin."

The black haired woman sighed, "Yes, the three of us, Meldy," she nodded over at the smiling pink haired girl, "Azuma," The large man grunted, "And I were all members of Grimoire Heart. My name… is Ultear Milkovich." Gray's eyes widened in shock. She had the same name as his teacher, Ur. "And before you all attack me," She specifically looked at Gray, "We are reformed."

Meldy nodded, "That's right! After the battle on Tenrou Island, and after I lost to Juvia. I found Azuma and we decided it may be best for us to leave the island. We were able to find a small boat and paddled out when we found Ultear floating in the water, hurt."

"After Zeref blasted me, I landed in the ocean. I was badly hurt and couldn't move. But somehow I survived. In the water," Ultear continued, "I received my mother's memories." She looked over at Gray, "I'm sure you know how."

"Yeah, Ur's Iced shell melted into the sea after Deliora was freed on Galuna Island."

"I'm lost…" Joshua sighed.

"Me too." Wendy said.

"Same." Natsu continued.

"You were there idiot!" Gray cried.

"Anyways… when I received my mother's memories, I… I learned what really happened to me." Ultear continued, "I learned why she left me, I learned how she felt about me. And.. I became so ashamed of myself that I tried to kill myself. If it wasn't for Meldy and Azuma I would've. So instead of living in self pity, I took up a new purpose."

Azuma nodded, "We decided to break out the most powerful wizard we knew, Jellal. He wanted to atone for his mistakes as well. So he convinced us to help him form an independent wizard guild."

"A witch's crime," Jellal finished, "Crime Sorciere."

Wendy, Jet, and Droy's eyes widened.

"I've heard of you guys!" Droy shouted, "You all have been taking out dark guilds for the past five years!"

Jellal nodded, "That is our sole mission. To destroy all evil in this world, and hopefully in the process, destroy Zeref and atone for our sins in the past."

Azuma raised an eyebrow, "I joined up on the promise of strong opponents."

"You just ruined the dramatic moment big guy." Meldy sweatdropped.

"Well, I haven't been disappointed so far." Azuma replied.

"Anyways," Jellal coughed, "When we heard that you all had returned. We knew we had to meet with you all. Not just to see you that you all were safe, but to also thank you."

"For what?" Natsu asked.

"For putting us on the right path of course!" Meldy replied.

Erza didnt' know what to say right now. The emotions in her were conflicting. On one hand she was thrilled to see Jellal. But on the other, she was terrified. What if this was all a trick? What if he was the same monster as at the Tower?

"Jellal," The blue haired man looked over at her, "Do you have all of your mem-"

"I do." Jellal replied, "I remember everything." he took a shaky breath, "I remember the Tower. I remember battling you and Joshua. I… remember killing Simon." His head bowed, "There is no possible way for me to get your forgiveness for that."

"Damn right." Joshua grumbled as he glared at Jellal.

Meldy looked across at the young man who said that. As she looked at him her cheeks turned red and she felt her heart begin to thump in her chest. Everything about him seemed to make Meldy's heart jump.

 _He's…. so… dreamy!_

"Meldy? Why are you drooling?" Azuma asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Dreamy…" she replied.

Ultear put a hand on Azuma's shoulder, "Just let it go."

"So why are you guys here?" Gray asked.

"We heard you all were going to compete in the Grand Magic Games." Jellal replied.

"I don't know about that." Wendy rubbed her arm, "We kinda lost three months in the celestial spirit world."

"Yeah, thanks Lucy!" Natsu snapped.

"What did I do!?"

"And because you were competing we have a way of giving you an advantage." Jellal continued. Everyone's eyes widened, "Ultear. Do you want to explain?"

"Sure." The raven haired woman stepped forward, "Azuma, diagram."

The tree mage produced a large diagram and easel from behind him and set it up for Ultear before handing her a pointer.

"Thank you." She pointed at the diagram of a wizard, "You see, when using magic, wizards draw on their magic from a container in their bodies. When they use it the magic gets drained until eventually the container is empty and you have to wait until your body can absorb new ethernanos from the air in order to use your magic again." she moved the pointer away, "This severly limits the stamina of a wizard. But researchers have recently discovered that there is actually a second container that is never accessed by a wizard. It's called… second origin."

Azuma folded up the easel and diagram and gently plucked the pointer out of Ultear's hand.

"With my Arc of Time magic, I can unlock this second origin, thereby giving you more magic power to draw on, which means you can fight harder for a longer period of time."

"Uh…" Natsu scratched his head while Levy, Gray, Lucy and the others gaped in amazement. Joshua was frowning the entire time. This second origin, it involved unlocking latent potential. He shook his head. That wouldn't go well with him.

"That's amazing!" Erza breathed.

"Yeah!" Wendy nodded.

"What is it?" Natsu asked.

Gray sighed, "She uses her magic, you get a power up." he explained simply.

"Really!" Natsu exclaimed, "Awesome! Let's do it!"

Ultear laughed lightly, "Very well." her face then became serious, "But I'm warning you all now. You will have to endure extreme physical pain in order for the second origin to be unlocked."

"I can take it!" Natsu shouted determined.

Meldy smiled kindly at him, "No you can't."

….

"GAAAAHAHAAAHHHHHAAAAAH!" Natsu howled as he writhed on the lodge floor. Red markings glowed across his body as he flopped on the ground and twisted in agony. His pupils were no longer visible as his eyes were whited out. "AHHHHH! AHHHHH!"

Gray gulped while Juvia nervously clutched his arm, "I-uh-I don't know if I wanna do that. Is it really that painful?"

"Wanna try a sensory link?" Meldy smiled sweetly.

"No way!"

"Are we really doing this?" Wendy said while tears came out of her eyes, "I'm afraid I'm going to cry."

"You're already crying!" Carla said back.

Joshua watched Natsu with one of the most serious expressions Erza had ever seen. He not only seemed very concerned about this Second Origin but he also seemed to be deep in thought. Every so often she could see him mutter to himself under his breath as if he was working through a very difficult problem. The redhead walked over to him and sat down beside him on a log bench.

"You ok?" she asked her little brother.

"Hm?" Joshua glanced over at his big sister, "Y-yeah… I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

Erza smirked, "Liar liar pants on fire."

"Heh. Still using that." He smirked, "I'm just thinking this whole second origin thing through." He half lied, "It looks a little painful for my taste."

Erza nodded, "Well, you better think quickly. Cause you'll be up soon."

Joshua frowned and seemed to retreat into his thoughts once again. Erza patted him on the shoulder before exiting the lodge so she could go think as well. She had other things to think about. The most important thing being the sudden reappearance of Jellal. Then second on her mind was Joshua. He seemed so different from before. Of course she understood some of the differences. It had been seven years after all and he did have to grow up on his own. But there were some things that just seemed completely opposite of how he once was. He was kinda quiet now and very reserved. He didn't talk much about himself or what happened to him the past seven years. In fact, every time someone brought it up his behavior seemed to darken before he hastily changed the subject. She had a feeling that more than just simple magic training happened in the past seven years. The words of the vision she had before she woke up in Porlyusica's hut replayed in her mind.

 _He has chosen to follow a dark path…_

Erza frowned. That couldn't be why he was like that. She refused to believe that he would follow the path of the Sith. Even though she still didn't have the faintest idea as to what a Sith actually was, Maul claimed to be one, and that was enough for her to draw the conclusion that they were evil.

Her bare feet eventually carried her up to a small cliff where she was surprised to see Jellal sitting on a rock, head bowed and hands folded in front of him.

"Hey." Erza said quietly.

Jellal's head snapped up and he turned his body to look at Erza as she quietly walked up beside him.

"Hey." he replied.

They stayed silent for a moment.

"Erza," Jellal started before he took a deep breath and continued, "I'm so sorry." Erza looked over to him, "I-I did so many horrible things. So many unforgivable things to you and to others." he took a shaky breath, "With all of the evil I have done in my life, I sometimes wonder if I even deserve to live. Maybe if I just-"

*SLAP*

Jellal felt Erza's strong hand smack him across the face, stunning the fugitive.

"Don't you dare say that!" Erza snapped, "You are not that person. You never were that person!" Erza grabbed his shoulders roughly and shook him, "So stop-"

She was cut off as the rock that Jellal was sitting on fell loose from the ground and rolled out underneath them. Both cried out as they tumbled down the hill that led up to the cliff and down towards the beach. As they did they passed by some dormant plants that spewed out sparkling dust when they were suddenly disturbed. Eventually the two stopped tumbled and landed on the beach. Erza's cheeks were flush as she felt Jellal on top of her. Both were breathing heavily as they tried to steady themselves.

"Um…"

"Jellal…" Erza looked up at him, "I was so scared, back at Nirvana. I wanted… I wanted to be glad you were gone. But, but I was so scared that I lost you for good as well." She raised a hand and held his cheek.

Jellal swallowed, "When I heard about the island. I was never so sad in my life." their faces drew closer to each other, "Then I see you alive." he whispered to her, "I think that might've been one of the happiest moments of my life."

Erza felt some tears drip down her cheeks as their lips were now inches apart.

"Jellal…"

They stopped as they heard someone sprinting towards them. Erza's eyes widened. They were being watched.

"HANDS OFF BLUE HAIRED BASTARD!"

A metal fist smacked Jellal in the right cheek and sent him flying into the shallow water of the ocean. Joshua huffed and glared angrily at Jellal as he lay in a daze in the water. Erza blinked then felt her cheek heat up again. Not from embarrassment or affection. No, this time it was unending rage as she looked up at her little brother.

"That takes care of that." Joshua nodded.

"Joshua!" Erza snarled menacingly.

Joshua felt fear seize him almost immediately. Sweat formed on his body as he saw Erza rise up and look at him with the most terrifying glare he had ever witnessed in his life.

"Er-Erza I-I-"

Erza requiped a sword in her left hand.

"I better run…" Joshua squeaked.

"JOSHUA!"

"GAH!"

And just like that, the chase was on.

….

Joshua was unable to outrun Erza. Her endless fury made her a juggernaut and no matter what the young man did he was incapable of getting away from her. Eventually, she was able to reach out with her left hand and snag his collar. Joshua choked for a moment before being violently slammed into the ground. He was then punted into the air and landed headfirst into a rock, knocking him out instantly. After effectively beating the ever living crap out of her little brother for ruining her romantic moment, Erza stomped over, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the lodge.

When they arrived, the others were undergoing their Second Origin opening process. Everyone was writhing on the ground in unimaginable pain as glowing red markings covered their bodies. It was painful to even look at as Ultear and Meldy cringed with each howl of pain. Azuma remained indifferent as he silently stood guard by the door. He saw Erza reemerge from the woods with an unconscious Joshua in tow. The burly man snorted out a laugh before going back to quietly staring out at the ocean.

Erza propped Joshua up against a boulder and smacked his face several times so he would wake up.

"Guh… uh…" Joshua blinked awake and recoiled as he saw Erza staring back at him, "I'm sorry! So sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"You meant to." Erza interrupted.

"Yeah I did." he sweatdropped.

Erza sighed and sat down beside her little brother, "So much for getting my first kiss."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Wait a moment. You haven't had that yet?"

Erza shook her head.

"So I got kissed before you! I was ten!"

"And you remember the result."

Joshua gulped at the shopping spree came to mind, "Yeah…" he shuddered, "That was not pleasant."

Erza laughed aloud, "But it is actually a pretty good memory."

"Yeah for you." Joshua replied, "But then again, that was the same day you gave me my last name. So… I guess it was a good day."

Erza nodded and leaned back against the rock, "This is more like it."

"What?"

"This, us chatting like we used to. You're not brooding now."

"I don't brood." Joshua replied.

"Oh yes you do." Erza replied, "Especially when I try to talk to you about what happened over the past seven years."

Joshua's face hardened up a little, "Maybe a little."

"Hey!" Meldy skipped over to them. She had insisted on coming out to them. After all, she wanted to be near the love of her life. She stared starry eyed at Joshua, "You… you ready for your second origin?"

Joshua sighed and shook his head, "I don't think it'd be a good idea for me."

Erza turned to him, "Why not?"

"I'll explain in a moment. I just gotta wait for her to leave."

Meldy blinked and realized that a very serious conversation was about to occur. As much as she wanted to say by her love's side. She knew that it'd be best for her to go back to Ultear.

"Alright." she smiled as she did her best to hide her dissapointment, "I'll tell Ultear!" and she quickly skipped away.

Joshua took a deep breath and Erza glanced over at him, "Alright, start talking."

"You won't let this go will you? Cause… the reason I won't do Second Origin is linked to what happened over the past seven years."

Erza's eyes widened and her concern grew as she saw the look on Joshua's face. "Hey, you can tell me anything. I'm your family after all."

Joshua exhaled and slowly nodded, "Promise to not tell anyone."

Erza raised her right hand, "I swear I won't."

"Not even Makarov!"

Erza hesitated, "Why not?"

Joshua sighed, "You'll learn why. You see, the past seven years I actually was training. Just… not in the way you and Master would've approved of."

Erza felt a pit form in her stomach.

"I followed the path of the Sith."

Erza closed her eyes. Her worst fear was true. Those two guys in her vision were right.

"Joshua…" she breathed, "Who could've possibly taught you that?"

Joshua hesitated. Erza saw some water building in his eyes. He was genuinely ashamed right now.

"Tyrannus." was all he said, but it was enough to make Erza's blood turn to ice in her veins, "Tyrannus and Ventress. Although… if I had to say which one actually taught me more about surviving in this world, it was probably Ventress."

Erza didn't' know what to say. She just let Joshua continued.

"He promised me, that if I allowed him to teach me, I'd become so powerful that I could protect everyone I cared about. I… wasn't doing it to gain almighty power or to take over the world. I was doing it to protect those I cared about, so that no one else would share the fate of you all on Tenroujima." Joshua let out another shaky breath and he rubbed his head, "During this time, I… learned about where I came from. Who I really was and what this power was inside of me. You see… Tyrannus was just a fake name, a title. His real name was Count Dooku…" He bowed his head, "And he was my grandfather."

Erza's eyes ballooned out, "How?"

"Erza, there is so much more to the universe than you think. There are other worlds out there, beyond the stars. Filled with people, civilizations, good… and evil." He choked a little, "And it just so happens that one of the biggest evils was sealed inside of me when I was just a baby."

Erza understood now. She understood why he didn't want to undergo the second origin unlocking.

"You're afraid that unlocking your second origin will unlock this evil in you."

Joshua bowed his head nodded slightly, "I know it will." He then quoted a line Ventress had drilled into his brain, "A Sith feeds off pain. It makes a Sith stronger, more powerful, more dangerous. Emotion is a Sith's true weapon. Passion is the tip of the sword, anger and hatred the edges, pain and suffering the guard, and fear the hilt." He looked up at Erza's shocked face, "That's why I have been kinda distant lately. This evil in me, it feeds on my emotions. It's the way of a Sith lord. Emotions give it power. So, I have to be careful. This thing in me was resealed tightly during one of my Sith trials, but given enough power it can break free. And if it does, there is no way I'll be able to reign it back in."

"But… you were able to reign back in Tyrannus when he took over, back in Edolas." Erza whispered.

"This is different. My master was nowhere near as powerful as this thing residing in me. It took an ancient force user so powerful that he survived beyond death in order to push this thing back into the dark corners of my mind when it tried to break out just a few months ago. If I lose control of it, like I did when I was little, then it will kill everyone." Erza's eyes remained wide, "And I won't be able to stop it. All I'll be able to do is watch. To me, the best way to prevent that, is to not even address it. To pretend a time bomb like that isn't even there. It provides a little comfort in that regard. So… that's why I don't go around talking about the past seven years. If I did, Master Makarov would've booted me from the guild again. I just know he would. And I was afraid that you would grow to distrust me just as much." Tears began to stream down his face, "I-I didn't want to be expelled again. I didn't want to be separated from you guys again. So I decided to hide it all." Joshua broke down.

Erza's face softened and she wrapped her arms around Joshua as he sobbed, "I don't know how all of that nonsense got into your head." she said softly, "But I would never ever leave you like that. You're my little brother, you're my family. And no matter what, family sticks together. Through everything. I'm sure Master will realize that as well." She rubbed Joshua's right shoulder, "After all, you did what you did for the right reasons. You wanted to protect everyone. I don't think anyone can hate you for that." Joshua gulped and took a few shaky breaths as he tried to collect himself, "So, while I'm a tad disappointed that you delved into such dark magic, I'm also very proud of you."

Joshua looked up at Erza, "What?"

"I'm proud of you. You did everything you did for the most pure of reasons, to protect those you love. You learned to control a dark magic that everyone thought you'd never be able to reign in, so you could protect everyone. So, I say to hell with what everyone else thinks of you. And to hell with this evil thing inside of you. As long as you hold to your beliefs and care about everyone, you'll never fall. And I'll be here to make sure of that."

Joshua gulped and wiped his eyes, "Thanks… sis."

….

Smoke filled the cell block corridor as red blaster bolts slammed into the walls of the long hallway. The guard's area at the front of the corridor was swarming with soldiers in white armor and helmets that masked their faces. All of them were ducking behind cover as red blaster bolts were fired back at them. One of the soldiers cried out and toppled to the ground as a hail of blaster bolts slammed into. The soldiers responded by raining more blaster fire down the cell block corridor. Taking cover behind some structural supports were several terrified figures.

One was a young man, about nineteen in age, with wavy blonde hair. He wore the same white armor as the soldiers but without the helmet. He randomly fired back at the soldiers down the hall while next to him a beautiful young woman clung to cover beside him. She wore a flowing white dress and had dark brown hair wrapped up in large buns on the sides of her head. Across from them, ducking from blaster bolts was a roguish looking man with brown hair. He was smirking a little as if he was enjoying the battle going on. He also wore the white armor but without the helmet. Behind him, was a massive, hairy, creature that towered over everyone else. It's massive paws made the blaster in it's hands look like a children's toy as it fired down the hall and howled.

"What did you all just come to break me out without an escape plan of your own?" The woman shouted at the two men.

"He's the brains sweetheart!" Shouted the older man next to the walking carpet.

The woman frowned and wrenched the blaster rifle out of the blonde's hands.

"Give me that." She then turned and fired at a large grate at floor level.

"The hell are you doing!" The older man shouted back.

"Well someone has to save our skins." She retorted before jumping across the corridor firing at the enemy as she went. She slammed against the wall next to the blasted open grate, "Into the garbage chute fly boy!"

She then jumped into the grate after tossing the blaster rifle back to the blonde. The walking carpet attempted to follow her but howled out as he smelled the stench coming from the grate.

"Get in there!" Shouted the older man, "Get in there you big oaf! I don't care what you smell" He roughly kicked the massive, hairy creature down the chute before concentrating his efforts on the stormtroopers down the hall. He looked across to his young companion.

"Wonderful girl!" He shouted over the hail of blaster fire. The blonde smirked a little, "Either I'm beginning to hate her or like her." he fired another volley of shots before ducking away from the return fire. They couldn't keep this up much longer. He looked across the corridor, "Luke! Get in there!"

The blond nodded and quickly dived into the chute. The rogue man snarled at the stormtroopers before shooting a few more shots and diving into the garbage chute after the others. He screamed the whole way down until he landed roughly on a massive pile of trash. The entire room was filled with all kinds of garbage and the stench was enough to make a Hut recoil. There was a sealed doorway at the far end of the room where the massive hairy creature was attempting to shove it open.

"The garbage chute! A wonderful idea!" The man shouted sarcastically before glaring over at the woman, "What an incredible smell you've discovered!" He looked at the door, "Let's get out of here, Chewie move." He pointed the blaster.

"No wait!" Luke exclaimed.

The man fired a single shot. The red blaster bolt hit then ricocheted wildly around the trash room. After several harrowing moments the blaster bolt died away.

"Would you cut it out! I already tried that! It's magnetically sealed!" Luke shouted angrily.

"Put that thing away before you get us all killed!" the woman in white shouted.

The man glared annoyed at her, "Oh I'm sorry your worshipfulness I was just trying to get us a way out of here!"

"Well it could be worse." She retorted.

A loud crashing noise was heard followed by a low moan. The man shuffled in the muck.

"It's worse…" He mumbled.

"There's something alive in here." Luke muttered nervously.

"It's just your imagination kid."

Luke then jerked and stomped around, "Something just grabbed my leg!"

Everyone was on high alert and scanning the muck for something. Suddenly a tentacle reached up out of the muck and wrapped around Luke dragging him under the trash filled muck.

"LUKE!" the man shouted.

"LUKE!" The woman screamed with him.

"GARRARAHAHAGH!" The hairy creature roared.

Luke felt himself being dragged deep under the watery muck. He felt the muscular tentacle wrap begin to wrap around his neck. Thinking quickly, he shoved his arm between the tentanle and his neck. The tentacle squeezed tightly and if it wasn't for his armor, he would've been crushed. Luke felt the oxygen begin to leave him. His lungs were on fire as he struggled to get back to the surface. He felt his vision begin to grow dark around the edges.

 _No! Not yet!_

 __" _Luke…"_

He heard a old voice around him. At first he thought it was Ben's voice but it wasn't. This one was different. It was softer but it still held an air of authority around it.

" _Luke, go to Earthland."_

 _What? What place is Earthland? Who is this?_

" _Go to Earthland."_

Luke felt a large power rise up in him. He suddenly felt stronger than he ever felt in his life. Using this newfound strength he kicked hard in the muck and felt himself rise up in the water. The light came back into view and he gasped as his head finally broke the surface.

 **And chapter! What a fun chapter to write! I really enjoyed this one! And it is officially the longest chapter I've ever written, almost 10,000 words I think. Let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	47. Chapter 47: Gardens of Mercurius

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 47

The sun was slowly rising in the sky. It's brilliant golden rays stretched out around the world illuminating the dark corners of the beach. It's warmth then came and drove the cold of night away. Joshua lay quietly on the ground when he felt the heat of the sun kiss his skin followed by it's brilliant light hitting his face. He squeezed his eyes tightly together before allowing them to open. He stared up at the incredible blue sky that had barely a cloud obscuring it. Joshua sighed and closed his eyes.

 _Fell asleep outside huh?_ He opened his eyes, _Then again, everyone was screaming so loud from that second origin thing that it was probably better out here than in the lodge._

Just as he was about to sit up he felt a warm body shift next to him. A slender arm was wrapped around him. Joshua's eyes went wider than balloons as he lay in the grass as he heard a woman mumble beside him before snoring a little.

 _Um…._ Joshua glanced to his right and saw the pink haired girl named Meldy curled up next to him. Joshua blinked for a moment before jumping up.

"Dafuq!?" Joshua cried, his loud voice waking up the young woman, "What the hell are you doing?"

Meldy yawned as she woke up then rubbed her left eye, "You looked cold out here by yourself so I came to warm you up." she smiled.

"You could've just used a blanket you know!"

"Body heat is warmer than any blanket." Meldy grinned.

Joshua felt his spine crawl a little at that statement. "C-creepy…" He mumbled under his breath. He then sighed, "Great… I've got someone like Juvia crushing on me. Just what I needed." He stretched his right arm over his head, "Now I know how Gray feels."

"Do you need anything?" Meldy asked as she sat up and smiled over at the love of her life.

"You to be less creepy for one." Joshua replied. "Other than that, nothing really."

"Meldy!"

The pink haired girl looked over to the lodge and saw Ultear emerging from the front door. The raven haired woman kicked Azuma, who was asleep next to the door, awake. She was then followed out of the door by Jellal.

"Over here Ultear!" Meldy waved, "I was keeping Joshua company."

"More like creepily snuggling with me but whatever." Joshua muttered.

The members of Crime Sorciere walked over to the two. Joshua frowned at Jellal as he approached but greeted the others with a somewhat warm smile. He didn't fully trust them yet. They were former dark guild wizards after all. Couldn't be too careful.

"Are you sure you don't want to unlock your second origin Josh?" Ultear asked, "I have enough time left to begin the process."

Joshua shook his head, "Nah, I'll pass." he glanced at the open lodge door, "Everyone still sleeping in there?"

Jellal nodded, "The unlocking ended late last night. Now they are resting."

Joshua nodded, "Good, they need to after the stress their bodies just underwent."

"Indeed." Azuma confirmed, "We intended to tell this next part to Titania since she is the defacto leader of your group. But since she is currently incapacitated, we will tell you."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Tell me what?"

"Joshua," Jellal started, "We have a second reason for visiting you other than giving your guild an advantage for the games."

Joshua crossed his arms, "Why do I get the feeling this is going to be bad news."

"Not necessarily." Meldy smiled, "But… maybe a little."

"You see, at every Grand Magic Games festival we felt a dark power surrounding the games." Jellal explained.

"Dark power?" Joshua frowned, "What are we talking here? Like dark guild, evil spirit, what?"

Ultear exhaled, "The power feels similar to Zeref."

Joshua's jaw clenched. _Zeref, why is that name always the one that follows bad news?_ He shook his head.

"Not possible. He's dead, been dead for four hundred years." Joshua replied.

"We thought that too." Meldy said. There was no smile this time however, she looked very serious as she talked for a change, "We met Zeref… on Tenroujima."

Joshua's eyes widened, "What?"

"He looks like a young man. Black hair, black coat, toga wrapped around said coat." Ultear explained, "And about as powerful as the legends make him out to be."

Joshua recognized the description. It was the same as the man who saved him and Erza from Maul before summoning forth the dragon Acnologia. Joshua's fist clenched so tightly that the gears in his mechanical arm began to whine.

"Oh…" he said through clenched teeth, "Yeah… I know who you are talking about now."

"You do?" Jellal said.

Joshua nodded, "He saved me and Erza's life from an evil creature named Maul." Ultear cringed at the name as did Azuma and Meldy, "Then he summoned Acnologia to the island." Joshua felt his heart beginning to race as he remembered the description Ventress gave him of her attacker before she died. Beware the man with black hair. "He… he also killed one of my teachers." Joshua breathed with sudden realization.

"It seems his dark actions have harmed more lives than we thought." Jellal frowned, "Joshua, we need you to keep an eye out at the games. We will be watching from a distance, but if you or anyone else sees anything suspicious, let us know."

Joshua nodded in agreement. For once, he was on the same side at the blue haired bastard. Zeref had to be stopped, especially if he was going to be at an enormous festival like this.

"I'd be happy to." Joshua replied.

"Good." Ultear said, "Now then, we must be going. Due to the nature of our guild and our status in the magical community, we can't really stay in one place very long."

They all drew their hoods over their heads.

"Farewell Joshua. Until we meet again." Jellal said to him before they all disappeared into the woods.

Joshua stared at the woods as the wind whipped up around him. He exhaled, completely relieved that they were finally gone. He didn't mind Ultear and Azuma too much. They seemed halfway normal at least. He had his own beef with Jellal. Ever since the Tower when he tried to kill Erza he had been on Joshua's list of people to despise. Then there was that Meldy chick. Joshua shuddered a little. Talk about clingy.

"They left didn't they?"

Joshua turned around to see Erza stepping out of the lodge wearing her pajamas. He nodded.

"Yeah. They had to get moving before anyone else found them."

Erza walked up to stand beside her little brother, "You seem pretty relieved about that."

Joshua nodded, "That Meldy girl wouldn't stop staring at me. It was… weird."

Erza was caught between wanting to beat Meldy up or laughing at Joshua's reaction to a girl's sudden affection. She just smirked and patted him on the shoulder.

"Guess you're a heart breaker aren't you?"

Joshua glanced over at her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Erza sighed, "You're hopeless sometimes." She walked back to the lodge, "C'mon, help me pack up. We need to get back to the guild hall."

Joshua was totally confused right now. He scratched the back of his head as he followed Erza back into the lodge. What did she mean by hopeless sometimes?

….

The return trip to the guild hall was relatively uneventful. But there were a few funny moments on the train ride back. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at the state both Natsu and Wendy were in when they were on the train. Poor Natsu was knocked out by Erza before his unconscious head was placed in her lap. Wendy on the other hand, had her head eventually loll onto Joshua's shoulder before she passed out from the motion sickness. Joshua's flustered reaction deserved a good laugh from Gray, Levy, Juvia, Lucy, and even Erza. Jet and Droy were too busy glaring at each over who Levy liked better.

As soon as the train stopped at the Magnolia train station the two dragon slayers were right as rain. Although, Wendy was slightly embarrassed that she used Joshua as a pillow for most of the train ride. The group quickly made their way through Magnolia and up the hill outside of town to the guild hall.

"We're back!" cried Natsu as he kicked the flimsy wooden doors in.

"Hey Natsu!" Macao called, "About time you all got home."

"What do you mean?" Gray asked.

He then noticed that all of the others had already returned to the guild hall. Joshua glanced around and grinned at all of the familiar faces. Gajeel certainly looked stronger as he chatted with Pantherlily. Mira and Lisanna were gossiping with Cana by the bar, pretty much normal. Then Joshua noticed the giant in the room.

"Holy crap!" Joshua pointed at the white haired man, "Elfman?"

"Yeah!" Elfman replied as he turned to look at Joshua, every muscle flexing underneath his clothes.

"Dude! Have you been working out cause you're built like a damn mountain!" Joshua exclaimed.

"A real man has muscles that can crush skulls!" Elfman declared proudly.

"You're telling me! What the hell did you eat while training? A horse a day?"

"No!" Elfman replied, "I ate a cow a day. There is a manly difference."

Joshua sweat dropped before having his attention taken away by Makarov, who had jumped up onto the bar counter and called for everyone's attention.

"Attention everyone!" Everyone kept talking to one another completely ignoring Makarov. A vein slightly popped out of the Master's forehead, "ATTENTION BRATS!" he bellowed. The entire guild hall fell silent and turned to the old man. "That's better. I see that almost everyone is back, except for my no good grandson and his lackeys..."

Joshua glanced around. Indeed, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe were nowhere to be found.

"So, we will form our team without them." Makarov cleared his throat quickly, "I can see that all of you have trained long and hard for the festival to come. And I must say, I am proud of each and every one of you." The guild hall cheered while everyone that trained at the beach smiled sheepishly, "With that being said, only five can represent our guild in the games. After careful consideration, I have chosen our five."

 _Please let me be one! Please let me be one!_ Joshua waited with anticipation.

"They are… Lucy."

"WHA!" she shrieked.

"Wendy!"

"Um…." Wendy shuffled uncertainly.

"Natsu!"

"Alright!" Natsu roared with fire streaming out of his gaping mouth.

"Gray!" The ice make wizard only nodded, "and Erza!"

Joshua kept a large smile on his face even as disappointment filled him. He should've seen that coming. He still wasn't exactly on good terms with Master anyways. He buried down the disappointment and high fived a giddy Erza.

"Good luck sis." Joshua smiled.

"They won't need it!" Romeo declared, "This is Fairy Tail's strongest team after all! We will mop the floor with every other guild!"

The entire guild hall cheered loudly.

"Alright everyone! We have two days to get to Crocus. Our inn is the Honey Bone lodge. Be there asap!" Makarov ordered.

"Excuse me master!" Lucy raised her hand, "But why did you pick me and not someone stronger?"

"Yeah…" Wendy said quietly, "Why not put someone like Laxus, Mira, or Joshua in for me."

Makarov frowned and shot a quick glance over at Joshua before sighing, "Because you all work well as a team. That's why I chose you." He explained, "Now hurry up and get to Crocus, I will meet you all there!"

Lucy was about to reply when she felt Natsu grab her by the wrist.

"C'mon Luce! Let's get going!"

"Wait, I need to pack!"

The two rushed out the door. The others quickly left with them as well until only Joshua, Erza, Wendy, and Master Makarov were in the guild hall.

"What are you all waiting for?" Makarov asked, "Crocus is a day away. We got to hurry there."

"Master…" Erza stepped forwards, "Joshua needs to talk with you."

"I do?" Joshua said with confusion.

"Yes, you do." Erza ushered Wendy out the door, "We'll meet you at the train station." The doors quietly shut behind them.

Joshua titled his head to the side then his eyes widened.

"Oh you sneaky red head!" He shouted at the doors, "Trying to get me to make up with him! That's just… ugh!"

"Alright brat." Makarov frowned, "What is it?"

Joshua sighed. Might as well rip this off like a bandage, "Master… why are you so harsh with me?"

Makarov was taken aback by the direct question. He closed his eyes and exhaled, "Because you have proven to be very dangerous in the past Joshua. That is why I'm harsh with you. I know you can be better. But I also know that you are incredibly powerful and that power can sometimes get away from you and put others in danger. I must do what I can to protect everyone in the guild."

To his surprise, he saw Joshua nod in agreement.

"I understand. Really I do." Joshua took a deep breath, "I wish to protect the guild just as much as you do. That's all I really care about. I trained for the past seven years so I could control my own strength and better do that job. Yet, you're still acting like I'm a banished guild member. Why?"

Makarov sighed, "Honestly, I'm not too sure. Maybe it's my own fear of the unknown. After all, your magic is completely unknown to everyone. You're the only one on record to use such magic." He jumped down from the bar and walked up to Joshua, "But I will admit, I believe I did act rashly in expelling you on the island."

Joshua blinked, "What?"

"You see. I saw you fighting alongside Erza against Grimoire Heart, despite the fact that it felt like you lost control of your magic and despite the fact that I expelled you. Upon seeing that, I knew I made a mistake. And further thought on that decision confirmed that realization." he looked up at the stunned teen, "I do not believe you are a bad person Joshua. Far from it. I believe you are a good person who is rather susceptible to bad influences such as anger and fear. I didn't select you for the games for that reason. I can't risk your powers when you get angry."

Joshua nodded, "I understand Gramps."

Makarov smiled up at him, "Gramps now huh? You're not mad at me anymore?"

Joshua shrugged before turning to the door, "Maybe a little." he smirked, "But… I understand why you did what you did." He stepped out the door as he thought of the dark being residing in him, "I understand more than you know." he finished under his breath before making his way to the train station.

….

Crocus, the Flower Blooming Capital of the kingdom of Fiore. It was an illustrious city surrounded by snow capped mountains as it rested in a green valley. It's buildings were all adorned with hundreds of flowers and vines that only added to the garden like scene. Towering in the center of the city was the the King's Palace, Mercurius. It's majesty towered over all other buildings, even the Domas Flau magic arena outside of the city. It's stone facade shone brightly as the afternoon sun beat down on the majestic city. It was a breathtaking sight that actually managed to take Joshua's breath away as he stared down at it from the large Crocus train station.

"Wow…" he exhaled.

"This place is huge!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Aye Sir!" Happy agreed.

"It's easily bigger than the Royal City in Edolas." Wendy said with wide eyes, "How in the world are we going to find the Honey Bone Lodge in a city like this?"

"Easy." Erza replied, "Natsu, start sniffing."

Natsu stood at attention and saluted, "Aye sir!"

With the help of Natsu's incredible sense of smell. The group was able to locate the others, who had already arrived and got settled in at the Honey Bone Lodge. The lodge was a cozy little place. The main lobby mainly consisted of a small bar and dining area that the guild easily filled up. Above the small lobby was a series of rooms consisting of many beds for the residents. At the time, the Fairy Tail guild were the only residents in the Honey Bone Lodge. As soon as Natsu and the others waltzed in they were greeted with a round of cheers and hellos.

"Hey you guys!" Wakaba called.

"Late again I see." Macao laughed.

"HEY JOSHUA!" Cana shouted as she held a barrel of alcohol on her thigh, "The beer here is great!"

"It didn't take her very long to find that." Joshua deadpanned while Wendy giggled at Cana.

"Welcome, team Fairy Tail!" Makarov bellowed from the bar as he hoisted up two mugs of alcohol. His cheeks were flush and his speech was already beginning to slur.

"Master, get down before you hurt yourself." Mira said.

"I- *hic* fine Mira!"

Mira gave him a deadly stare which made the Master immediately cower down and hop off of the bar counter.

"Hey Erza," Mira smiled sweetly at all of them, "There is a whole room dedicated to just our participating team. You should probably head up there real quick. There may be directions and rules about the games waiting up there."

Erza nodded, "Good point. C'mon everyone let's go."

Everyone followed Erza up the stairs including Joshua, who was curious to see the rest of the Honey Bone lodge. The reached the room that was assigned to them and Erza pushed the wooden door open.

On the other side was a large room with five beds resting neatly in a row. In between each bed was a small nightstand and at the foot of each was a trunk where the wizards could store their belongings. A large balcony made up the far end of the room and was divided from the beds by a large, thin blue curtain.

"Looks pretty cozy." Joshua commented.

"We have to share with Natsu and Gray!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's not like that's not normal Luce." Natsu replied as he rushed past and claimed the bed nearest to the balcony, "We are always in your house anyways."

"They are?" Joshua raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Lucy.

Lucy sighed, "They like to trespass."

Erza laughed a little, "Relax Lucy. We are all friends here anyways. And… if you are worried about the boys seeing you naked don't. After all, I'm sure Natsu has already seen that plenty of times."

"KYAH!" Lucy shrieked while Wendy and Joshua's cheeks flushed a little, "HE BETTER NOT HAVE!"

Wendy silently went over to one of the trunks and set her stuff down before grabbing a small white purse and slinging it over her shoulder. She then grabbed a map of Crocus and opened it up before looking over at Carla.

"Ready to go tour the city Carla?"

The white cat smiled at her, "I suppose so. I'm curious to see why this place is called the Flower Blooming Capital."

Joshua moved out of their way as they began to walk towards the door. Wendy then stopped and blushed a little. She shook her head to get rid of the red in her cheeks. Carla looked up and sighed.

"Just ask him already."

"Huh?"

"Joshua…" Carla hissed, "Just ask him to come along already. I can tell you want him to."

"I-I-"

Carla huffed, "Must I do everything myself? Joshua!"

"Yeah cat?"

"Wendy wants you to come along."

Wendy jumped a little before nervously fidgeting with the map in her hands. Joshua smiled and walked over.

"Sure, sounds like fun." he turned, "Hey Erza!"

He stopped when she saw the serious look on her face as she held a small note in front of her face.

"What's up sis?" Joshua asked.

"There is a curfew. All participants must be in their room by midnight tonight." She said stiffly. She crumpled the note up in her hands, "I don't like the sounds of that."

"Why don't you come along and take your mind off it? Touring the city sounds like fun doesn't it?"

Erza frowned, "No thanks. I'm not feeling too well right now. You all go ahead."

Natsu, Gray, and Lucy rushed past Joshua and Wendy. Wendy stepped towards Erza.

"Do you need me to heal you Erza?"

Joshua saw the look in his sister's eyes. It was a look he hadn't seen since she laid eyes on the Tower of Heaven. Joshua placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder.

"I think it's best if we leave her alone to rest." Joshua said, "C'mon we got lots to see."

"Oh…" Wendy replied, "Ok. Get well soon Erza."

"Yes, we need you for the games after all." Carla finished as the three quietly shut the door behind them.

Erza took a deep breath and sat down on her bed shortly after the others left the room.

"Why am I feeling so… anxious?" Erza mumbled to herself. She let out a heavy sigh again, "Maybe a hot bath will do me some good."

….

The city was fully alive around the three tourists as they wandered the charming city streets. Everywhere Joshua looked there was flowers and plants making the city feel like a giant garden. And even with the enormous amount of people filling the city for the festival, it never once felt crowded. Joshua associated that with the wide city streets.

All around them there were shops. Magic shops, food shops, restaurants, non magic shops, you name it, there was store for it. Wendy could only stare wide eyed at the city around her. She thought Magnolia was big, she couldn't even imagine living in an enormous city like this. Her starry eyed stares made Joshua smirk a little. He then felt some sweat on his forehead. It was a gorgeous day outside but it was also a hot day. Joshua pulled on the collar of his long sleeve shirt.

 _Could use something cold right now._

"POPSICLES! GET YOUR POPSICLES HERE!" shouted a shop attendant with a tray of rainbow colored popsicles.

 _Perfect!_

"Hey Wendy? You want one?" Joshua asked.

"It is a little hot isn't it? Sure!" she replied with a smile.

"Carla?"

"That stuff will get all over my fur and make me sticky." Carla frowned, "No thank you."

Joshua shrugged, "Suit yourself." The three approached the vendor and Joshua quickly bought a green popsicle for Wendy and a blue one for himself.

As the two enjoyed their frozen treat, Wendy noticed Joshua seemed to be really uncomfortable in the summer heat that had enveloped Crocus.

"Hey Joshua, you ok?"

"Hm… yeah I'm fine. Just a little warm." he replied, "Nothing I can't handle."

"Maybe you shouldn't be wearing long sleeves then." Carla suggested as she hopped along beside Wendy.

"Nah, I prefer being a little warm than to have people gawking at my arm." Joshua said as he nodded at his left side, "It's a little bit of an attention grabber. Not something that I'm a big fan of."

"I can understand that I suppose." Carla replied.

They walked along quietly for a few more moments before Wendy stopped and pulled out her map once again.

"You looking for something in particular?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah… I'm looking for the palace gardens. I've always wanted to see them, but even after all the jobs I did in the past seven years, I've never had the opportunity to go to them." she folded the map up and stuck it back in her purse, "I hear that there are over a thousand different kinds of flowers there! I bet it's amazing!"

"Since when did you get so interested in plants?" Joshua asked with a smirk.

"Well, ever since Porlyusica started making me learn about them for potions. I wanted to learn how to make them since I technically am more of a healer than a fighter. After studying them so much I kinda just fell in love with them. Especially flowers, you can't really make good potions out of them, but they are all just so beautiful."

Joshua nodded, "Ok, then let's go to the gardens."

Wendy's eyes widened, "Oh, we don't have to. That might be boring for you! It's just flowers after all."

"I won't be bored." Joshua replied, "It's sounds nice and quiet actually. My kind of place."

Wendy smiled, "True."

Carla watched with a frown at the entire exchange. It was so obvious to her the relationship between these two that she was stunned they didn't realize it themselves. And she wasn't very happy about it. The white cat sighed as she looked at Wendy. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a full grown woman now. She couldn't mother her forever, Carla knew that. She had been preparing frantically for the day when she would have to stop. But she just didn't think it'd come so soon. Carla nodded to herself. She'd just dampen everything down for these two.

"Joshua. Can I speak to you a moment?"

The brown haired teen glanced back, "Yeah sure."

"Privately." Coughed Carla.

"Umm… sure." He looked at Wendy, "We'll be right back."

"Ok."

Joshua followed Carla over to an alleyway.

"Ok Carla, what's up?" Joshua asked.

"I'm going to leave you alone with Wendy."

Joshua blinked, "Eh?"

"I know. I can hardly believe I'm saying that myself. But, I am feeling a little under the weather. It may be the heat." Carla lied, "However, if I hear you tried anything I will claw you to kingdom come." Joshua nodded and Carla sighed. That message failed to hit home, "Then I will tell Erza."

Now Joshua visibly tensed and nervously gulped.

"Understand?" Carla asked.

"Aye sir." Joshua replied.

"Good. Now then, enjoy the gardens. And keep your hands to yourself!"

Carla sprouted her wings and flew slowly back to the Honey Bone lodge. As soon as she left Joshua walked back to Wendy, who was waiting patiently on a small bench next to a tree.

"Where's Carla?" Wendy asked.

"She wasn't feeling to well so she went home. And, per the usual, she warned me about interacting with you before leaving." Joshua replied.

Wendy laughed, "That is like her." She then tilted her head to the side a little as they continued walking, "Her and Erza both sick at the same time? That's strange."

Joshua shook his head, "Erza isn't sick."

Wendy blinked and looked over at him.

"Erza is just stressed out. The curfew thing has got her all wound up."

"Why?" Wendy asked.

Joshua sighed, "I assume you know about the Tower of Heaven."

Wendy's face paled, "I've heard of it."

"Well, Erza was a slave there when she was younger. And as a slave, guess what her slavers instilled on her?"

Wendy's eyes widened in realization, "A curfew."

Joshua nodded, "Exactly. And if she wasn't in her cell at curfew, bad things happened. The fact that there is a curfew for the games has got her on edge right now. She's been conditioned to think that anything with a curfew involves something bad. No doubt she's probably tearing apart the lodge as we speak trying to find something to confirm her suspicions."

Wendy shook her head, "That's awful."

"Yeah." Joshua replied quietly.

The pair turned a corner and saw a the palace Mercurius towering high above them. Joshua craned his head back as far as he could as he squinted to see the top.

"How big of a building does one king really need?" Joshua muttered.

Wendy shrugged, "It's pretty at least. Unlike Edolas' palace."

Joshua nodded, "True."

"And…" Wendy pointed in front of them, "We found the gardens!" she cried excitedly.

"We did." Joshua grinned as he saw how excited the blue haired girl was, "After you?"

Wendy rushed forwards, unknowingly grabbing Joshua's right hand and pulling him along as they entered a plant labyrinth. Wendy's description of the gardens did not do it justice. The entire place was incredible to look at. Flowers bloomed everywhere as fountains and hedges decorated the area. Joshua saw a few plants he recognized but most of the time he saw completely new ones that seemed to grab Wendy's attention every time. She would rush forward and stare at a flower, smiling from ear to ear as she observed.

"Look at this one!" She cheered with every new flower she saw.

Joshua would look at the flower with almost as much interest as she did. She would rattle off names and facts about it that would fly over Joshua's head every time. He just thought they looked pretty. Soon, the pair were completely lost in the maze of flower beds and hedges. The afternoon sun began to fade away and the dark blues and purples of twilight began to fill the sky. Yet the two continued to delve deeper into the maze.

"This is amazing!" Wendy gasped as she found more and more flowers, "Isn't it?"

Joshua couldn't help but share her infectious joy, "Yeah."

"Oooh… look at this one!" Wendy stopped and stared what looked like a perfect rose sprouting from a hedge, "That's the best one I've ever seen!"

Joshua smiled and reached over with his mechanical arm, plucking the flower from the hedge.

"Here you go." He said.

"Are you crazy!? You can't just pluck flowers from the royal gardens!" Wendy exclaimed.

Joshua glanced around, "I don't see anyone here to tell me no. Just think of it as a little memento from one of the coolest places you've ever seen."

Wendy smiled and took the flower from his hand. "Thanks."

Joshua looked up at the sky and saw the stars twinkling down on them.

"It's getting late. We should probably head back." Joshua said.

Wendy looked up and sighed, "Oh… yeah. Curfew."

Joshua saw the glum look on her face, "Hey, you know, we could always come back sometime after the events tomorrow."

"Really!?"

Joshua shrugged, "Don't see why not."

Wendy shrieked and lunged at him embracing Joshua. Unfortunately, her lunge caused Joshua to lose his balance. Both cried out before falling in a heap on the dirt path in the garden. Joshua winced then opened his eyes to see Wendy's face only inches away from his own as she lay on top of him. Both of their cheeks instantly turned red. Their lips were as close together as you could get without touching. Joshua stared up at Wendy's brown eyes. He could've become lost in them if it wasn't for a strange feeling he suddenly had. It was sharp pain in his lower body. Joshua winced and his face screwed up in pain as he realized what it was.

"Wendy…" he croaked, "Your knee… worst spot possible."

"Huh?" Wendy looked back and saw her knee pressing against Joshua's- "EEK!" Wendy moved her leg, "S-sorry." She stammered.

Joshua laughed a little after wincing again, "Don't worry about it." He then saw that Wendy hadn't moved an inch, "Uh... Wendy."

"Y-yeah?"

"You're still straddling me."

Wendy blinked, "Oh! Am I!? S-sorry! I- um- yeah!" Wendy quickly jumped to her feet and nervously giggled and fidgeted with her hands, "Sorry."

Joshua frowned as he got up. This wasn't like Wendy. She was never this flustered. Not since she was little did she act this shy.

"You feeling alright?" Joshua put his hand to her forehead as he felt for a temperature, "You're acting kinda funny."

"I-I'm fine." Wendy cleared her throat, "Perfectly fine." She said as she was finally able to regain her composure.

"Really?"

"Really!" Wendy nodded.

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Ok then… I won't argue with the healer." He held out his arm and she hesitantly wrapped a hand around it, "Shall we get back to the lodge?"

"Sure."

Joshua took a step forward then stopped, "Um…"

"What?"

"Do you know how to get outta here?"

Wendy blinked, "Um… not really. Can't you use your sensory magic to get us out?"

Joshua shook his head, "Not really. My sensory abilities can point us in a direction. But not the direction. I can see the end goal but not how to get to that end goal. Basically, in a maze, it's kinda useless. I mean... I guess I could try, but it would require tremendous amounts of time and concentration. Things we don't really have right now." They started walking again, "So I guess we will have to retrace our steps."

"The old fashioned way then." Wendy chuckled, "Alright, lead the way."

Joshua nodded and they made their way down the path that they came from. The moon slowly rose in the sky as they went. Joshua was stunned as the walk seemed to become longer and longer. He had no idea they had ventured so far into the gardens. He was about to tell this to Wendy when he felt a slight ripple in the force, as if it were warning him of something. Joshua leaked out some of his sensory magic and saw it. A mysterious, black imp like creature with a crown of leaves was staring down at them with a mischievous grin. The creature seemed to embody ill intent as it stared down at them. It then jumped down at Wendy at a speed that surprised Joshua. Joshua felt the vortex of emptiness around the creature.

"Look out!"

Joshua shoved Wendy out of the way and swung his mechanical arm. The arm clothes lined the creature and made it splat against the ground. As soon as it hit Joshua's arm, he felt his magic plummet and the force seemed to leave him momentarily. Joshua held his head as his vision became a little woozy. He then sighed and cleared his mind allowing the force to reconnect and fill him with it's power once again. He was still staggering a little though.

"Joshua!" Wendy exclaimed as she saw Joshua wince, hold his head, and stumble for a moment. She rushed up and helped steady him, "Are you alright?"

Joshua grunted then opened an eye, "Yeah… that thing just sapped my magic. But, I recovered it quickly. I should be fine."

Wendy looked around and saw nothing. "What thing?"

Joshua blinked and glanced at the ground. The mysterious creature had disappeared. Joshua sighed.

 _Figures…_ "There was a weird creature that just tried to attack you. That's why I knocked you out of the way."

Wendy looked at him in shock, "Really!? But… who would do-"

Joshua shook his head, "Dunno." Wendy helped Joshua along as they trudged out of the garden and towards the Honey Bone Lodge, "But I'm sure we are about to find out."

….

Lucy sighed. She was hopelessly lost. Every building around her looked exactly the same. She had set out with Gray and Natsu on a small tour of the city but got separated when the two, as usual, got into a fist fight in the middle of the street. One stray punch from Natsu sent her flying across the city and now she had no idea where she was. She thought about calling one of her spirits, particularly her compass spirit, Pyxis, but that would do no good. She didn't know which way was north or south or east or west in this city. Lucy let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm so screwed!" she looked at a small watch she had on her wrist, "And it's almost midnight too!"

Lucy began to run through the city streets that were eerily empty. She had to get back to the lodge before midnight, otherwise she would be late for curfew. Who knows what would happen then.

 _What if they disqualify Fairy Tail because of me!?_ Lucy smacked her hands to her cheeks, "I can't allow that to happen!"

She stopped running as she heard a sinister chuckle nearby.

"Can't allow what to happen?"

Lucy gulped. Why did everything feel so dark all of a sudden. The blonde turned around and saw a woman wearing all black with a black helmet. She looked menacing enough. But what really made her creepy was the sickly green skin and piercing orange eyes that seemed to exude anger and hatred. The strange woman slowly stalked forward causing Lucy to back up.

"It seems we found someone to play with for the night, Fifth brother."

Lucy bumped into a large, muscular figure. She looked up and saw an enormous man with grey skin and opaque eyes grinning down at her.

"It seems we do Seventh sister."

Lucy began to have a really bad feeling in her gut, "Wh-what do you want?"

"Just some entertainment." The seventh sister hissed, "I've been very bored so far today waiting for the games to start."

Lucy grabbed her keys and was about to summon forth Taurus when she felt her head begin to throb in pain. The throbbing turned to a piercing pain that caused Lucy to shriek in agony. She was barely able to see as the pain consumed her entire being. But she could hear the callous laughter of her two attackers around her.

"You two!" growled a new voice.

The pain instantly went away as this new voice arrived. Lucy gasped and fell to her hands and knees. She felt her head with a shaky hand and tried to refocus her vision. She glanced to her left and saw a new figure kneeling beside her, staring hard at her face. He had glowing orange eyes as well that made him seem much older than his youthful face actually showed. The face showed now hints of empathy or compassion. But it also didn't show any malice either.

"You two should get back to the inn." he growled at Lucy's two attackers, "It's almost midnight. And we have a mission to complete."

"Why should we listen to a brat like you?" the woman with green skin snarled.

Lucy's eyes widened as she saw blue lighting leap from the young man's left hand and hit the woman. The woman shrieked in pain as she was forced to her knees by the lighting. The large, gray skinned, man moved to intervene but one harsh glare from the young man caused him to stop in his tracks.

"You two have jeopardized the mission." He snarled at the two, "Do not make a mistake like this again." He stopped his barrage of lightning allowing the woman to painfully rise. "Or I will kill you both without a moment's hesitation."

He put a hand over Lucy's head. Lucy felt lightheaded as an invisible hand seemed to reach into her mind and turn out the lights.

 **And chapter! An interesting chapter, especially the ending. I changed who got attacked in this arc from Wendy to Lucy because Joshua wouldn't let anything hurt Wendy while he was with her, that's just his character. Lucy on the other hand was alone and had the misfortune of being the first to meet the inquisitors and their mysterious leader. I wonder who it is? Let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	48. Chapter 48: Sky Labyrinth

**Hey everyone! New chapter, let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 48

Quiet steps filled the tight corridors of the enormous battle station that drifted lazily in the blackness of space. An old man with a brown hood shadowing out his grizzled face quietly sneaked from wall to wall as he moved through the metal corridors. This old man was Obi Wan Kenobi, aged Jedi Master, and he was currently on a very important mission that meant life or death for him and those that were taken aboard this station with him.

He heard a series of voices in a room to his right. A door hissed open and Obi Wan hid in the shadows of a metal strut as a group of officers strode out of the room, all of them debating something furiously. Then he strode out. The black, armored behemoth of a Sith Lord. Obi Wan held his breath and concealed his presence in the force. He couldn't afford to confront him yet, there was still a tractor beam to take care of. For a split second, the armored and masked giant paused, the darkness seeping out of him as he seemed to feel a familiar presence nearby. In the end though, the figure decided to continue his journey away from the room.

As soon as the menacing figure disappeared down the corridor Obi Wan let out a stressed sigh of relief. He slowly slunk out from behind the support strut and peered around the corner into the room.

It was a large, circular conference room. An over sized round table sat in the middle of the room with at least a dozen large metal chairs surrounding it. Standing beside the table, was another elderly looking man with sunken cheeks and thinning gray hair. He seemed to exude authority despite his somewhat fragile appearance as he stood tall in the conference room and stared at a planetary projection. The hooded man narrowed his eyes at the planet being projected in the hologram. He had been to many systems in his long life, but he had never seen a planet that looked like that. The closest in appearance would most likely be Naboo or even Alderaan. But that was not possible. Naboo was far more swampy looking from orbit, and Alderaan was nothing more than dust in the void after being destroyed by the Death Star. So what planet was this?

A silver protocol droid shuffled into the room.

"Grand Moff Tarkin, you called for a protocol droid?" The robot said with a polite voice.

The thin man in the decorated gray uniform nodded and pulled up a hologram of a strange flier.

"Admiral Thrawn has sent us images of a new planet he has discovered in unknown space. It appears that there is intelligent human life on said planet." Started Tarkin as he folded his hands in front of him, "He claims that this language on this scrap of parchment is a dialect from ancient Korriban." Obi Wan's jaded blue eyes widened, "I have my doubts. I called you to confirm what this language actually is."

The protocol droid shuffled closer and rigidly bent forward as if it was trying to see the hologram more clearly.

"Admiral Thrawn is correct sir." The protocol said, "The dialect we are seeing is indeed from Korriban. But it is thousands of years old, assumed to be extinct."

Tarkin frowned and rubbed his chin, "Interesting… and Thrawn refuses to divulge anything else to us. He said he would only speak with Vader." Thrawn narrowed his eyes, "but why?"

An intercom beeped on the panel, "Yes?" Tarkin answered as he held down a button.

"Sir, we have a prisoner escape in cell block AA-23."

Tarkin's jaw clenched, "The princess… seal off all routes of escape!" He then quickly marched out of the conference room.

Obi Wan waited until Tarkin and the protocol droid's footsteps faded away. He then quietly stepped into the room and made his way up to the control panel. He pulled up the hologram of the planet and studied it with his eyes. For some reason, this hologram seemed to call to him. The force shuddered around him as he stared at the strange planet.

He blinked for a moment and he was suddenly standing in some sort of arena. All around him were cheering crowds. Obi Wan felt it then. The dark side of the force, it was choking this arena like vile hands around someone's throat. It filled every crevice in the arena and sank into every pore on his skin causing goosebumps to form on him. He then heard the low hum of a lightsaber followed by the familiar booming crackle of an unstable lightsaber. Obi Wan turned and saw two young men squaring off at the center of the arena. One had very short black hair and a hardened face. He wore black robes with gray patches of armor overlaying the robes. A red lightsaber glowed in his right hand in a reverse grip and his eyes screamed for blood.

Standing a fair distance away from him was a boy that Obi Wan recognized. His clothing was different now. He wore a white shirt with brown leather armor over top and purple pants. A purple cloak was over his shoulders and emblazoned proudly in red on the back of the cloak was a strange symbol. Other than that, he had the same short, somewhat spiky brown hair and youthful face. Only his eyes were different now. They had anger in them as they glowed crimson, but they also held a lot of fear. The boy in purple tightened his grip around an unstable red lightsaber with cross guards.

"You… you hurt her…" He growled lowly. His voice trembled with every syllable.

Obi Wan felt the dark side reach a high point that he hadn't felt since a certain duel on a lava planet.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Joshua roared before Obi Wan blinked away and found himself back in the Death Star conference room.

Obi Wan's head felt extremely dizzy and he stumbled back against the wall.

" _Obi Wan."_

The old Jedi Master's eyes widened, _Qui Gon!_

" _Obi Wan, listen… there is not much time. You don't have much time."_

Obi Wan knew what was meant by that.

 _I'm going to die on this station aren't I?_

He heard Qui Gon sigh in his head, " _Yes, you are. It has been forseen that you will fall at the hands of Darth Vader."_

Obi Wan closed his eyes. He thought he would feel more scared learning when he was going to die. But for some reason he wasn't.

" _I see you have accepted that possibility."_

 _I have master._

" _You realize you will not be there to train Luke."_

Obi Wan gulped, _Yes,_ He started to walk out of the conference room. He had a job to get done, he could talk to Qui Gon as he went. _I understand that. If I die, I will tell him of Master Yoda._

" _A wise choice. Yoda would teach him well. However, if Luke slays Vader and Sidious then balance will not be restored to the force."_

Obi Wan confused a pair of stormtroopers to move away from a small catwalk. He had made it, this was where the tractor beam generator was located.

 _What do you mean by that?_ Obi Wan stepped precariously out onto a small ledge and edged around the generator that hovered over a seemingly bottomless pit.

" _In order for there to be balance there must be two opposing sides, two opposing wills, two opposing philosophies keeping the force steady. Eliminate one, and the force becomes unbalanced, and chaos will follow."_

 _But won't…_ Obi Wan pulled a lever, _The destruction of the Sith return balance to the force._

" _You fail to understand the living force still Obi Wan. No one side can exist without the other. How do the Earthlanders say it… Ying and Yang?"_

 _Earthlanders?_

Obi Wan turned a knob and he heard the generator begin to power down. He checked a screen and saw that all power to the tractor beam had been cut off. Satisfied with his work, Obi Wan stepped back onto the catwalk and began to sneak back towards the Millennium Falcon.

" _The hologram you saw… it was of a planet called Earthland. On that planet is none other than an old friend of ours."_

Obi Wan then realized, _The boy… Joshua._

" _Correct. He has followed the path of the Dark side of the force."_

 _Then he is fallen._

" _No!"_ Qui Gon scolded, " _No, he is the furthest thing from fallen. In fact, he is more of a Jedi than many of the order once were."_

Obi Wan was having a hard time comprehending this. What did Qui Gon even mean? He had gone down the dark path, so how was he not considered fallen?

" _Joshua is the opposite of Luke. Both in power, for now, and ideology."_ Qui Gon stated bluntly, " _The force it seems, wishes for a counterbalance, and it has chosen him."_

Obi Wan's eyes widened as he turned down another empty corridor, his footsteps echoed against the metal walls.

 _You mean… the force is keeping the Sith alive?_

 __" _Not the Sith. The dark side, that is what it is keeping alive. If Luke is to be trained by Yoda, he will be the light, and he is destined to defeat Vader and Sidious. A balance must be kept however, especially if the Sith fall. Joshua will be the one to fill that void in the balance, that I have foreseen. But, only if you do as I say."_

 _That being?_

" _When Luke trains with Yoda, tell him of Earthland. Have Luke meet with Joshua."_

 _ARE YOU INSANE! He is our last hope for the galaxy! The last glimmer of light left! And you would hand him over to a dark side user on a silver platter!_

 __Silence. Then, " _Would you rather the opposites in the force be enemies or a friends?"_

Obi Wan didn't know how to respond to that. The conversation with Qui Gon was as perplexing as the others always were. The old Jedi sighed. He was about to reply when he turned a final corner and saw him. The low, labored, robotic breathing of Darth Vader filled the corridor along with the deadly hum of his lightsaber.

 _I'm going to have to call you back._ Obi Wan told Qui Gon with an old wit he hadn't used since the Clone Wars.

Obi Wan ignited his lightsaber. He knew there would be no calling back his master. He could feel it in the force. This was it, this was his time. Vader stomped forward and Obi Wan ignited his own blue blade. At his age and condition, he was no match for the Sith Lord. Yet he remained calm, the force embracing him as he prepared for the end. All he could do now was buy time for the galaxy's last hope.

….

"Hurry up Wendy!" Joshua exclaimed as they both sprinted towards the Honey Bone lodge. "We've got like thirty seconds!"

"We've got ten minutes." Wendy deadpanned.

"That's still not a whole lot of time! And you have to be back in your room or…" Joshua shuddered, "Carla and Erza will skin me alive."

The pair skidded as they turned a corner. Joshua smiled as he saw the Honey Bone lodge at the end of the street.

"Told you we'd make it in time." Wendy smirked as she ran alongside Joshua.

"Yeah yeah…" Joshua rolled his eyes causing Wendy to giggle.

The two burst into the lodge. The lobby was strangely empty. The only person hanging out was Cana. And she was passed out drunk at the bar. The two ignored the hilarious drunken snores and murmurs coming from the card mage as they raced up the stair and to the team's room.

Joshua and Wendy practically kicked the door down.

"MADE IT!" Joshua shouted victoriously.

"Yup!" Wendy smiled.

"Barely…" Carla frowned. She walked up to Joshua and tapped her paw, "Why were you two almost late?" She jumped up and grabbed Joshua's collar and pulled him to her eye level, "You didn't do anything inappropriate… did you?"

Joshua gulped and glanced up to see Erza frowning at him, "Uh-no not at all! Right Wendy!" Joshua panicked as he remembered her falling on top of him.

"R-right, w-we just walked." Wendy stammered.

Carla glared over at Wendy suspiciously before sighing, "Fine. I believe you." Joshua let out a relieved sigh.

"Hey, did you two see Lucy while on your way back from the gardens?" Natsu asked as he sat in a chair.

Joshua shook his head, "Nope."

"Strange, she knows the curfew is midnight. And she has five minutes to get here." Erza replied as she paced back and forth.

The door to the room opened once again.

"Are you men ready!" boomed Elfman as he walked in carrying a small crate of Muscle cola in his arms. Lissanna strolled in beside him with a bright smile on her face.

"The hell is muscle cola?" Joshua mumbled as he stared at the crate.

"No Elfman, we are not." Erza sighed, "Lucy isn't here."

"What? It's not manly to skip out on a curfew." Elfman declared as he placed the crate down by the door.

"That's not like Lucy. She's usually pretty punctual." Lissanna said with a worried look on her face.

Joshua nodded in agreement. Something was definitely off. He could sense as much. He just didn't know what. The Force had been eerily silent after what happened in the royal gardens with Wendy. The quiet made him uneasy.

"You don't think something could've happened to her?" Gray asked.

"Nah, Luce is actually pretty tough." Natsu replied with a wave of his hand, "She's fine. I guarantee that she will walk through the door before the curfew."

The clock on the wall chimed. Then they heard the one of the many clock towers in the city ring out. It's loud bells clanging and the cacophony of noise echoing out over the quiet city.

"It's time." Erza said as her eyes narrowed, "And she isn't here."

Natsu frowned and jumped up from his bed, "Ok… maybe something is wrong."

Joshua closed his eyes and decided to reach out with his sensory magic. Just as he was about to begin searching he heard the sound of a microphone being tapped on.

" _Is it on?"_ asked a high pitched voice, " _It is, ok… ahem… GREETINGS MAGICAL GUILDS!"_

The voice was coming from outside. Everyone in the room rushed out onto the balcony and stared up in shock as they saw an enormous projection of a small man wearing a pumpkin mask and green hat with green clothes towering over the city. His hands were spread out as the mask smiled out at the city.

"What's going on?" Elfman wondered.

 _Good question…_ Joshua thought, _The force is quiet. Yet one of our members is missing. Normally I would've sensed something was wrong. Yet not this time._

" _WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE A RECORD NUMBER OF GUILD'S COMPETING THIS YEAR!"_ The pumpkin man bellowed with his cheery voice, " _ONE HUNDRED AND NINE TO BE EXACT!"_ Erza's eyes widened, they'd have to compete against one hundred and nine other guilds!? " _DUE TO THE VAST NUMBER OF GUILD'S PARTICIPATING WE HAVE DECIDED TO NARROW THE GAMES DOWN TO NINE GUILD'S BY USING A PRELIMINARY ROUND!"_

Suddenly the balcony on the Honey Bone Lodge shifted. Stones flew up from the balcony and began to form a floating bridge in the sky. The entire fairy tail team gaped as they saw the bridge of stones form a pathway towards a floating mass in the sky. The mass was a giant sphere that almost looked like an impossibly twisted knot. Pathways and platforms made up the outside and interior of the enormous mass.

" _THE PRELIMINARY ROUND IS CALLED THE SKY LABYRINTH!"_ The pumpkin man pointed at the mass, " _YOU MUST PASS THROUGH THE LABYRINTH AND MAKE IT TO THE DOMAS FLAU ARENA! THE FIRST NINE TEAMS TO MAKE IT TO THE ARENA QUALIFY FOR THE GAMES! YOU MAY USE WHATEVER MAGIC NECESSARY TO WIN!"_

"So it's a race." Joshua mumbled, "Interesting."

" _BEFORE WE BEGIN, WE MUST ANNOUNCE ONE DISCLAIMER!"_ The pumpkin man took a breath, " _WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OF LIFE IN THE LABYRINTH!"_ He finished darkly.

Gray and Wendy gulped. Erza frowned while Natsu stared up determined at the spherical labyrinth in the sky.

" _NOW THEN! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"_ The pumpkin man raised his hand and dropped it quickly, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Alright!" Natsu smacked his hand into his fist, "Let's go!"

Just before he could set foot on the floating pathway to the maze, Erza grabbed his roughly by the back of his shirt and yanked him back.

"We can't go." Erza said sternly, "We don't have our full team. And the rules are that the entire team must reach the finish line."

"Lucy still isn't here." Wendy said worriedly, "This is bad."

Joshua sighed and looked over at Lissanna and Elfman, "Hey, can you guys go find her? Make sure Lucy is ok?"

Lissanna nodded, "Of course we can. But what if we can't find her in time?"

"Don't worry about that." Joshua replied, "Just focus on finding her. We have a full team anyways."

Erza glanced over at her little brother, "What do you mean?"

Joshua grinned, "I'm subbing in."

….

As soon as Joshua established that he was taking Lucy's place on the team Lisanna and Elfman left to go search for the missing Celestial spirit wizard. When the door shut behind the two, the Fairy Tail team jumped up onto the floating stone bridge and sprinted up to the labyrinth. Once entering the labyrinth, the stone bridge fell away behind them. There was no going back. Joshua and the others stared wide eyed around them at the convoluted mess of paths, stairs, and platforms that was the sky labyrinth.

"Ok, let's figure out where we are going." Erza said as she gathered everyone into a huddle, "Alright… we know the direction Domas Flau was in relation to the lodge."

"Yeah," Wendy nodded, "It was east. I remember from my map of the city."

"Only problem is, how do we find east in this place?" Gray asked as he glanced around at the tangled paths.

Natsu smacked his hands together, "I know!" he looked at Joshua, "You have that sense whatever stuff right!? Can't you find the way through?"

"That's right!" Erza said as she looked at Natsu with surprise, "Excellent suggestion Natsu."

Joshua sighed and shook his head, "Not unless you want to be here forever." he replied, dashing the smiles off of everyone's faces, "My sensory abilities can show me the direction but not the route. It can show me the end goal but not how to get there. I'm skilled but not that skilled….yet. I could technically do it, but it would require most of magic and a lot of time. Those are luxuries we can't afford in a race."

"Damn it." Natsu grumbled.

"It's alright. We'll just have to do this the old fashioned way." Erza dug into her requip space and pulled out a small compass. She stared at it for a moment as the dial spun before it finally established where north was. Erza grinned triumphantly, "East is that way!" she pointed.

"What are we waiting for then! Let's go!" Natsu raced forward. The others closely followed him.

At first it was smooth sailing. The sprint around the labyrinth was pretty uneventful. Despite the massive number of guild's present for the games, they hadn't run into anyone yet. Joshua had a feeling that would change soon. But for now he kept a close eye on Natsu and Wendy. He was amazed that those two weren't down for the count right now. After all, this floating maze could technically be considered a vehicle for the dragon slayers. Joshua's curiosity got the best of him and he sprinted up beside Wendy.

"Hey Wendy."

"Yeah?"

"How are you and Natsu not motion sick right now?" Joshua whispered to her.

Wendy's eyes widened, "I- I don't know."

"They must have charms set up on this place to prevent that." Erza whispered in Wendy's other ear.

"HEY!" Joshua exclaimed, "Were you eavesdropping?"

"Carla told me you went to the gardens together….alone." Erza said, "I was just wondering what happened and I figured you were talking about it."

"Nothing happened!" Joshua hissed at her, "Now pay attention to the labyrinth!"

"I just thought you would-"

"Erza… not now." Joshua replied, "We've got to finish in the top nine. We have no time for dis-TRACTIONS!"

In the blink of an eye the platforms all around them began to move and rotate. The pathway they were all running on suddenly flipped causing Joshua's sense of balance to completely leave him. He wasn't the only one either. Natsu was clinging desperately onto a platform that had hit him in the stomach and sent him careening away from the rest of the team. Gray had thought quickly and used his ice magic to freeze himself to the original walkway. Erza had requiped into her black wing armor and was flying between the shifting components of the Labyrinth. Joshua though was plummeting down towards the edge of the Labyrinth.

 _Shit!_

Joshua thought as the ground started to grow large in front of him. Joshua called forth his magic and reached into his requip space. A strange circular device appeared in his hand. It was a circular device with metal wire coiled inside of it and a small hook at the end of the wire. Joshua quickly attached the device to his hip before flinging the hook up at a platform. Using the force, he willed the hook to it's target. The wire wrapped tightly around the thing platform and the hook dug into the metal. Joshua braced himself before his body jerked violently. Pain filled his abdomen due to the sudden stop. But he would take pain over splattering onto the ground below.

 _Now I understand why Ventress had me practice using this thing so much._

The teen sighed with relief until he heard the screaming. His head whipped to his right and he saw Wendy falling fast. Her blue hair flew past him as she plummeted towards the ground.

 _I don't have time to grab another tool!_ Joshua panicked.

He then calmed himself down and took a breath. He hadn't really tried this before, but there was no better time to do this. He reached out with his left hand as his right clung to the thin metal wire of his grappling hook. The force surged through his body and jumped from his hand as he channeled it's mystical power. He closed his eyes and focused on Wendy. She was almost out of the labyrinth. If she fell completely out, they would be disqualified.

 _C'mon… work… work dammit!_ Joshua boosted his power. He felt the force finally wrap around Wendy, _Gotcha!_

Wendy felt herself suddenly stop falling. She stopped screaming and took some shaky breaths as she floated in mid air.

 _HOW!?_ The blue haired girl glanced up and saw Joshua with his eyes closed and left palm outstretched towards her as he dangled by a thin wire. She then saw him slowly raise his arm. As he did so, she felt herself hover upwards towards him. Wendy's eyes widened, _He's strong enough to use his magic on a human!?_

She saw sweat beading on his forehead as he pulled her closer to him. As soon as she was within reach, Joshua relaxed. The strange feeling Wendy had around her abruptly left. Her blood flew to her head as she began to accelerate back down. Just as she was about to scream out again she felt a metal hand grip her left wrist tightly.

"Gotcha!" Joshua breathed.

Wendy opened her eyes, which were tightly squeezed shut. Sure enough, Joshua had her.

"You aren't getting out of the games that easily." Joshua smirked down at her.

"I wasn't trying to get out of them!" Wendy snapped back.

She then heard his arm begin to whine as he flexed the mechanical arm. The robotic elbow bent as he hoisted her closer to him.

"Alright, grab hold of me." Joshua said as he took some quick breaths.

"Eh…" Wendy felt a blush in her cheeks.

"Not a good time to be shy." He said, "Grab hold!"

Wendy heard the mechanical arm begin to whine loudly now. She then noticed that the grip he had around her wrist was slipping. Wendy yelped and wrapped her right arm around Joshua's torso. Joshua then guided her left arm so that she could clamp herself tightly around him. Once he was sure she was secure, he moved his mechanical arm to the device on his belt.

"JOSHUA! WENDY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Erza called from a platform above them. The labyrinth had stopped shifting allowing everyone to regain their wits.

Joshua glanced up at her, "We're good. Just give me a second." He looked at Wendy, "Hold on tight."

Wendy was about to ask why when Joshua pressed the device on his belt. In a flash, the two zipped up towards the grappling hook at the other end of the wire. Air whipped through Wendy's hair as the two zoomed up towards a platform high above them. In the blink of an eye they had reached the platform. Joshua let go of the wire and gripped the edge with his left hand. He then grabbed Wendy's right arm with his right hand. Joshua held her tightly as he moved her away from his body. His muscles strained as he pulled her up towards the platform. Joshua gasped a little as his right arm ached with each movement. Eventually, Wendy was finally able to reach the platform and grab hold of the edge. Joshua gasped. His arm was buzzing. It had been a while since he lifted something like that.

"Geez…" he breathed, "What're you eating?" He asked Wendy without thinking.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY!?" Wendy snarled at him.

"I uh-," Joshua stammered as he tried to recover. Wendy glared at him and Joshua just bowed his head, "Shit.." he mumbled.

"Yeah… shit." Wendy looked up, "Hey Erza! We could use a little help!"

Before Erza could descend down to grab them, the two wizards felt a set of warm and cold hands grab them and hoist them up onto the platform.

"You two cut that close." Gray said to Wendy as he pulled her up.

Natsu grunted as he pulled Joshua up onto the platform, "Geez man…" Joshua lay down on the platform gasping for breath, "What're you eating?" Natsu asked.

"HEY!" Joshua shouted before coughing and taking in a deep breath.

"Not so nice when you're asked that huh?" Wendy grumbled as she walked towards Erza, who had jumped down to the platform everyone else was on.

Natsu frowned and looked back and forth at Wendy and Joshua, "What'd you do?" He asked Joshua.

"I screwed up." Joshua replied.

"Obviously." Gray said, "But we can't discuss that right now. Right now, we need to figure out where in the world we are at."

"Correct," Erza nodded before whipping out her compass again. She stared at it for a few moments before she began to frown, "What's the matter with this thing!?"

"Compass not working?" Joshua asked.

Erza shook her head, "The labyrinth must've messed it up."

"Great," Gray said sarcastically, "How are we going to find east now?"

A series of mischievous chuckles sounded off to their right. Joshua turned to see some familiar faces chuckling at them.

"Well well." said a man with a large spiked club on his back, "If it isn't the world's worst guild."

Wendy narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, "Thibault." She snarled.

"Is that Twilight Ogre?" Erza asked as she narrowed her eyes at the group of wizards across from them.

Joshua nodded and stepped forwards, "Yup." He cracked the knuckles in his right hand and glared across at them. As soon as Twilight Ogre saw him step to the front their smirks disappeared and was replaced by some fearful glances. "You all want to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Joshua asked.

"We will-"

Joshua suddenly surged forward and slammed his mechanical fist into Thibault's nose. A sickening crack was heard and the leader of Twilight Ogre's team fell backwards, knocked out with one punch.

"Sorry," Joshua smirked, "I forgot to say that I don't care what you think."

The other Twilight Ogre members practically wet themselves as Joshua glared over at them. In a flash, all of the other Ogre's met the end of Joshua's mechanical fist. Soon, only one was left. He was the short member of Thibault's gang. His small, trembling hands were clasped around a rolled up piece of paper.

"Watcha got there?" Joshua asked.

"N-nothing!" he exclaimed.

Joshua bowed his head then gave him a glare that terrified the wizard to his very core, "Don't lie to me." Joshua snarled.

In the background, Gray and Natsu were hugging each other as they saw the vicious glares Joshua was giving the Ogres.

"Holy…. Crap." Natsu trembled.

"He is definitely Erza's brother…" Gray muttered.

Another dull crack was heard and the final Ogre blacked out on the platform. Joshua grabbed the rolled up paper from his hands and opened it up.

"Huh… a map."

"Seriously!" Erza exclaimed.

The red head rushed over and pulled the map out of Joshua's hands. She peered closely at it and begin to chuckle madly.

"I don't like the sound of that." Natsu said fearfully.

"Me neither." Gray trembled.

"Has Erza lost her mind?" Wendy asked as she too joined them in a fearful embrace.

Erza looked back at them, "I just figured out how we are going to win this race."

"How?" Everyone asked hesitantly.

"Simple," Erza rolled up Twilight Ogre's map, "We… are going to take the other guilds maps as we beat them up!"

Natsu blinked then cheered, "It involves fighting! I love this plan!"

"Do we really have to beat the other guilds up?" Wendy asked.

"I'm game." Joshua said, "I can use my magic to sense if any are nearby. Then we ambush and take their map. Once we have enough pieces, finding the end should be no problem."

"Exactly!" Erza replied. The five wizards began to sprint down a path that seemed to slope upwards towards the center of the labyrinth, "Alright everyone!" Erza shouted, "You know the plan! Operation Steal all the Maps is a go!"

"AYE SIR!"

….

It did not take long for team Fairy Tail to gather up an unreal amount of maps. Joshua's sensory magic alerted them all of any nearby guilds which the team promptly battled and defeated usually with ease. There were a few minor setbacks, most notably the rhythmic shifting of the labyrinth's structure. But unlike the first time the maze rotated, they were all prepared and able to get a hand or foothold before the whole place began moving. Every time the maze shifted they had to adjust the maps they had collected. But the adjustments became more and more minor as they gathered more maps from more defeated guilds. Eventually, they had at least two dozen maps gathered. The team stopped for a moment as they stood in a meadow that was inside of the large labyrinth.

"Alright, that may be enough maps." Joshua said, "Let's take a look now."

Each member spread out the maps they were carrying onto the ground. Joshua slowly pieced them all together. In the end, the maps looked exactly like how the maze was, a jumbled mess.

"This makes no sense!" Natsu roared in frustration.

"Yeah," Gray agreed, "How are we supposed to find the end with all of these scribbles?"

"I must say, the plan hasn't gone… well… according to plan." Erza said, dissapointed with the result of the maps.

"It's gone perfectly." Joshua replied.

"How?" Wendy asked.

"Because, with these maps, I can now try to use my sensory magic to see where we need to go. Then I can cross reference what I see with the maps and lay out a path for us to follow, including which direction is east."

"Really!?" Everyone exclaimed at once.

"Yup, just give me a moment. And please, be quiet. I need to concentrate."

Joshua sat down and closed his eyes allowing the force to flow around him. He immediately began to see around him using the force. He could see Erza and the others staring at him impatiently. He then could see the strange maze meadow around him. He could hear every drop of water in the stream beside them and he could see every blade of grass. But he couldn't afford to be so detailed. He needed to see the bigger picture. Like a camera zooming out, he unfocused and began to search for the Domas Flau.

"This is taking forever." Natsu quietly complained.

"It's only been five minutes." Gray replied.

"True, but the labyrinth rotates every fifteen. Who know's how much time we have left." Erza noted.

They then saw Joshua jump in surprise before opening his eyes and grinning sheepishly.

"What?" Wendy asked, "Did you find it?"

"With that goofy grin it's more likely that he couldn't." Gray observed.

"Heh, wrong." Joshua said to Gray, "It's just… you won't believe it."

"What?"

Joshua pointed above them, "It's right there."

"EH!"

Erza looked up and saw that the sky above them had a stairway that seemed to be made of clouds. Only it wasn't. Upon closer inspection, Erza saw that they were actual stair disguised as little puffs of clouds in the blue sky above the meadow. Then, hidden among all of the blue, was a door that seemed to be so far away.

"No way!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You're saying we accidentally stumbled on the end?" a stunned Gray asked.

Joshua shrugged, "It appears so."

"Huh, that's rather lucky." Erza said.

"It's Fairy Tail." Wendy noted, "Our guild always seems to be pretty lucky."

"Alright, so we know where the end is." Gray got to his feet, "But how do we get there?"

"Five… four… three…" Joshua started.

"What're you doing?" Gray asked.

"Two… one… catch a stair."

"Huh?"

A siren sounded and Gray realized what Joshua meant. The labyrinth was about to rotate yet again. Within a few seconds, the meadow flipped upside down causing the team to fall into the sky. Every one of them was able to reach out and snag a cloud stair. They held on tightly until the shifting stopped then each member quickly pulled themselves up.

"Sprint for the finish!" Erza ordered.

"Aye sir!" They all replied.

The door came quickly. All of them had wide smiles on their faces as they finally reached the end. Waiting for them at the very end was the pumpkin man who had announced the preliminary round.

"We made it!" Natsu jumped up with joy.

"Yes you did." The pumpkin man clapped, "Congratulations Fairy Tail! You have qualified for the games!"

"Alright!" Joshua high fived Erza while Wendy high fived Gray.

"If I may ask, were we first?" Erza asked.

"Uh.." the pumpkin man sweatdropped, "You were ninth." Joshua and the others stared at the pumpkin man stunned, "You all just barely made it."

"N-ninth…" Erza's eye twitched.

Joshua poked his sister, "Hey, we still made it!"

"N-ninth…" Erza mumbled again as they all moved through the door and into the Dormas Flau arena.

"Um Joshua," Wendy laughed a little, "I think Erza just broke."

Erza was silent for a moment as they walked across the arena and out to get back to the Honey Bone lodge.

"N-ninth…"

….

"Lucy!" Lisanna shouted into the night air as she raced through the streets with Cana.

"Hey Lucy!" Cana shouted, "Where are you!?"

The two wizards walked quickly through the city streets. They had never ventured this far away from the lodge yet. But this area of the city seemed a lot less friendly. In fact, it felt dark for some reason. Almost menacing in a way. It didn't look any worse than where they were. It still had gorgeous flower beds decorating the streets and ornate buildings all around. But a dark feeling permeated the air in this district of the city that set both wizards on edge.

"Ugh! Lucy, answer already!" Cana shouted angrily, "I'm missing valuable drinking time!"

"Cana…" Lissanna frowned.

"What? I'm not wrong."

"You could be a little less blunt." Lisanna replied.

"Have you ever known me to be blunt?" Cana asked.

Lissanna was about to reply when she stopped and bowed her head, "Fair point."

The pair called for Lucy several more times. But the response was still silence.

"This isn't working." Lissanna sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat, "Maybe the others already found her."

"If they did then Warren would have told us with his telepathy." Cana pointed out. She placed her hands on her hips and thought for a moment, "We are doing this wrong."

"What do you mean?" Lissanna asked.

"Just watch." Cana smirked. The card mage cleared her throat. "LUCY!" Cana bellowed loudly, "NATSU IS SEARCHING THROUGH YOUR UNDERWEAR!"

"KYAH! HE BETTER NOT BE!" shouted a voice down an alleyway to their right.

Sure enough, a pair of legs was sticking out of a trashcan. The legs were kicking back and forth and the trash can rocked forward then back before falling over with a loud clang. It then rolled over to Cana and Lissanna. Lissanna bent down and pulled the trash can away to reveal Lucy. The blonde seemed to be surprised by where she was and thoroughly confused as to how she got in a trashcan.

"See," Cana looked at Lissanna, "Told you we were going about this all wrong."

"I'll admit, your method got results."

"Cana? Lisanna?" Lucy stood up and stared at them completely confused, "What're you doing here? Come to think of it, what am I doing here? Why was I in a trashcan!?"

"Drink too much?" Cana suggested.

"I don't drink!" Lucy shouted back.

Cana walked over and quickly sniffed the air around Lucy, "I smell alcohol."

"I WAS IN A TRASHCAN FULL OF BOTTLES!" Lucy roared as she flailed her arms.

Cana placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, "Everyone's first time is rough."

"WAH!" Lucy cried.

Lisanna just laughed, "Well, I'm glad to see you are ok. But, you missed the curfew."

"Wait, I… I missed it." Lucy breathed, "Are we still in the games!?"

"Relax blondie." Cana replied before uncorking the bottle of alcohol she had on her at all times, "Joshua subbed in for you. So you don't have to worry."

"Oh, that's-" Lucy suddenly stopped talking. Her face went pale and her knees knocked before she fell forward into Cana's arms.

"Hey Lucy! Are you ok!?" Cana asked as she held Lucy's limp form.

"Cana… I don't sense any magic coming from her." Lissanna said fearfully.

Cana's eyes widened. She looked at the bottle in her hand and dropped it. Now was not the time for drinking.

"We need to get her to Wendy or Porlyusica now." Cana said firmly as she heaved Lucy onto her back.

Lissanna nodded and sprinted alongside Cana as they raced back to the lodge. On a ledge high above them was a black impish looking creature with a devious look in it's eyes and a crown of leaves on it's head. It giggle maniacally before disappearing into the night.

 **And Chapter! As you can see, I kept the Sky Labyrinth. I kept it because it honestly is a pretty genius idea in Fairy Tail. I might keep a few things about the games as well but I will put in some original stuff as well, especially when it comes to any one on one fights in the games. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day and HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	49. Chapter 49: The Grand Magic Games

**Hey everyone! So, the fanfiction website is acting weird. I currently can't see my view counts or an PM's or new reviews coming in. So that's why I hesitated to update yesterday and also why I haven't responded to any recent PM's. I'm hoping it gets cleared up soon but for now I will just keep punching out chapters and hope that you all can see them. With that said, let's begin!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 49

"Where is she!?" Natsu bellowed as he barged into the Honey Bone Lodge.

The entire guild was gathered downstairs having a meeting while they waited on their team to finish the preliminary round. The mood inside of the lodge was somber as every guild member of Fairy Tail sat quietly around Master Makarov. The short, elderly man glanced up at Natsu and sighed.

"Upstairs." He replied quietly.

Natsu rushed up the stairs. He already knew she was back. But he just wanted to be sure his nose wasn't playing any tricks on him. The reason for that was, from what he could smell and sense, Lucy was very weak. As he sprinted up the stairs the others of Fairy Tail's team slowly filed into the lodge. As they did, Makarov glanced over at them.

"How did it go?" he asked, the serious look in his eyes never leaving.

"Ninth…" mumbled Erza.

Joshua sighed, "Snap out of it already."

"Ninth?" Elfman questioned.

"Nine out of nine. We just barely made it." Gray replied. The ice make mage turned to his comrades, "C'mon, we better check on Lucy."

At the mention of the blonde's name, Erza's eyes blinked and she seemed to snap out of whatever stupor she was in.

"Lucy… yes!" Erza nodded, "We must make sure she is ok!"

Everyone sprinted up the stairs after Natsu. Everyone that is, except for Joshua. Instead, the younger brother of Erza slowly walked up to Makarov and leaned up against the bar.

"Where was she found?" Joshua asked seriously.

"The western edge of the city. In a trashcan." Makarov replied, "Cana and Lisanna said she was completely normal. Then she suddenly collapsed. She had no memory of how she got there and no idea what could've possibly happened."

"I thought she might've gotten drunk." Cana stated, "But I've never seen a drunk look so damn sober. Then she just collapsed outta nowhere."

Joshua nodded. "Any leads?" he asked.

Makarov shook his head, "None so far."

"I may have one."

Makarov stopped shaking his head and stared hard at the young man.

"What?"

"Earlier this evening, me and Wendy were walking through the royal gardens-"

"Aw! Did you smooch her again?" Cana teased.

"Not a very appropriate time, Cana." Joshua hissed back at the card mage, "Anyways… we were traveling back here when this strange creature tried to attack Wendy. I got in it's way. When I came into contact with it, I suddenly lost all of my magic power. Somehow, I recovered quickly. But that thing disappeared before I could grab it."

Makarov's head snapped over to Reedus Jonah, the Pict magic user in Fairy Tail.

"Reedus, can you draw the creature as Joshua's describes it?"

"Oui." The man with the drawing pad and pencil replied.

Makarov nodded to Joshua, "Go ahead."

"Alright," Joshua started, "It was small. Barely bigger than Happy or Carla. Black, but not furry like the cats. White eyes no pupils. A crown of leaves on it's head. And… and it had a very strange symbol, Reedus, can I see your drawing pad real quick."

"Oui." the artist handed Joshua the drawing pad.

The picture on the pad was immaculate. It looked almost exactly like what Joshua saw this evening. The thing looked like it would leap out from the page at him due to how lifelike the drawing was. Reedus handed Joshua the pencil.

"I'm not much of drawer. But the symbol was fairly simple."

Joshua scratched the pencil against the drawing pad. After several moments, Joshua finished and handed the pad over to the Master. The Master took the drawing pad. As soon as he saw the symbol his eyes widened and his heart nearly stopped.

"That- that.."

Makarov stared at the symbol with wide eyes and sweat forming on his brow. The symbol looked almost exactly like Fairy Tail's guild mark. The only differences were a sword shaped space in the middle of the symbol and it was drawn in a much dark color than Fairy Tail's guild mark. Makarov's hands clenched the drawing pad tightly and a vein was seen popping from his forehead.

"Ivan!" he snarled lowly.

"What?" Joshua asked.

Makarov's hands snapped the drawing pad in two, "That symbol… it's Raven Tail."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. He'd never heard of this Raven Tail. But from the Master's reaction to their mark, it was a significant name.

"I assume we have some sort of history with them?" Joshua asked as he gave a distraught Reedus his pencil while the Pict mage gathered his shattered pad together.

Makarov closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths as he attempted to calm and collect himself, "Yes." He opened his eyes, "Raven Tail is a dark guild. Or at least I thought they were."

"Are they in the same vein as Grimoire Heart or the Oracion Seis?" Joshua asked as the the others in the guild came closer to hear what they were discussing.

Makarov shook his head, "They are their own thing. Independent of everyone else."

Joshua could feel the force rippling around Makarov. It crashed about like waves in a mighty ocean gale. The turmoil Joshua felt was enormous.

"There's more to it than that." Joshua commented, "I can sense it."

Makarov's eyes widened. _Did he just say he could sense it!_ He looked at Joshua before folding his hands and bowing his head in deep thought, _How powerful has he become in the past seven years? He was never able to do that before._

"Well?" Joshua asked. He then felt a hand on his shoulder. Joshua glanced behind him to see Cana gripping his shoulder.

"It's a sensitive subject Joshua." the card mage said firmly, "It'd probably be better if you let it go."

"No Cana," Makarov sighed, "He deserves to know. After all… he is a member of our guild." Joshua was taken aback by the last part. The Master just acknowledge him as a member. He was no longer denying him. Joshua felt a swell of pride in him as well as relief. Erza would be thrilled. "Raven tail was founded… by my son, Ivan."

Joshua's pride left him. "Your son?" Joshua replied as concern came over him once again.

Makarov frowned as he nodded. A scowl soon took over the frown, "I have no doubt he is orchestrating something against us." his small fists clenched tightly, "But I don't know what! Or how! He dared to hurt one of my children!" Anger unlike any Joshua had ever seen filled Makarov's face, "If I see him, I will make him pay dearly for this transgression."

Joshua's expression darkened, "You and me both." He said lowly before deciding it was time to follow the others up to the room and check on Lucy.

He weaved his way past several concerned guild mates towards the stairs. As he reached the steps he felt a small hand grip his mechanical arms. Joshua turned slightly and saw Romeo starring hard at him. His grip tightened.

"You will make them pay, right?" the young wizard asked Joshua.

Joshua sighed, "If I can," Romeo let go of his wrist, "But…" Joshua wanted to give him some words of wisdom. Words on how revenge could be a bad thing and that anger can lead to terrible actions. But he knew that he would sound like a complete hypocrite to the kid. He wasn't someone to give life advice like that after everything that has already occurred in his life, "Nevermind... just go back to your old man and play some cards. I'll be back down to join you eventually."

Romeo nodded and watched as Joshua slowly ascended the creaky wooden stairs towards the team's room in the lodge.

Joshua reached the second floor and turned immediately to his left. He wrapped his gloved hand around the wooden doorknob and slowly opened the door. To say he was surprised by Lucy's condition would be an understatement. He could feel almost no power coming from her. Add on top of that, her life force was weak. Joshua gulped and moved inside.

"Great… another human." Grumbled a old woman's voice to his right.

Joshua looked over and saw the old healer of Fairy Tail, Porlyusica, sitting patiently in a chair beside Lucy's bed.

"Nice to see you too." Joshua replied sarcastically.

He quickly scanned the room. Gray was sitting in his bed staring at the floor. Erza was leaning up against the wall near the restroom door. Wendy was kneeling beside Lucy's bed, obviously wishing she could do something to help her. The only person missing was Natsu.

"Where is-"

"Flame brain is out on the balcony, cooling off. He almost went berserk when he saw Lucy's condition." Gray explained.

"Cooling off? Did you freeze him or something?" Joshua said wryly.

The snarky comment made Gray snort a quick laugh, "I wish." the ice make mage replied, "But… I'm more concerned about Lucy than getting into a brawl with Natsu."

Joshua could understand why. It wasn't just Lucy's power and life force that felt weak, she looked weak as well. Her face was abnormally pale and sweat dripped from every pore in her skin. Her blonde hair was frayed and her lips were just as pale as her skin. Every so often her eyes would squeeze tightly and she would shift and groan a little, seemingly consumed by an invisible pain.

"Magic deficiency disease." Joshua heard Porlyusica say as he walked up to Wendy's side.

"Hm?"

"Are you deaf?" Porlyusica growled, "You're wondering what is wrong. I told you, magic deficiency disease."

"What is that?" Joshua asked.

Wendy gulped, "You and I had it when we were rescued from Tenroujima." the bluenette explained, "It's when a wizard's magic power becomes so low that their body begins to shut down from the sheer exertion and lack of ethernanos in the body. In extreme cases, it can be fatal."

A loud smash was heard behind them. Wendy jumped while Gray and Erza's head snapped up. Joshua on the other hand, calmly turned to see Natsu had buried his fist into the wall as he was walking back into the room.

"That ain't gonna happen." he snarled lowly, "Lucy isn't going to die. Right!?" he glared at Porlyusica.

The old woman frowned, "I've done all I can. I've provided her the elixirs necessary, it's just up to her body to begin the recovery process." She rose from her chair, her red cape that was around her shoulders finally being allowed to flow freely around her, "Wendy."

"Yes Grandine?" The blue haired girl replied.

Porlyusica flinched for a moment then exhaled, "Come and get me if her condition changes in the slightest." The old woman opened the door, "And don't call me that name."

The door shut.

Wendy closed her eyes and sighed. She accidentally let that slip again. It was a reflex of hers. Porlyusica smelled just like Grandine, her dragon mother. It was a habit she had formed after she learned that Porlyusica was actually the Edolas version of her mother. Wendy opened her eyes when she felt Joshua moved beside her. She saw him place his right hand on Lucy's forehead. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be focusing on something. After several moments, he opened his eyes once again. There was more concern in them than before.

"Her memory has been wiped."

"Huh?" Erza uttered.

"What do you mean by that?" Natsu asked through a clenched jaw.

"Exactly what I said. Her memory has been wiped."

"How would you know that?" Gray asked.

Wendy and Erza stared at Joshua, waiting for an explanation.

"The Force, my magic, it can do a great many things." Joshua explained, "If I concentrate hard enough and pour enough power into it, I can read minds. It's an incredibly difficult thing to do though. I'm still a bit of a novice. But when a person is weak minded or… unconscious, it's a little easier to do." Everyone stared in shock at Joshua, "I just tried to see Lucy's memories of tonight. I'm trying to piece together what exactly happened. But, there is a massive gap. Her memories end when she arrives at the western edge of the city. Then it starts up again when she sees Cana and Lisanna. There's easily an hour long gap in there, maybe longer."

"Is there a way to recover those memories?" Erza asked.

Joshua shook his head, "If there was a way, then I don't know it. I highly doubt it's possible." He rose from his seat beside Wendy and strode towards the balcony, "I need to think for a bit."

Joshua's right arm swept the thin curtain out of his way and he stepped out into the cold night. Gray raised an eyebrow puzzled.

"Why-"

"He's meditating." Wendy stated, "It helps him think, as well as replenish his magic. I don't know if you guys noticed, but when he tried to read Lucy's mind his magic power plummeted."

Gray's eyes widened, "It took that much outta him. But he barely did anything from what I saw."

"He did say he wasn't very good at it." Erza pointed out, "He must've learned that very recently." She betrayed some worry in her voice that Wendy instantly picked up on.

"What's wrong?"

Erza frowned, "Joshua can read minds. I don't know whether that is a good or bad thing."

"Why's that?"

Erza closed her eyes, "What if he can alter them as well."

Even Natsu shook his head at that notion, "That's crazy." The dragonslayer replied as he sat down in a chair next to Lucy's bed, "It's be pretty cool, but crazy."

Wendy could see where Erza's concern was coming from. Mind control magic was strictly forbidden in Fiore by the magic council. If they were to learn of Joshua's ability they could easily make a case to imprison him. Or even worse, place him in magical restraints for a third time. She remembered how painful that was for him when they were little.

"Don't worry Erza. I'm sure Joshua wouldn't do something to make the magic council suspicious of him." Wendy said.

Outside, Joshua sat in his usual meditative position. He felt nothing else but the force. He could hear the others talking, but they were very muffled as he immersed himself deep into the dark side. He needed answers. Especially when it came to Raven Tail, the guild he suspected. Joshua felt his way through the force, allowing the dark side to flow all around him and out into the city. Quickly, he sense only eight guilds were left in the city. He flipped through them quickly. He could see Jura and Lyon of Lamia scale. He saw a strange guild of all females sleeping soundly.

 _May need to check that out later…_

Next was a guild with a very drunk, muscular man wearing only purple shoulder pauldrons and dark pants stumbling around their residence. He then saw Ichiya in the Blue Pegasus quarters and immediately changed his sight so he didn't have to look at that ugly mug ever gain. He then saw the number one guild in Fiore. They were having a small feast. His sight focused mainly on the two most famous members of that guild. One was a brash athletic blonde that loudly declared how he and his partner were the greatest dragon slayers in existence. The other was a dark, brooding young man with long black hair that shadowed half of his face. Joshua shook his head. He needed to focus on the task at hand, not spying on the competition. After a few more moments of searching he finally found them. Raven Tail was staying in a dark, dingy tavern near the southern wall of Crocus. Joshua frowned. They were too far away to have taken Lucy all the way to the western edges. He then saw another team. Joshua jumped a little in surprise at the people he saw as the eight guild. He couldn't help but chuckle a little.

 _Gramps, you sly bastard._ Joshua thought. He then shook his head, that wasn't what he had to be focusing on. Something else was in this city he could feel it. _I'm missing something._ He then realized. There was supposed to be nine guilds. Yet, there was only eight in the city. _Or, only eight I can sense._

Joshua amped up his powers and nearly lost himself in the dark side. He delved so deep that he could hear it's seductive voice in his head as he searched for the missing ninth guild. But it eluded him. He could feel several dark presences in the city, but he couldn't' figure out if that was the ninth guild or not. He was being blocked.

 _The mystery grows._ Joshua exited the force and his eyes opened.

"Did you figure it out?" He heard Erza ask him from behind.

Joshua bowed his head and slowly shook it, "No." He turned to look at Erza as he stayed seated, "Something isn't right."

"What's not right?"

Joshua shrugged, "That's just it. I don't know. If I knew then everything would be fine. Yet, I don't know what is going on."

"Care to explain or are you just going to keep talking mysteriously?"

Joshua let out a small laughed, "Right… I probably should explain. I… I can sense all of them. The guilds that made it to the games. I sense them all. But, there is only eight." Erza frowned as she realized what her little brother meant, "There is supposed to be nine."

"Strange." The red head replied, "Why can't you sense them?"

"I don't know. I'm being blocked out by something, or someone." Joshua rose to his feet, "I've got a bad feeling about all of this."

Erza sighed before a small smile spread across her face, "You always have a bad feeling about everything."

"Do not." Joshua replied.

"Do too." Erza said back. She then walked up and hugged her brother, "Don't stress so much ok? We need you with a clear head in the games tomorrow."

Joshua hugged Erza back, "Right."

Erza held him for several more moments before ending the embrace, "Now get some rest. The opening ceremony is in the morning, and we've got only a couple hours to sleep. So, get some shuteye."

Joshua nodded and followed Erza back in before passing out in an easy chair across the room from the five beds.

….

Joshua's right eye twitched. He slowly raised it in front of him. The article of clothing was a mixture of different shades of purple with the Fairy Tail symbol proudly emblazoned in red on the right breast. It was actually a pretty neat color scheme. There was just one problem.

"Are you going to put it on or not?" Natsu asked as he buttoned up his new purple waistcoat before throwing his scaly white scarf around his neck.

"Not!" Joshua snapped before letting his shoulders sag as he admitted defeat.

"Why not?"

"Are you blind flame brain?" Gray said as he put on a white and purple coat that reached past his knees, "That outfit is obviously meant for Lucy."

"Really?"

"Obviously you Pyro." Joshua snapped, "I mean just look at this thing!" Joshua raised up the small article of clothing, "First of all, the waist is way to small. Second of all, it's a dress. And lastly, it's a bit… chesty." Joshua pointed out.

Erza glared over at her little brother as she donned her own uniform for the games, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that Lucy is bus-" Joshua froze mid sentence. _Think before you speak idiot!_ Erza glared threateningly at him, "Gifted." Joshua finished.

"Gifted?" Natsu said confused.

Over in the corner, sulked Wendy as she huddled herself near the wall.

"Does he like more gifted girls?" Wendy mumbled depressingly under her breath. She looked down at herself in her outfit, specifically at her chest, "I'm not very gifted."

"I won't go into anymore detail."

"Why not!?" Natsu demanded.

"Self preservation." Joshua replied. He then looked at Lucy's uniform then got an idea, "Erza, got anything purple in your requip?"

"Armor, clothing, accessory?" Erza replied as he brushed her hair a little bit.

"Accessory. Mainly… a cape or cloak."

Erza stopped and put a finger to her chin. She then nodded, "I should. Let me check." Erza glowed brightly for a few moments before her requip magic faded away. In her hands was a purple cape that matched the rest of the team. "I pulled it from of my armors. Will it work?"

Joshua grabbed it and tested it out by putting it over his shoulders. He nodded satisfied, "It'll do."

"You know you can't go out there in your normal clothes. Master would throw a fit." Gray said.

"I know that!" Joshua replied. He then enveloped himself in the golden light of his requip magic. Soon, his outfit was replaced by black robes and pants along with black boots. The golden light faded away revealing his new look.

"That looks bad ass!" Natsu exclaimed as Joshua flicked the cape over his shoulders.

"Thanks." Joshua grinned.

"Where'd you get an outfit like that?" Erza asked.

"I wore this when training over the past seven years. Well, this was a spare I had. The other was kind of a mess." Joshua replied, "It's light and actually not very hot."

"It doesn't look like it offers much protection." Erza replied.

"And your purple dress does?" Joshua retorted.

"Shut up." Erza snarled. She then turned to look at everyone, "Everyone ready?"

"Aye!" They all replied.

"Good!" Erza turned and knocked on a large wooden doorway, "We're ready!" she shouted.

Instantaneously, the sounds of chains groaning and rattling filled the room the team was in. Massive gears and pulleys squeaked and whined as the massive wooden doorway was slowly lifted into the air. Light streamed into the room, rendering the dull glow from the lanterns on the wall obsolete. Joshua shielded his eyes as blinding daylight came into the room. With a final rumble then shudder, the wooden gate reached the top.

Erza narrowed her eyes, "Alright everyone. Let's do this."

….

 _"_ _Greetings ladies and gentlemen!"_ boomed a voice in a microphone.

High above the Domas Flau, in the media section that had the best view of all of the action was a small press box with four seats in it. Sitting in three of the chairs were three figures. The first was a man with closely cropped black hair and a large head. He had very small eyes, nose, and mouth on his over sized head and he wore a slick brown suit. Next to him was an elderly man in a chef's outfit. He had a very long face a short mustache above his lips. Beside the old man, was a figure wearing a green suit and black tie with a black dress shirt underneath. The figure was wearing a strange cat like mask.

 _"_ _I am your announcer and host for this years Grand Magic Games, Chapati Lola!_ " commented the man in the brown suit, " _With me today are my two co hosts. First… you know him as a former magic council member and current owner and chef of the five star restaurant 8 Island, please give a warm welcome to Mr. Yajima!"_

A roar of applause sounded out from the throngs of people in the stands. Yajima smiled and waved a little before folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

" _And, you know him from previous games, he is our premier insider and sideline reporter! Please welcome, Bob Cat!"_

Another massive roar from the crowd and the figure in green stood and waved cheerfully at the crowd.

 _"_ _We are you're announcing team for this years games!"_ Chapati boomed, _"On behalf of the Kingdom of Fiore, we welcome you to the X791 Grand Magic Games!"_

The crowd's roar was deafening. The very stadium began to shake. The figure in the green suit leaned towards his microphone.

" _This is a copyrighted event by the Kingdom of Fiore. These games are for the use of our audience. Any other usage, accounts, descriptions, lacrima footage, or recording without the kingdom's consent is prohibited."_ He said monotonously, " _Now then, Chapati… Yajima… I think you know what time it is!"_

" _What?"_ Yajima grinned.

Bob Cat jumped to his feet onto the desk, microphone in hand as he pointed at the crowd, _"It's time for the smackdown of the year! It's time for the greatest wizards in our great land to clash! Ladies and gentleman… IT'S TIME TO RUMBLE!"_

The crowd went berserk.

" _Indeed it is Mr. Cat."_ Chapati smiled, " _Shall we introduce our guilds?"_

The crowd shouted with approval.

" _I think that's a yes, Chapati."_ Yajima commented.

 _"_ _Indeed."_ Chapati nodded, " _Very well then, let's begin!"_

The first wooden gate slowly creaked open.

" _First up. A guild known for their pride and for their hungry, wild spirit! Please welcome, the wild ones, QUATRO CERBERUS!" Chapati bellowed._

The crowd cheered loudly as five strange looking wizards stepped out led by a man who was clearly intoxicated.

 _"_ _Next, they are as beautiful as they are deadly! The all female guild that will steal your hearts! MERMAID HEEL!"_

The second gate opened and the representatives of Fiore's premier female guild strode out. The leader of the bunch was an intense looking woman with long black hair and sheathed katana on her hip.

 _"_ _I wouldn't mind talking to them. May I interview them Mr. Cat?"_ Yajima blushed.

" _That's my job Yajima!"_ Bob Cat shouted back.

 _"_ _Now entering the arena! They are the most handsome guild in the land! May they dazzle you with their good looks and parfume! Welcome, BLUE PEGASUS!"_

The third gate opened and the Blue Pegasus guild entered. Leading them was none other than Ichiya and… a blue bunny.

" _Erm, are bunnies allowed to compete?_ " Yajima questioned.

 _"_ _As long as they posses magic they can compete!"_ Bob Cat declared.

 _"_ _Mr. Cat is correct."_ Chapati stated, " _Although to see a human sized blue bunny walking in with the Trimens is unusual."_

Chapati's attention was taken away by the rising of another gate, " _Oh! We have another guild entering! This is their first year ever in the games! Please welcome, the birds of the night! RAVEN TAIL!"_

Far away, on a lower deck of the arena, sat the Fairy Tail guild. As soon as the name Raven Tail was announced, Makarov blew a gasket and attempted to charge out and pound the former dark guild himself. He had to be held back by the combined strength of Alzack, Macao, Wakaba, and Nab.

 _"_ _Isn't Raven Tail a dark guild?_ " Yajima questioned with suspicion.

 _"_ _They used to be!"_ Bob Cat announced, _"But they recently were granted legal status by the magic council. Therefore they may compete!"_

Leading the ominous guild out of their tunnel was a tall muscular man hidden behind bronze colored armor and an ornate bronze mask that hid his face. The others in the guild looked just as dark and creepy.

 _"_ _Next up! They have come in second place for the past three years! Will this be the year they finally take the crown! Please welcome, Lamia Scale!"_

The crowd erupted with the loudest cheers yet as the Lamia Scale team strode out with Jura and Lyon leading the way.

" _Alright! We have our next team approaching! They used to be the pride of Fiore before unfortunate events dethroned them seven years ago! Will they reclaim the title of strongest guild with their greatest wizards having returned! Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, FAIRY TAIL!"_

Inside of the tunnel, Joshua took a deep breath.

"Here we go everyone." Erza said as they all stepped out into the light.

As soon as they appeared a chorus of boos rained down on them.

"Get outta here weaklings!" "Let the real guilds fight!" "WEAK!"

A vein popped out on Natsu's forehead while Gray and Erza frowned. Wendy's face grew sad as she was succumbed to the same jeers she had heard many times before. Only Joshua remained completely stone faced as he eyes the crowd and calmly stood in the arena.

 _"_ _That's not a very warm welcome for them."_ Yajima noted.

 _"_ _True, but they are the worst guild in Fiore."_ Bob Cat replied, " _Although… I am kinda pulling for them to at least put on a good show."_

 _"_ _Indeed!_ " Chapati said enthusiastically, _"Next up we… WOAH! This is quite the surprise!"_ The next gate rose, " _Ladies and gentlemens, please welcome, FAIRY TAIL B TEAM!"_

"EH!" Erza, Natsu, Wendy, Gray all said together. Joshua just bowed his head and smirked.

 _Definitely a sly move, gramps._

Stepping out into the arena were five more wizards from the Fairy Tail guild. First stepped out a woman with white hair wearing a black dress, Mirajane Strauss. Next was a man with wild black hair and a black shirt with torn off sleeves and a bandanna around his forehead, Gajeel Redfox. Behind him was a woman with blue hair underneath a black Cossack hat, Juvia Lockser. Then came the two that made Joshua tremble with silent rage. Leading the way was a pair of male wizards. The first was a man clad in blue robes with a blue mask hiding his face and multiple staffs strapped to his back. Joshua knew who this man really was. The crowd knew him as Mystogan, but Joshua knew that it was actually Jellal Fernandes, he had seen as much with his sensory magic last night. At the very front was a man in a tight, black shirt with a fur coat draped over his shoulders. His muscular arms were crossed and his ears were covered by a pair of headphones, Laxus Dreyar.

" _WOW!"_ Chapati exclaimed, " _Fairy Tail was good enough to field two teams this year!"_

 _"_ _That's completely unprecedented!_ " Bob Cat cried. He then heard the crowd murmurs of disapproval, " _And it seems that the crowd isn't a fan of this development."_

" _Regardless, it is the rules this year._ " Yajima explained, _"Each guild was allowed to enter two teams. Fairy Tail was good enough to get both in."_

 _"_ _Very true Mr. Yajima."_ Chapati then turned back to his microphone, _"Alright! Next up! You-"_

 _"_ _YOU KNOW THEM! YOU LOVE THEM!"_ Bellowed Bob Cat loudly as he interrupted Chapati, _"THEY ARE THE LIONS OF FIORE! THE BEASTS OF BEASTS! THE GREATEST GUILD IN ALL OF THE LAND! SAAAAAABBBBEEEEEERTOOOOOTH!"_

The arena shook as the crowd roared. The next gate opened and the strongest guild in the kingdom strode out. Leading them out were two men. One was blonde and had a wide smile of his face as he gladly soaked in the crowd's adoration. The other was a man with black hair that frowned and shunned the crowd. Flanking them was a man wearing a red outfit with a red mask and musketeer hat. A young woman with short white hair. She wore a feathery white dress and smiled widely as she entered the arena. Lastly was a giant of a man with greenish blue hair. He wore no shirt and had a very serious expression as he completely ignored the crowd.

"That's them." Joshua nodded, "The best."

Wendy nodded as well, "They won't be easy to beat. Especially the front two."

"Who are they?" Natsu asked.

"They are the twin dragons of Sabertooth, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney." Wendy explained, "They are dragon slayers like us."

"REALLY!?" Natsu cried, "I gotta talk to them."

"Don't." Wendy warned.

"Why not?"

"Because… they aren't very friendly to us first generation slayers."

Joshua was about to enter to conversation when the microphone boomed again.

" _Shockingly, Sabertooth did not finish first in the preliminary round!"_ Chapati announced. This stunned the many fans that waved Sabertooth flags and banners, _"That distinction belongs to the biggest surprise this year. They are guild that was practically born yesterday."_ The final gate began to open. Immediately, Joshua felt the force darken around him. Erza saw his jaw clench as he automatically reacted to the sudden change.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Guild nine." Joshua muttered. The force grew bleaker, "This is bad."

 _"_ _Please welcome. The newest wizard guild in Fiore! IMPERIUS!"_

The crowd stared in silence as the final guild stepped out. A dark feeling came over the arena and the air became slightly chilled. Stepping out of the final gate was a group of people clad in black. The first was a hulking figure with stone grey skin and opaque eyes. The second was a small, slim woman with green skin underneath her black armor and orange, hate filled eyes. The third was a figure with three large toes and three large fingers combined with an skinny athletic form. It's face was hidden behind a black mask and helmet. The fourth was a terrifying looking being with pale grey skin and lines like trenches in his face. He had crimson eyes and razor sharp teeth that were designed to rip into flesh. He had red tattoos on his head as well, completing the intimidating look. The final though, was the one that grabbed Joshua's attention.

The last figure seemed like a normal man. He had short black hair and a steely expression on his face. His eyes were a normal bluish gray color. He wore black robes with gray patches of armor over top. Despite his normal appearance though, Joshua could sense he was the true danger of this group. He was the leader, he carried that air of authority around him that made the others almost cower when near him. And Joshua could sense an overwhelming presence in the force coming from him. It was the most powerful one he had sense since Ventress was alive, maybe even since Maul was alive. Then he saw it, a slight glint of silver coming from a cylinder at his hip. There was no mistaking the weapon. Joshua slowly moved over to Erza and leaned to her ear.

"Lightsaber." he whispered.

Erza's eyes widened, "Who?"

Joshua then saw the black cylinders on the others, "All of them."

 _"_ _BEHOLD!"_ Bob Cat shouted, _"THE GUILDS OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!"_

The crowd roared in approval.

 _"_ _All guild members please report to your portions of the arena so that we may begin the first event as well as explain the general rules of the games."_ Chapati announced.

All of the guilds retreated to their boxes in the walls of the arena. The entire time Joshua walked over to his box he stared at the Imperius guild. His bad feeling kept getting worse.

….

The Seventh Sister flipped over the ledge and up into her 'teams' box as they awaited the first rules of the games. The others lumbered into the box through the stairs. The green Miralan looked out at the other guilds and smirked.

"They don't seem so tough." She said.

"Careful with your arrogance. It will get you killed." The Grand Inquisitor scolded.

"What? This will be a piece of cake. Especially if we fight them one on one."

"Sister," The Eight Brother snarled, "Do you need to be reminded that this is a reconnaissance mission not an assassination or combat mission."

The Seventh Sister shot the Eight Brother a dark look before the Fifth Brother cleared his throat with a low rumbled.

"We are being watched." he said lowly as he nodded over to the Fairy Tail A box.

The Grand Inquisitor glanced over and saw a young human male staring at them. He wore black robes and had a purple cape over his shoulders. Normally, this wouldn't disturb the Grand Inquisitor. He was just a lowly human male after all. But for some reason, this one was different. There was a venom to the stare that unsettled the Pau'an male. His eyes darted away from the vicious gaze.

"Problem inquistor?" said the human male to his left.

"Um… no."

The man frowned, "Don't lie." he looked up at the Fairy Tail A box, "The one watching us. He disturbs you. Why?"

The Grand Inquisitor grimaced, "There is something different about him."

He was expecting to be scolded, berated, mocked. But instead, the human nodded.

"You are correct. There is something very different about that one." The human closed his eyes and breathed deep, "The force, it is strong around him…very strong." He looked at the inquisitors, "Be wary of him."

They all nodded.

" _Ladies and Gentlemen! Let us explain the rules of the games!"_ Chapati announced.

A massive scoreboard was projected out over the arena. The names of each guild was printed on the scoreboard and beside it was a series of question marks. Beside this scoreboard appeared another one. This one had an event name hidden by question marks with the guild's names below it as well as the word total points below it.

" _Here at the Grand Magic Games! We have two parts to each day. The first is what many would call the main event."_ Chapati explained, " _This is a team event. Either a group from each guild, or a single representative, will be selected to compete in an event that tests different wizard skills, abilities, and overall power! The winning team will be awarded ten points, second eight, third six, fourth five, fifth four, sixth three, seventh two, eighth one, and ninth none!"_

"Sounds like a load of bantha poodoo." Grumbled the Fifth Brother.

" _THEN COMES THE PART YOU ALL ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT!"_ Bob Cat bellowed, " _THE ONE ON ONE, RAW, BONE CRUSHING, EARTH SHATTERING, SMACKDOWNS! THE ONE ON ONE DUELS!"_

"I like the sound of that." The Seventh Sister grinned before patting her lightsaber.

" _That's correct Mr. Cat,"_ Chapati continued, " _Each day we will have three one on one fights. The fighters will be chosen at random from different guilds. Each duel will have a thirty minute time limit. The duel will end if the time runs out, a contestant surrenders, or a contestant is unable to continue to fight. The winner of the duel will receive ten points, the loser none. In case of draw when time expires, each contestant will be awarded five points."_

"Straightforward too." The Seventh Sister grinned, "Even better."

"Sounds interesting." The Grand Inquisitor stated, "Thrawn was right. This is a good way to probe the population's propensity for fighting."

The human male only nodded, "Just make sure you don't lose."

"I thought you wanted us to keep low."

The human male looked back at the inquisitors, "My master ordered us to keep low. But… my master isn't here. And I have a bit of a… competitive streak in me."

The lower ranked inquisitors grinned widely as their anticipation mounted.

" _NOW THAT ALL OF THAT NONSENSE IS EXPLAINED!"_ Bob Cat roared, " _LET'S ANNOUNCE THE FIRST EVENT!"_

The ground rumbled in the arena. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a small city appeared in the center of the massive arena.

" _All guilds choose your competitor, then we will explain the rules of the first event."_ Chapati announced.

"Hm…" The Grand Inquisitor turned to his men, "Sister."

"Yes?" The seventh sister replied.

"Go release your pent up energy."

The Miralan grinned evilly, "Oh, I will."

" _Stepping forwards for the Imperius Guild is The Seventh Sister!"_ Chapati announced.

" _What kinda name is that!?"_ asked Bob Cat incredulously.

" _Careful Mr. Cat."_ Yajima stated, " _She doesn't seem like the type that can take a joke."_

" _Oh look! Rufus Lore steps forward for Sabertooth!"_ Chapati shouted causing the crowd to erupt as the man in red with the musketeer hat entered the arena for Sabertooth., " _Mermaid Heel sends out Beth Vanderwood!"_ A young girl with twin braids in her brown hair and a freckled face entered the arena.

" _For the pretty boys in Blue Pegasus, Eve Tearm steps up. Let's see if he isn't just all looks and is actually a fighter."_ Bob Cat said.

" _Jager of Quatro Cerberus enters the Arena!"_ Chapati announced. A bulky man wearing black earphones and a red dog collar stomped into the arena.

" _Juvia Lockser has entered for Fairy Tail B. And Nullpudding of Raven Tail has thrown his… chin… into the ring."_ Chapati said as a short, troll like creature with a massive chin, purple skin, and short, slicked back blonde hair entered for the infamous Raven tail.

" _What is with these names!?"_ Bob Cat asked, " _And holy crap, that guy's got one heck of a chin!"_

Nullpudding growled back at the man in the green suit and cat mask causing the reporter to shrink away.

" _Lamia Scale is sending Lyon Vastia into the battle!"_ Chapati announced.

On the Fairy Tail A sideline. Gray grinned. Here was his chance to take on his rival.

"Who are we going to send?" Wendy asked.

"Lemme do it! I'll sock em!" Natsu roared with fire leaking out of his mouth.

"I'll do it." Gray said, "It gives me a chance to take on Lyon."

"That would also throw Juvia off guard." Erza noted.

"No." Joshua stated. Something in the force was telling him that he was supposed to be the one to enter this event, "I'm going."

"Hey!" Gray stated as Joshua jumped from the box, flipped in mid air, before perfectly landing on the ground below.

"That was kinda cool." Natsu commented, "Bet you couldn't do that ice box."

"You wanna go matchstick!" Gray shouted.

"Boys…" Erza glared at them causing the two to hug and act like best friends.

" _And lastly, entering for Fairy Tail A, is non other than the infamous Joshua Scarlet!"_ Chapati announced.

" _NOW THERE IS SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT!"_ Bob Cat said, " _He was up for the S Class rank at his guild by age ten. He left for seven years but now he is back and almost certainly a wildcard in these games since no one knows what kinda magic this guy actually friggin uses!"_

" _You follow Fairy Tail a lot don't you?"_ Yajima sweat dropped.

" _I got my start reporting on them in Sorcerer Weekly with the editor."_

" _The one who shouts cool constantly."_

" _Damn right!"_

" _Anyways,"_ Chapati said, " _The first event is…"_

The second scoreboard shimmered and the event name appeared. Joshua read the name and grinned. If the name was anything to go by, then this was a game of hide and sick. And one thing any Sith worth his salt was good at was hiding. Especially in plain site. This was his event.

" _HIDDEN!"_

 **Let the Grand Magic Games begin folks! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Like I said above, the website is acting weird so I won't be able to see any reviews or PM's until whatever has gone wrong is resolved. But still, let me know what you guys think, I want to see when whatever is going on is fixed. As always everyone, have a nice day!**


	50. Chapter 50: Sith Love Stealth

**Hey everyone! The issue that was causing problems with viewing reviews and PM's has been fixed. Fanfiction resolved it very quickly, which is awesome! So I have a new chapter ready to go! I meant to put this out yesterday, but I got really busy and wasn't able to fully plan out this chapter the way I wanted to. I needed a little extra time to get it just right. So with that being said, let's begin!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 50

The thunderous roar of the crowd in the Domas Flau caused the ground to tremble as their voices rose like a rising tide. Feet began to stomp in the coliseum as the anticipation mounted for the first event. Most of the wizards on the ground were smiling up at the crowd, thoroughly enjoying the attention they were receiving. But three were not. The three were Nullpudding; the short, purple skinned competitor for Raven Tail; The Seventh Sister; and Joshua. The three were glancing over at each other as they quickly began to realize that out of all of the wizards in on the field right now, they were most likely the deadliest. The Seventh Sister stole another look over at Joshua and flinched as the teen returned her glance with an intense stare that made her spine crawl.

" _WOW!"_ Bob Cat boomed, " _The crowd is so loud, I can barely hear myself think!"_

 __Chapati nodded, " _They are so loud that we didn't even hear our guest commentator for day one even enter our press box. Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin, please give a warm welcome to the current Miss Fiore, from Blue Pegasus, Jenny Realight!"_

An incredibly beautiful blonde woman wearing a blue dress that revealed plenty of cleavage waved at the crowd from the press box.

" _I look forward to seeing a great day of competition!"_ She smiled.

" _If you'll excuse me,"_ Bob Cat rose and grabbed a microphone as well as a lacrima camera, " _It's time for me to become our sideline reporter! See you on the ground folks!"_

" _Good luck Mr. Cat."_ Chapati said as the man in the green suit and cat mask exited the press box, " _Now then, let us explain the first event, Hidden. Think of this event as a gigantic game of hide and seek."_

As he said this a city began to materialize in the coliseum. Joshua watched as the other competitors around him disappeared and he was left alone in an empty street. The city was so large that he couldn't even see the arena around him.

" _Only, there is no seeker and there are no hiders. Instead, each competitor is both."_

All around Joshua, projections of the competitors appeared. The likenesses were uncanny. If he hadn't witnessed them appear around him he would've assumed that they could even be real people, clones even.

" _You may hide anywhere in the arena, even in plain sight! If you find an opponent and land a hit on them, you will receive a point then both of you will be teleported away to a new location. If you get hit by an opponent, you will lose a point. And if you accidentally attack a projection, then you will lose a point. The competitor with the most points at the end, wins!"_

The crowd roared with approval. Joshua smirked to himself. This was definitely the match he wanted to be a part of. Good thing he entered the arena before Gray could, otherwise he couldn't be sure they would win. He knew Gray was powerful, but he wasn't exactly stealthy. Whereas Joshua had a certain ability he could easily rely on to help him win.

A gong sounded out over the arena.

" _BEGIN!"_

….

Above the arena floor, in a their own small section of the bleachers, stood the Fairy Tail guild. All of their members cheered loudly at they saw Joshua and Juvia step forward for the first event. Makarov smiled as he saw the two proudly move forwards. He knew they would do the guild proud. He then saw the serious look Joshua had on his face.

"He seems to be taking this pretty seriously." Said a female voice to Makarov's left.

Makarov looked to his right and saw a young girl with incredibly long, wavy, blonde hair. She wore and white and pink dress with wing like ornaments on the top of her head. Her bare feet swung off the edge of the balcony the guild was watching from and she grinned widely over at Makarov.

Makarov nodded, "He certainly is Master Mavis." Makarov closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

 _WAIT A DAMN MOMENT!_

 __"MASTER MAVIS!" Makarov loudly cried as he jumped up, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the first master of the Fairy Tail guild.

The others in the balcony stared stunned at the ghostly apparition that was smiling back at them. Mavis's ghost waved at them.

"Hi!" she smiled.

"Wha-what are you doing here!?" Makarov asked as the shock only built inside of him.

Mavis smile faded away and she frowned, "Tenroujima got boring."

"EH!" The rest of guild face faulted.

"I didn't know a ghost could leave it's final resting place." Macao muttered.

"They can't!" Wakaba said.

"But I'm here. So…" Mavis smiled cheerily at Wakaba, "Hi!"

"This makes no sense." Wakaba's shoulder sagged and he puffed on his cigar.

Mavis's young face looked back out at the arena as a small city began to appear in it. She stared in complete wonder as the projection finished appearing. Her excitement only grew when she saw the thought projections of all of the competitors in the field appear all around the city.

"Ooooh… interesting." Mavis nodded, "Great idea!"

"What?" Makarov asked.

"It's hide and seek plus guess who." Mavis replied, "This is not just a stealth match. It is also a match that tests how capable a person is at locating enemies." Mavis's feet kicked as she clapped gleefully, "Whoever designed this match has earned a high mark in my book."

"A ghost giving a great review, amazing." Macao said sarcastically.

Mavis's cheerful gaze turned back to all of the competitors. She especially took note of the two Fairy Tail competitors.

"Tell me about our competitors." She said as she turned to look at Makarov.

"Well, Juvia is a very powerful water wizard. I have no doubt she will perform very well."

Mavis nodded, "I feel as if she has a good heart as well." She then turned to look down at the member of her guild wearing all black with the purple cape, "He feels somewhat different. A lot darker than Juvia."

Makarov began to sweat and repeatedly bow in front of Mavis, "I'm so sorry first master! I can get him out of the games if you want me too!"  
Mavis cocked her head to the side, "Is he a good person?"

"Well-"

Macao cut in, "He's one of the best people I have ever met. Joshua would do anything to protect the guild."

Mavis nodded in approval, "And is he powerful?"

"Um… well, he did enter our S Class exams at ten years old." Macao stated.

"Only because I allowed it." Makarov replied, "It was supposed to be a teaching moment for him. But he kinda threw a wrench in that plan."

Mavis for the first time all day frowned. She could hear the tension in Makarov's voice as he spoke about Joshua, "You have a problem with him?"

Makarov sighed, "Joshua… has a very dark past. I'm afraid it will eventually catch up to him and sweep others into danger along with him. But… to answer your question about how strong he is. I really don't know. I've never truly seen him in action. The only ones who have are the ones competing in the games. And that was seven years ago when they saw him fight. He could be very different now."

A small lock of hair that stuck straight up on Mavis' head twitched as she looked back at the arena.

"I approve." She turned back with stars in her eyes, "If he can help Fairy Tail win then why not let him go all out!"

"Eh!" Makarov exclaimed.

"That's our first master for you." Macao deadpanned.

"She's the perfect representation of our guild." Wakaba said right after Macao's comment.

" _Begin!"_ the announcer shouted as a gong rang out.

Makarov folded his arms and watched intently, "Win this brats! Win!"

….

Natsu was clutching his head as his cheeks slightly puffed out and his skin turned a light blue color. Gray stared in dismay at the dragon slayer while Wendy could only sweat drop and grin nervously as Natsu became sick from just getting completely confused.

"Are you serious flame brain!?" Gray asked.

Natsu covered his mouth, "*Ulp* Shut up icecube! My brain hurts… I can't figure out which is which."

Erza's hand pointed at a specific figure in the city. Natsu looked and saw she was pointing at Joshua, or a projection of Joshua.

"There's Joshua." Erza said confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" Gray asked.

"They haven't started yet. So, he hasn't moved from his spot." Erza replied.

Wendy nodded. Just as she did this the dull ringing of a gong echoed around the arena.

" _Begin!"_

The many projections began to move but for some reason, Joshua stayed completely still.

"Why's he not moving? He'll be found easily if he doesn't try to blend in!" Gray exclaimed.

"Wait for it." Erza said.

Joshua's head rose and he looked directly up at his team. He smirked at them before a large projection of Jager from Quatro Cerberus stepped in front of him. Gray, Natsu, and Wendy's eyes widened. As soon as Jager moved past, Joshua was gone. In the seconds it took for the large form of Jager to pass by Joshua, the teen disappeared into thin air.

"Where'd he go!?" Natsu shouted.

"You all are forgetting something." Erza stated, "What spell did Joshua use to free you and Wendy in Edolas?"

Natsu tilted his head to the side, "I-I can't remember."

"It was a cloaking spell!" Wendy exclaimed, "Almost like perfect invisibility." She searched the crowd but couldn't see any sign of the original Joshua. "Yup, that's exactly what he's doing. With that spell, he's perfect for this event."

"Right." Erza nodded, "And he's improved it as well. Notice something."

Wendy shook her head in confusion.

"You can't sense his magic."

The blue haired girl's eyes widened. She quickly concentrated on trying to sense Joshua's magic but came up empty.

"He… he has completely gone off the face of the planet." Wendy said stunned, "I can't sense his magic."

"Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed, "That's crazy awesome!" Natsu then had a sudden, sickening realization, "He… He can do sneak attacks on me now!"

"Well you do deserve it after how many you did to him." Gray noted.

"With Joshua's magic gone," Erza continued, "His opponents won't be able to sense him, and therefore won't be able to find him. He's perfectly," Erza smiled widely, "Hidden."

Wendy sighed, "Terrible pun." Natsu and Gray nodded in agreement.

"It was a great pun!" Erza roared.

"AYE SIR!" Everyone replied.

….

Joshua stood silently in his spot. Every so often he glanced around at the city that filled the center of the Arena but the novelty of such a thing had worn off quickly. Right now, his attention was focused on strategy for this event. He knew he could hide from the other wizards. His cloaking ability had become so strong that he could hide his presence in the force from those who didn't know how to work with the force. So hiding was no problem. Striking his opponents without being discovered was another matter entirely. Joshua didn't want to use force pushes and pulls, they caused too much collateral damage if not super precise which would be a problem with all of the projections around him. If he hit one of those, he'd lose points. If nothing else, not because his pushes and pulls might hit the projections, but because he could inadvertently push another competitor into a projection. From the sounds of it, that would be considered an attack on an opponent and a projection. Which would mean he'd get no points. Not a good way to win a game. He needed another plan.

Joshua heard a gong sound and the announcer shout for the event to start. He briefly looked up at his teams balcony and smirked before hiding himself in the force as the large Quatro Cerberus member passed in front of him.

" _Attention everyone, lacrima vision has been provided for your convenience!"_ The announcer shouted as the crowd stared at projections in the sky.

" _Um…"_ Yajima started, " _Is it just me Chapati, or can we not see where Joshua Scarlet is?"_

" _You are right!? He has completely disappeared!"_

 __Joshua grinned. Good, his cloak was working perfectly. Not even lacrima vision could pinpoint where he was.

 _Alright, this gives me some time to figure this out. Think…_ Joshua rubbed his chin, _How to attack. Lightsaber would be a no go, that'd give away my position. And it's kinda sorta deadly._ Joshua blinked, _Come to think of it… most of the things Dooku and Ventress taught me are deadly._

Joshua felt a projection bump into him causing both to stumble a little. Another was about to bump him when he instinctively reached out with the force to move it out of the way like a normal object. To his surprise, he was able to manipulate the projection to move the way he wanted it to. Joshua experimented with is projection for a moment before getting a mischievous gleam in his eye.

 _Perfect!_ Joshua spread the force out around him, _This may weaken my cloak a little. But, it will allow me to be a pretty good puppet master._ Joshua wrapped the force arounds several of his projections, _They are mys decoys and my weapons. If I use them to attack the others, then it will be considered an attack by me, just as a sword strike would be._ He began to move the five projections he was controlling like marionettes, _All I have to do now, is wait._

….

"Um… Erza."

Erza sighed, "What is it Natsu?"

"Why are five Joshua's suddenly dancing?"

Erza blinked and looked at the lacrima vision to see five Joshua's doing some pretty terrible dance moves. One was doing the sprinkler, another was just shuffling in place. She didn't even know what the last three were doing. She felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her head.

"I-I don't know." She sighed while shaking her head, "But those are some bad dance moves."

" _LOOK! Nullpudding seems to have found Joshua Scarlet!"_

Erza's head snapped up to look at the lacrima vision. Sure enough, the purple skinned, large chinned member of Raven tail now had spikes protruding out of his skin. He charged at one of the five dancing Joshua's and swung his fist at the one that was just standing still.

"GOTCHA!" Nullpudding grinned triumphantly.

*Poof*

"WHAT!" he shouted in shock as the projection poofed away in a cloud of smoke.

" _Oooh! Nullpudding has hit a projection for the first time today."_ The announcer cringed, " _He will lose one of his points and- HOLY CRAP!"_

In a flash, the Joshua doing the sprinkler dance move struck out at Nullpudding with a devastating punch that sent troll like creature flying. Erza instantly glanced up at the scoreboard and saw two points subtracted from Nullpudding. At that same time, a point was awarded to Joshua.

" _How'd Joshua Scarlet do that!? He struck so quickly that we didn't even have time to teleport Nullpudding away!"_ The announcer cried.

" _Don't ask me."_ Yajima replied.

As per the rules. Nullpudding was teleported away. But when the officials tried to teleport the Joshua that attacked Nullpudding, he went up in a puff of smoke.

" _HE WAS A PROJECTION!"_

"Whoa!" Gray said, "How'd he do that?"

"Don't ask me." Erza replied, "This is new even for me."

Joshua couldn't help but silently laugh as all of his projections quit dancing and continued to walk about like normal, mindless projections. This was going to be too easy. He'd catch them all off guard, and he wasn't going to expend to much energy to do it. Controlling projections was nothing compared to using the force on an actual living creature. A novice force user could easily do what he was doing. Minus the impressive force cloak of course. Satisfied with his work at this spot, Joshua carefully weaved his way through the thought projections to a new spot near a dark alley. And there he waited, like a spider waiting for a fly to come within its net.

Across the makeshift city, the action was much more intense. Nullpudding made it his personal mission to make Fairy Tail's life miserable in these games. He only targeted them. His first attempt at hitting the one named Joshua didn't go as planned, but he'd get him eventually. For now, he was content with making Juvia Lockser's event go terribly wrong. Every time she was close to gaining a point, the purple troll would take it away by having her strike one of his projections on accident or hitting her.

She wasn't the only one having trouble though. Beth Vanderwood of Mermaid Heel was learning quickly that she may be outclassed in this event as a flock of ice birds slammed into her from Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale. Jager of Quatro Cerberus then attempted to get the drop on Lyon only for him to easily bat him away with his signature Ice Make Eagle spell. As the two were teleported away, Lyon smiled to himself, this wasn't too difficult.

"My my…" Lyon heard a sinister female voice say above him, "You look like fun."

Above him sat the Seventh Sister of the Imperius guild. She sat casually on an iron railing next to a window. She pretended to look at her nails as if bored by the whole event before glancing back down at Lyon.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she said with a grin, "Aren't you going to attack me?"

Lyon hesitated. This had to be some sort of trick. Why would she put herself out in the open like this. He then felt a boot hit him hard in between his shoulder blades.

"That's not me ice boy." The Seventh sister smirked before allowing the projection on the railing to fall. Lyon was quickly teleported away. The seventh sister grinned triumphantly.

 _Is this really all this planet has to offer? It should be nothing for the Empire to take this world._ She blinked as white dots began to fall from they sky. She held her hand out and saw snowflakes hit her gloved hand and melt as it touched her gloves. _Snow? But it was warm just a second ago?_

" _It look's like Eve Tearm is making his move!"_ The announcer said.

" _You bet!"_ Jenny Realight confirmed, " _He's a very smart person. He knows that though projections don't breath. When it's cold, your breath becomes visible. That's how he's going to find you."_

 _Oh really._ The Seventh sister though, _Well, unfortunately for this Eve, my helmet comes with it's own oxygen._ She tapped the side of her black helmet and a face covering black mask with a tinted visor went over her face.

"Big mistake!" she heard a voice near her say. Suddenly, the one named Nullpudding launched himself at her, "You stick out more than before! None of your projections have a mask!"

The little trolls spiky fist swung at her face. His eyes then widened in shock as the Seventh Sister displayed cat like reflexes, easily dodging the punch before delivering a kick to Nullpudding's stomach.

" _ **Your mistake was trying to attack me."**_ She said through her mask, her voice distorted slightly. _But he is right. I do stick out more. Curse these damn projections!_ She disabled the mask. It looks like she'd have to take care of this Eve Tearm.

She strode down the streets, blending in with her surroundings as best as she could. Then she came across something she frankly couldn't believe. In the middle of the streets, was a dancing Joshua Scarlet. The inquisitor stared in surprise for a moment before grinning. Another point for her. She raced forwards and kicked Joshua in the chest.

 _Got him!_

 __*Poof*

The Seventh Sister's eyes widened as the projection poofed out of existence.

"H-how?" She the felt it. A presence that made her shiver a little. Her head turned and she saw another Joshua charge at her and punch her in the nose just before she was teleported away.

" _AMAZING! Joshua Scarlet pulls off another incredible ambush!"_ Chapati bellowed into his microphone.

" _Does he use puppet magic or something of that nature?"_ Yajima asked.

" _I don't know. But he hasn't been hit by anyone yet and has two points to his name after two successful ambushes!"_

 _Puppet magic?_ The seventh sister grimaced as she shook away her bleary vision after getting punched hard in the nose, _Do they mean… the Force? Is this Joshua Scarlet a force sensitive!?_

" _Joshua Scarlet has ambushed Beth Vanderwood and Jager simultaneously as they were about to attack his projection."_

" _This tactic is working very well for him. I have to wonder if any will eventually figure it out?"_ Yajima observed, " _Hey Chapati, have you seen Rufus Lore do anything yet?"_

Chapati shook his head, " _No, not yet. We- Oh that had to hurt! Juvia Lockser was once again beaten by Nullpudding. Oh! Joshua Scarlet strikes ambushes Nullpudding once again!"_

Up above the battlefield, in their balcony, the Fairy Tail A team cheered loudly as Joshua made the competition look like complete idiots as he confounded them with his ambush tactic.

"This is amazing!" Wendy exclaimed, "He had to have thought of this beforehand!"

"There's no way." Gray replied as Natsu cheered loudly behind him, fire coming out of his mouth on occasion, "He didn't know what the event was going to be. He's come up with this strategy on the fly." Gray looked back down at the Arena and grinned widely as Lyon fell for Joshua's trap, "Heh… it's pretty genius."

"He hasn't used it on Juvia though." Erza observed, "She has attacked his projection one time but he didn't strike back."

"That's interesting. Maybe he doesn't want to harm a fellow guild member." Wendy suggested.

"More like he doesn't want to embarrass her!" Natsu bellowed.

"Hey, show some respect idiot!" Gray snarled.

"Actually, Natsu may be right Gray." Erza said as she pointed at the scoreboard. "Joshua currently has six points. Juvia is at negative one. He probably doesn't want her to fall too far behind."

"Make it seven points!" Natsu exclaimed as Joshua ambushed Nullpudding for the third time.

Erza glanced across the arena and saw the shocked faces of the Raven Tail members as Nullpudding was being handled easily by a mere Fairy. She smiled to herself, Joshua was doing the guild proud. His ambush hit Jager and Lyon once again. Only this time, she noticed it was more difficult. The others were starting to wise up to his strategy and were starting to become very wary of his projections.

"Eight points." She said as she saw his name and picture next to the first place slot on the scoreboard. She looked over and saw that five minutes were left on the clock for this event. "He can pull this off."

"NINE!" Both Gray and Natsu cheered as Joshua hit that strange woman from the mysterious Imperius guild.

Erza wasn't so cheerful about it though. She remembered that Joshua warned her about the lightsabers that guild was carrying. In her experience, only Joshua and villains wielded those terrifying weapons. So unless her intuition was wrong, which it usually wasn't, then this guild was not here just to enjoy a festival. They were here for ulterior motives, and they did not have others best interests in mind.

" _Unbelievable! Joshua Scarlet is beginning to run away with this one!"_

" _Where was he for the past seven years?"_ Jenny asked shocked as Joshua Scarlet ambushed Eve, " _How come Fairy Tail never put him into the games? It's obvious he's on a whole other level compared to those he's competing against right now. I mean, ten points, that's insane!"_

Erza nodded. It was insane, Joshua was showing intelligence and stealth that she didn't even think he possessed.

 _As much as I don't like to think about it, Ventress and…_ She cringed a little and closed her eyes as the second name came to mind, _Tyrannus trained him really well._

Natsu and Gray gasped loudly. Erza's eyes opened and she saw a cloud of dust appearing out of nowhere. Suddenly, Joshua appeared as the dust cloud ended. Erza looked up and saw a point subtracted from their total.

" _It looks like the Seventh sister has figured it out!"_ Chapati boomed, " _There are three minutes left on the clock! Will Joshua Scarlet be able to maintain the lead even though his strategy has been solved!?"_

Down in the Arena, Joshua was quickly teleported to a new location. When he reappeared he grabbed his head and shook it as he cleared the fog from his mind.

 _How on Earthland did that Green Skinned lady figure it out!?_ He thought.

"I solved it because I can sense the force rippling around you." Said a sinister voice behind him.

Joshua's eyes widened. She found him already! He heard the deadly hum of a lighstaber igniting behind him.

"Let's see what you really are." The seventh sister snarled before flipping towards him.

Joshua gulped and ducked under a saber strike before being kicked by the seventh sister.

" _The Seventh Sister has summoned forth a sword of red light!"_ announced Chapati, " _And with that kick she gains another point while Joshua loses one. She now stands at six while Joshua Scarlet is at eight."_

Joshua was teleported away just as the seventh sister's lightsaber was about to hit him. With an angry snarl, the Seventh Sister reached out into the force and found his location quickly. Quickly she arrived at his location, surprising the teen once again.

Joshua had to duck underneath another wild lightsaber swing before rolling away from a punch.

"I've had enough." He snarled before willing the force around him and pushed the Seventh Sister into the wall with a force push. The Miralan woman slammed into the stone wall behind her, causing a small crater. She smirked evilly up at Joshua, she had all of the information she needed now. With a shimmer of light she was teleported away. Once she was gone, Joshua breathed a quick sigh of relief.

"I can't afford to use the ambush tactic anymore." he said to himself, "I need to just hide now." All his power was focused onto a force cloak as he disappeared from sight again. Only this time, he was really putting effort behind hiding his force signature from everyone.

" _It seemed like the Seventh Sister had the upper hand for a moment but quick reactions and thinking by Joshua Scarlet put him out of reach once again!"_ Chapati announced, " _I think it's safe to call this one over."_

"Don't be so certain!" boomed a smooth voice over the city.

Joshua stopped walking and looked up to see a man wearing a red minstrel's outfit with a red hat and pink feather poking up out of the hat. He was perched atop a tall spire as he looked down at the others in the arena.

"It's time for me to make my move!" The red minstrel said coolly before putting his hands to his temples, "I remember… I remember every spell… I remember every location… I remember every breath and every action…" The sky turned black above the arena. Joshua's eyes narrowed as he looked up. The pressure in the arena began to rise, " **Memory Make: Night of Falling Stars!"**

 _Molding magic!_ Joshua thought stunned, _With memories!_

 __Stars twinkled in the sky for a moment. Then eight beams of magical energy rained down from the spire the man was standing on. Each one hit their target perfectly, not one hit a projection. Not even the Seventh Sister could avoid the attack. She cried out in pain as the beam slammed into her and sent her flying into a building. The inquisitor coughed and looked up hatefully at the red minstrel as the attack ended.

"You will pay!" she roared before using the force to jump high into the sky, straight towards the man. She swung her lightsaber and was met by the poof of a projection. "WHAT!"

"You just hit the memory of where I was." The man said as he suddenly appeared behind her. The Seventh Sister glared angrily before being teleported away.

" _AMAZING! Rufus Lore struck with less than a minute left! He has been awarded seven points!"_

Rufus caught his breath, "Seven? I should've had-" A gloved metal fist slammed into his cheek.

Chapati was completely freaking out in the booth, " _UNREAL! JOSHUA SCARLET AVOIDED THE ATTACK! AND HE HAS COUNTERED RUFUS WITHOUT THE RED MINSTREL NOTICING!"_

" _I wouldn't say he avoided it."_ Yajima stated as Rufus plummeted to the ground and Joshua deftly landed on a ledge, " _If you were paying attention to his lacrima vision, you would've seen some debris from his scuffle with the Seventh Sister come up over his invisible head and block Rufus's attack. Very quick thinking by that young man. Well done."_

" _Indeed!"_ Chapati replied. The gong crashed again, it's dull sound throbbing out over the coliseum. " _Thirty minutes have ended! Which means this event is over!"_

The city and projections shimmered briefly before disappearing altogether. The competitors now stood in an empty arena. Not a single one looked happy in the slightest. Joshua was staring over at the Seventh Sister as she leaked killer intent out of her body. Rufus had his eyes closed as he mulled over what had just happened. Jager and Beth were sulking over their poor performance. Eve was just grimacing as he saw his score. Nullpudding was trembling as he knew Alexei would give him a thrashing. Lyon was smirking a little, but it wasn't a satisfied smirk. He didn't like his performance in the slightest. Then there was Juvia. The water wizard from Fairy Tail B wanted to break down and cry as the final scores appeared for them to see.

" _We have our final scores! In last place, Juvia Lockser! In eight, Jager! In seventh, Beth Vanderwood! In sixth, Eve Tearm! In fifth, Lyon Vastia! In fourth place, Nullpudding! In third place, Seventh Sister! In second place, Rufus Lore! And… in first place, JOSHUA SCARLET!"_

 __The crowd was stunned for a moment as they looked at the scores. Then loud cheers echoed around the arena causing the ground to shake. Up in the Fairy Tail balcony, everyone was going crazy as they saw Joshua had claimed victory. Mavis smiled widely when she turned to Makarov.

"You've found an impressive wizard Third Master." She smiled.

"Erm… ahem… well, I guess I did." Makarov grinned.

"Don't take the credit from Erza. Are you suicidal?" Macao said before joining Wakaba in cheering once again.

"Good point." Makarov grimaced.

Mavis giggled, "Still, it's good to see one of us win today. I wonder what will happen next?"

All of their attention was taken by the announcer once again, " _The scores now stand at this: Fairy Tail A has ten points! Sabertooth has eight points, Imperius has six points, Raven Tail has five points, Lamia Scale has four points, Blue Pegasus has three points, Mermaid Heel has two points, Quatro Cerberus has a single point, and Fairy Tail B still has no points on the board!"_ The crowd continued to roar, " _We will be taking a short break before the first one on one duel takes place! For now, let's send it to Bob Cat who is about to interview the victor of today's event, Joshua Scarlet."_

The Lacrima vision switched and all of Fairy Tail watched with smiles, even Juvia, as the man in a cat mask and green suit held a microphone to Joshua.

"Congratulations on the win today Mr. Scarlet." Bob Cat said.

"Thanks." Joshua nodded back.

"If I may ask, how did your team come to choosing you for this event?"

"Well… I kinda just jumped in." Joshua smiled sheepishly.

"So your team didn't plan for this to happen?"

"I wouldn't say that. We have been training for months. It just so happened that I chose to participate in an event that played to some of my strengths."

Bob Cat nodded and asked Joshua a few more questions before letting him return to his team. When Joshua reached his team's section of the stadium he was greeted by celebratory cheers from Natsu and Gray, and hugs from Erza and Wendy.

"That was amazing Joshua!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Thanks." He replied.

"Yeah man! You made it look so easy!" Natsu said loudly.

Joshua laughed a little, "It wasn't as easy as it looked. I used up a good deal of power. If I get selected for the duel and I have to battle a powerful opponent, then I don't know how well I'll fare."

"A little rest will help. That's probably why they're taking a quick break." Erza noted.

Joshua nodded, agreeing with his big sister. He then heard a low rumble. He gulped and looked down at his stomach. Erza chuckled.

"Hungry?"

Joshua laughed back, "I'm always hungry."

….

Just outside of the city of Crocus was a large wooded hill. The hill was near the Domas Flau arena and gave anyone on top a perfect vantage point of anyone entering and exiting the arena. For this reason, Crime Sorciere decided to set up shop there. Azuma leaned silently against as tree as he kept watch while the two women, Meldy and Ultear, closely watched the games through a lacrima.

"Wow!" Ultear said, "Joshua put on quite the show." She said as the first event ended and the interview was taking place. She looked over at the pink haired girl to her left and saw she was staring dreamy eyed at the lacrima, "What are you looking at?"

Meldy exhaled, "He's so amazing." she purred. Joshua then stepped away from the lacrima camera, "WHA! NO! Bring him back!"

Ultear laughed, "That crush of yours is going to drive you insane."

"WENDY! STOP HUGGING MY LOVE!" Meldy snapped back but Ultear just laughed louder.

"Oh my goodness Meldy. You're going to make my sides hurt." Ultear roared as she clutched her sides while laughing.

"I don't get why this is so funny?" Azuma said bluntly, "And shouldn't we be watching for that magical presence, not the games?"

Ultear took a few deep breaths, chuckling a little in between each as she calmed herself down.

"Azuma… that magical presence appears during the games. We should watch them in order to gather clues."

Meldy nodded, "I agree with that. But… what I don't like is how Jellal is posing as Mystogan. I don't like that risk."

"I have to agree with Meldy on that one." Azuma said.

"Relax you two. You forget, Jellal was once a wizard saint. Not many can take him on. And besides, he knows full well how risky this is, yet he decided to do it. To him, finding this presence is that crucial." Ultear replied.

"Or… we could go with the idea that he wants to show off for Erza." Meldy said with a grin.

"That's possible too." Ultear admitted.

"What's with young people and posturing for those of the opposite sex?" Azuma sighed.

"Oh lighten up you old fart." Meldy replied.

"I'm not that old!" Azuma exclaimed with a rare raising of his voice.

"Sure you're not." Meldy smiled. She then looked back to Ultear and saw her expression had grown serious. "Um, what is it?"

"Those five…" She nodded at the lacrima as it showed the Imperius guild. The woman with green skin was currently been whispered to by the man with the razor sharp teeth and lined skin. It looked like she was being scolded as she looked visibly afraid, "There is a lot of malice coming from them."

Meldy gulped then nodded, "Yeah, more so than Raven Tail. And that's saying something."

Azuma walked over and glanced at the lacrima, "I have a feeling that guild is going to cause some trouble."

Azuma didn't know it, but he couldn't have been more right.

 **And chapter! That was fun to write! What did you think of this event! I kept this event because it was a fun one to write with Joshua's character. It played to his Sith training really well because the rule of two Sith focused a lot on stealth, blending in, and hiding from their enemies, which Dooku no doubt taught Joshua. I may change the other events and I have definitely changed the most important one on one fights. It'll be lots of fun to write! Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter. As always, I hope you all enjoyed. Have a nice day!**


	51. Chapter 51: A New Hope Flashes Bright

**Hey everyone! BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! This story now has over 10,000 views! WOW! That's amazing! I love seeing people enjoying my stories, it makes me want to write more. Without you guys this wouldn't be possible, so thank you all so much! So, here's a new chapter. Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 51

Planet Earthland. That is what the local humans called it. Such a dull name in the mind of the Chiss admiral that observed the glowing blue orb in front of his private window in his quarters. He had heard many strange planet names before. But when it comes to a planet name that seemed to be completely uninspired, this luscious world took the cake.

 _Maybe I should rename it after the we conquer it._ Thrawn thought before bringing the wine glass he had in his left hand up to his blue lips.

Behind him shimmered a blue hologram of a massive arena. Thrawn sipped his wine again before turning to look at the Holocron. The first event of the games seemed to have concluded. Thrawn approached to look more closely at the hologram being generated by a probe droid watching the games on the surface of the planet. He saw the inquisitors standing quietly in their section of the stadium. And they did not seem pleased. On the other side of the stadium was another team that had wide smiles and were happily celebrating. Thrawn smirked as he saw the infuriated gazes of the inquisitors. This was thoroughly amusing to the Chiss. The inquisitors always acted like they were so powerful and mighty. Yet a few people on an unknown planet it seems has beaten them. Thrawn wasn't someone to relish in others failures, but once in awhile it was a nice feeling to have.

His head turned back to the planet that stretched out before him. He couldn't wait to set foot on this world. But, from what the Emperor had ordered Vader to do, that may not happen. When he first took this assignment, Vader had informed him that they were eventually going to extinguish all life on the planet. A lofty goal for anyone, even Lord Vader. It was one thing to subjugate a species, another to wipe them out of existence. There were so many variables to consider, which was why he was gathering as much intelligence as he could before informing Lord Vader of his findings. But then again, this may not be necessary in the end. After all, there was… the weapon.

Thrawn heard a buzz coming from his door.

"Enter." he said with his eerily soothing voice.

The metallic door slid to the side and a nervous imperial officer stepped in.

"A-admiral Thrawn."

"Don't babble." Thrawn sighed, "I don't like my time wasted by unnecessary words."

"Sorry sir. But, we have a," The officer gulped, "Disturbing report that has come in from the main Imperial channels."

Thrawn frowned and turned to look at the officer. He waited for a moment. The officer was clearly very anxious, almost afraid. Thrawn scowled.

"Well?" he asked.

"Oh um… well... it's about… the Death Star sir."

Thrawn's interest was piqued, "Continue."

"Well sir, it seems… that the battle station was destroyed, by a group called the Rebel Alliance."

Thrawn's face remained completely expressionless. His left hand moved in a gentle circle, swirling the red wine in the thin wine glass.

"Sir?"

"You may leave lieutenant." Thrawn said calmly.

The lieutenant snapped to attention, saluted, then raced out as fast as his feet could carry him. Thrawn wasn't surprised. He took ill news about as badly as Lord Vader did. He wasn't as… vocal about his displeasure. But he knew he could be intimidating to be around when things didn't go according to plan. And this latest development was certainly not according to plan.

The wine swirled like a small whirlpool in Thrawn's glass as he walked up to the window to look down on Earthland.

 _The Death Star… destroyed!_ Thrawn could barely believe it. That was supposed to be the Empire's greatest achievement. But he was stuck here unable to assist the Empire. He was stuck on a damn exploration mission while some rebels, some low life, scum-

*CRACK*

Thrawn winced slightly and looked down to see a shattered wine glass in his left hand and a reddish purple stain on his flawless rug. The Chiss remained void of emotion as he calmly placed the stem of the wine glass down on a dresser before diagnosing his hand. He calmly plucked shards of glass from his palm, blood running down his hand, along his forearm, and staining his pristine white sleeve on his uniform.

He didn't bother with the blood. It was merely a nuisance, nothing to be concerned about. He walked over to his desk and pushed a green button. A hologram of an imperial captain appeared. The man in the grey uniform snapped to attention.

"Admiral?"

"Captain, how many intelligence operatives do we have on board?" Thrawn asked calmly.

"Thirty sir." the Captain responded immediately.

"How many are currently working on Operation Discovery?" Thrawn questioned as he referred to their current mission.

"All of them sir."

Thrawn nodded, "Pull half away from the mission. I have a new assignment for them."

"Uh… Yes sir!" The Captain replied as some of the intelligence operatives turned from their computers to look at Thrawn with some surprised faces, "What is the new mission?"

"This is an off the books assignment. Beyond top secret. You all will report directly to me on this matter. No one else. If I discover that anyone has reported to Lord Vader or to the Emperor or anyone else about this new mission, then I will personally show you to the airlock."

Several of the men at the computers gulped. Thrawn held back the urge to grin. That threat had it's desired effect.

"Your new mission, is to find out who destroyed the Death Star. This takes precedence over a mere exploration mission. Get it done. Usage of bounty hunters is permitted."

The captain nodded and saluted as the hologram faded away.

 _Well,_ Thrawn looked back over to his large window that made up most of the wall, _Extermination will be much more difficult now._

*Plop*... *Plop*... *Plop*

Thrawn glanced down at his left hand as the hologram ended. Blood was dripping from his fingers onto the smooth metallic desk. The admiral's face remained stone like as he calmly grabbed a tissue and wrapped it around his left hand. He walked away from his desk and stared down at the red wine stain in his carpet.

 _Now what to do about that._

….

The Domas Flau was abuzz once again. It had been over an hour since the end of this first Grand Magic Games event. At the end of the hour, an announcement was made that the battle rounds were about to begin. Once that announcement was heard over the loudspeakers, crowds of people rushed back to their seats. After how incredible the first event was, no one wanted to miss the battle round.

" _Welcome back everyone!"_ Chapati said into his microphone, " _I am Chapati Lola back with more commentary on this years Grand Magic Games. With us as always is Mr. Yajima, Bob Cat, and our special guest, the lovely Jenny Realight."_ Chapati turned to Bob Cat, " _Mr. Cat, as you stated before in your own way, the battle rounds could be the most important part of this entire competition. And without a doubt, they are the most anticipated. Can you explain the nature of these rounds as well as why they are so important?"_

" _Of course!"_ A man wearing a cat mask and a green suit with a black dress shirt and green tie replied. The man cleared his throat, " _You see, the battle rounds occur at the end of each day of the grand magic games, with the exception of Day 5, the last day of competition, since that event is scheduled to be a battle royale. Battle rounds are huge because it is a quick and possibly easy way for teams to gain points. If you win your fight, you are awarded ten points. A draw is five. And a loss is zero. To put it simply, a win can take a team from last place to tied for first technically. However, there is a catch to all of this. Since an odd number of guilds are participating this year, we cannot have a competitor from every guild fight in the same day. One person would be left out. So, a guild is chosen at random every day. The guild that is chosen is not allowed to compete in the battle round for that day."_

Yajima's squinted eyes widened a little, " _So you are saying that if the last place team is randomly chosen, then they have no way of getting points."_

" _Correct!"_ Bob Cat replied, " _It adds an element of luck to the games. Of course, this also means that the team in first place won't be able to gain any more points, allowing the teams behind them the chance to catch up."_

" _How interesting."_ Jenny commented.

" _And as guest commentator…"_ Bob Cat reached under the table and pulled out a large, black top hat, " _You get to pick the unlucky guild!"_

 __Below the press box, in their own balcony, was the Fairy Tail A team. The entire team was listening intently to the explanation of the battle rounds. They were all somewhat concerned about the randomness of the battle rounds. But when they saw the cat man pull out a top hat with scraps of paper in it, the entire team face faulted, including Joshua.

"They are deciding the fate of a guild by drawing a name out of a hat!" Gray bellowed dismayed.

"BULLSHIT!" Natsu roared.

"I must admit, that is rather strange." Joshua grumbled.

"Shh…" Erza snapped, "They are about to announce it."

" _And the unlucky guild is… Fairy Tail A!"_

The entire team's faces became shadowed out as their heads bowed. Their chances at first place were now in jeopardy all because of a name being picked out of a hat.

"Wendy…" Joshua mumbled.

"Yeah?" responded the blue haired girl.

"About you saying we were a lucky guild?"

"I take it back." she replied instantly.

"I thought you would."

Joshua sighed and raised his head.

"Oh well… at least I can rest a little bit lo- *ACK*"

Joshua felt a massive disturbance in the force. The amount of turmoil occurring in it's invisible energy around him made his head woozy and his vision blur. His head began to pound and it felt like a brilliant flash of bright light had shot out through the entire force. Joshua clutched his head stumbled backwards and bumped heavily against the wall of the Domas Flau.

"Joshua!" Erza cried as she hurried over to her little brother's side.

Joshua grimaced and slid down the smooth stone wall. His sight was being interrupted. One moment he was seeing Erza and the others looking at him with great concern. The next, he would see a massive, metal, spherical object in what looked like outer space. One moment, the object would be floating lazily through the black sky. The next moment, it would explode in a bright flash with a massive shock wave barreling through the stars. It would then be replaced by Erza's face, then back to the explosion, then a strange ship with X shaped wings, then the explosion again, followed finally by the sound of labored, mechanical breathing. The mechanical breathing continued as new images filled his mind. Castle Mercuirus was crumbling to dust as fire surrounded it. A gateway with bright white light appeared and a shadowy figure clothed in black stood menacingly in front of it. Then he heard Wendy's voice, shrieking with terror. And all the while, the constant, raspy, mechanical, breathing sounded in his mind.

"Joshua!" Erza shouted again as she saw her brother's eyes glaze over momentarily. Then, just as quickly as he seemed to disconnect from reality, he became lucid again. Joshua's hazel eyes flashed crimson for a split second as the force stabilized once again. He then blinked and glanced rapidly around him, his breathing becoming slightly ragged. Strange voices were now filling his senses as they interrupted Erza's panicked voice.

" _GREAT SHOT KID! THAT WAS ONE IN A MILLION!"_

" _Remember… the force will be with you… always."_

"JOSHUA!" Erza shouted at him.

"Hey, are you ok?" Natsu asked as he stooped closely towards Joshua.

"Give him space!" Erza slammed Natsu across the balcony.

Wendy rushed over and placed her hands over Joshua's fallen form as she summoned forth her powerful sky magic. Just as the green glow of healing came over he hands, Joshua waved her off.

"It's ok. I'm… not… hurt." He gasped as he tried to catch his breath. He leaned forwards and placed his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

"What happened?" Erza asked.

Joshua groaned as he rubbed his forehead. It felt like his brain was trying to explode out of his skull.

"I… I'm not very sure myself." He replied, "It was almost like a vision happened, but I was awake."

Erza's eyes widened, "Was it Talzin again?"

Joshua grimaced at that name.

"Who's Talzin?" Gray inquired.

"It's-"

"No one." Joshua cut off Erza, "A figment of a nightmare." Joshua winced as he got up and steadied himself against the wall, "I haven't seen her in years."

"Well, can you explain?"

Joshua shook his head, "I can't explain what I don't even understand." he replied.

The announcer's voice boomed overhead, " _We have our first matchup of the day! And boy, is it a good one! A battle between two of the newest guilds here! Everyone, get ready for Nullpudding of Raven Tail vs. Grand Inquisitor of Imperius!"_

Erza scowled as she heard the Raven Tail guild being called forwards. Joshua scowled as well, but not at the mention of Raven Tail. He shook his head, attempting to clear some of the fog from his head.

"You should go see Porlyusica." Wendy suggested as he rubbed his forehead again.

"I'm fine." Joshua grunted, "It's not something she could help with anyways." He put on a pained smile as he tried to make himself appear better than he actually felt, "C'mon, let's watch this fight. I'm curious as to what these two can do."

Joshua attempted to step to the balcony's stone railing but stumbled a little. His vision was still bleary from the sudden lash of power from the force. It was like he had been blinded by a light brighter than the sun.

" _Remember… the force will be with you… always."_

 _Obi Wan!?_ Joshua realized as he recognized the old man's voice.

Erza caught Joshua as his legs buckled underneath him.

"Maybe you should go see Porlyusica." She suggested sternly.

"Like I said before, I'm fine." Joshua grunted, "Just give me a moment."

"Nope!" Erza replied.

"Erza!" Joshua snarled back catching the red head off guard with his venomous tone, "I said I'm fine!"

*WHACK*

Joshua felt Erza's guantlet covered left hand smack him in the back of the head.

"YOU MAY BE SEVEN YEARS OLDER BUT I'M STILL YOUR OLDER SISTER!" she roared angrily, "AND YOU WON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"

Joshua winced and rubbed the back of his head, "Geez, that's not going to make me feel much better."

"Guys!" Natsu interupted, "The fight is about to start."

"I don't care." Erza replied as she grabbed Joshua's arm, "C'mon, we're going to Porlyusica."

"WAIT!" Joshua shouted, "Let me see this one fight."

Erza frowned, "Why?"

Joshua pulled away from her grip and leaned up wearily against the railing. He stared down at the arena as the gray skinned creature with razor sharp teeth and trench like lines in his skin stepped into the center. Across from him, stomped the purple troll-like creature of Raven Tail named Nullpudding.

"I need to check something." Joshua told Erza.

"C'mon Erza," Gray said as he saw the red head's unconvinced expression, "It won't hurt him to watch one fight before you go get him checked out."

Erza closed her eyes then sighed, "Fine. But only this one, then we go."

Joshua nodded, "Thanks."

Joshua's eyes turned quickly back to the arena floor. The crowd noise was off the charts as they were loudly cheering for the first duel to begin. Nullpudding was sneering at the creature called Grand Inquisitor. The grey skinned creature however, was completely serene in appearance. His face not hinting at any emotion as he stared down Nullpudding. But Joshua knew different. He could sense it building all around the creature. The shroud of the dark side surrounded this man like a thick blanket. It's dark nature causing a chill to fill the arena and make the crowd feel nervous. That's when the gong rang out around the Domas Flau.

Nullpudding grinned. Spikes sprouted all over his body and his fists and arms grew in size to the point where they were easily the size of Joshua's head. They were like massive spiked clubs that he could swing easily at his opponents, turning them to a bloody pulp if he landed a successful hit.

The Grand Inquisitor stood calmly in his spot as the purple troll barrelled towards him at a quick pace. It became apparent that he wasn't going to move. He was going to take the first hit head on. Nullpudding reached back and swung a massive hay maker at the Grand Inquisitor's head. The Pau'an allowed the blow to hit him on the right side of his head. The pain behind the blow was felt immediately, flowing like waves over his head and around his body as he flew away from Nullpudding and tumbled in the dirt that made up the arena floor.

" _OUCH! Nullpudding delivers a powerful right hook!"_ Chapati announced.

" _I'm pretty sure the Grand Inquisitor's ancestors felt that one!"_ Bob Cat bellowed.

The Grand Inquisitor slid left through the dirt, a small dust cloud forming around his feet. He skidded to a stop, his head turned to the left and his crimson eyes squeezed shut. A large gash covered the right side of his head, going from his temple to his jaw. Strange colored blood dribbled out of the gash and dripped down onto the dirt below. Nullpudding's lips spread out into a wide grin as he reveled in the hit. Any second now, he knew the Imperius guild member would fall. No one could take a hit like that head on without falling.

The purple troll's eyes widened and he suddenly felt fear fill his core. Sweat formed on his brow and dripped down his spiked face. Staring back at him, with crimson eyes filled with anger was the Grand Inquisitor. He had not fallen. In fact, he didn't even look fazed. His thin, grey lips parted into a maniacal grin as if he was relishing in the pain he was experiencing. His eyes glinted with a crazed light that made Nullpudding question if it was really a good idea to share an arena with this creature.

"Not a bad punch." The Grand Inquisitor snarled lowly before wiping a gloved hand over the gash. He glanced down and saw his blood covering his hand. The Grand Inquisitor's grin only widened, "Not bad at all. You actually managed to draw blood."

Nullpudding took a staggered step backwards, still reeling from this creature being able to take a devastating hit like that. He stared up at the tall, grey skinned man.

"W-what are you?" Nullpudding croaked terrified.

"Me?" The Pau'an stalked towards Nullpudding, breathing deeply the dark side of the force as it filled the area around him thanks to Nullpudding's terror. His blood covered hand wrapped around a black cylinder with a semicircular shaped gaurd surrounding it, "I'm your death."

A flash of red and a lethal hum filled the arena. The crowd sat with bated breath as they stared down at the pair. Nullpudding stood rooted in the spot. His eyes wide, not a single muscle moving on his body. Then the hideous noise of flesh ripping apart and blood splattering to the ground filled the arena. The Raven Tail member had been sliced clean in half, from skull to feet. Shrieks of terror filled the arena as the crowd watched horrified as Nullpudding's body splattered against the dirt. The Grand Inquisitor smiled wickedly before lowering his red lightsaber and deactivating it.

" _I-I… I think I'm going to be sick…"_ Chapati muttered as he gulped, " _It appears that the Grand Inquisitor has… killed… Nullpudding."_

" _Is that even legal!?"_ Yajima said as he stared down at the Inquisitor with both shock and fury.

" _Unfortunately it is…"_ Bob Cat mumbled _, "All guilds knew the risks of entering the games. Deaths are not out of the question."_

" _But that was blatant!"_ Yajima argued.

" _There is nothing we can do about it."_ Chapati said solemnly, " _The rules are the rules. This has never occurred at the games before. The… the winner is Grand Inquisitor."_

Staring in horror on the balcony was Fairy Tail A. Wendy's mouth was covered and her eyes had tears welling up in them. Despite the fact that Nullpudding was a member of Raven Tail, he didn't deserve such a fate. Natsu watched shocked and his fist clenched the railing tightly as anger filled his body. Gray stared darkly down as the Grand Inquisitor quietly walked out of the arena. Erza was just as angry as Natsu was. She was far more subtle about it, but Joshua could tell, she was furious. Her fists were tightly clenched at her sides and her jaw was clenched.

Joshua was the only one that didn't seem surprised. He felt it coming. The force moves darkly around those with the intent to kill. He had only ever felt that when battling Ventress. She would always try to kill him when sparring.

Erza glanced over at her little brother and saw that there wasn't an ounce of surprise on his face. There wasn't anger on his face either. Just worry.

"Joshua… did you-"

"I thought as much." He interrupted before moving away from the railing, "Everyone listen-"

Natsu turned his head to look at Joshua, "YOU KNEW!" he roared.

"I had a hunch." Joshua replied.

"You could've done something!" Gray accused.

Joshua shook his head and extended his left arm out over the arena. After moving a few inches past the balcony his arm hit a rune wall.

"There is a barrier. It is put in place during events and matches to prevent the crowd from getting injured and to prevent interference." Joshua explained, "There was nothing I could do."

"How did I not notice that?" Erza wondered.

"It's even better than Freed's. You don't want the crowd to think they're in any danger. So you make sure they can't notice." Joshua replied, "But everyone here is in danger." He stared hard at Erza and the others, "If any of you go up against one of the Imperius guild, surrender, immediately!"

"WHAT!?" Gray exclaimed.

"FAIRY TAIL DOESN'T SURRENDER TO ANYONE!" Natsu bellowed.

"We will not allow justice to go undone." Erza nodded, "If we find one of them, we will fight and-"

"NO!" Joshua barked startling the others with the bite in his voice, "You. Will. Not." he stared at Erza, "These guys, they could possibly be up there with Maul in power." Erza's brown eyes widened as fear suddenly gripped her.

"Who's Maul?" Natsu asked.

"And…" Joshua continued ignoring Natsu, "That means they won't hesitate to kill you. So let me ask you, do you value living or justice?"

They were all silent.

"I'm furious too." Joshua said, "But we cannot just charge in at these people. They are not normal. So, if you all value your lives at all… surrender to them if you come into battle. Then, if they attack you, they will be breaking the rules, and will be disqualified from the games." Joshua walked towards the balcony exit so he could go rest in the infirmary.

Gray glared angrily over at him, "What gives you the right to tell us what to do?"

*SMASH*

Gray gulped as Joshua's left fist smashed into the archway. The stone in the area around his fist instantly crumbled and the area grew very cold. Which was what unsettled Gray the most. He never gets cold.

"Because if you don't." Joshua's head turned and Erza saw a hint of crimson fade away from his eyes, "You will answer to me."

Gray gulped and Joshua disappeared into the arena's caverns and corridors.

"What was that all about?" Natsu gulped before looking over at Wendy and Erza.

"I don't know." Wendy replied, "But I'm going to find out."

Erza's hand stopped her from walking forwards, "Don't, leave him be for now."

"Why?"

Erza sighed, "I've only ever seen him this angry a few times. I don't think it'd be a good idea to interact with him when he's like this."

"Again, why?" Wendy continued.

Erza closed her eyes, "The last time he got like this… he lost control." Wendy's eyes widened, "He needs room to cool off. We'll talk to him about this Imperius guild in a little bit. For now, just focus on the other matches."

Natsu and Gray nodded. Wendy stared off down the dark corridor with worry filling her as she saw Joshua turn a corner and storm towards the infirmary.

….

The infirmary had no occupants right now. It was quiet. Something that Porlyusica greatly appreciated, since she hated being around humans. She had reluctantly volunteered to be a healer for Fairy Tail during the games since Wendy was a participant and would need all of her magic to win the games. Even though she despised being around people, there was something about the Fairy Tail guild that made her want to help them whenever possible. It was a strange effect.

The aged, pink haired healer shuffled through some vials filled with various liquids as she organized them neatly on a shelf. As she was doing this the door to the infirmary quietly opened.

 _Someone's injured?_

 __The old woman glanced over and saw the little brother of Erza Scarlet stumble in. He clutched his head momentarily before collapsing against a bed. Porlyusica reacted quickly and raced over to his side. His breathing was raspy and quick and his skin felt cold to the touch.

"Easy now." She said as she helped the young man up onto one of the cots in the infirmary.

Joshua winced as he sat down onto the cot and he held his head with his right hand. Porlyusica quickly shuffled over to her desk and grabbed a vial of green liquid.

"What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

Joshua winced, "Do you remember when that hex activated on me?"

Porlyusica vividly remembered that dark moment. It was a spell that had disturbed even her, despite her long years and prowess in the healing arts.

"Unfortunately." She replied.

"Well, I… having some effects similar to that right now."

Porlyusica's face darkened, "You mean, visions while being lucid?"

Joshua nodded, "Yeah."

The woman grimaced and placed the vial back down on the desk before reaching for a new one with a white liquid in it.

"I used this to help with the hex last time. Maybe it'll help now." She uncorked it and handed it to Joshua.

Joshua nodded his thanks and downed the liquid quickly.

"Better?" Porlyusica asked.

To her surprise, Joshua shook his head. "Still really woozy."

 _Strange?_ "What was the nature of these lucid visions?"

Joshua gulped and shook his head quickly as if he was trying to clear a fog from his mind.

"It was… different from the hex. The hex was dark. Like an endless, black void." He explained, "But this was so… bright." Porlyusica frowned, "If felt like the sun had lit up inside of my mind. It was one of the most painful things I've ever felt."

 _Very strange, "_ What did you see?"

Joshua wiped his face, "A bunch of strange things. Um… A large, metal sphere exploding. A ship with X-shaped wings. Then there was the voices… and… the breathing."

"Voices? Breathing?"

"The voice was like a ghost's." Joshua explained, "Whispering in my mind. It felt, reassuring almost. But the breathing, it was artificial and it felt evil." he gulped, "But that wasn't all."

"Hm?"

"I saw other things. I couldn't make sense of them at first. But now I am." He stared terrified at Porlyusica, "I saw Mercurius falling. Fire consuming it. A massive gateway opening. And a figure in all black standing before it. Then it all stopped after I heard Wendy shrieking in the vision."

Porlyusica's frown deepened, "What do you think that means?"

Joshua shook his head, not knowing what to say.

"Well… then just rest." The pink haired woman ordered, "Lie down and rest. You need to be healthy for tomorrow's games." She handed Joshua a blue liquid, "This will help you sleep."

"Thanks."

Joshua drank the liquid, handed the vial back, then lay quietly down on the cot before letting sleep take him.

Porlyusica looked on with great concern as the young man drifted quickly off to sleep.

 _I must tell Makarov. Something is wrong right now._

….

"TAKE COVER!"

The scream of a blaster fire whizzed through the jungle before impacting with the jungle floor. Mud and muck flew up around the group of soldiers clad in green combat gear. Screams of terror, pain, and death filled the jungle. Several of the soldiers picked themselves up from the mud and continued sprinting away from the sound of something massive stomping through the jungle.

"MOVE IT MOVE!"

More blaster fire. This time it was sounded much lighter. A soldier screamed out and toppled down into the mud. Behind him crouched another soldier, only this one was clad in heavy white armor with a white helmet and visor. More of the white armored soldiers marched after the green clad soldiers, who were now tossing their weapons to the side and running for their lives. At the front of the camouflaged soldiers were two men. One was a roguish looking man with ruffled brown hair. He wore a black vest over a white, long sleeved shirt and bluish purple pants with black boots. His left hand held a unique blaster pistol as he sprinted through the thick foliage. At his side was a younger man with long blonde hair. He wore an orange jumpsuit with a white vest over top. On the vest was a life support system and on his head was a helmet with an orange visor.

"Does Chewie have the Falcon ready!?" Screamed the blonde as blaster fire ricocheted around him.

"That's what the radio said before the walker blew him sky high!" The older man shouted back before twisting around and firing his blaster pistol wildly at the enemies behind him. He turned back to the younger man, "Is your ship ready Luke?"

Luke nodded as he continued running away from the dull stomps of the massive walker behind them. Soon, they emerged from the thick jungle and stumbled into a massive battlefield. The battlefield was already looking like a moonscape as cannons rained hell fire down on both sides. One side, the ones in camouflage, desperately defended a group of ancient pyramid structures. But they were clearly losing as massive, four legged, walkers stomped towards their lines and fired deadly blasts down on the outmatched soldiers.

"AT-AT's!" Luke pointed out.

"No really!?" The older man replied sarcastically. He pulled a comm link from his belt as he continued to sprint, "CHEWIE! IS SHE READY!?"

A series of furious grunts and barks came back from the comm link.

"He doesn't sound happy Han." Luke said.

"The Empire made the mistake of upsetting a Wookie. And we'll probably be on the receiving end of it." Han snapped back.

The pair ducked and stumbled as another massive explosion ripped the earth apart around them.

" _ATTENTION ALL REBELS! FULL RETREAT!"_ A female voice boomed over a loudspeaker, " _YAVIN IS LOST! FULL RETREAT!"_

Almost instantly, the Rebels in camouflage turned tail and began running for their lives as the Empire began to unleash its full fury down upon them. Han and Luke sprinted through a series of craters before entering one of the large, vine covered pyramids. The entire building shook and dust fell from the ancient ceilings as blaster fire began to rock the ancient structure. The pair didn't stop sprinting despite the near earthquake like tremors. In front of them was their goal. Docked inside of the pyramid was two ships. One was an arrow shaped ship with folded X shaped wings. The other could only be described as a hunk of junk.

"LUKE!" Han called as he raced towards the hunk of junk named the Millennium Falcon. "See you at the rendezvous point!"

"You bet!" Luke shouted back before clambering into his X wing and igniting the engines.

Both ships rocketed out of the pyramid and dodged cannon fire as they made a mad dash towards the atmosphere. Luke frantically pressed buttons and maneuvered his ship as a series of panicked beeps filled his cockpit.

"Just get the coordinates set R2!" he barked as his ship shuddered around him.

The X wing broke out of the atmosphere and entered orbit. All around Luke he saw Star Destroyers blockading Yavin's fourth moon. Rebel cruisers were desperately trying to run the blockade but many failed and became chunks of debris in the orbit of the lush moon.

A loud scream sounded inside of Luke's cockpit.

"R2! Did you-"

Luke's fighter shook violently and he felt it begin to pull to the left. His head snapped over and he saw smoke pouring from his top left engine.

"R2! Get us into hyperspace now!" Luke shouted.

More beeps and bloops were screamed in protest.

"IF YOU DON'T WE'LL GET SHOT OUT OF THE SKY!" Luke screamed as he heard another X wing pilot scream before static filled the comms, "PUNCH IT!"

The stars around Luke became streaks of light and his ship rocketed away from the fallen rebel base.

 **And Chapter! Sorry for the delay, it was a long drive back to Ohio. Christmas break is over for me and it's time to get back to school. I will absolutely update as often as I can though, so be prepared! Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	52. Chapter 52: Bacchus

**Hey everyone! Back at college and the chaos has already begun. But, I've got time to write, so I'm using it. Here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 52

Heavy steps echoed along the stone walls of the Palace, Mercurius. Each step accompanied by the clink and clank of armor as a solitary figure strode through the dimly lit corridors towards the king's throne room. His body was clad in thick, steel armor that showed his rank as leader of the Cherry Blossom Knight Squadron, one of the most elite guard units in the entire kingdom of Fiore. His dark brown hair stuck up in wild waves on his head. His chin was cradled by a pointy beard that was as dark as his hair was. The powerful looking man stopped in front of a large pair of white doors before placing his large, armored hands on them and pushing them roughly open.

The knight entered the bright main hall of Mercurius. It's walls shimmered like diamonds at the many lights illuminated the throne room. Sitting high above the entry to the throne room, was none other than the king himself, his throne casting a shadow over his body so that he was barely visible. As soon as the doors opened, the King's head seemed to slowly look up.

"Colonel Arcadios." said an old yet powerful voice.

"You summoned me your majesty." Replied the Knight as he knelt to one knee in front of the throne.

"Yes, I wanted to discuss the games with you Colonel." The king started, "Are you enjoying them?"

"It matters not if I enjoy, only if you do your majesty." Arcadios replied.

"Hm…" The king seemed to rub his shadowed chin, "What did you think of the first day?"

Arcadios paused a moment, "I have a feeling that the Imperius guild will be trouble."

The king nodded, "Especially after what occurred today. The people will no doubt be nervous."

Arcadios nodded in agreement, "I assume you have a plan for calming the masses?"

"No calming," The king replied, "More like distracting while we launch an investigation into who the Imperius guild is."

Arcadios was taken aback by the proposal, "An investigation?"

"Yes, they are new guild. But none of their members have ever been seen until recently. They seemed to have appeared out of thin air. I want to know who they really are, Arcadios. I ask that you help with the investigation."

Arcadios bowed his head. He couldn't have any distractions during such a critical time, but this was the King's direct order, "Of course your majesty."

"Now, as for the distraction, I think the crowd needs a thoroughly entertaining fight. Mystogan and Jura was supposed to be that, but mysterious circumstances caused that one to end rather strangely."

"It did leave something to be desired." Arcadios replied as he remembered the last one on one fight of the day between Fairy Tail's enigmatic Mystogan and the Wizard Saint Jura. It started very well and the crowd was successfully distracted at first. But then, Mystogan began to behave rather strangely and ended up passing out under mysterious circumstances. So the crowd's thoughts traveled back to the first fight, Nullpudding vs. Grand Inquisitor. Worry had started to spread among the masses as they wondered if this was really all just a game anymore.

"I propose a battle between two people the crowd loves." The king stated, "Bacchus being one. Of Quatro Cerberus, he's a charismatic fellow."

Arcadios took note in his mind, "And the other?"

"He has a rivalry with someone from the Fairy Tail guild? Oh… what was the name. Scarlet something-"

"It will be done your majesty." Arcadios said quickly as he recognized the name. "The crowd will almost certainly be pleased with that matchup."

"Oh good." The king sighed reassured, "You may be on your way."

Arcadios bowed his head before rising to his feet and exiting the throne room. He quietly shut the doors behind him, his mind wrapped deep in thought.

 _So… the king wants an investigation launched on Imperius._ Arcadios strode down the hall, _I can't afford to do that now, not with the project being so close to completion. No time for rest… no time…_

….

"Hey bartender!" Cana shouted from the table she was sitting at. She held up an empty glass mug, "Another beer please!"

"Another already?" Lucy questioned as she sat beside the card mage.

"You really questioning my drinking habits?" Cana replied as she took a new mug from the bartender and took a large gulp from it. "I thought you'd be used to me drinking a lot by now."

"CANA CAN'T HANDLE MORE THAN ME!" Shouted Master Makarov from a table nearby as he gulped another drink down.

"Master's wasted." Lissanna giggled as she saw the old man's flushed cheeks and wobbling head.

"Silensh!" He slurred, "We have a miserable defeat to celebrate!"

"But we didn't lose!" Natsu bellowed.

"We're in fifth and last!" Gajeel roared back, "So we lost!"

"You lost but Joshua won the event!" Natsu shouted back.

"Doesn't' matter when you don't even get a fight shit for brains." Gajeel retorted.

"What'd you call me lead foot!" Natsu rushed Gajeel and the two crashed into each other, starting a massive brawl in the Honey Bone lodge.

As the chair flew and wooden tables shattered, Wendy calmly sat at the bar beside Mirajane and Erza, letting the rest of the guild vent their frustrations with the day. Through all of the chaos, Wendy noticed that Joshua had not come out from the team's room. He had been in there since leaving the Domas Flau with Porlyusica. That was hours ago, just before Ren of Blue Pegasus battled Arana of Mermaid Heel. The blue haired girl felt a metal fist nudge her shoulder.

"Hey, don't look so worried." Erza said.

"Are you telling that to calm me down or yourself?" the Sky dragon slayer replied as she saw the equally worried expression on Erza's face.

"Eh, probably both." The redhead replied.

"Well you both should listen to that advice." Mira stated, "Joshua has been in worse shape than this." The white hair girl specifically looked at Erza, "He's tough like his sister."

"Was that a genuine compliment from my old rival?" Erza wondered, amused by Mira acknowledging her as tough.

"Don't get used to it." Mira snapped back with a warm yet terrifying smile, at least it was terrifying for Wendy.

"Is there something I don't know about?" Wendy asked before bending her body to the left to dodge an oncoming chair.

"You don't know. I swear I thought it was common knowledge." Erza stated.

"What?"

"Me and Erza were once bitter rivals." Mira smiled.

Erza nodded, "We hated each other's guts."

Wendy's eyes widened as she tried to not only picture Mira actually hating someone, but also attempted to fathom the amount of destruction caused by the old rivalry. She shook her head.

"I don't know why, but I find that hard to believe."

"Oh hoh hoh!" laughed an older voice nearby. Laxus sat down in a bar stool beside Wendy, a beer mug in his left hand which he casually set down on the counter, "You better believe it. Those two were at each other's throats all the time." His face then turned a little fearful as he recalled some memories, "It was actually pretty terrifying."

"But Mira seems so nice." Wendy protested.

"She is called the She Devil for a reason kid." Laxus replied, "Ain't that right Erza, I seem to recall you coining that name for her."

"It was one of my best insults." Erza said with a smug grin on her face.

"Sure it was… bimbo brain." Mirajane let the last words drag out of her mouth. Erza's brown eyes instantly became filled with a fire that made Wendy shake in her chair.

"You wanna go!?" Erza whipped around to face Mira as the two glared at each other.

"Restart the rivalry!? Fine by me!" Mira growled.

Laxus and Wendy audibly gulped and Wendy began to shrink away as the two powerful wizards stared each other down.

"Oh for pete's sake." Said a voice at the stairs that led up to the bedrooms, "I go meditate for a couple hours and there is already a full scale brawl and a rivalry being reborn."

Erza stopped glaring at Mira and smiled as Joshua walked over to them and took on the other side of Mira.

"Feeling better?" Erza asked.

Joshua nodded, "A little bit. Still kinda foggy upstairs but I should be alright after getting some more sleep tonight." Joshua glanced around momentarily, "I see Lucy is better, but where's the blue haired bastard?" he asked.

"Mystogan had a battle with Jura today." Wendy stated.

Joshua spat beer out of his mouth and it splattered against the far wall, "WHAT!" he exclaimed, "I missed that! I missed Jura fighting!"

"You're still freaking out over Jura?" Erza asked with a raised eyebrow.

Joshua grinned, "He's only gotten cooler in the past seven years!" The golden light of requip magic enveloped Joshua's right hand. As soon as the light faded away Erza's eyes widened and she fell out of her chair. Joshua proudly showed what he was holding to Wendy, "Behold! The Jura Neekis action figure!"

"Oh wow." Wendy said doing her best to sound enthusiastic, "They even got his hair right."

"I know!" Joshua exclaimed happily, "The shine on his bald head is almost perfect."

"I was being sarcastic." Wendy deadpanned but Joshua didn't seem to notice.

Erza regained her wits after being shocked by her little brother pulling an action figure out of nowhere. She slowly climbed back up onto her bar stool and resumed eating the luxurious strawberry cake she had ordered. Meanwhile, Joshua stored his prized possession away and observed his guild mates around him. The majority were still brawling, trying to take down Natsu and Gajeel who were at the center of it all. Cana was knocking back drinks like it was going out of style. Lucy was hiding behind an overturned table as she hid from the brawl, and Master Makarov was passed out on the floor with Lissanna fretting over him as she called for some water to help the drunken master.

"No matter where we are, it feels like home." Joshua chuckled before sipping his own drink.

Erza and Wendy smiled while Mira excused herself to go assist the Master who was finally awake again and doing his best to grab another drink.

"YOU WANNA HAVE A DRINKING CONTEST WITH ME!?" they heard Cana shout in the background.

Joshua laughed a little as a new beer was placed in front of him, "I pity the poor soul who challenged her."

Erza nodded and returned all of her attention to her strawberry cake while Joshua turned to watch the drinking contest. Strangely enough, the contest was with someone who was not from the Fairy Tail guild. Cana's challenger was a tall, muscular man with fair skin and dark hair wrapped up in a bun on top. He wore no shirt, just purple pauldrons that extended like sleeves on his shoulders and arms, and dark pants. On his back was a large, red number four.

 _What's a Quatro Cerberus member doing here?_ Joshua wondered as the challenger and Cana began to chug drink after drink after drink.

Joshua's pity soon turned to admiration as he watched the man keep pace with the resident alcoholic of the Fairy Tail guild. After another hour of drinking, Joshua's admiration became shock as he saw Cana sway in her chair before falling backwards, completely drunk.

"WHA!" Macao and Wakaba exclaimed as their jaws hung open.

The challenger drunkenly giggled before reaching down and plucking Cana's bikini top from her chest.

"T-thanks for the *Hic* trophy." He slurred as he stumbled towards the door.

Macao and Wakaba seemed to snap out of their stunned stupor and raced to stop the man from leaving with Cana's clothes. Joshua's became even more surprised when, despite being heavily intoxicated, the man was able to knock out both wizards by expertly slamming them into the wooden floor. The loud commotion was what finally drew Erza's attention away from her dessert. Her brown eyes narrowed and she rose from her stool.

"Erza?" Joshua muttered as he saw the strange look on his sister's face.

The redhead strode towards the drunk man, "Bacchus?" She questioned.

"*Hic* eh… that you Titania?" Bacchus drunkenly leaned forward to the point that Erza could smell the stink of alcohol on his breath, "It is! *Hic*, damn, after seven years you're still smoking hot." his eyes darted down to her chest momentarily before glancing back up at Erza's face.

Joshua lost all admiration for the drunk as his left hand tightened around his beer mug and shattered it.

"You're competing in the games?" Erza continued, not even fazed by the lewd comments.

"At first no. *Hic* I just tagged *Hic* along to sample to local nightlife." Bacchus replied, "But after *hic* War Cry's embarrassing performance today I'm gonna enter as a substitute for my team." His gaze drifted back down to her chest, "Damn, why do you gotta spoil a man's fun by wearing that stuff? Show me a little skin!"

"THAT DOES IT!" Joshua roared. Wendy acted quickly and did her best to hold the raging seventeen year old from charging at Bacchus.

Bacchus looked over at Joshua and giggled, "Boyfriend Erza?"

"GROSS!" Joshua cried as he struggled against Wendy who was now being assisted by Mirajane.

Erza sighed, "No, he's my little brother."

"Oh shit… that's little Joshua!" Bacchus chuckled, "I remember *hic* you telling me about the kid. He's definitely got your temper."

"AND THAT TEMPER WILL MAKE ME BEAT YOU TO A BLOODY PULP!" Joshua bellowed, "LET GO OF ME!" He shouted as he continued to struggle.

"Don't make me go Satan Soul on you!" Mira warned.

"Please don't make her do that, Joshua." Wendy trembled a little.

Bacchus laughed a loud before stumbling towards the door, "Well… maybe you can use that temper in the games *hic* kid." He turned back to look at Erza again, "and… maybe you *hic* and I can finally settle the score." His large hand ripped the door open and he stumbled off into the night.

After waiting for several more minutes, Wendy and Mira finally let go of Joshua, who promptly lost his balance and fell from his bar stool.

"Who the heck was that guy Erza?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah." Joshua grumbled as he got to his feet, "Who the hell was that fuck?"

"Language!" Erza scolded.

"Yeah yeah!" Joshua snapped back.

Erza gave her little brother one deadly look that made him instantly back down. She then exhaled.

"That was Bacchus Groh. An S-Class wizard for Quatro Cerberus. He and I have had a few run ins while on jobs. We have fought several times, and it has already ended in a draw."

Natsu's eyes widened, "He's that strong!?"

Erza nodded, "And that was seven years ago. Who knows how much he's improved."

"I don't give a crap about how tough he supposedly is." Joshua snarled, his left fist tightening, "If I see that drunk in the arena, I'm going to beat the crap out of him."

Erza smirked, "I would like to see that actually."

"EVERYONE STOP BEING SO DAMN SERIOUS!" the Master bellowed, "WE AREN'T DONE WALLOWING IN DEFEAT! MORE DRINKS!"

"Not for you!" Mira snapped before storming over to the cowering master.

Erza and Joshua could only shake their heads as Mira disciplined the old man.

"And to think at one time Mira was even scarier." Joshua laughed.

"For you all maybe." Erza replied. She then stretched and yawned.

"Sleepy?"

"A little." She replied, "I think I'm going to turn in for the night. You coming?"

Joshua was about to say no when he remembered the last time she asked him to come rest with her. It was all the way back when they went to Akane resort, before the Tower of Heaven. He was so young back then. And he told her no then. It was one of his biggest regrets while she had been trapped on Tenrou Island, separated from him. Joshua sighed.

"Fine, but I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you."

"I wasn't asking you to." Erza replied back before yawning again.

"Goodnight you two." Mira smiled before glaring at the drunk Master.

"You too Mira." Joshua replied before shutting the door to the Lodge's dining area behind him.

….

" _WELCOME BACK EVERYONE TO DAY TWO OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!"_ Chapati Lola bellowed into the mic before wiping a long strand of brown hair out of his face, " _With me as always is Yajima, and Bob Cat. Our guest commentator today is none other than Jason from Sorcerer Weekly."_

A man with short blond hair and an excited look on his face grinned widely and tightened his fists in front of him, " _SO COOL!"_ He shouted.

" _Well, it is anything but cool for some of our contestants on today's event, Chariot!"_ Chapati replied. " _For those of you just tuning in, this event is a simple contest. Each team's contestant has to stay on the chariot as long as they can. During this time the train will do a dozen laps around the stadium. Once the laps are complete, the train will turn towards the finish line in the center. Whoever crosses first, wins!'_

" _Right!"_ Bob Cat nodded, " _But as you can see Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox are currently struggling to move at all along the train!"_

" _Sting Eucliffe of Sabertooth is also struggling to get any momentum going."_ Yajima noted, he turned to Chapati, " _Is it just me, or do they look a little pale?"_

" _They look more than a little pale."_ Bob Cat noted as the crowd watched the three dragon slayers struggled to move at the back of a long train being pulled around the Arena.

" _Sickness is not cool!"_ Jason said solemnly.

Over in Fairy Tail A's box; Joshua, Erza, Gray, and Wendy watched speechless as Natsu crawled along the train car in the very back of the long train.

"This… this was a bad idea." Joshua muttered as a drop of sweat formed on the side of his head.

Over the loudspeakers they heard Natsu gulp and nearly vomit as his body was punished by his motion sickness.

"There was no convincing him out of competing today." Erza noted as she crossed her arms over the black turtleneck she was wearing.

"You'd think the name Chariot would've raised some red flags for him." Wendy commented.

"He probably thought a chariot was something you eat." Gray deadpanned.

" _OH! Yuka of Lamia Scale has expertly maneuvered his way into second place thanks to his anti-magic waves!"_

Joshua's head snapped towards the front of the train. Three figures sprinted at the front. The first was a man with crazy black hair. He wore a black body suit over his thin body and had eyes that seemed to sink back into his sickly skin. Behind him sprinted a member of the Imperius guild. This one's features were entirely hidden behind a black mask and helmet. The only unique thing Joshua could see about this one was that his hands and feet only had three digits on them.

" _Eighth Brother squeaks past Yuka before using telekinesis to push him behind our new third place competitor, Risley Law of Mermaid Heel!"_

"Wow." Joshua commented as he watched the plump member of Mermaid Heel sprint past Yuka, "She's shockingly fast."

"She's been going nonstop about never underestimating a chubby's speed." Gray noted.

"I didn't think she'd actually prove it though." Joshua replied.

" _Ichiya of Blue Pegasus has decided to use direct inhalation of his legendary speed parfume!"_

Joshua chuckled as Erza's shivered at the mention of Ichiya's name.

" _And lagging behind them is none other than Bacchus Groh!"_

" _He seems to be a little sick too."_ Yajima commented.

" _Is it motion sickness like the dragon slayers all the way in the back?"_ Bob Cat asked.

 _No it is not._ Joshua laughed internally, _It's a good ole fashioned hangover._

Suddenly, Bacchus smashed his palms into the train car he was standing on. The entire train flew up into the air after bouncing against the ground. It then plummeted quickly back down to Earth causing several cars to ram into each other, sending all of the other competitors off balance. Taking advantage of the imbalance, Bacchus turned on the speed. He raced past every competitor with the exception of the Eight Brother, who gracefully adjusted to the crashing cars and seemed to land on each car with ease as he leaped from one to another. But Bacchus was gaining on him, and fast.

Joshua could hear the crowd chanting loudly for Bacchus to win.

"It seems the crowd doesn't like Imperius very much." Erza observed.

"I don't blame them." Gray snarled as he glanced over at the guild that had killed someone during yesterday's one on one matches.

"I can't believe I'm hoping that drunk wins." Erza grumbled.

" _FINAL LAP!"_

Joshua stared down at the train as it stopped circling the arena and turned sharpley towards the center. The leaders made one final push. Bacchus and the Eight Brother were neck and neck as they sprinted for the finish line. Joshua felt the force gather around the Eight Brother.

 _He's going to push Bacchus off!_

Before the Eighth Brother could use the force to shove the Quatro Cerberus wizard off of the train, Bacchus lashed out with a lightning fast palm that caught the inquisitor in the chest. The Eight Brother grunted and tumbled backwards, allowing Bacchus to take the lead, and Black Snake of Raven Tail to pass him up. The train careened towards the finish line. Bacchus threw his hands up in victory as his body passed beneath the finish line's banner and he grinned out at the crowd, soaking in their adoration as he won the race.

" _BACCHUS WINS!"_

" _COOOOL!"_ Jason shouted.

" _And in second place is Black Snake of Raven Tail followed by Eight Brother of Imperius."_

A few moments later, Risley Law crossed the finish line for Mermaid Heel followed closely by Yuka of Lamia Scale and Ichiya of Blue Pegasus. The latter was thoroughly exhausted as he crossed the finish line then collapsed in the dirt.

"That leaves only Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting." Erza muttered as all eyes turned to the dragon slayers who were desperately clawing across the train.

" _Why do you all even keep trying!?"_ The stadium heard the voice of Sting Eucliffe echo around them, " _You all are just going to embarrass yourselves even more!"_

" _We won't quit! We won't let others look down on us!"_ Natsu shouted back as he clawed ahead of Gajeel.

Sting sighed, " _What the hell happened to Fairy Tail? The one I knew. The one that didn't care what others thought of them and did whatever the hell they wanted! If you all are doing this so you can become popular than I wish I never looked up to you when I was a kid!"_

" _WE ARE DOING THIS FOR OUR FRIENDS!"_ Natsu roared back, sweating dripping all over his body as he battled against the motion sickness, " _We are doing this for those who were left behind for the past seven years! For our friends who suffered through so much, yet kept fighting! They kept fighting! SO I WON'T STOP FIGHTING EITHER!"_

Over in the Fairy Tail guild's seats, many of the members had tears in their eyes as Natsu pulled his limp body forwards. He passed by Gajeel while Sting looked on in shock.

" _Fine…"_ Sting muttered, " _I'll let you have this one, it's not like a point will make any difference."_

" _A point can make all of the difference kid!"_ Gajeel snapped at the younger dragon slayer. He then yelled out and heaved his body forward one more time, crossing the finish line just after Natsu did.

" _AND IT'S OVER!"_ Chapati announced, " _Fairy Tail A comes in seventh! Fairy Tail B comes in eighth! And Sabertooth comes in last!"_

Joshua then heard the scattered chants of Fairy Tail around the stadium. The young man glanced over at Wendy and saw the wide smile on her face. She had never heard anything like this before. Every year her guild was booed for being the worst. But now they were cheering for them, which meant they were cheering for her. She practically glowed with the joy she was feeling.

"That must sound nice." Joshua grinned.

Wendy looked over and smiled widely, "You have no idea."

….

The teams took a short break before the duels of day two were set to begin. Fairy Tail just sat quietly in their area of the stadium and patiently waited.

"Say Joshua?"

"Yeah Gray." Joshua glanced over at the ice make wizard.

"You've got like… crazy mind powers right?"

"Kinda." Joshua snorted.

"So can you tell us who will be battling today?"

Joshua sighed, "I have crazy mind powers, but I can't exactly see the future Gray."

"Damn…" he mumbled.

The sound of a finger tapping a mic caught everyone's attention.

" _We're on… alright! Good!"_ Chapati said quietly before leaning into his microphone, " _Welcome back everyone! As per tradition, our guest speaker will draw the name of the unlucky guild that will not have a fighter participate in today's battle round!"_

" _COOL!"_ The reporter dug his skinny arm into the top hat and pulled out a name. He squinted down and cheered as he shouted the name, " _IMPERIUS!"_

The crowd cheered wildly as the guild they hated was taken out of the battle round for the day. It didn't seem to faze the Imperius guild. The main four just stood silently near the railing while the lone human looking figure sat quietly near the archway that led to their balcony.

High above the press box, was the King's personal seat. The king turned out to be a short, elderly man with a kind face and warm smile decorated with wrinkles and a thin white mustache. Standing next to him was Arcadios and sitting beside the king was a young woman with greenish blue hair.

"I assume that was you who took them out of the battle round Colonel?" The king asked as he looked up at his trusted knight.

Arcadios nodded, "I did."

"Oh thank goodness." breathed the young woman, "Who knows what they would've done today?"

"Indeed Princess Hisui. We must be vigilant about that guild." Arcadios noted

" _Now then, our first battle!"_ Chapati announed.

"Oh, I'm excited for this." The king said with a smile, "I can't wait to see Erza Scarlet and Bacchus battle." Arcadios's eyes widened and his heart jumped to his throat, "Their rivalry is legendary."

"D-did you say Erza Scarlet, your majesty?" Arcadios stammered.

"Why yes. You said that is the fight you could arrange, no?"

Arcadios gulped and he knelt before his king, "Forgive me your highness. I'm afraid I misunderstood you. When you said Scarlet as well as someone the crowd could cheer for, I-I assumed that you meant Joshua Scarlet. Since he has become a fan favorite after the hidden event."

"Hm?" The king frowned down at Arcadios, "That's rather disappointing to hear."

"Don't worry yourself with that father." Princuess Hisui smiled, "It could still be a good fight after all."

The king looked over at his daughter and smiled back at her, "Of course." Arcadios let out a sigh of relief, "But I really wanted to see Erza versus Bacchus."

" _Jason, do you want to announce our first battle!"_

" _YES! This is so cool!"_ The reporter cleared his throat, " _Our first battle of the day is… Bacchus Groh of Quatro Cerberus!"_

The crowd cheered loudly.

" _Versus… Joshua Scarlet of Fairy Tail A!"_

"Oh no!" breathed Erza as she looked over and saw the triumphant smirk on Joshua's lips.

"Oh yes!" Joshua smirked.

"Oh crap!" Wendy squeaked.

"KICK THE CRAP OUTTA HIM JOSHUA!" Natsu roared.

Joshua grinned and jumped up onto the railing. He turned on his heel to look back at his team.

"Sure thing." He salutued the fell backwards.

"JOSHUA!" Erza shouted while Wendy gasped.

The crowd screamed out as Joshua plummeted towards the ground. The young man then flipped over so that his feet were pointed at the ground. Willing the force around him, he used it to slow him down quickly so that he could make the most epic entry to a battle round possible. With a loud wham he hit the dirt. Dust came up in large clouds and the crowd waited silently, hoping that their fan favorite hadn't injured himself from falling so far. Erza and the others peered over the side, holding their breath. The dust began to clear and the crowd saw black robes and a black cape flapping the breeze.

"He requiped while he fell!" Gray exclaimed, "I thought only you could do requip that fast Erza!"

"He's obviously been practicing." Erza replied.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Wendy shouted down at Joshua over the cheers of the crowd as he reappeared from the dust, "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO PUT YOU BACK TOGETHER BEFORE YOU STOP ACTING SO STUPID!?"

Joshua looked up at Wendy and smiled up at her before he heard some slow clapping coming from the center of the Arena. Joshua's hazel eyes glanced over and he saw Bacchus casually laying down in the dirt, bottle in his left hand and right hand cradling his head.

"Nice entrance kid." Bacchus commented before he clipped the bottle to his hip and yawned.

Joshua felt a tick mark form on his head, "Are you going to take this seriously or do I have to go over to you and kick your ass?" Joshua strode towards the center of the arena so that he was only a few yards from the S class wizard.

"Eh, I don't really like fights without high stakes." Bacchus grumbled, "Safe fights are boring."

Joshua scowled, "So, how do I get you to take this seriously?"

Bacchus shrugged, "Dunno, but I suppose we better start before the crowd gets any more restless."

In a flash, the man flew at Joshua and hit him hard in the chest with his right palm. Joshua felt the wind leave his body as a burst of magic power hit his chest and sent him reeling backwards. Bacchus quickly attempted a follow up by swinging a right hook at Joshua's head. Joshua felt the force ripple around him, warning him of incoming danger. With lightning quick reflexes, Joshua brought his left arm up and blocked Bacchus' palm by slamming his forearm with Bacchus'. The two stood their silently for a moment as they realized the crowd was going ballistic already.

" _Unreal! We didn't even sound the bell and the two are already going at it!"_ Chapati announced.

" _COOL!"_

"Heh, guess we got a little ahead of ourselves, eh kid?" Bacchus grinned, "But I don't mind, my soul is quivering."

"GET HIM BACCHUS! WILD!" shouted a member of Quatro Cerberus.

"FOUR!" The others cheered causing Bacchus to beam with pride.

"JOSHUA!" Erza shouted from the balcony, "YOU CAN BEAT HIM!"

The teen's eyes glanced over at the balcony and he silently smiled.

"Hey, kid." Bacchus now had a crazed look in his eyes as he heard Erza cheer Joshua on, "I just thought of a way for us to make this fight interesting."

"Oh really?" Joshua grunted as their arms continued to struggle against each other.

"Yeah…" Bacchus grinned widely, "If you lose… I get Erza for a night."

Joshua's eyes narrowed at Bacchus.

"Eh!?" Erza exclaimed. She quickly shook her head, "Joshua you better not-"

Joshua grinned, "Alright."

"JOSHUA!"

"But if I win perv," Joshua smirked at him, "Your guild has to go by the name Four Kittens for the rest of the games."

The faces of the entire Quatro Cerberus guild went as white as sheets with fear.

Bacchus frowned and jumped away from Joshua, breaking the arm lock they were in. Then a wide grin spread across his lips again.

"Oh… I think I'm gonna like you kid." Bacchus chuckled, "Deal."

"WE DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS!" Both Quatro Cerberus and Erza screamed.

"Alright then." Joshua smiled, "I'm glad to see you are taking this seriously now." he said as Bacchus dropped into a fighting stance.

"Oh believe me," Bacchus grabbed the bottle at his hip and uncorked it, "I am now deadly serious."

Erza's eyes widened as she saw Bacchus down the contents of the bottle.

"Oh no!" Erza gulped.

"What is it Erza?" Natsu asked.

"Bacchus, his magic is palm magic. Basically it allows him to channel magic to his palms to enhance the power behind his strikes," Erza explained, "It also allows him to become faster and have quicker reflexes than a normal human."

"So?"

"So," Erza continued, "His skills are greatly enhanced whenever he drinks… alcohol. And guess what's in that bottle."

"Um…" Natsu rubbed his chin.

"Alcohol you idiot." Gray grumbled.

"I knew that!"

"He's an S-Class wizard without that power up. But with it, he's nearly unstoppable." Erza then felt rage build up in her, "And Joshua… just agreed…" Her grip began to crack the stone railing of the balcony, "To his bet." she glared down at her little brother, "IF YOU DON'T WIN THIS YOU WON'T LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER NIGHT!"

Bacchus finished drinking from the bottle then tossed the thing to the side, "Ahhhhh…." he exhaled satisfied, "That's more like it."

Joshua stared at the man completely confused, "I thought you were taking this seriously?"

Bacchus hiccuped then grinned madly, "I said I am." in the blink of an eye he raced to Joshua and hit him hard with his left palm, sending Joshua flying to the left, "I won't let my guild's name be trashed!"

Joshua yelled out as he felt the pain run through his body before he hit the ground. Before he could jump back up to his feet, Bacchus was on top of him again. A flurry of palms hit Joshua at every single point on his torso. Joshua squeezed his eyes shut and screamed out in pain as Bacchus tossed him back and forth around the arena with incredibly fast and powerful strikes.

"I can't wait to have Erza to myself!" Bacchus declared.

His right palm slammed into Joshua's back. Joshua's eyes widened as he felt his spine bend awkwardly before his body was launched into the arena wall.

" _OOOOOH! It seems Bacchus has this one in the bag!"_ Chapati announced.

In the Fairy Tail area of the arena, the guild stared down solemnly as Bacchus sauntered over to the rubble Joshua was covered in. The only one not sad was Mavis. Instead she was frowning.

"Third master."

"Y-yes Master Mavis." Makarov replied.

"Why is Joshua not going all out?"

Makarov blinked, "Eh, what!? He's not fighting all out?"

"Nope." Mavis shook her head, "He's holding back. May I ask why? Especially since he has something on the line."

Makarov's brow furrowed. He was about to reply when he heard Bacchus talking to Joshua.

"I know that's not all you got kid!" Bacchus said before hiccuping, "You're Erza's brother after all… you should be way tougher than this." Bacchus grabbed Joshua by the neck of his black robes and hit him with another flurry before throwing him across the arena back to the middle, "Did I not give you enough incentive! Cause this is getting boring!"

Joshua gasped and felt some ribs shift. Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth which he quickly wiped away with his gloved hand. His watery eyes winced before looking up at his team and seeing Wendy staring back down. Bacchus followed his gaze and grinned.

"Oh… I see… I see." Bacchus laughed, "I used the wrong person in the bet then. How about this? If you lose, then I get both Erza and the blue haired girl. What's her name again… Wendy? I bet she's just as good loo-" Bacchus shook his head for a moment before opening his mouth and closing it. His head twitched a moment and his hand reached for his neck before he dropped to his knees.

Mavis' eyes widened as she felt a dark power like one she had not felt in years enter the arena. The entire arena seemed to grow cold and fear took hold of the living. Mavis felt some fear of her own as she looked down at Joshua. The boy's eyes were no longer hazel, they were a deep shade of crimson.

"That's why I told him not to go all out!" Makarov frowned, "His magic is too dangerous."

"What is he doing!?" Romeo shivered as he watched.

Mavis looked closer and saw that Bacchus appeared to be choking. She looked back at Joshua and saw his fingers forming a pincer shape.

"Don't choke on your goals, Bacchus." Joshua snarled darkly as Bacchus grabbed his throat and gasped for air, which he was not getting.

" _Oh my! It appears Joshua is depriving Bacchus of oxygen!"_

Mavis narrowed her blue eyes. There was no doubt about it. It was His magic.

"You see Bacchus," Bacchus flopped back onto the ground, writhing in the dirt as Joshua stalked towards him, "I can deal with you threatening Erza with your company. I'm confident she'd beat the ever living shit out of you if you tried anything. But Wendy…" His pincer like fingers tightened, "You crossed the line."

Joshua was about to finish choking the last bits of oxygen out of Bacchus when he felt a bright light rip through the force. Joshua's eyes squeeze shut and his choke on Bacchus lifted as he reached up to his head and grabbed it. The pounding was enough to send the teen to his knees. His vision became bleary and shaky and he felt like he was going to be sick. He looked up to see Bacchus slowly rising to his feet. Then the sight changed to a planet covered in ice.

Bacchus took a shaky step forward.

Joshua saw a ship with X shaped wings drifting in space before powering up and blasting away into the depths of space

Another step forward.

The rhythmic mechanical breathing echoed in Joshua's ears.

He stood over Joshua now.

There was a dark room with large windows looking out at a massive city sparkling with lights against a dark sky. A hooded, decrepit figure sat hunched over in a large, gray chair. The darkness in the room was enough to choke any confidence or hope Joshua had in his body. The stooped figure's ancient eyes opened revealing crimson irises that made Joshua want to crawl into a hole and hide.

"My my…" Croaked the figure in the chair, "You have grown strong boy."

The lights went out.

 **And chapter! Another fun chapter to write! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. What do you think happened at the end? Let me know what you guys think. As to why Joshua didn't go after Bacchus much, I want to save the best fight for the last day of the GMG. I've got something awesome planned and I don't want Joshua to let loose completely until then. So, that's my explanation. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	53. Chapter 53: To Bring Balance

**Hey guys! I've got another chapter ready to go. Spent most of yesterday planning it, so I'm hoping it turns out good. Here ya go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 53

The world around him was different. There was no arena, no cheering crowds, no drunk idiot, and no furious Erza. But at the same time, Joshua knew he was still on Earthland. The planet had that distinct feeling to it. A feeling of deep connection to the living force, something that Joshua found was absent from other planets his visions had taken him to. He started up at the crystal clear sky, his hazel eyes taking in the sunny blue expanse as he lay in a grassy meadow.

"Wow!" Said a girl's voice nearby, "You're pretty powerful if your mind is capable of doing this on it's own."

Joshua blinked and bolted upright. His head whipped to the right and he saw the first master of the his guild staring back at him. Master Mavis was in her usual garb, a billowy white dress with wing like ornaments in her long blonde hair. Her girlish figure bowed to him as she stood barefoot in the grass. All worry left Joshua as he felt entirely safe in this area. Something that was very new for a vision. He ran his left hand over his face, feeling his soft palm over his eyes. His hand stopped sliding down his face and Joshua stared wide eyed at a flesh covered left hand.

"H-how?" he whispered, stunned that he wasn't staring at a gloved, mechanical hand.

"Good question." Mavis replied, "Perhaps it's because this isn't the dark side nor the in between. This place is purely of the light. Therefore, nothing artificial about you."

Joshua's eyes squeezed shut, "I shouldn't be here then." he looked over at the first master, "And how in the world are you here, in my vision?"

Mavis smiled warmly, "Well, how have you been able to have others in your visions?"

"Um…"

"The force works in mysterious ways young one." Joshua gasped as he heard a familiar voice behind him. Mavis waved at the figure walking up to them as Joshua turned around and stared wide eyed at a man wearing dark robes and an ancient Mandalorian mask, "Some things are not meant to be revealed to us, only taken as they are."

"Master Revan!" Joshua muttered.

"How's it going Rev!?" Mavis waved.

A bead of sweat formed on the side of Revan's head, "I hate that nickname."

Mavis stuck her tongue out at the taller man, "Well you're just a boring man then."

Joshua's gaze whipped back and forth between Mavis and Revan. He narrowed his eyes and looked utterly puzzled.

"How do you two know each other?"

"Through a mutual acquaintance." Revan replied.

"He was once a friend to you." Mavis noted.

"That was before he decided to destroy the temple, attempting to destroy me in the process." Revan crossed his arms, "Before he decided to finally give in to his dark desires."

Joshua's jaw clenched, "I assume you mean Zeref."

"Your assumptions are correct, Joshua." A new voice said softly.

A new figure entered the meadow. Joshua recognized the soothing voice almost immediately. He wanted to smile but he also knew that this newcomer would not approve of the path he had chosen.

"Old man Qui Gon." Joshua smiled before turning to his left and seeing the familiar Jedi Master calmly walking up to them, a ghostly blue tinge over his body. "How have you been?"

"Dead." Qui Gon replied with a wry smile, "And still better than you probably feel."

"Haha." Joshua said sarcastically. He then glanced around him, "So… I'm in a grassy meadow surrounded by ghosts. There are two explanations. A… this is a really strange vision. Or B, Bacchus accidentally killed me."

"Or C, you ate some death sticks." Mavis stated.

"I highly doubt that." Revan deadpanned.

"What's a death stick?" Joshua mumbled.

"It's situation A, young one." Qui Gon replied to Joshua.

Joshua sighed and nodded, "Then that means this is pretty important. Especially if all three of you decided to show up."

Mavis nodded then looked over at Qui Gon, "Do you want to explain Master Jedi?"

The oldest man nodded, "Joshua, there is a problem with the force. I'm sure you have felt it."

"Do you mean those blinding flashes I keep getting?" Joshua winced as he recalled the pain from them, "What the hell are those anyways?"

"A new hope." Qui Gon replied, "For the Jedi."

Joshua frowned, "Obi Wan mentioned something like that. I saw him in a vision a while ago on a desert world."

Qui Gon frowned, "The force even revealed you to him and he still wouldn't listen."

"What's wrong?" Mavis questioned.

"Obi Wan was a good man. Wise and powerful. But… he is possibly the most headstrong and… how do I put it?"

"Uptight?" Joshua suggested.

Qui Gon nodded, "Yes, uptight, and most by the book Jedi possible. He hears dark side of the force and immediately thinks Sith."

"I told you I should've gone and talked to him." Revan groaned.

"That wouldn't have done any good." Mavis shook her head, "He would've interpreted you as a threat. And therefore, he wouldn't have listened to you. Though I am surprised he ignored you Qui Gon and did not tell Luke about Earthland like he was supposed to."

"Why are you all referring to Obi Wan in the past tense?" Joshua questioned. He saw the downcast look on Qui Gon's face and knew the answer immediately, "He's dead isn't he?"

Qui Gon nodded, "The Emperor's apprentice defeated him."

Joshua closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm sorry to hear that. Even if he was a stick in the mud, it's obvious he was a good person. But… that still doesn't explain what is going on. The light side of the force wouldn't have gone off like a solar flare with the death of Obi Wan. It all likelihood it would've darkened further."

Qui Gon nodded, "Dooku taught you well in the aspects of the force. You are correct, the force should've darkened, yet it didn't. The reason for that is Luke."

"The farm boy in one of my visions?" Joshua questioned.

Revan nodded, "He is the descendant of Anakin Skywalker."

Joshua's eyes narrowed and his fist tightened, "Skywalker… I know that name."

"How?" Qui Gon asked.

"The Jedi Temple, I had a vision of the slaughter there. The name that I heard was Skywalker, and he was the one carrying out the massacre." Joshua noted the expressions on all of their faces, confirming he was correct, "What is so important about the spawn of a murderer?"

"JOSHUA!" Mavis snapped.

"Peace Mavis." Revan raised a hand as the first master showed a rare flash of anger, "It is only a natural reaction." Revan looked back at Joshua, "What is so important is that the duty of the father has now passed to the son. Anakin Skywalker was prophesized by the Jedi to be the one to bring balance to the force. At first, this was interpreted to mean destroying the Sith.

That interpretation was incorrect. Balance cannot be achieved without two equal sides. Anakin was meant to be one half while a dark side user was meant to be the other. However, the Jedi council, in their infinite wisdom, failed the boy. So, the prophecy passed on to his descendant. Luke is meant to be the light side of the force."

Joshua reeled as he took in this information, "So that means… there has to be an opposite." he looked at all three ghosts, "So who is it?"

Mavis audibly sighed, "It's you. The force has chosen you."

Joshua's hazel eyes widened, "Eh?" he shook his head rapidly, "Now hold on! I don't plan on getting involved in some galactic, prophesy, space wizard thing! I want to protect my family, nothing more."

"It doesn't matter if you want to get involved or not." Qui Gon stated, "There is such a thing as destiny, Joshua. And destiny often times cannot be avoided."

"But how destiny is achieved can be controlled." Revan interjected, "Vader and Sidious will no doubt plan to turn Luke, delaying or perhaps even destroying the prophecy. The bright flashes of light in the force you have experienced are the results of his actions against the dark side and the sith. Primarily, his miraculous trench run to destroy a planet killer called The Death Star. Those flashes sear the dark side of the force, causing random effects. For you, it could cause pain, visions, even possibly put you in a comatose state if severe enough.

And that is the major problem we now face. Luke was taught by Obi Wan, and will no doubt be taught by another, that the Dark Side is evil and must be extinguished. Do you remember our conversation in the Sith temple on Earthland?"

Joshua nodded, "You were basically telling me that philosophies that are false are evil."

"Yes, but notice the word philosophies. Not natures, not sides of the force, but philosophies of the force." Revan replied, "The two sides of the force are neither good nor evil. They just are. How someone uses them, determines good and evil. Do the two have correlations between good and evil, absolutely. But that does not mean they cause good and evil. You are a prime case of that."

Joshua stared blankly at Revan, "Huh?"

"He means that you are a dark side user, yet you are not evil." Mavis explained simply, "I swear Rev, you get a little complex sometimes. Even I could barely follow you there for a moment."

"Sorry." Revan replied rubbed the back of his head.

"As we were saying," Qui Gon cleared his throat, "Luke most likely believes the dark side is inherently evil, and will no doubt attempt to extinguish it. That will not bring balance to the force. It will just cause a different imbalance than the one we have currently. Instead of the dark dominating, the light will instead."

"And bad things usually happen when the force is out of balance." Revan nodded.

"Such as?"

"Oh, nothing short of galaxy wide cataclysm." Revan replied.

"Oh… that's… not good." Joshua gulped.

"Luke is most likely aiming to destroy the dark side now. He believes the Sith are caused by the dark side, and therefore, both must be destroyed to prevent evil." Qui Gon continued, "We have tried to reach him, well… Revan and I. But he seems to not understand who or what we are."

"A product of his age." Revan grumbled.

"He's not too old!" Qui Gon snapped.

"You said that about the other Skywalker and guess how that turned out." Revan jabbed.

"Don't start this now boys." Mavis sweat dropped, "We have stuff to do."

Revan tore his eyes away from Qui Gon and back to Joshua, "So, we need you to reach him."

Joshua pointed at himself, "Me? But… you just said that he would probably try to kill me!"

"He's still in his infancy of force training." Revan replied, "He wouldn't be able to even touch you. If you can find a way to reach him, tell him of the need for balance, then crisis may be averted." Revan took a breath, "But, before you can do that, there is one small issue."

"That being?" Joshua asked.

"Zeref." Mavis replied, "He's a wildcard in all of this."

"Wildcard?"

"Zeref is the second apprentice of a Sith Lord named Darth Ramage." Revan explained, "They agreed to train each other. Ramage taught Zeref the ways of the Sith in exchange for knowledge on how Zeref became an immortal. Needless to say, Ramage's plan backfired spectacularly. The result was a Sith with both Earthland magic knowledge and knowledge of the Sith ways. A powerful and deadly combination."

"At one time, Zeref too recognized the need for balance." Mavis interjected, "That's why he withdrew from the world and exiled himself on Tenrou Island. He hoped that would help bring peace, to the universe and maybe himself. But… selfishness wins out in the end." Mavis stared at Joshua, "Zeref has one great desire… to die. He wishes for death, he desires the end. But he can never reach it. In his desperation to finally leave this mortal world, he has decided to provoke it. He is planning to launch a cataclysmic war, starting on Earthland and expanding from there.

This war has one goal, to find the one who can finally kill him. Zeref tried centuries ago to create his own demise through the use of Sith sorcery and Earthland alchemy. The results were the books of Zeref and the demonic creations they hold. But none of them gave him the result he craved. Now, he's looking outward for a solution. We cannot afford to allow him to leave the planet somehow. He must be contained here."

Revan nodded, "If he were to come across say, Darth Sidious, the ensuing battle would be one of the most traumatic the galaxy would ever see. Right now, their powers in the dark side are limited because neither are actually the true dark lord of the Sith. But once one kills the other, the dark side becomes fully available to them, and terrifying horrors will result."

"Because of Zeref." Qui Gon started, "The Dark side is still far more powerful than the light. If he lives on, balance will never be struck."

The long explanations finished and Joshua pondered the information that had flooded him all at once.

"What you are saying is, that I need to find a way to kill Zeref here… on Earthland?" Joshua crossed his arms.

Mavis cringed a little at the k word but then sighed, "I normally wouldn't condone killing any living creature. But to avoid the cataclysm that is sure to come from an imbalance, it must be done. Once that is completed and Zeref is no longer a threat, then you can commence the search for Luke Skywalker and attempt to bring balance to the force with him."

Revan and Qui Gon's images began to shimmer and fade.

"Oh great…" Joshua threw his hands up, "Now they go away with no explanations!"

"We are out of time Joshua." Qui Gon said as his voice began to go quiet.

"We will do the best we can on the other side, but we cannot do the biggest part. You will have to." Revan said. Just as he was about to fade away completely he looked at Mavis and Joshua, "May the force be with both of you."

The two masters were gone, leaving Joshua alone with Mavis. The teen looked over at the girlish first master.

"Why didn't' you disappear?"

"I figured you'd need more explanations."

Joshua cheered, "Finally, someone gets it!"

Mavis giggled, "Ask and I will give you my best answer."

Joshua sat down across from her, "Ok, so, how do I kill Zeref?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't have given you that mission." Mavis deadpanned.

Joshua groaned and bowed his head, "This isn't going to be easy is it?"

Mavis shook her head, "No it is not. There are many other variables in play that we cannot control too. Luke being one of them, and whether or not you are willing to help being another. For all we know, Luke could accidentally stumble on Earthland and through the entire plan into flux. Or you could choose to ignore our warnings."

Joshua sighed, "Let's hope that doesn't' happen." His head rose up again, "So, how in the world do you know about the force?"

Mavis smiled sheepishly, "Well… I guess…. You could say that I was Zeref's apprentice."

"WHA!"

"Yup, Zeref was the one who taught me magic. Naturally, he imparted some Sith sorcery into his training. When I was alive, I was able to use that to make some rather powerful illusions. That's also how I met Revan. Through my training in the force and magic, Revan would visit me in visions, much like how he occasionally does with you."

Joshua nodded, "That explains it I guess. But… how do you know so much about Zeref? I mean, he seems to be a pretty secretive person."

"Oh…" Mavis had a slight blush on her cheeks, "Not if you get to know him."

Joshua's left eye twitched, "You were in love with the guy weren't you?"

Mavis pinched her thumb and finger together, "Maybe a little."

Joshua fell backwards, shocked by her statement. He then sat up again and stared hard at Mavis, "So… why go against him if you have feelings for him?"

Mavis sighed, "Zeref has lost his way. He used to be a kind person, when I knew him at least. But… I don't know. Something changed on Tenrou Island when you all arrived for the S class exams. Something… triggered him. What that thing is, I don't know."

Joshua nodded, "He said something about destroying the sith and darkness. But, he is one of them isn't he?"

"Like I said, he desires to die." Mavis said, "That means that the Sith would be destroyed if he does die and the other Sith out there in the galaxy are defeated as well. As to why he would want to destroy darkness even though he honestly knows better, I can't say."

Joshua sighed, "Alright, one last question." he looked at Mavis, "What do I do if Zeref leaves or if Sidious comes here?"

The meadow began to shimmer and fade and Mavis began to become transparent. One word left her lips before blackness took over.

"Hide."

….

His eyelids slowly cracked open. Through the small slit in his vision, he saw the familiar wooden ceiling of the team's room in the Honey Bone Lodge. Joshua groaned and closed his eyes again before allowing them to open up completely. His whole body ached. When he attempted to sit up he felt some ribs shift and a slight crack ran up his spine. Joshua cringed and cried out before feeling a soft hand place itself on his bandaged chest.

"Just lie back down." Said Wendy's voice to him as he rested back against the fluffy pillow behind his head, "You shouldn't move. I don't want to have to reset the bones by hand."

Joshua gulped, "That would mean-"

Wendy laughed at him, "I'm kidding, I won't have to cut into you and do that. But, you won't be in as much pain if you would just stay still for a change." She placed her hands over his body and the warm green glow spread out over Joshua. He instantly felt a wave of warmth and comfort as Wendy's sky magic began to heal his broken bones.

"I lost huh?" Joshua asked.

Wendy nodded, "Brutally too."

"Damn." Joshua grumbled. His eyes then shot wide open and bulged out of his skull, "WAIT! That means that Erza is-" His body began to tremble and seat came out of his skin, "I'm dead!"

"Most likely." Wendy nodded, "She left to pay up on the bet just a couple hours ago."

"I'm so dead!" Joshua groaned, "No need to heal me Wendy. I'll be in a grave soon."

Wendy smacked his right shoulder, "Quit whining already. Erza wouldn't kill you."

"You'd be surprised by what she'd do if you set her mood off just right."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Mostly."

Wendy laughed under her breath, "Then I better heal you up as much as I can so you can attempt to run. Otherwise, you're a sitting duck here."

Joshua frowned at the blue haired girl, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Every second." Wendy reached into a drawer in the table beside Joshua a pulled out a vial with green liquid in it, "This is what you get for being so reckless in battle. Flipping from balconies and stuff…"

"You gotta admit, that landing was pretty cool." Joshua smiled.

Wendy shook her head and gave him an exasperated grin, "Fine, it was a little cool." She snaked her hand behind his head and tilted him up. She then placed the vial with the green liquid to his lips, "Drink up, it'll help ease some of the pain."

Joshua drank the liquid and cringed, "That tastes awful."

"Then maybe think before you just charge into a fight." Wendy scolded, "Now rest. I'll let you know when Erza gets back."

Joshua sighed then nodded before resting his head back and letting everything that happened in his vision continue to soak in.

….

Erza stomped through the dark, cobblestone streets of Crocus. Metal boots clanked against the stone causing a dull metallic echo to sound off around her. Her fists were clenched tightly and her eyes showed that she was absolutely livid.

"Stupid Bacchus… pig… perv…. Drunk…. Asshole." Erza grumbled as she stormed down the shadowy streets.

"Sounds like you had an interesting night." said a muffled voice above Erza.

The redhead stopped in her tracks and looked up to see a man in concealing blue robes with a blue mask covering his face sitting on top of a stone archway near an alley. Erza frowned and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared up at the figure.

"You shouldn't be out and about… Mystogan." She replied.

"Eh… needed some fresh air. Can't stand being cooped up."

Erza laughed a little, "A fugitive who hates being confined to closed spaces. You wouldn't be very good at hiding from the authorities if they knew who you really were."

"True." Jellal nodded to her. "So what were you up to tonight?"

"You already know." Erza grumbled.

"So you actually did it! I didn't think you would." Jellal quietly exclaimed.

"I don't go back on a bet." Erza replied firmly, "A bet is a bet. And Joshua lost, so it had to be paid. But when I get back," Her fist tightened in front of her, "Joshua is dead!"

Jellal chuckled underneath his cowl and mask.

"What's so funny!?" Erza demanded.

"Nothing… nothing." Jellal breathed for a moment, "Joshua sure does know how to get under your skin doesn't he? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he is your little brother after all." His eyes looked back down at Erza, "He is your little brother right?"

Erza caught what he meant by the question right away, "You think… you think that Joshua is not my brother? He's not blood related, but he is the closest family I have."

"Yes, that's true. But, has his perception of the relationship changed after seven years. I'm not only wondering this about your relationship with him, but his relationship with the guild as a whole." Jellal stated.

Erza's frown deepened, "What do you mean by that?"

Jellal sighed, "Did Joshua tell you our other reason Crime Sorciere met you all at the beach when you were training?"

Erza nodded, "He said something about a dark power at the games. Similar to Zeref. And Crime Sorciere had asked us to investigate." Erza's eyes widened, "You think… he is that power!"

Jellal closed his eyes, "It's not out of the realm of possibility."

"It is!" Erza exclaimed, "Joshua wouldn't follow Zeref!"

"I said the power was similar to Zeref. I never said it was Zeref." Jellal pointed out. The masked man jumped down from the archway to stand before Erza, "The power was similar in nature to Zeref, but from what Ultear explained to me, it wasn't exactly his. There was something off about it. It felt more chilling than Zeref's. Strangely, during this entire games we haven't sense that magic power at all, unlike in previous games where you could sense it outright if you searched hard enough." Jellal walked past Erza and stopped so that they were shoulder to shoulder, "In fact, the only time we have sense that magic power, is when Joshua was depriving Bacchus of oxygen."

Erza gulped, "Joshua went a little overboard, but he still lost."

"Regardless of the result or how it happened. It doesn't change the fact that those powers were exactly the same." Jellal replied quickly, "I'm not asking you to go after him or confront him. But keep an eye on him. I'm not one hundred percent sure myself. And I don't want to do anything until we are certain."

Erza grit her teeth, "You won't do anything because it is not him!"

Jellal stopped walking, "I really hope it isn't." And with that he disappeared into the night.

Erza exhaled and shook her head. Joshua couldn't be the one with the ominous magic power. Sure, when he gets angry or goes all out he tends to use dark magic, but he wouldn't allow himself to stoop to Zeref's level. Not in a million years. Plus, he didn't know about the grand magic games until this year. Or did he? Erza shook those thoughts out of her mind. She was convinced, Joshua was not the threat at the games. It wasn't possible. Jellal was just on a wild goose chase with that lead.

Erza sighed and continued the long walk back to the Honey Bone Lodge. Eventually she reached the correct street and saw the sign for the lodge illuminated by bright lamps down the road. Erza smiled as she was anxious to finally be back in the company of her friends. Particularly her female friends, Quatro Cerberus was almost all men. And they were smelly, dirty, and just… Erza shuddered. She never wanted to step foot in another building with that guild again. Before she could take another step forwards she heard a high pitched voice purr at her from the left.

"Erzie Werzie!" called the voice.

The red haired knight turned to see a woman wearing a very revealing black bikini outfit with a dark cloak and hood thrown over her shoulders and head. Erza was immediately on guard, could this be the mysterious power?

"Who are you?" Erza demanded as she requiped a sword in her right hand.

"Erza!" The woman grabbed the hood and threw it off her head. Her face was feline like with red markings on her cheeks. Her hair was messy and a light brown color and there seemed to be parts of it on her head that were shaped like cat ears. "You don't recognize me, nya!"

Erza's eyes widened and her sword arm fell, "M-milliana!"

The cat lunged at her and tightly embraced Erza.

"I missed you so much!" Milliana cried as she hugged Erza.

Tears streamed down both of their faces as they tightly embraced each other.

"I missed you too Milliana." Erza said quietly as she hugged her old friend.

The pair held each other for a few more moments before Milliana ended the hug.

"When I heard about Tenroujima, I-I was devastated." Milliana said to Erza, "So was Wally and Sho. We could hardly believe it. Heck, we didn't believe it. It wasn't until a few years later that we finally accepted it. But then, you all came back and… I was just so happy!"

"Believe me, I was happy too." Erza smiled, "I noticed you with Mermaid Heel, though I didn't recognize you."

"I know! I took your advice and joined a guild! And it has been wonderful Erza! I love it there!"

Erza smiled, "Good to hear."

"Plus, me and Kagura share a goal and it's good to have her help."

Erza remembered the woman Milliana just named. Kagura Mikazuchi, the strongest member of the Mermaid Heel guild. She was a woman similar in height and build to Erza although her attitude was altogether different. Erza was strict yet also fun loving. Kagura on the other hand seemed very serious and reserved. Maybe it was because she was in a battle with a member of Sabertooth during the games today. But Erza got the impression that that was how Kagura was all the time. The black haired woman seemed like someone who wouldn't get along well with Milliana.

"What goal is that?" Erza asked, curious to know.

A darkness filled Milliana's eyes, "We want to destroy Jellal of course."

Erza's heart jumped to her throat. To think that she just heard that come out of sweet Milliana's mouth was something that caught her completely off guard.

"W-why?"

"Why! Because he enslaved us Erza, you and me! And he tricked me, Wally, Sho, and Simon into trying to kill you! Then he killed… he killed Simon." Milliana saw Erza's shocked expression and her enthusiasm faded, "You don't agree."

Erza shook her head, "You shouldn't desire to kill someone Milliana. Not only is it wrong, it's not you. You are not that kind of person."

Milliana frowned, "I can be whatever kind of person I want to be!"

"Milliana-"

Milliana placed the hood back over her head, "I don't want to talk about it anymore Erza." The cat woman began to stride away but she stopped and glanced back at Erza, "See you in the games tomorrow."

Erza's face saddened as her old friend disappeared down the road.

 _Please, don't go down that path Milliana. Please don't._

Erza heard a loud crash come from the Honey Bone lodge down the road. The party was apparently in full swing as the window was once again shattered. This time it wasn't a piece of furniture that broke it. This time, it was Droy's body that shattered the window. Erza stopped and stared for a moment before she saw a rough hand with a black glove reach over and grab him.

"Gihi, you're not out of the brawl yet."

"WAAAAAH!"

Erza sighed, they were all already fighting. In an instant she put on her most intimidating face and shoved the door to the Honey Bone Lodge open. As soon as the door flew inwards the fighting stopped and everyone stared at Erza.

"Well… has everyone gotten it out of their systems?" Erza growled.

"A-aye sir!" Natsu and Gray said quickly as they let of each other and pretended to be best friends.

"Good." Erza glared at them all, "I'm not in the mood for shenanigans right now."

"Did Bacchus bend you over or something?" Gajeel quipped.

Erza's head slowly turned to look at the Iron dragon slayer. Instantly, Gajeel realized he made a grave error. Erza stormed over and in one blow, knocked the dragon slayer out.

"Wow…" Gray trembled, "She really isn't in a good mood."

"N-no kidding." Gulped Natsu.

Erza glared over at them, " .Joshua?"

Their arms instantly pointed upstairs.

"Thank you."

Erza stomped up the wooden steps and yanked the door to the corridor that led to the many bedrooms of the Honey Bone Lodge. She shut the door and turned to the team's room with a vengeful glint in her eye.

 _Time for some payback!_ She grinned.

Erza was about to shove the door open when she heard some laughter from the other side. She hesitated then opened the door just a crack. Inside she saw Joshua sleeping soundly in his bed. Sitting beside him, with her head resting beside him was a snoozing Wendy. Then she saw that Wendy's fingers were curled around Joshua's hand. At first a spark of anger lit up in Erza. But it quickly faded away when she saw the smiles on both of their faces. Erza's anger and lust for vengeance faded and she just watched them through the cracked doorway. A small smile formed on her lips.

 _Those two really have grown up haven't they?_ Erza sighed. She'd get her vengeance tomorrow. It was probably best to let Joshua rest. Just as she was about to turn away from the door Erza heard some more high pitched giggling in the room.

"They looooove each other." She heard a very familiar voice tease quietly.

"I sure hope not Happy." Said a much more sophisticated and unamused voice.

Erza frowned. _Those two!_

 __Erza burst through the door, startling both Joshua and Wendy awake. Erza stood in the doorway momentarily, her eyes glinting against the lamplight.

"ERZA! I'M SORRY!" Joshua cried out.

Erza ignored him and stomped towards the balcony. She then shoved two hands into the curtains. Joshua and Wendy heard some cries interrupted by Erza's iron grip. Erza yanked her hands out of the curtains and revealed two cats, one blue, the other white.

"Were you two spying on Joshua and Wendy?" Erza snarled.

"No sir we weren't!" Happy squealed.

"Oh give it up tomcat, we obviously were." Carla sighed.

Erza threw her arms back then launched the two cats out of the balcony.

"THIS ROOM IS FOR FAIRY TAIL TEAM A ONLY!" She roared as the two cats were launched through the air.

The door burst open and Natsu charged in with Lucy and Gray.

"I heard Happy. He was in danger! Where is he!?" Natsu bellowed before he noticed Erza's irritated look. Natsu's fist relaxed, "Oh, it's only you Erza."

"Who else would it be?" The red head replied as she finally relaxed and sat down in a chair next to her bed.

Lucy peaked back and forth in the room before poking her head out into the hall way.

"Alright, it's ok Yukino." Lucy whispered.

A new person entered the room. It was a young woman wearing a white tank top with teal straps and a teal miniskirt. The woman looked very melancholic as she quietly stepped into the room. As soon as she appeared, Erza's guard was back up as well as the frown.

"Who are you?" Natsu questioned.

"Um...my… my name is Yukino Agria." the woman with short white hair replied, "And, I came here to talk to Lucy in private. But she told me that you all don't keep secrets from each other and whatever she knew you all knew."

"You were the one who fought Kagura today." Erza observed.

"Who?" Joshua asked.

"Yes I am." Yukino bowed.

Erza, Natsu, and Gray frowned at the young woman.

"What does a member of Sabertooth want with us?" Gray asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Not Sabertooth, just me." Erza saw some tears well up in Yukino's eyes, "I-I was kicked out of Sabertooth… for losing today."

"What!" Natsu exclaimed shocked.

"That's overly harsh." Erza frowned.

"Geez." Gray grumbled before he took a seat on his own mattress.

"I'm so sorry Yukino." Lucy gasped.

"It's ok." she said somberly, "That's why I'm here. As you know, I-I'm a celestial spirit wizard too." The white haired girl turned to Lucy, "Lucy, I have admired you since I was a little girl. And now I know… that… I am not worthy of my keys." Yukino held out her hand showing two golden keys, "You are. You are the greatest of the celestial spirit wizards. These keys belong to you."

Joshua for some reason felt darkness swirling around the last two keys. He grunted as he sat up and leaned against the headboard of his bed.

"Take it easy Joshua." Wendy scolded.

"I'm fine. I just want a better look."

Lucy looked longingly at the keys for a moment. This was her chance to have all twelve celestial spirits in her possession. Such a thing hadn't been accomplished in centuries.

"If you take the keys, then a gateway that changes the world will open." Yukino stated, "At least, that's what the legend of the keys says when they are all brought together under one wizard."

Lucy slowly nodded, never breaking her stare from the golden keys of Libra and Pisces, "I've heard the legend." Lucy's hand reached towards the keys. It hovered over Yukino's hand before resting on top, closing Yukino's hand around the two keys and pushing it back towards Yukino. Instantly, Joshua felt the darkness in the force disappear and the turmoil faded with it. A crossroads had been reached, and Lucy made the correct choice. Joshua nodded to himself. Lucy was truly a marvelous person.

Lucy looked up at Yukino with a reassuring smile, "But… I can't take your keys. They are not my spirits. They are yours. And you are obviously a very caring wizard. I could never separate a wizard from her spirits."

Yukino stared at Lucy in stunned awe as tears dripped down her young face.

"If you ever need a place to go Yukino, Fairy Tail is open to you." Lucy said with a smile.

Erza nodded, "Absolutely."

Yukino was on the verge of bawling, "Th-thank-k you so much." She said before gulping back the tears and bowing to all of them, "I will remember that."

The white haired woman looked back at the smiling faces of Fairy Tail A knowing she had chosen the right guild to come to for help. With her own lips curling into a small smile, she walked away. The team sat silently for a moment.

"Man…" Gray broke the silence, "I can't believe you passed up an opportunity like that Lucy."

"I don't care how good of an opportunity it was Gray." Lucy replied, "It wouldn't have been right."

 _You can say that again._ Joshua thought, _What is this legend though. A gateway that changes the world?_ He made a note to conduct some research later. It sounded like an interesting topic.

"Well, I think you made the right choice Lucy." Erza said with a smile, "You have really grown as a wizard."

"Ah, it was nothing." Lucy waved it off. She then yawned and stretched, "Well, I'm going to my room. I need my sleep before tomorrow. After all, Joshua is in no shape to compete, which means I am back in the games!"

Instead of cheers there was silence. Then Joshua bowed his head.

"We're doomed." he mumbled.

"THANKS FOR THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE!" Lucy roared.

Natsu rose to his feet and strode towards the door before slamming it shut behind him. Lucy, Gray, and Wendy blinked.

"What was that all about?" Wendy wondered.

Joshua sighed and looked over at Erza, "You know what he's going to do right?"

Erza exhaled, "Unfortunately."

"What is he going to do?" Gray asked.

"Something reckless even by his standards." Joshua replied, "He's going to go teach Sabertooth a lesson."

"What!" Everyone but Erza and Joshua exclaimed.

"He'll get us disqualified!" Gray growled, "I'll go get him!"

"No… no." Erza rose, "I'll grab him." She stretched wearily before walking to the doors, "No rest for the weary." Her hand twisted the doorknob.

"Hey Erza."

The redhead looked back at Joshua.

"Take the long way would you." Joshua said.

Erza smirked, "You know, a nice long walk would do me some good. It'd be relaxing."

Joshua smirked back at her before she left.

"Why would you tell her to take the long way!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Well… we can't let Sabertooth get off scot free after what they did to Yukino now can we?" Joshua grinned while Gray, Lucy, and Wendy began to realize what was going on. Joshua shifted back down onto his pillows and yawned, "Well, goodnight everyone."

Lucy was still wide awake because she was concerned about Natsu but she knew she had to get some rest too. The blonde quietly left the room while Gray flopped onto his own mattress.

"Hey Joshua, Wendy."

"Yeah Gray?" Wendy replied.

"No funny business."

"GET SOME CLOTHES ON ICE PERV!"

 **And chapter! Interesting stuff in this chapter. A lot of stuff being explained and a lot of exposition setting up some future chapters. What did you guys think of it all? Let me know. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	54. Chapter 54: Pandemonium

**Hey everyone! I've finally got some free time so I've decided to crank out another chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 54

Joshua leaned up against the headboard of the bed and squinted his eyes a little as the sunlight streamed through the thin curtains that separated the balcony from the room. A gentle breeze was sweeping through the room, giving the room a relaxing feel. But Joshua was anything but relaxed. His eyes were glued to a lacrima orb as images of the third day of the grand magic games played out in front of him.

"You need to relax young man. Healing requires rest." Porlyusica stated as she hovered near the lacrima as well.

"You're just as anxious to see this day get going as I am." Joshua frowned, "I should be out there."

"Well, you're not." Porlyusica reminded him, "So relax and trust that they will do well."

Joshua sighed and rested his head back so that he was looking up at the ceiling, "I'm not worried about them not doing well. I'm worried that they won't be able to handle Imperius if push comes to shove."

Porlyusica raised an eyebrow, "You sense something off about them?"

"You don't?" Joshua replied, his hazel eyes looking over at the old healer. "They are bad news. And… they use a magic similar to mine. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same exact thing."

Porlyusica didn't like the sounds of that. Joshua's magic was a powerful one. Unknown yet powerful. She had long ago classified it as a lost magic along with Makarov. To know that there were others practicing such dangerous spells was unsettling.

"There is a silver lining. From what I have seen, they don't seem as strong as you are." Porlyusica commented.

She saw Joshua's face harden once again, "We haven't seen all of them fight yet. You are right, from what I have sensed the four inhuman ones are not as powerful as me. They are very strong, but I could take them on." As he said this, the lacrima's image changed to show the human in the Imperius guild, "It's the human among them that worries me."

" _Welcome back viewers to day three of the Grand Magic Games!"_ Announced Chapati Lola, " _While they set up today's event, let's take a look at our leaderboard!"_

 __The leaderboard appeared on the lacrima.

 _ **1st Place: Raven Tail- 23 points**_

 _ **2nd Place: Imperius- 22 points**_

 _ **3rd Place: Quatro Cerberus- 21 points**_

 _ **4th Place: Sabertooth- 18 points**_

 _ **4th Place: Lamia Scale- 18 points**_

 _ **6th Place: Mermaid Heel- 17 points**_

 _ **7th Place: Blue Pegasus- 16 points**_

 _ **8th Place: Fairy Tail A- 12 points**_

 _ **9th Place: Fairy Tail B- 11 points**_

Joshua's face went pale as he saw Fairy Tail occupied the bottom two spots.

"Well… you all aren't doing well." Porlyusica frowned.

"Yeah… no kidding." Joshua mumbled.

" _Currently we have a surprise in first place with Raven Tail, but Imperius and Quatro Cerberus are right on their heels!"_ Chapati explained.

" _And then there is the tie for fourth between Sabertooth and Lamia Scale. Who would've thought that those two guilds would be on such equal footing this year!"_ Bob Cat exclaimed.

" _Remember Mr. Cat,"_ Yajima said, " _Sabertooth's results are slightly skewed due to Sting forfeiting yesterday's event. Other than that, they have performed almost flawlessly. And they will only get better now that Minerva has replaced Yukino on the team."_

The camera changed to show a woman wearing a strapless and sleeveless blue dress. She had glossy black hair with two buns on top of her head. Her face was a visage of power as she stared at the camera as if it was nothing more than a nuisance.

"I'm getting a bad feeling from that one." Joshua mumbled and Porlyusica nodded in reply.

" _Great observations Mr. Yajima."_ Chapati nodded, " _But still, this is anyone's game today. One win by our bottom feeders propels them into the upper tier! It will be close even after today."_ Chapati stopped talking into his microphone and leaned back to listen to someone who spoke some muffled words, " _I have just been informed that the next event is ready to go! Today's event is… PANDEMONIUM!"_

The roar of the crowd rumbled around the stadium. Joshua could practically feel the ground shaking even all the way at the Honey Bone Lodge.

" _All guilds, please select your participant!"_

Joshua payed close attention to the competitors stepping out from their teams and out to the arena floor.

" _For Mermaid Heel, it is none other than the lovely Milliana!"_ Chapati announced. " _For Blue Pegasus, Hibiki Lates!"_ Joshua saw hundreds of women in the crowd swoon, " _For Quatro Cerberus, Nobarly! For Raven Tail, Obra!"_ A figure wearing baggy black robes, a black hat, and a blue mask with beady eyes and a long nose stepped forward for the former dark guild, " _For Sabertooth, Orga Nanagear!"_ The crowd roared wildley as the hulking man with long green hair stepped up for the number one guild in Fiore.

"He's strong right?" Joshua asked.

Porlyusica nodded, "I never kept up much with these games. But, I've heard of the five strongest wizards in Sabertooth. He is one of them." he aged eyes focused on the man, "I hear he even gives the twin dragons of that guild a run for their money."

Joshua nodded at the explanation. He was someone to be wary of for day five, when the battle royale was scheduled to occur.

" _LOOK AT THIS! LAMIA SCALE IS SENDING OUT JURA NEEKIS!"_

Joshua's eyes pressed against the lacrima, "REALLY!?" he exclaimed as he watched the wizard saint calmly walk out, his arms hidden in the long, flowing sleeves of his shirt. Joshua felt a surge of anticipation for this match, he had always wanted to see Jura in action and this was his chance.

" _Fairy Tail B is sending out Cana Alberona!"_

Joshua saw the card mage step out of the crowd.

"Why is she in? I thought she wasn't on a team?" Joshua mumbled.

"Mystogan withdrew from the tournament. Said something about investigating a dark power." Porlyusica explained.

Joshua didn't show any reaction. Jellal had caught wind of something. He was just hoping that he wouldn't be left in the dark on it.

" _Imperius has selected Fifth Brother to participate for them!"_ The hulking creature with opaque eyes and stone grey skin lumbered forward with a chorus of boos urging him onward.

"Do you know how powerful that one is?" Porlyusica asked.

"He seems to be more of brute than an actual threat." Joshua noted, "But we will find out."

" _Last but not least, Fairy Tail A is sending out… Erza Scarlet!"_

The camera switched to Joshua's big sister marching out into the arena, clad in her Heart Kreuz armor and a look of pure determination on her face.

"GO ERZA!" Joshua shouted loudly causing Porlyusica to cover her ears.

All of the competitors stood in an arch in the center of the arena. Several shot smiles at each other, recognizing friendly competition among friends. The only ones Erza acknowledge were Milliana, Cana, and Jura whom she briefly nodded to before becoming completely focused once again.

" _Before we begin, let's introduce our guest commentator! Please welcome Lahar, Captain of Magic Council's Enforcement Unit!"_

The were scattered cheers around the stadium. But most of the crowd's attention was focused on the stocked lineup on the arena floor. Most of the guild's had sent out their toughest competitors.

" _It's an honor to be here."_ Lahar stated, " _I look forward to a good day of competition."_

" _As do I, Captain!"_ Chapati replied, " _Now then, let the Pandemonium begin!"_

A loud chime rang out in the arena. High above the Domas Flau, a black magic circle formed in the air, it's shadow encompassing the entire arena. Joshua stared wide eyed at the lacrima as a massive castle sprouted out of the magic circle and hung upside down in the air. The competitors were equally as shocked by the dark nature of this castle. It's intimidating dark stone clashed violently with the cheery atmosphere the arena once had.

" _Attention competitors."_ A short man in a pumpkin mask stepped up towards the competitors, " _Before today's event begins. I shall explain a few rules."_ The stadium fell to a hush, " _First, Pandemonium is a castle filled with one hundred monsters!"_ Gasps echoed out from the crowd, " _Each monster ranges in difficulty, from D class monsters to a single S class monster, of which some would say is the same strength as a Wizard Saint."_ Some of the competitors look nervously at each other, " _The winner of this event is determined by who can defeat the most monsters! To decide the order everyone will go in, we'll draw straws."_

The pumpkin man held out a white gloved hand with nine straws in them, " _The smallest straw goes first."_

Each competitor reach over and plucked a straw from the short man's hand. After several moments, the pumpkin man looked around.

" _Who has the smallest straw?"_

Joshua smiled as he saw Erza raised a short little stub in her left hand. The pumpkin man nodded and motioned for her to enter the castle.

" _Remember, defeat as many monsters as you can. The most wins."_

Erza smirked, " _You'll have to find another way for the others to participate today. Because I plan on taking out all of them."_

The crowd was silent for a moment before loud, laughter filled the arena. The camera panned around to see if Erza would react to the mocking laughter she was recieving, but her face remained emotionless.

" _It seems like a member of the weakest guild in Fiore wants to take out all of the monsters!"_ Bob Cat exclaimed, " _I'm not sure she can actually do that."_

 __In the Honey Bone Lodge, Porlyusica was doing her best to hold down Joshua as he thrashed around.

"LET ME AT THOSE ANNOUNCERS!" Joshua roared, "I'll teach them a lesson for doubting Erza! She's gonna do it!"

Porlyusica smacked him hard upside the head, "Hold still!" She roared as she held his arms down.

" _Um...well…"_ The Pumpkin Man muttered, " _Good luck then."_

Erza stared at the doorway to the castle as it slowly creaked open.

" _I don't need luck."_

….

The crowd stared wide eyed, mouths hanging open as they stared up at the lacrima visions around the stadium. The competitors on the ground couldn't believe what they were seeing either. The only one not taken totally by surprise was Cana, who merely drank from a bottle of alcohol and smugly grinned at her stunned opponents. The announcers up in the booth could only gape as they watched what was occurring inside of the Pandemonium castle. A loud rumble erupted from the castle followed by a defiant shout from Erza Scarlet. A moment of silence, then the sound of steel slicing through the air. A loud thud rang out and another monster had fallen.

" _A-amazing!"_ Chapati stammered as he watched Erza hack and slash her way through the monsters, " _Sh-she's actually doing it!"_

 __Back at the Honey Bone Lodge, Joshua has his right arm tightly clenching Porlyusica as he pumped his left fist in the air.

"GO ERZA! TAKE OUT THOSE MONSTERS!"

"LET GO OF ME HUMAN!" Porlyusica shouted but Joshua ignored her as he continued to cheer loudly.

The images flew by him on the lacrima as Erza launched from one monster to the next, easily dispatching the numerous D class monsters and working her way through the C class like a sickle through a field.

" _Three quarters of the monsters have been defeated and it barely looks like she has broken a sweat!"_ Chapati exclaimed stunned.

" _It seems that over the past seven years we have forgotten how powerful Titania of Fairy Tail truly is."_ Yajima nodded.

"OH YOU BET YOU GUYS HAVE!" Joshua shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Would you stop shouting!" Porlyusica snapped.

Joshua watched with a wide smile as Erza finished off the last of the C-class monsters and approached the dozen B class monsters. Erza quickly requiped into her Black Wing Armor and surged forward, dodging chains and hanging platforms that made up the inside of the dark castle. Even the B class monsters were no match. Erza's swords danced in her hands like ballerinas, graceful and powerful, every motion and stroke precisely timed and deliberate. Joshua watched with silent awe at the skill she was displaying. He had seven years of training with a Sith lord and an assassin and he doubted that he could match the level of skill Erza was displaying, and she was almost entirely self taught. It was an impeccable display of what training and hard work can bring.

The last of the B- Class monster fell to her twin black swords. The crowd was no longer silent, they were roaring. Their cheers echoing around the arena, causing the castle in the center to tremble from the volume of their voices.

The powerful requip wizard wiped her brow with the back of her right hand before she turned to face the five A class monsters that lumbered towards her. The crowds cheers fell as they saw the massive size of the monsters. They were easily twenty, maybe even thirty feet tall and looked more fearsome than creatures from the bleakest nightmares. Joshua closed his eyes to sense the power of these monsters. His own confidence in Erza's victory dipped a little as well. He knew Erza could easily take on one of these monsters, but five at once may be a stretch. Joshua squeezed his eyes tightly as he now probed the monsters for weak points.

"What are you doing?" Porlyusica asked.

"Looking for weaknesses." Joshua mumbled back.

As his sight crept along the monsters his senses were suddenly bombarded by a dark power that seemed to blacken out his sight. Joshua's vision disappeared. The dark side of the force flowed through the arena like a black river on the darkest nights. It choked out the light Joshua had previously felt and made his body go cold as he sat in his bed back at the Honey Bone Lodge.

"Joshua?" Porlyusica shook his shoulder but Joshua didn't respond. He was no longer focused on finding weak spots on the monsters. His attention was now firmly fixed on finding the origins of this power.

 _Where are you?_ Joshua swept past the shadowy outlines of people as his sight zipped him through the arena.

His sight stopped at the highest seats in the arena, close to the press box. He had reached the epicenter of the vortex in the dark side of the force. At first he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He just saw a crowd of people staring down at the arena as they watched Erza engage in a tense battle with the A class monsters. All of them blissfully ignorant of the darkness that was now choking the arena. Joshua clenched his jaw. The disturbance was around here somewhere. Joshua carefully used his sensory abilities, subtly moving by each person and studying them all.

 _Where are you?_

A low chuckle softly emitted nearby. It's sound a hideous mix of a droid voice box and damaged vocal cords. Joshua felt his skin grow goosebumps as he sensed the power emanating from the low chuckle. His sight slowly turned around. Standing behind him, up against the walls of the arena was a figure clothes in all black. A deep black hood hid his face in shadow, only a solid red, electronic eye and a natural crimson eye were visible in the shadows.

" **Amazing isn't it?** " warbled a voice that at some syllables sound distinctly human but at others screeched like a malfunctioning robot.

Joshua narrowed his eyes, he could not show fear.

 _What is amazing?_ Joshua replied with his mind.

" **This event, it's amazing isn't it."** The figure nodded to the lacrima screen displayed in front of the crowd, " **Erza's power amazes me to this day."**

Joshua frowned, _Who are you? How are you speaking to my mind? How… do you know Erza?_

The figure's terrifying cackle softly emitted from the shadows of it's hood.

" **I know a great many things you do not know. Things you couldn't possibly imagine. And… things that you have yet to learn but shall learn soon. Powerful things… terrifying things… things that would make you jump with joy, and sob in the earth."**

Joshua scowled. He didn't like that answer. It made no sense. He stretched out the force around him and attempted to gain access to the enigmatic figures mind. Joshua felt his sensory abilities hit a brick wall immediately. It wasn't just any brick wall either. This was the most sophisticated mind defense he had ever encountered. Joshua didn't even bother pushing again, he knew he couldn't break through that barrier. The figure made a disappointed clicking noise and slightly shook his head.

" **That was a lackluster attempt. Really… that is the best you are capable of?"** The figure cockily replied, " **But, I should've expected as much. It'll take a good deal of time before you reach my level."**

Joshua got the distinct feeling that this figure was grinning at him.

" **How about I give you a little taste of my power?"**

The dark side burst forth like a dark hurricane. Instantly Joshua gasped and opened his eyes.

" _AND ERZA HAS DEFEATED ALL ONE HUNDRED MONSTERS! AMAZING! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!"_ Chapati boomed as Joshua panted in his bed.

Porlyusica looked at Joshua, "What happened?"

Joshua felt sweat beading down his skin.

 _What was that? What the hell was that? It felt like Zeref but it wasn't._

Porlyusica shook Joshua's shoulder, "Hey! Answer human!"

Joshua blinked and looked back at Porlyusica, "Um… it was…" Joshua gulped, "I need you to go to the eastern hill outside of the city walls. Three people from Crime Sorciere are there. I need to speak with them immediately."

The old woman's eyes widened then she gave Joshua a frustrated glare.

"I'm not leaving you when you are still bed ridden. No, we will send for them when the guild comes back tonight."

"But, Ms. Porlyusica, this is important."

The old woman shook her head, "And so is your health. So forget about it. I never leave my patients completely alone."

Joshua was going to respond when he decided that it was not worth it. There was no arguing with the old woman. He'd have to wait, and hope that maybe Jellal noticed something off in the arena. Joshua then cringed at the thought.

 _I can't believe I'm putting my hopes in that blue haired bastard!_

…..

Jellal raced through the massive crowds in the arena. He could feel that power subtly moving around the Domas Flau like a snake. A large, massive, dark boa that was slowly constricting around the arena and choking the light away. It was subtle, slow, and unnoticeable to those who weren't specifically searching for it. But there it was yet again. For the seventh time in seven years, this dark power has made it's appearance at the games.

Jellal turned a corner past a concession stand and accidentally barreled into another person. Both of them fell roughly to the ground.

"Geez, watch where you are going will you!?" the man opposite of Jellal winced.

Jellal shook his head to clear the spots from his vision. He quickly looked across and saw a man with short brown hair and tan skin. He wore a magic council enforcement uniform and had a large scar on the left side of his face.

"Doranbolt?" Jellal muttered under his breath. _Just my luck, I knock over an overzealous magic council officer._

"Yeah, so?" The man grumbled as he got to his feet then extended a hand to Jellal, "You need to watch where you're going Mystogan."

Jellal blinked momentarily then remembered that he was still disguised. Losing his nervousness, he grabbed Doranbolt's hand allowing himself to be helped up.

"Thanks." Jellal replied lowly, trying his best to imitate Mystogan's reserved behavior.

Doranbolt nodded then looked over at the arena.

"It looks like their using the Magic Power finder to place the other competitors." Doranbolt noted as the lacrima vision switched to several officials hauling a large machine out onto the arena floor.

"Hm…" Jellal replied.

"So, who do think will win second place?" Doranbolt asked, "My money's on Jura. I don't think anyone will out power him."

Jellal glanced at the competitors, "Don't count out Cana."

Doranbolt chuckled and nodded, "True. I've heard she's strong. But… I don't think she's wizard saint strong."

Jellal shrugged as he continued his Mystogan impression, "You never know." He nodded to Doranbolt and continued on his way, leaving the Magic council officer to continue his spectating of the games.

He reached the peak of the Domas Flau. There were no seats that were higher up. He could feel the power nearby. He was getting close. The disguised leader of Crime Sorciere passed by some more spectators, brushing by them as he walked through the confined space. Then he reached a dead end. The door in front of him read:

PRESSBOX  
OFFICIALS ONLY

Jellal sighed. There was no way the power was originating from the other side. A follower of Zeref wouldn't be foolish enough to leak out his power near a magic council member, especially one as enthusiastic about justice as Lahar was. It appeared that he had reached a dead end.

" **Blue…"**

Jellal's eyes widened. The air around him grew ice cold. He could see his breath coming out from his mask. The dark power he felt around the stadium condensed itself around him.

" **Haired…"**

The fugitive whipped around to see a figure clothes in all black slowly stalking towards him. The crowd payed him no mind, as if they didn't even notice he even existed. The figure strode up to Jellal till his face was mere inches from Jellal's. Jellal saw the face. His brown eyes grew wide and he felt shock build inside of him. His fears were true. But how? How was this possible!? The figure's electronic red eye narrowed and Jellal felt his airway being squeezed shut.

" **Bastard."**

….

" _WOW! Three thousand eight hundred and twenty five points for Orga Nanagear!"_ Chapati bellowed as he jumped to his feet.

The crowd ooed and ahed as Orga Nanagear's lightning charged fist retracted back to his body. The green haired man grinned as he basked in the crowd's adoration. That was a record for the games, no one could possibly be stronger than him.

" _Next up… JURA NEEKIS OF LAMIA SCALE!"_

Orga's confidence disappeared. He had completely forgotten about the wizard saint. Jura slowly walked up to the machine. His long beard drifting lazily in the breeze that drifted through the arena.

" _Will Jura be able to beat Orga's record breaking mark? We are about to find out!"_

Jura smiled to himself and wound up his arm. His fist surged forwards. Just as he was about to strike the machine a loud explosion ripped through the upper stands of the arena, near the pressbox. Jura's fist stopped inches short of the machine and his gaze whipped up to the explosion. Screams of panic filled the Domas Flau and Rune knights raced out onto the arena floor. Even more Rune knights surged towards the explosion.

Smoke billowed from the press box area.

"Hurry! We need to see if everyone is ok!" Erza shouted before rushing towards the stands.

Cana and Hibiki raced behind her. They were all followed by Milliana who used her cat tail whips to grapple up into the stands and rush to help people caught in the explosion. Jura moved quickly as well, helping panicked people quickly and safely exit the arena. As he did this, he noticed that most of the guilds were also assisting the evacuation. Fairy Tail being the key participant. It warmed Jura's heart to see his old friends in action like this again. Kagura rushed up to stand beside the wizard saint, using her status as a powerful wizard to comfort the crowd and direct them to the exit.

"What was that Jura?" the most powerful wizard in Mermaid Heel asked.

"I'm not sure." Jura replied.

"OH MY GOD LOOK!" screamed a woman in the crowd.

Kagura looked up to the explosion. The smoke had finally started to dissipate. Her eyes widened and she felt her stomach flip inside of her. Standing in front of the press box, arms outstretched with a magical barrier around the announcers, was Jellal Fernandes. Kagura felt like she was going to be sick as she saw that face, that blue hair, and that tattoo over the right eye.

"Kagura!" Jura snapped, "Focus on helping the people here!"

Kagura ignored the wizard saint. Revenge was on her mind. Nothing else. She gripped her sheathed sword and sprinted towards Jellal. As she got closer she saw something peculiar. He was wounded, badly too. Blood was dripping from multiple cuts and a large red stain was covering his chest.

 _Good! He's wounded, which makes it easier for me to kill him!_

 __Kagura's mad rush was suddenly stopped as she smashed into what felt like an invisible wall. She groaned on the ground and raised her head to see the human member of Imperius standing beside her.

"Your revenge will come soon." The man muttered, "But it's probably be best to assist the people here before causing more destruction."

Kagura growled and struggled to get up but found that she was pinned by an invisible hand.

"Stubborn." The man commented, "Good. You'll need that if you are going to even hope to kill that blue haired man. From what I sense, he is far more powerful than you are."

Kagura grit her teeth, her jaw creaking as she clenched it tighter and tighter.

"Now, focus your anger elsewhere, your chance will come." The man said, "I won't let you go until you do."

"Why do you care?" she snarled, "You're guild seems more than fine with killing."

The man scowled, "I care because I want you to succeed. He's the biggest threat here other than the wizard saint and the Scarlet boy." Kagura's eyes widened, "Your highest chance for success is waiting. Besides… there is something else here that won't let you take him out. Not yet."

Kagura growled again and attempted to break free of the invisible grip one more time before finally relenting. She relaxed her muscles and as soon as she did that, the invisible hand on her disappeared.

"No go help the masses leave." The man began to walk away, "If you wish for my assistance in your quest for revenge… then meet me at the Crossbones Inn, western edge of this city. We can discuss things there."

The man walked away and met up with the inquisitors, who were waiting for him at the exit.

"Who's the girl?" The Seventh Sister asked, "Don't tell me you have some kind of lustful feeling for her."

"Inquisitor." The man's eyes glinted crimson for a moment, "Watch. Your. Tongue." The Seventh Sister gulped and cowered away, "She is nothing now. But…" they wall began to walk towards their lodging, "She has the potential to be something."

….

Joshua stared shocked at his lacrima orb. Jellal had been unmasked by an explosion. And he was not looking very good.

"DAMMIT!" Joshua roared as he slammed his fist into his mattress. He glared over at Porlyusica, "GET TO THAT HILL NOW!"

Porlyusica didn't argue with him this time. Crime Sorciere needed to be alerted. Just as she was about to rush out the door. She saw a figure appear in front of Jellal. It was a powerfully built man with dark skin and long, brown dreadlocks. He appeared out of a tree root that jutted up from the floor of the arena. The man grabbed Jellal and sucked him into the tree root with him, disappearing away from the area.

"What was-"

She noticed Joshua breathe a slight sigh of relief, "Azuma moves fast. That's good. Crime Sorciere is already moving." he looked over at the old healer, "How will my condition be tonight?"

Porlyusica rubbed her chin, "After another round of healing by Wendy, you should be able to move on your own again. But you will not be in any shape to fight. Not until the last day of the games."

The teen nodded, "Good. I'm going to that hill myself. There's no need for you to go now. Jellal has been evacuated out of there."

Porlyusica noticed the concerned expression on his face. Erza had flashed up on screen along with the rest of Team A and B. They were directing traffic, trying to clear the arena of the massive crowds.

"Don't worry they'll be fine."

The lacrima orb suddenly was filled with static. Joshua gulped and gripped his sheets tightly as his senses picked up the sudden change in magic in the area.

"You spoke way too soon old lady." Joshua muttered. He threw the sheets from his body and swung his legs out from the bed.

"What're you doing!? You are in no condition to-"

"Wendy, Erza, everyone is in danger!" Joshua snapped back, "I need to get to that arena now! And you are going to help me."

"I will-"

Joshua gave Porlyusica one of Erza's patented glares.

"Don't argue with me on this one. You are going to help me there, or I'm going to drag myself there."

Porlyusica sighed, cursed under her breath and wrapped Joshua's right arm over her old shoulders. Joshua winced as he felt his ribs shift. He then exhaled and did what his master taught him. He let the dark side of the force fill him. He absorbed the pain and used it as fuel to push him forward.

"Alright…" he breathed to Porlyusica, "Let's move."

….

Erza's brown eyes slowly opened. Her head pounded and she felt like she had the worst stomach ache ever. Her vision was still a little foggy, but it was slowly clearing up. Everything came into focus. She was surrounded by a dome of dark purple that seemed to be alive. The magic inside of the dome swirled around Erza. Her brown eyes quickly glanced around. She was still in the arena, the ground was the same beneath her. But there were no fleeing crowds. Instead there was only the two Fairy Tail teams. A few feet away she saw Laxus shake his head and slowly get onto his hands and knees.

"What the hell?" he heard him mumble. The blonde lightning mage glanced over at Erza. "Do you know what's going on?"

Erza shook her head before rising to her feet, "No idea." she glanced around again and saw that their other team members were all knocked out, "But it looks like our enemy is using the chaos as a distraction so they can make their move."

"We most certainly have, Titania." said a voice that sounded completely crazed.

Laxus and Erza looked right and saw Raven Tail's team standing there, all of them grinning and ready for a fight. Standing in the middle of them was none other than Ivan Dreyer. The insane master of Raven Tail grinned maniacally at the two Fairy Tail wizards.

"How are you doing my son?" Ivan said as he looked at Laxus, "It has been a long time. How many years now? Ten? Eleven?"

"Not enough." Laxus snarled, "What the hell do you want?"

Ivan chuckled madly, "You know what I want. I want the destruction of Fairy Tail." Erza and Laxus grit their teeth and readied for a fight that they new was about to occur. Ivan spread his arms out, "But in order to do that, I need to obtain one thing. Tell me Laxus… Titania… do you know of Lumen Histoire?"

Erza raised an eyebrow, "Lumen what?"

"Don't play dumb!" Ivan snarled, "You are Makarov's most trusted mage, Titania. You have to know. And you… Laxus. You are his grandson, he has to have told you of Lumen Histoire."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Laxus growled, "And I don't have the patience to hear any more of your insane rambling."

Ivan frowned, "You won't listen to your own father?"

Laxus laughed, "You should talk to Gramps sometime. He would tell you that I'm not very good at listening to my elders. I don't give a damn about you or whatever Lumen Histoire is. All I know is that you have managed to knock out my guild mates and trap us in some kind of magic barrier. Which makes you my enemy, nothing more."

Ivan's eyes burned with anger, "YOU PETULANT BRAT! Destroy them!"

The four members of Raven Tail's team rushed towards Erza and Laxus.

Laxus scowled and casually looked over at Erza, "You hang back. I can handle these weaklings."

Erza smirked, "Have fun."

The enemy was now feet away. A red haired woman with a revealing red dress and mad eyes swung her long hair towards Laxus. She cackled triumphantly as the hair wrapped around Laxus and tightly gripped his body.

"Gotcha Blondie!" The woman cackled.

The wizard named Blacksnake rushed up and punched Laxus in the jaw, causing the lightning mage to stumble backwards. Then, Obra came up behind Laxus and delivered a powerful strike causing him to fall on his face. Lastly, Alexei jumped forward and kicked Laxus in the stomach causing him to slide away. All of the Raven Tail members laughed loudly as Laxus lay on the ground.

"That's supposed to be a Fairy Tail S Class wizard?" Alexei snarled through his bronze mask.

"Blondie wasn't as tough as we feared." The red haired woman smirked as she tilted her head to the side.

Erza remained completely calm and Ivan noticed this.

"What's the matter Titania!? Paralyzed by fear as a wizard more powerful than you is defeated by my guild?" Ivan cackled.

Erza shook her head, "Hardly. I'm just thinking about what kind of cake I should enjoy after Laxus beats you all like a drum."

"What?"

Lightning bolts arced around the dome and struck the dirt around the Raven Tail members. The bolts raced around the area under the dome, causing electricity and static to build up around everyone. Erza crossed her arms and glanced over at Laxus.

"Quit the theatrics and beat these guys already. Jellal needs our assistance."

Laxus laughed, "I thought you told me to have fun."

His powerful hands grabbed the red hair that was wrapped around him. He tensed and lightning arced up the hair and slammed into the cackling woman. Another lightning bolt surged around the dome and crashed into Black Snake sending him flying across the dome. Obra and Alexei gulped and took a step back as Laxus muscled out of the tangled red hair and stomped towards them.

"So… Alexei do you want to go first? Or should I hit Obra?"

"HIT OBRA! HIT OBRA!" Alexei screeched.

"Alexei it is then." Laxus grinned before hitting the armored man with a charged fist.

The bronze mask on Alexei's face shattered instantly as he flew back from the powerful punch. The dome shimmered then disappeared, revealing what was going on to the rune knights who had the area surrounded. Disappearing with the dome, was Ivan, who shimmered as well before disappearing into thin air. Obra looked back and forth uncertain of what to do. He was about to take off running when he saw a blade glinting in the sun. Obra felt fear and sweat pour over him as she stared down the blade of Erza Scarlet, pointed directly at his long nose. Obra's shoulders sagged, this fight was over.

Laxus grinned and moved towards Alexei. But then he stopped. The rune knights near Alexei were parting to let their two captains through. Lahar and Doranbolt moved quickly, working in perfect tandem. Doranbolt pinned down Alexei before he could rise to his feet again and Lahar smacked Magic Suppression cuffs onto the man's wrists.

"You won't be going anywhere." Lahar said firmly. He glanced at his rune knights, "Apprehend the Raven Tail guild. Their actions today are proof that they are still are dark guild."

The dozens of rune knights quickly moved past and placed cuffs on Obra and the unconscious members of Raven Tail. As the knights moved the dark guild members away Lahar walked up to Laxus and Erza.

"Thank you for assisting with the apprehension of those dangerous criminals." Lahar bowed, "It appears the magic council owes Fairy Tail a favor now."

"It was our pleasure." Laxus snarled.

Erza frowned, "What do you mean Raven Tail's actions show they are a dark guild."

Lahar smirked back at her, "I may be able to convince the magic council that Raven Tail was responsible for the explosions, with assistance from witnesses of course."

"I thought you'd be convinced that Jellal was responsible."

Lahar exhaled, "Jellal is a criminal. And I will capture him eventually. But… he did just save my life. If not for his actions, that explosion would've killed me and many others. So… I can look the other way this time. Farewell Erza Scarlet."

Lahar and Doranbolt exited with their prisoners. As they left, Joshua passed by them as Porlyusica helped him hobble along.

"Erza!" he called.

Erza blinked as she saw Joshua approaching, "What're you doing here? You are supposed to be resting?"

Joshua smiled, "I can't let you have all the fun."

"I thought you wanted to make sure they were safe!" Porlyusica snapped.

"I AM!" Joshua snapped back.

"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME YOUNG MAN!"

"I CAN TALK AS MUCH AS I WANT!"

"Joshua…" Erza snarled. The teen gulped and looked fearfully over at his older sister, "Respect your elders."

"Yes ma'am!"

Laxus blinked, "Wow, you've got him trained well."

"Shut up thunder head." Joshua muttered.

Before Laxus could insult Joshua back Erza glared at them both, silencing them immediately. As this all occurred, the other members of the guild stirred and slowly got to their feet.

"Aw man. What just happened?" Natsu groaned.

Wendy shook her head, her eyes spinning a little, "Does anyone need some healing." She mumbled, "If you do, sorry, I'm dizzy."

Joshua laughed and hobbled over to her, "C'mon dizzy. Let's get back to the lodge."

"That joke sucks." She mumbled as Joshua ignored his own injuries and helped her up.

"And I can make them all day."

"Please don't."

….

Meldy and Ultear waited nervously up on the hill outside of the city. Meldy sat beside a tree, a lacrima orb in her lap while Ultear paced back and forth. Ultear then stopped her pacing and folded her arms.

"Where is Azuma!"

Meldy sighed, "You know traveling by tree root takes some time."

"I don't care!" Ultear exclaimed, "Jellal is injured and we don't know who caused it yet. Only he does. If Azuma doesn't show up I'm going to- I'm going to-"

"Going to do what?" asked a deep voice nearby.

Ultear jumped and flipped around to see Azuma materializing out of the tree Meldy was leaning up against. In Azuma's thick arms was Jellal, bleeding and bruised, but still awake. Azuma set Jellal down gently against the tree and Ultear rushed up.

"Jellal! What happened!?"

The blue haired man coughed and winced. He then began to explain who he saw. Ultear, Meldy, and Azuma felt lumps in their throats as he heard his story.

"That's… that's not possible. He wouldn't.." Meldy trembled, "He couldn't…"

"That is what I saw Meldy." Jellal replied, his voice growing hoarse, "There is no doubt about it now. He is our enemy. And we must stop him."

Ultear sighed, "Are you sure you heard that correctly? It was a loud stadium."

"I'm sure of it." Jellal replied, "Only one person calls me that. And that is exactly who I feared our enemy was."

"But it makes no sense." Meldy said, "He was injured today."

"It makes complete sense." Azuma argued, "The boy was in the games, and when he was present at the stadium, we didn't sense that power. Then, when he is injured and not at the arena, that power appears. He could have snuck away, faked his injury, and watched the games from afar."

Ultear shook her head, "I'm having a hard time believing it as well. We can't rush into this, we need more information. If what you say is true Jellal, then we need to tread lightly. He is obviously far more powerful than he is letting everyone know."

Jellal nodded and felt exhaustion wash over him.

"Get some rest now." Ultear said, "We will watch from afar now."

Jellal nodded slowly before drifting off to sleep.

 **And Chapter! What a chapter! Lots of information and setup for the next arc, the dragons arc. We got a glimpse at who the villain could be. But who is it anyways? There are clues there. Let me know who you guys think it is. Also, what do you think the inquisitors have planned for Kagura. It seems their leader has pegged her as an asset of some sort. It'll be interesting to see what happens there. Anyways, I should have another chapter out soon. So be ready! I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	55. Chapter 55: Tag Team

**Hey everyone! As you may have noticed I finally stopped being lazy and added chapter titles to each chapter. It helps make finding where you left off in the story easier I think. I hope it does. Anyways, time for a new chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 55

The Honey Bone Lodge was quiet tonight. Only whispers were heard as everyone discussed what had occurred at the games earlier in the day. Talks of a Dark Guild possibly attacking filled most of the silent conversations between the Fairy Tail members. Even the ever effervescent Mavis Vermillion was solemn as she quietly pondered the day's events. Something was not right about what happened. The magic council was blaming Raven Tail for the explosion however from what Erza told her, Raven Tail was in fact not to blame. Although, what Raven Tail did during the chaos also disturbed the ghostly first master. Their master had asked about Lumen Histoire, something that only the guild masters of Fairy Tail know about. To think a secret like that was in the hands of a Dark Guild greatly troubled Mavis.

The first master heard a stool slide against the wooden floors. Her head turned to see Joshua Scarlet taking a seat at the bar beside her. He quietly ordered a drink from the bar and sipped on it before looking over at Mavis.

"Feeling any better?" The first master asked.

Joshua nodded, "Wendy is amazing at healing. I've been cleared for tomorrow's games, but I'm only going to watch."

Mavis frowned, "Watch or search?"

Joshua sipped his drink then set the mug down softly, "Maybe both." he glanced over at Mavis, "I know you sensed it too." Mavis's eyes looked down, "That dark power that Jellal spoke of… it was there today."

Mavis nodded, "I sensed it. But I'm stumped as to who is causing it."

"It's not Zeref?" Joshua asked.

The blonde ghost shook her head, "I knew Zeref very well. This isn't his style. He doesn't go around causing explosions for the sake of causing explosions. Also, while the magic power was similar it wasn't his. There was one major difference."

"That being?"

"No matter what Zeref did, there was always a shred of light in him. It could be very small, more like a sliver than a shred. But it was there." Mavis folded her hands, "This power was dark through and through. There was no light there at all."

Joshua grimaced, "That's rather unsettling. To think that there is someone with a darker heart out there than Zeref." He trembled a little, "I hope I don't run into him."

"I hope so too." Mavis replied.

"What are you two talking about?"

Mavis and Joshua glanced to their right and saw Erza walk up and sit down in a stool beside Joshua.

"We were talking about today." Joshua replied.

Mavis nodded, "Yes."

Erza raised an eyebrow, "The conversation looked pretty serious. Something I should know about?"

"Well-"

"Actually yes." Mavis replied, "Raven Tail, they asked you about something called Lumen Histoire, correct?"

Erza nodded, "Yes, that's right."

Mavis frowned, an expression that did not seem natural on her usually cheery face, "Hm…" she pursed her lips, "I'm going to need to speak to the third master."

"Is there something dangerous about this Lumen Histoire?" Erza asked.

Mavis's frown deepened, "I hope not." she replied mysteriously before her gaze snapped over to the front door.

The creaky door had burst open, allowing rain from the raging storm outside to fly into the lodge. Rushing in from the downpour was Master Makarov flanked by Laxus and Mirajane. The old man shook some rain off of his coat and hung the white wizard saint garment up on a hook. All eyes were turned to him.

"I have some good news." Makarov said, "The games are still on tomorrow. There will be extra security, but the events will not be canceled."

Some of the guild members cheered and clapped. Makarov quickly gestured for quiet.

"I also have some bad news. Due to the sudden explosion today, the battle round of today's games has been canceled. Which means there are less opportunities for us to gain points now."

"What!" Natsu shouted.

"Damn." Grumbled Gajeel, "That means one less member of each guild will have a chance to throw down before the battle royale."

"Other than that, nothing has changed." Makarov stated before looking over at the two Fairy Tail teams, "You all get some rest, tomorrow is a major event then the tag team battles. We need you all completely fresh."

"Yes Master." Joshua and Erza nodded in reply. The siblings got to their feet and followed their team up to their room. After another half hour, the dining hall of the lodge was empty with the exception of Mavis, Makarov, and Cana, who was passed out drunk on the bar counter top.

"Not going to sleep Third?" Mavis asked as the old man sat lazily on a bar stool.

"Not yet." Makarov replied, "Today's crisis has got me worried."

"Me too." Mavis replied, "Raven Tail… they inquired about Lumen Histoire."

"WHAT!" Makarov cried.

Mavis nodded, "Do you know of anyone who could've leaked information about that?"

Makarov's forehead was covered in veins as overwhelming anger took over, "Ivan! That despicable son of mine!" He growled, "He must've found something before I expelled him from the guild."

"Ivan… he's Raven Tail's master correct?" Mavis asked.

Makarov nodded.

"Then we must hope that he knows to remain tight lipped." Mavis said.

"Why?"

"If he doesn't then I may have to pay him a visit." Mavis replied lowly, "I'd prefer not to do that."

Makarov gulped. The first master looked positively furious right now. It was an intimidating thing to behold, even if she was a ghost.

"Well… there is nothing we can do now." Makarov sighed, "I'm going to go get some rest."

Mavis's frown left and she smiled lightly at the old man, "Ok."

As Makarov exited the dining area, Mavis sat on the bar counter with her ghostly legs swinging back and forth over the floor. Her head was bowed and her hands folded. There were more threats now than ever before. If Lumen Histoire were uncovered, the guild would be in danger like no other. Mavis's hands tightened into small fists. She would not let her guild be harmed. Not now, not ever.

….

There really was extra security at the the Doma Flau on day four. Dozens of Rune Knights stood guard at every entry to the arena and every single person who entered underwent a thorough magic screening and search. Even the competitors were subject to the security measures. Unfortunately one of the Rune Knights decided to get a little handsy when searching Wendy. Joshua and Natsu noticed this immediately and were about to pound the rune knight into paste when they saw him get sent flying by a burst of wind. The knight slammed into the ceiling and left a crater in the roof. Joshua and Natsu stared wide eyed as the he flopped limply to the ground. The two wizards looked back at Wendy who marched past them muttering something about punishment and keeping hands to one's self.

"When did she get so scary?" Natsu squeaked.

Joshua gulped, "Remind me not to get on her bad side."

Erza laughed behind them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders, "Are you two scared of sweet little Wendy?"

"Not a word to anyone." Joshua muttered before Erza laughed again and walked with the two up to their balcony where Gray, Wendy, and Lucy were waiting for them.

"How's it going you guys?" Lucy asked, "Heard you're scared of a certain sky dragon."

Joshua ignored her while Natsu argued with Lucy about the truthfulness of that statement. Joshua stood quietly beside Wendy for a moment before looking over at her.

"How much do you want me to beat the knight up?" he asked.

Wendy snorted a small laugh out, "Don't worry about it. He won't do it again."

"I'll say." Joshua looked back to see the poor rune knight being carried out on a stretcher, "Hey Wendy."

"Yeah?"

"Remind me not to piss you off."

Wendy laughed aloud, "Alright."

" _WELCOME BACK EVERYONE TO DAY FOUR OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!"_ The announcer, Chapati Lola, shouted into his microphone, " _Before we begin today's events, we apologize for the inconvenience of the added security, but measures had to be taken after yesterday's sudden attack by Raven Tail. As a result, Raven Tail has been disqualified from the games, leaving only eight teams in the games."_

" _Which works out very well because now the teams are even for the tag team battle today."_ Yajima noted.

" _Right you are Mr. Yajima. Now, before we start today's main event. We will finish yesterday's main event. Bring out the Magic Power finder!"_

"Huh.." Joshua stated, "Looks like we'll be getting points out of yesterday after all."

Wendy nodded while Erza stood triumphantly knowing that she did win yesterday's event.

" _We only have three contestants left for the Magic Power finder! First up is Jura Neekis!"_

Joshua smiled excitedly as he watched Jura power up and deliver a powerful strike to the machine. The numbers in the machine spun wildly for several moments before stopping suddenly. Joshua and Erza's eyes went as wide as balloons.

" _EIGHT THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR!"_ Chapati screamed into the mic, " _Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! That is the power of a wizard saint for you!"_

Joshua was silent for a moment as he watched Jura slowly walk away from the machine. He then cheered loudly.

"YEAH JURA!"

"Whose side are you on?" Gray commented.

"Yeah, you're supposed to be rooting for Cana!" Natsu shouted.

"But he's so cool!" Joshua replied with a grin.

" _Next up, Fifth Brother of Imperius!"_

Joshua's excitement faded as he was reminded of the ever present threat he knew Imperius was. He watched silently as the large, powerfully built gray creature lumbered towards the machine. The creature looked at it for a moment before extending a palm and blasting the machine with a powerful force push. The machine slid back several feet, kicking up a cloud of dust around it. The creature grinned revealing yellow teeth. He was sure that was the most powerful strike of the day. The numbers flipped and then stopped.

" _One thousand!"_

The stadium was completely silent except for the loud amused laughter of the Seventh Sister at the Imperius guild balcony. The stone grey creature looked at the machine with shock before bowing his head and shamefully returning to his guild.

" _Well that was really underwhelming."_ Bob Cat stated in the press box.

Yajima and Chapati nodded in agreement.

" _Let's see if our last contestant can pass up Jura! Now up, Cana Alberona of Fairy Tail B!"_

Joshua smiled as he waited for Cana to move towards the machine. The card mage took one step forward before face planting in the dirt. Joshua felt a bead of sweat form on the side of his head.

"She's…. Drunk…" Joshua muttered.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Gray bellowed.

"Poor Laxus, his team is going to lose again…" Wendy mumbled as she saw the look of complete dismay on the lightning wizard's face.

Natsu was laughing loudly, "We are actually beating Laxus' team! Yes!"

The man in the pumpkin mask waddled out onto the arena and poked Cana whose only response was a loud snore. The referee sweat dropped then waved his hands.

"The event is over!"

Every member of Fairy Tail fell backwards.

"You gotta be kidding!" Joshua shouted as he shot back up to his feet, "Since when does she drink so much she can't function the next day!?"

"I'll go down and heal the hangover." Wendy sighed before exiting the balcony.

"I may need to have a little chat with Cana about her drinking habits." glowered Erza as Cana was carried out of the Arena by Wendy and Gajeel.

" _That was a rather anti-climatic conclusion."_ Chapati stated, " _Well… let's look at the scoreboard!"_

Joshua looked up over the stadium as the scoreboard materialized above them.

 _ **First Place: Imperius- 27 points**_

 _ **Second Place: Lamia Scale- 26 points**_

 _ **Third Place: Sabertooth- 24 points**_

 _ **Third Place: Quatro Cerberus- 24 points**_

 _ **Fifth Place: Fairy Tail A- 22 points**_

 _ **Sixth Place: Mermaid Heel- 21 points**_

 _ **Seventh Place: Blue Pegasus- 18 points**_

 _ **Eight Place: Fairy Tail B- 11 points**_

 _ **Ninth Place: Raven Tail- DQ**_

"Hey look at that! We moved up!" Natsu cheered.

"Yeah, we're back in the running." Erza smiled, "We just need to do well today."

" _As you can see, this is still anyone's game! Imperius has taken the lead, but Lamia Scale is right behind them."_

" _Don't count out Sabertooth, Chapati."_ Bob Cat stated, " _Minerva Orland has yet to make an impact, but I expect her to wreak havoc soon."_

" _Don't be surprised if Fairy Tail takes this."_ Yajima replied, " _Their my dark horse pick. Remember, Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel, and Wendy Marvel have yet to enter the battle round. All of them are easily on par with Sabertooth, as clearly displayed by Erza handily winning yesterday's event."_

" _Right you are Yajima. But enough speculation."_ Chapati said, " _Let us start the next event! Guild's choose your participants!"_

 __Joshua and the others huddled together.

"Alright, who should we send?" Joshua asked.

"Well you can't. You've already been in an event and a battle round. So you're out of the games until the battle royale when we can sub you back in." Wendy stated.

"Lemme at em!" Natsu shouted loudly.

"You've already competed in an event idiot." Gray shouted back.

Erza glared at them, "The purpose of a huddle is to prevent the others from HEARING OUR PLANS!" she finished with a loud shout. Gray and Natsu gulped fearfully, "So be quiet."

"Aye sir!"

"What about you Wendy?" Erza asked, "Do you want to take this event?"

The blue haired girl shook her head, "No, you all need me to heal you. If this event injures anyone then I need to be on hand to help. Especially with the battle royale tomorrow."

"Good point." Joshua stated. Then his heart stopped, he slowly looked over at the last remaining member, "Then that means…"

Lucy blinked as all of them stared at her, "What?"

Joshua sighed, "We're doomed."

"WHY DO YOU HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN ME!?"

"You haven't done much to give me confidence." Joshua replied.

"I've done plenty!"

"We don't have a choice it seems." Erza stated, "Lucy…. Go win this event for us!"

Lucy wanted to shout back at her for considering her a last resort but before she could Natsu threw Lucy into the arena.

"Go get em Luce!"

"WAAAAAAAAH!" Lucy landed with a loud thump on the arena floor.

"Natsu why did you do that!" Wendy shouted.

"She was taking too long." Natsu replied, "I wanna see a good fight!"

"You know you won't be getting that with Lucy out there." Joshua deadpanned.

" _And Fairy Tail A sends out Lucy Heartfilia for today's event!"_ Chapati announced, " _All guilds have chosen their contestants. This will be a showdown between these eight: Arana Web of Mermaid Heel! Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus! Rocker of Quatro Cerberus! Sherria Blendy of Lamia Scale!"_

Joshua took careful note of the competitors stepping out onto the field. The only one who physically looked like a fighter was Rocker, the man wearing a black jacket with black pants and the strange blonde haircut. But Joshua knew better. His senses told him that he may actually be the weakest one currently out on the arena. The strongest was actually the small, pink haired girl that came from Lamia Scale's balcony.

" _Minerva Orland steps forward for Sabertooth!"_ Chapati bellowed. A loud chorus of cheers greeted the serious looking woman that moved out onto the arena floor, " _Fairy Tail B's contestant is Juvia Lockser!"_

Joshua smirked over at Gray as the ice mage suddenly became very interested in the event.

"Looking forward to watching your girl in action?" Joshua remarked.

"She's not my girl!" Gray shouted back.

"Sure she isn't" Joshua laughed.

"Oh… and what about you and Wendy?" Gray smirked.

"Shut up snowflake!" Joshua sighed, "And get some clothes on unless you really want to distract Juvia."

"Hm…" Gray yelped and rushed to find his clothes while Joshua laughed and focused back on the games.

" _Grand Inquisitor will compete for Imperius!"_

The crowd fell to a hush as the man who was responsible for the only death in the history of the Grand Magic Games stepped out. His thin lips were parted in a wide grin revealing his razor sharp teeth. The competitors stood in a line on the arena floor waiting for the event to begin.

" _Today's event is… a naval battle!"_

A large orb of water launched from water cannons on the sides of the stadium. Magical restraints kept the water in a large globe at the center. The competitors were then hoisted into the water. Everyone but Minerva, Juvia, and the Grand Inquisitor panicked until they realized that they could all breathe.

" _This water is completely breathable, but it holds the same properties of normal water, making physical fighting difficult. So the contestants better come up with a good strategy to win."_ Chapati stated, " _The rules of this event are simple. Stay in the water the longest and you win. Contestants are free to knock out their opponents using whatever magic they choose._ _Now then… let day four begin!"_

The gong rang out and the contestants immediately acted. Within seconds, Rocker was knocked out of the water orb by Sherria Blendy as the young girl used a blast of black wind to send the man flying out of the water. Her victory was short lived however as she was hit by a large net of spider webs. The webs shoved her out of the water and forced her into a rough landing on the ground below.

" _Sherria strikes first but Arana Web of Mermaid Heel is able to catch her off guard!"_

Joshua watched as the other wizards swam, dipped, and ducked through the water. He smirked a little when he saw Juvia using the water to her advantage. The rain woman was in her natural element, easily dispatching of Jenny Realight the Arana Web with a pair of water whips. She then looked over at Gray, hoping her love saw her great strategy. That's when Grand Inquistor struck. A powerful force push launched Juvia out of the water and onto the ground, stunning Fairy Tail B.

"Told you she'd be distracted." Joshua told Gray.

"I've got my clothes back on!" Gray shouted back.

"Doesn't matter in the end." Joshua replied.

" _This has been a lightning fast round so far! Only three contestants remain in the water! Who will be knocked out next!"_

 __" **OPEN GATE OF THE WATER BEARER: AQUARIUS!"**

Lucy swept a golden key in front of her. A doorbell sounded and a golden magic circle appeared in the water. The circle disappeared as a large mermaid appeared in the water.

"Great Move Luce!" Natsu cheered.

Joshua thought it was a good move as well. Until he noticed the look of pure annoyance on Aquarius's face.

"You took me away from my date!" Aquarius roared angrily.

Lucy waved her arms, "So just take these guys out and go back quickly!"

The mermaid crossed her arms and glared down at Lucy, "Sorry, but you seem to have forgotten our contract."

Lucy's eyes widened, "Eh?"

"No summoning when I'm on a date."

Lucy gulped, "Oh…"

"SO DON'T MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN!" Aquarius bellowed before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"NO COME BACK!" Lucy shouted.

"Don't get distracted girl." said a venomous voice nearby.

Joshua's eyes widened as he saw the Grand Inquisitor sneak up behind Lucy, a red glow in his hands.

"Lucy look out!"

"Huh?"

Lucy glanced back and screamed as she saw the Grand Inquisitor swing his blade. The blonde ducked beneath the blade at the last moment before spinning away. Just before the Grand Inquisitor could deliver another blow he was hit by a large push that sent him spiraling out of the water, much to the Pau'an's shock.

" _Minerva Orland has struck!"_

Joshua stared wide eyed. _Did my eyes trick me? Or did I just see a force push?_

" _The battle is down to Minerva of Sabertooth and shockingly, Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail A!"_

Lucy recovered quickly from the surprise she felt when the Imperius guild member snuck up on her. She leveled herself out in the water and floated face to face with Minerva. The Sabertooth woman floated confidently in the water.

"So, you are the only one left." Minerva noted as she stared Lucy down.

"Yeah… thanks for the save by the way." Lucy smiled.

"Save? Hardly, you will wish he was the one to take you out." Minerva replied causing Lucy's smile to fade away, "Your guild is responsible for our biggest defeats. Rufus on day one, Sting on day two, your guild has embarrassed us multiple times. And you will be the one to pay for that."

Lucy gulped, "Well… I won't go down easy."

Minerva chuckled a little, "That is where you are horribly mistaken."

Lucy was about to rush forward when she hit an invisible wall. She shook her head and tried to move again only to realize that she was trapped in some sort of invisible box.

"Time for your magic to go away." Minerva grinned.

Lucy screamed out as her magic was sapped out of her body. After several moments Lucy floated limply in the water. She slowly began to sink to the edge. Just as she was about to exit, Minerva rushed through the water and grabbed Lucy.

"I'm not done with you yet!"

Lucy couldn't even fight back. She was thrown back to the center of the water orb. Minerva followed up quickly and began to pelt Lucy's body with punches and kicks, all the while never letting her limp body exit the orb of water. A sadistic smile was plastered on her face as she relished in causing Lucy pain.

"LUCY!" Natsu roared before throwing himself towards the water orb only to hit the strong rune barrier that prevented any interference in the games.

"Let her go!" Wendy shouted at Minerva.

"Stop it already! Lucy's lost! Let her go!" Gray shouted.

Joshua and Erza looked on with silent rage knowing there was nothing they could do, yet.

Minerva glanced over at Fairy Tail before laughing sadistically at them.

"The strong don't take orders from the weak." She hit Lucy's ribs with a powerful left hook. A loud crack was heard and Lucy screamed out in agony.

"STOP IT!" Natsu roared as white hot fire streamed out from his body.

Minerva continued to laugh as she beat Lucy. The crowd watched horrified as they suddenly saw the true character of Sabertooth's strongest wizard. The gong finally rang out and the orb of water splashed back down to earth. All traces of water dissapeared and the contestants stood on the ground, completely dry. As soon as the event ended and the barrier lifted, Natsu lept over the balcony railing along with Gray, Wendy, Joshua, and Erza. Wendy sprinted for Lucy while the others charge at Minerva. The Sabertooth wizard stared at them calmly, even as Natsu raised a flame covered fist.

"YOU'LL PAY!" Natsu roared.

Before he could reach Minerva he was blindsided by black lightning. Natsu crumpled to the ground as the other members of Sabertooth's team moved to defend Minerva. Joshua and the others stopped their advance and glared at them.

"You won't touch Lady Minerva." Sting snarled.

"OH YEAH!" Natsu jumped up and was about to charge again when he felt an invisible hand wrap around him. His head whipped over to see Joshua's palm outstretched towards him. "LET ME GO!"

"Don't do something stupid Natsu." Joshua held Natsu tightly waiting on the dragon slayer to finally calm down. While Nastu fumed, Joshua looked and saw Wendy and the girl from Lamia Scale, Sherria Blendy, tending to Lucy. Somehow, Lucy's wounds were almost entirely gone, she was now just suffering from a lack of magic. "Look Natsu, Wendy's already taken care of her."

The pink haired man looked back at Lucy and saw that there somehow wasn't a scratch on her. His anger was still high, but now he was thinking a little bit.

"If you attack them Natsu, then we will be disqualified." Joshua calmly told Natsu, "Then you won't have your chance at them in the Battle Royale."

"You should listen to your guild mate." Minerva smirked, "He's actually smart unlike the rest of you."

Joshua felt the heat coming from Natsu slowly go away. He released his grip on the dragon slayer and watched him rush over to Lucy. Joshua looked back at Minerva, who was smiling confidently at him.

"Your arrogance will be your undoing." Joshua snarled.

"Really? I doubt that. You don't scare me-" Minerva stopped talking as she saw a crimson glow come over Joshua's eyes for a brief moment.

"Don't test me." Joshua snarled before looking at the others, "C'mon, we need to prepare for the battle round."

Erza and Gray nodded and followed Joshua back to their balcony while Natsu carried Lucy.

"Joshua…" Erza started.

"Erza, if you battle Sabertooth, give them what they deserve." Joshua snarled, "Before I have a chance to get my hands on them."

Erza frowned, "You aren't going to lose control right?"

Joshua sighed and looked back at her, "No…" he sat down on their balcony and took a few breaths, "but that doesn't mean I won't pulverize them when I can."

….

The break between the battle round and the main event went by quickly. When the announcement for the battle round came the sun was now high overhead and waves of heat poured down on the arena. But the Fairy Tail guild didn't feel the heat. They were already steaming from from what Sabertooth did to Lucy. A little extra heat didn't bother them, it didn't even match the heat from their anger.

They watched quietly as the first tag team battles took place. Most of them ended fairly quickly. Ichiya and his partner, Niichiya, of Blue Pegasus lost badly to Quatro Cerberus. After them, Mermaid Heel was able to defeat Lyon Vastia and Yuka Suzuki of Lamia Scale in a relatively uneventful battle. Now, only two possible fights remained, both involving the Fairy Tail teams. The question was, would they battle another guild, or each other.

" _Our next battle is going to be a good one!"_ Chapati announced, " _We have…. Gajeel Redfox and Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail B Versus…"_ Everyone waited silently as they sat on the edge of thier seats, " _Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth!"_

The crowd's roar sounded like thunder. The stadium shook and the ground trembled as the twin dragons of Sabertooth marched out onto the arena floor. Sting relished in the attention, waving at the crowd with a wide smile while Rogue ignored the adoration and silently moved forward. Gajeel and Laxus also received cheers as they stepped out onto the arena. But neither acknowledged them. Their focus was on the two dragons in front of them.

"NO FAIR!" Natsu bellowed in the Fairy Tail A balcony, "I wanted to fight them! But stud face gets to instead!"

"Just cheer them on Natsu." Joshua deadpanned.

" _Mr. Yajima, I don't think Fairy Tail was expecting to have to face the Twin Dragons. Do you think Laxus and Gajeel even stand a chance?"_

The elderly man in the partially repaired press box shook his head, " _They absolutely stand a chance. I know Laxus personally, and I can tell you right now, Sting and Rogue may be in trouble."_

The two pairs waited quietly for the gong to sound. The wind picked up and dust flew around them.

*BONG*

The dull ring of the gong rang out over the arena. Unlike the other battles, the two teams didn't charge headlong at each other. Instead they waited for the other to make the first move. Laxus glanced over at Gajeel.

"Hey Gajeel." The Iron Dragon slayer glanced over at the blonde, "How about we put these brats in their place."

Gajeel's mouth parted into a wide grin, "Gihi, I'd love to."

And with that the battle began. Gajeel and Laxus charge forward. Sting and Rogue readied themselves for a frontal assault. Something they certainly got from Gajeel as his arms became massive Iron pillars and battered them from the front. What the twin dragons weren't expecting was Laxus to use his lightning and quickly teleport behind them.

" **Raging Bolt!"**

Rogue and Sting's eyes widened before a massive torrent of lightning hit them from behind. Both Dragon Slayers cried out and were sent flying over Gajeel. Gajeel instantly moved and jumped up above them.

" **Iron Dragon's Club!"**

Both of Gajeel's arms turned into iron clubs that rocketed towards Rogue and Sting. At the last moment, the twin dragons twisted in the air, dodging the brutal attack that was launched at them. Gajeel's clubs slammed into the earth forming a crater in the ground. The crater then became a sinkhole as the ground caved in and revealed an intricate maze beneath the Domas Flau. But none of the fighters, nor the crowd payed it any mind. They were captured by the thrilling battle taking place before them.

Sting lightly landed on the ground and spread out his arms, staring directly up at Gajeel.

" **Holy Ray!"** he shouted.

A storm of white beams of magic rushed at Gajeel and hit the airborne Irong Dragon Slayer right in the torso. Gajeel cried out and fell hard into the earth. His body bounced and he unexpectedly rolled into the sinkhole in the arena, quickly falling out of sight.

"Gajeel!" Laxus shouted.

Sting grinned while Rogue simply remained emotionless.

"That takes care of one, eh Rogue?"

"You didn't give me a chance to fight him." Rogue muttered monotonously.

" _Amazing! In one move, Sting Eucliffe takes out Gajeel Redfox! What will Laxus Dreyar do now!? How can he possibly take on the twin dragons by himself?"_

Sting grinned widely as he looked over at Laxus.

"Yeah, how are you going to beat the two of us, Laxus Dreyar?"

Rogue stepped up and readied for a fight while Laxus just clenched his fists.

"You two… are a pair of arrogant little shits." Laxus snarled.

Sting recoiled at the insult and grit his teeth, Rogue remained emotionless.

"You call yourself dragons." Laxus threw away his fur coat, "How about I show you what a true dragon looks like."

The twin dragons were quiet for a moment before Sting begin to chuckle. His low chuckle turned into loud, amused laughter.

"YOU!? A true dragon? You're no dragon slayer!" Sting roared.

"Sting, don't underestimate him." Rogue cautioned, "He could be a second generation."

Sting frowned and glared over at Rogue, "Even if he is, there is no way he is stronger than us. We are third generation dragon slayers. We have actually killed a dragon." He glanced back at Laxus, "From what I remember, this guy couldn't even beat a ten year old kid."

Laxus scowled, "Wanna test that?"

"Don't need to." Sting replied. Magic power built up around both him and Rogue. The pressure in the air began to make the air feel heavy, "We have something you don't have." White scales began to form on Sting's skin while black scales began to cover Rogue's skin, "Dragon Force."

Laxus's eyes widened. The twin dragons bent their knees then propelled themselves forward, laying two huge punches into Laxus's gut. Rogue flipped back away from the reeling blonde wizard and opened his mouth wide. Sting followed suit.

" **Shadow Dragon's Roar!"**

" **White Dragon's Roar!"**

A column of black shadows and white light surged towards Laxus. The lightning mage's eyes widened before he was engulfed by the the spiraling shadows and light.

….

Gajeel grunted and opened his eyes. He winced as he felt some fresh bruises on his body. Forcing his aching muscles to act, he pushed his body up and craned his neck as he looked around his dark surroundings.

"Where the hell am I?" Gajeel wondered.

He looked up and saw a sunny circle above him where light was gently streaming down into the sinkhole he fell into. He blinked at the bright light and shook his head before adjusting to the shadows. What he saw made his stomach flip and his heart stop.

Gajeel was surrounded by bones. Massive bones, some of them heaped in piles, while others having the shape of a dragon's skeleton. Gajeel gulped and slowly moved through the piles of bones and skeletons. He saw that mixed in with the ancient dragon bones, were human skeletons. Some of them charred and barely together. The yellow bones looked brittle. Gajeel reached out to one of the dragon bones and placed a hand on it. The bone instantly turned to powder at his touch.

"What is this place?" Gajeel mumbled.

He glanced over and saw another dragon skeleton. This one was strange though. The skeleton's bones had multiple deep gashes in them, like a sword made of heat had cut into the bone, melting the skeleton around the slashes. Gajeel carefully ran a hand over the gash. The inside was smooth. There was not a single jagged edge inside.

 _What weapon did that?_

Gajeel heard two loud dragon roars high above him. At first he worried that it was an actual dragon, it sure sounded like it was. Then he felt the ground above him shudder followed by the crowd roaring loudly.

 _Just the fight._ Gajeel frowned and looked around, _Salamander and the Girl will want to see this… but now, I've got a battle to get back to._

Gajeel pointed his arms down at the ground as he stood below the hole high above him.

" **Iron Dragon's Club!"**

A pair of clubs plowed into the ground. Gajeel grunted then felt his body launch into the air and fly towards the pit's entry. His right hand reached out for the edge. He couldn't miss this. He needed to get back in this battle. If not to help Laxus, then to actually have a chance at some action. His fingers wrapped tightly around a metal pipe that was sticking out of the edge of the pit.

"Alright!" He smiled before he began to pull himself back up, "Back in action."

….

Sting smiled triumphantly as he stared at the billowing cloud of smoke in front of them. The twin dragon's attack had landed dead on. No one had ever shaken off an attack like that in the games. Sting could smell victory. This fight was almost too easy.

"You call that dragon force?" laughed a voice from the smoke.

Sting's eyes widened and Rogue showed his first emotional expression as his own dark eyes widened in shock. The smoke slowly cleared. Standing with his arms folded and a disappointed expression on his face, was Laxus Dreyar. His purple shirt was slightly frayed and torn but other than that, there wasn't a scratch on him.

"That's… not possible!" Sting exclaimed.

"Well, it's possible." Laxus replied, "I'll tell you something, that ten year old I fought seven years ago packed way more of a punch than you two." Laxus spread his legs and bent his knees. His own magic pressure increased and the Twin Dragons finally realized just who exactly they were fighting, "How about I show you what dragonforce really looks like?"

"What!?" Rogue breathed.

Laxus let out a loud war cry. Lightning bolts arced around him and smashed into the dirt causing large plumes of dust to billow up around him. Dark clouds formed above the stadium and bright flashes of lightning struck the ground around the Domas Flau. Sting watched in shock as Laxus' muscles began to bulge and veins began to pulse underneath his opponent's skin. After several moments of powering up, the lightning arcing around Laxus disappeared and the dark clouds faded away, letting the sun shine through once again. Laxus's shirt was now torn from his body, causing many women in the crowd to blush or swoon. His eyes were white and he had a wide grin plastered on his face.

"See?" He growled at the twin dragon's, "Your dragon force is nothing, compared to mine."

In a flash he was in front of them.

" **Lightning Dragon's Roar!"**

A massive barrage of lightning slammed into Rogue and Sting. The Twin Dragons cried out in pain as lightning passed through their bodies and sent them flying across the arena. Sting's eyes were squeezed shut as he felt the electricity course through his body. Just as he reopened his blue eyes he saw Laxus flying just above him and Rogue.

" **Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"**

Two fist slammed into Sting and Rogue. Both of them felt the air leave their bodies as they slammed into the ground. Laxus skidded to a stop in the dirt and wheeled around to face his opponents. Sting spat some blood from his mouth and wiped some dripping from his lip before he shakily stood up with Rogue. Both of their Dragon Forces had failed and now they gasped for air as they turned to look at Laxus. The Lightning Dragon Slayer's grin faded and instead he frowned, disappointment evident on his face.

"Really?" He said, "That's it? That's all you got?"

Sting could reply. He was still trying to catch his breath.

Laxus sighed and let his own dragon force fade away. His eye returned to their normal blue color.

"I don't even need to bother with you two if that's all you got." he walked past them and grabbed his fur coat off of the ground. He dusted off some dirt before throwing it over his shoulders again, "I'm going to save my strength for tomorrow. I think Gajeel is more than capable of finishing you two off."

"What?" croaked Sting.

"SURPRISE!" Gajeel roared as he leaped high in the air from the hole in the ground. He sucked in a large amount of air, " **IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A tornado of iron particles flew from Gajeel's gaping mouth. Sting couldn't move. His body wouldn't respond. Rogue was in the same situation. Dragon force had sapped their magic too quickly. The Twin Dragons knew now what they should've known at the beginning. They were beaten.

The iron tornado slammed into the two dragon slayers sending both of them into the far wall of the arena. The both cratered into the wall before flopping to the earth, defeated. Gajeel wiped his mouth with the back of his left hand before looking over at Laxus.

"Gihi, guess I put a little too much into that one."

" _AMAZING! FAIRY TAIL B WINS! THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST UPSETS OF THIS ENTIRE GAME!"_

The crowd's shock went away quickly and they began to chant Fairy Tail as Laxus and Gajeel smiled up at their guild.

" _Fairy Tail B gets their first win of the games! ANd what a win it was! I don't think I've seen a more thrilling battle! And I've never seen the Twin Dragons be defeated like that!"_

" _It really was amazing!"_ Bob Cat exclaimed.

" _I told you all not to underestimate Laxus and Gajeel. Those two are powerful wizards. Fairy Tail could certainly win this."_ Yajima stated as they watched Laxus and Gajeel exit the arena and return to their teams.

" _Now the question is can Fairy Tail A mirror that masterful performance?"_ Chapati announced, " _We are about to find out. It's time for our last battle of the day!"_

Joshua looked up at the guilds who had already fought today and his heart sank. His guild was going to have to fight the one guild he told them to avoid, Imperius. Also, only three of his teammate hadn't fought already or were uninjured. Natsu, Erza, and Wendy. All three had looks of determination on their faces as they waited to hear their name called.

" _Fighting for Fairy Tail A is…. Erza Scarlet!"_ The crowd roared in approval as the lacrima vision focused on the red haired knight, " _And…"_

 _Please don't be Wendy. Please don't be Wendy._ Joshua pleaded to himself.

" _Wendy Marvell!"_

Joshua felt a lump in his throat. The two people closest to him were going to battle Imperius. And he knew that despite what he told them, Wendy and Erza wouldn't surrender. There was too much on the line for the guild in these games. Joshua sighed and stopped Erza before she could move to the stairs that led to the arena floor.

"Erza."

"Yeah?"

Joshua requiped an archaic looking silver cylinder into his hand right hand.

"I was able to hang on to it after the fight with Maul." Joshua said while Erza stared wide eyed at him. Joshua held the hilt out to her, "You're going to need it."

"I-I can't take that Joshua." Erza said, "That's your sword."

Joshua shook his head, "Take it. I've got a new one anyways."

Erza looked at the ancient weapon and sighed before wrapping her hand around it. Joshua let go of the hilt and smiled.

"Remember, it isn't a normal sword. The only weight is that hilt. So be careful."

Erza smiled back at him, "You giving me a lecture on swords? Remember who taught you little brother."

Joshua chuckled, "Oh, I remember." Wendy walked past Joshua and stood beside Erza.

"Ready?" Wendy asked Erza.

Erza closed her eyes and nodded.

"Hey you two." The pair turned to look back at Joshua, "Be careful ok."

"Don't worry so much." Wendy smiled, "We'll be fine. Besides, those Imperius guys don't look so tough."

Erza smiled, "That's the spirit Wendy. Now c'mon let's go fight."

The two descended down the stairs, leaving Joshua on the balcony with Gray and Natsu. Joshua let out a nervous breath before turning back to the balcony. Natsu was currently throwing a tantrum about not being allowed to fight today. Gray was in his face as well.

"Would you two stop." Joshua grumbled, "Or I'll get scary just like Erza can."

Both of them glared over at Joshua and were about to argue with him when the announcer came back over the speakers.

" _And… battling for Imperius is… Seventh Sister!"_

The green skinned woman grinned madly and jumped down to the arena floor. Joshua let out a sigh of relief. Erza should be able to handle her easily. Now, he just hoped that the one named Fifth brother was chosen.

" _And…"_

Joshua's blood turned to ice in his veins as he saw a human figure striding out onto the arena floor. He had short black hair with pale skin. He wore black and gray robes with gray plates of armor covering parts of his torso. Joshua's hands gripped the balcony railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white. This was bad. This was now the worst case scenario. He could feel the power coming from the human member of Imperius. The Dark Side swirled around flowed around him just like it would a Sith Lord. Down on the floor Erza and Wendy turned to face their two opponents.

" _STARKILLER!"_

 **Cliffhanger! We're gonna have a hell of a fight on our hands! And we finally learn the identity of the fifth member of Imperius. What do you guys think is going to happen? It's going to be intense I can tell you that. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	56. Chapter 56: Starkiller

**Hey everyone! Back with a new chapter! Here we go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 56

Erza and Wendy stayed silent as they watched their second opponent slowly walk out onto the arena floor. While the first opponent looked inside, her crazed yellow eyes constantly switching back and forth between the two wizards, this one was different. The majority of Imperius looked crazy or frightening. But this man stepping beside his guildmate gave off an air of authority. Power seemed to leak out of him as he stood quietly with his arms at his sides. His piercing blue eyes casting a gaze that cut through the air and seemed to see into the two wizards souls. Wendy gulped a little while Erza remained completely emotionless.

The crowd was silent. Only the wind gently circling the arena could be heard as it whistled through the many gates that led into the stands. Erza's red hair and Wendy's long blue hair swayed in the breeze. The anticipation for this battle was thick, it felt like you could cut through it with a knife. The announcers didn't dare say a word. They could only stare on with as much concern as the crowd.

High above the arena, rested the large brass gong. A single guard shuffled up to the gong. He gripped the large mallet in his hands. He reached back and swung. The mallet slammed into the brass disk. A loud crash was heard and the dull echoes of the gong reverberated around the arena. The Seventh Sister's dark grin lips curled into a malevolent grin.

As soon as the gong rang out, the female Mirialan sprang forward igniting her red lightsaber. Her target was Wendy. The crimson blade lashed out towards the blue haired girl only to be caught by a simple steel sword. The inquisitor's eyes widened. Her crimsons eyes followed the steel blade up to the arm of Erza Scarlet then up to the woman's icy stare.

"Go." Erza muttered.

Wendy's cheeks puffed up, " **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A cyclone of wind burst from Wendy's mouth. The air ripped apart in front of the blast, causing a shockwave that sounded like a loud roar. The tornado hit the Seventh Sister head on. The inquisitor let out a cry of shock as she was catapulted into the air. Erza rushed forwards and followed the flying woman from below. The knight requiped a black sword into her hands and jumped into the air hoping to slash into the Seventh Sister's back.

She ascended quickly. Just as Erza pulled her sword back to deliver a deadly strike she felt a heavy boot hit her in the chest. Her armor caved and the dull groan of steel being bent filled the stadium. Erza went flying in the opposite direction. She was just able to get her bearings again before she hit the ground and rolled several feet, kicking dust up all around her. The redhead shook her head and looked up to see Starkiller landing easily on his feet.

Just as their second opponent landed, Wendy dashed up to him from behind. She swung her arms in a wide arch.

" **Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"**

Whips of wind emerged around Wendy's arms and lashed out at Starkiller. The young man remained stone faced as the attack surged towards him. At the last second he ducked under the first wind whip then flipped over the second, landing in front of Wendy. His arm extended out and his palm opened wide. Wendy felt a massive force hit her torso. The air left her body as she was sent flying back by an enormous push.

"Wendy!" Erza shouted, " **Requip: Heaven's Wheel!"**

Erza's body was covered by a bright golden light. In a second she reappeared wearing her most common requip. Ten swords floated in a perfect circle around her as she floated a few feet above the ground. Two steel swords were tightly clenched in her hands. She pointed the twin blades at Starkiller.

"Dance my swords!"

And dance they did. Each sword randomly took off in all directions. They twirled, spun, and arced around the arena before focusing in on Starkiller. The man didn't move an inch. He just glanced subtly back and forth between several of the blades. He then calmly exhaled. Several of the swords shattered mid flight while the others were slashed in two by a red blade of light. The Seventh Sister had recovered from Wendy's attack and had rushed to defend Starkiller. Shards of steel rained down around them, but not one shard hit them.

On the other side of the inquisitors, Wendy had gotten back to her feet. She rubbed a bruise on her cheek as she rose up once again. Instead of attacking right away, all four combatants stared at each other, silently observing the others.

During this pause, the crowd finally had a chance to absorb the fast paced action taking place in front of them. And they loved it. A crescendo of noise filled the arena as the crowd loudly cheered.

" _Wow! It's only been a couple minutes and we may just be witnessing the best fight of these games!"_ Chapati bellowed as he stared in awe.

Erza ignored the cacophony of noise in her ears. She had to tune out all distractions for this fight. Just from the first few moves she could tell this was going to be her most challenging battle since she fought Maul with Joshua. And unlike herself and Wendy, Joshua knew how to handle the strange powers that Imperius seemed to wield with ease. Erza clenched her jaw, her teeth creaking a little as she tightened her face.

" **Requip: Flight Armor."**

Her Heaven's Wheel armor disappeared and was replaced by a very revealing set of armor with a cheetah print pattern. Erza was not going to make the same mistake she made against Maul. Speed was key to surviving a fight with these people. So speed is what she will use. Before she could attack the human beside the green skinned woman finally opened his mouth..

"Most impressive." he stated as he looked at Erza. His eyes slowly looked her up and down, "I can sense it. The force… it's strong with you." His blue eyes glanced back to Wendy, "She has a little bit as well." A small smirk formed on his thin lips. He may yet enjoy this fight, "Inquisitor."

"Yes?"

"Sit this one out."

The Seventh Sister blinked then stared angrily at Starkiller, "WHAT!?" she bellowed.

A flash of anger appeared on Starkiller's face. The quick expression made the Seventh's sisters green skin pale a little. She gulped and took a hesitant step back.

"Do I need to repeat my orders?" Starkiller growled.

The inquisitor quickly shook her head.

"Back up to the balcony then. I can handle these two."

"Yes sir!" The seventh sister replied quickly before racing towards the arena exit.

" _It appears that Starkiller is going to take on both Wendy Marvell and Erza Scarlet all by himself!"_ Chapati announced.

" _He's either the most courageous or most idiotic person I have ever seen!"_ Bob Cat shouted.

" _He is certainly very confident in himself."_ Yajima said quietly.

Starkiller rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He turned to the side so that he could see both Erza and Wendy. Another silent moment followed as the Seventh Sister left. Then the battle began again. Erza roared and charged forward, angry that her opponent was taking them so lightly. Wendy followed suit. The blue haired girl's fist was quickly enveloped in wind.

" **Sky Dragon's Cyclone Fist!"** she shouted as she swung at Starkiller's head.

The young man grinned and quickly ducked under the Wendy's fist. He then heard the air being cut by a steel sword. Starkiller jumped up and twirled between Wendy's fist and Erza's sword. As he was in the air, he extended his hands sending a blast of the force at both women. The push wasn't very strong, but it was enough to give him a little separation.

Erza's heels dug into the dirt as she slid backwards. As she slid she expertly shifted her momentum and propelled herself towards Starkiller. The Imperius member leaned back, dodging a savage strike from Erza. He fell backwards and caught himself on his hands. His knees bent and his legs shot out like a piston, catching Erza in the stomach and sending her flying into the air.

" **Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!"**

Wendy's swept her hand across her body sending a wall of wind at Starkiller. The Imperius member was mildly surprised by the attack. He tensed his body and let the attack hit him. He slid back several feet while Wendy charge forward for a follow up attack.

" **Sky Dragon's Claw!"**

She front flipped towards Starkiller. Wind covered her foot like a small hurricane. The kick plummeted down at Starkiller's head but the young man was not worried. He raised his left hand and caught Wendy's leg before she could connect. He held her suspended in the air for a moment. Wendy then felt a buildup of static in the air before blinding pain filled her body. Blue lightning jumped from Starkiller's right hand and slammed into the young woman. His left hand released it's grip on her leg allowing her to soar away from him as the lightning propelled her towards the wall. With a loud wham, Wendy hit the stone walls of the arena, causing a small crater to form in the stone. Wendy stuck to the stone for a moment before flopping to the ground.

" _WHAT A DEVASTATING ATTACK BY STARKILLER!"_ Chapati exclaimed. Wendy lay motionless on the ground, her eyes closed and her face occasionally twisting in pain as shocks of electricity wracked her body.

" **REQUIP: PURGATORY ARMOR!"**

Starkiller's head whipped up as he saw Erza flying down at him wearing a black, spiky set of armor with a mean looking spiked sword. The Imperius member rolled out of the way, allowing Erza's sword to plunge into the earth. Starkiller jumped out of his rolled. Just as he did this he felt a blade bite into his left side. Erza had followed up quickly, chasing down the man and lashing out faster than a viper. Starkiller winced and bit his tongue as he felt a pair of spikes dig into him. He then smirked and launched a powerful force push at Erza. The blade ripped out of his side, causing more damage and staining his clothes red.

" _Erza has finally landed a hit on Starkiller!"_

Erza tumbled on the ground. She grit her teeth, enduring the bruises and scrapes. She thought quickly, digging her sword into the earth to stop her slide. Surprisingly, Starkiller did not follow up with an attack of his own. Instead, he waited for Erza to slowly rise to her feet. As she got up, Starkiller noted the fury that filled her brown eyes.

"Good…" he muttered lowly, "Your anger gives you power. You may actually be an entertaining fight."

"I will destroy anyone who harms my friends! Even if it's in an arena!" Erza roared as she saw Wendy spasm on the ground again. She hated that lightning, it was an instrument of pain.

The grin on Starkiller's face widened, "Yes… good. Allow yourself to hate me. That's the only way you will win."

Erza roared and charged at Starkiller. The young man started to feel the thrill of battle fill his body as he bobbed and weaved between Erza's sword strikes. Occasionally, he would deliver a quick series of punches and kicks into Erza as she continued to miss him. His reflexes were too much for her. A hard right hook caught Erza in the jaw sending her sprawling in the dirt. She grunted and spat some blood out of her bleeding mouth before getting back up. Instead of excitement, only disappointment filled Starkiller's face.

"Or.. maybe I was wrong." Starkiller mused, "Maybe you don't have enough anger or hatred to defeat me." His blue eyes darted over to Wendy, who had finally stopped twitching and was now motionless on the ground, "I can change that though."

Erza's eyes widened as she saw a silver cylinder fly from Starkiller's belt into his left hand. He flexed his fingers and a red blade appeared from the cylinder. A sinister look came over Starkiller's face.

"Try to stop me." he dared before taking off at an incredible speed towards Wendy.

Erza felt her breath catch in her throat. She raced after Starkiller, her flight armor now covering her once again. But he was somehow still too fast.

 _I'm not going to make it!_

Erza then remembered the new weapon in her requip. It was the old blade Joshua had used to battle Maul. He had given to her before this fight.

" _Take it. You'll need it. Besides, I've got another."_

Erza opened her right hand and willed the weapon out of her requip. The heavy, archaic, cylinder appeared in her hands. Erza felt her thumb instinctively land on a button on the hilt. She pressed down and a white blade appeared out of the hilt. Erza skidded to a stop and heaved the sword towards Starkiller. The man had his blade raised in the air. He was about to send it crashing down on Wendy's unconscious form when he felt it hit another lightsaber. The force with which the two blades collided caused Starkiller to recoil and stumble backwards. Erza used the same powers she used with her Heaven's wheel armor, willing the lightsaber back to her hands as she continued to chase down Starkiller.

Starkiller blinked.

 _Was that a lightsaber?_

 __He heard the familiar hum enter his ears. Starkiller instinctively dove to his right, barely dodging Erza's strike. He heard the wall in front of him hiss and crack as the humming noise connected with the stone and melted it. Starkiller rolled to his feet and stared back at Erza. She had decided to requip into a pair of red pants with a flame pattern. Only several layers of cloth wrappings covered her breasts but for some reason, Starkiller got the feeling that he was in for a real fight now despite the look. His eyes glanced to her hands and they widened when he saw the white glow coming from an ancient looking hilt. All feelings of amusement left Starkiller. This was no ordinary opponent. She was a force sensitive. She had a lightsaber. And it was obviously a very selfless person, as evidence by her standing over the fallen blue haired girl's form. All of those things were characteristics of a group of people that Starkiller had learned to despise. A scowl spread over his face.

"Jedi."

….

Fury. Unending, unrelenting fury. That was all that Joshua could feel right now as he watched the battle below him. He had just seen Wendy electrocuted by Force Lightning. Something that Joshua knew was incredibly painful. Then he saw that same man, this Starkiller, attempt to kill Wendy while she was defenseless. His hands clenched the railing of the balcony tightly. Gears in his mechanical arm whine and the stone began to crack underneath his hand. He watched at Erza saved Wendy's life and was now forced to battle this powerful opponent on her own. Joshua's teeth were clenched so tight that his jaw began to ache.

 _I need to get down there!_

The force, there was a very ominous feeling to it right now. This feeling was one of darkness and sorrow. It called to his mind, warning him of a threat. But what threat, Joshua did not know. His first guess though, was Starkiller.

"Joshua, are you ok?" He heard Gray ask him.

He didn't reply. He was far too focused on the battle. The two combatants below had stopped for a moment after Erza finally drew the lightsaber he had given her. It seemed to have surprised Starkiller.

The dark side roared to life around the arena. Joshua felt goosebumps form on his skin as he sensed the sudden buildup in power. His eyes focused up on the Lacrima vision where a close up of Starkiller was being shown. His blue eyes were gone, replaced by crimson. A pit formed in Joshua's stomach as a horrifying realization dawned on him. This wasn't a normal dark side user. This was someone easily on the level of Maul and Ventress. This was someone Erza could not hope to beat on her own.

"I need to get down there." Joshua hissed as more cracks formed in the stone railing he was clutching.

Gray gulped beside him while Natsu frowned.

"Erza can beat this guy. Just watch! I'm sure of it."

Joshua bowed his head before shaking it, "No, she can't."

Natsu's eyes widened.

"You guys, Starkiller is on a whole other level from us." Joshua said, "If I can get down there, then me and Erza could be able to hold our own. But alone… neither of us can beat him."

Natsu felt shock enter him. He had witnesses Joshua's training before the Grand Magic Games. It had been one of the most incredible displays of power the dragon slayer had ever seen. For him to say that this guy may be out of his league. Natsu gulped and looked at Gray.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Gray nodded, "We gotta break through this barrier and get them out of there."

Joshua nodded then his heart stopped as he heard Starkiller mutter a word at Erza.

"Jedi…" He heard him say with a slight sinister growl in his voice.

 _That's why he's powering up! He thinks Erza is… OH GOD! NO! He's no longer going to just beat her! He's going to kill her!_

Joshua tested the barrier in front of them by launching a force push at it. The barrier shimmered then returned to normal. Joshua let out a frustrated snarl before turning on his heel and exiting the balcony.

"Where are you going?" Gray asked.

"To the one way we can get into the arena. The gate." Joshua replied, "The barrier is most likely weaker where they have to allow people through. I may be able to break it there. I can at least try to do that. You two figure something out and figure it out fast." Joshua looked back at his teammates, specifically the blonde, "As a last resort, try getting Horologium or Loke down into the arena through a spirit gate."

Lucy nodded and tapped her keys.

"Alright," Joshua nodded grimly, "You know what needs to be done. So do it."

Joshua disappeared down the stairs, his black cloak flowing behind him. Far above, near the king's personally chair, stood a royal officer. He grinned as he saw the three men leave their balcony, leaving Lucy Heartfilia completely alone. The officer grabbed a small device from his belt and put it to his mouth.

"They left. Just as you said they would."

" _ **Good…"**_ a voice warbled back to him from the device, " _ **Move in. Take the girl. We need her to open the gate. Make sure you are not seen."**_

"Glory is at hand isn't it, Master?" The officer said as he turned to leave the king's balcony.

Silence for a moment, " _ **Yes it is, Arcadios. Yes it is."**_

….

Erza blinked as she heard the word come out of Starkiller's mouth. She tilted her head to the side slightly. Confused as to what he meant by such a strange term.

"What's a Jedi?" Erza growled as she held the white lightsaber firmly out in front of her.

She then saw it. The eyes, they were not blue anymore. They were a burning crimson color, filled with anger. She'd seen eyes like that before in only two other people, Joshua and Maul. And anytime eyes like those appeared, bad things happened. Erza took a deep breath and got ready for the most difficult fight of her life.

Starkiller reversed his grip on the red lightsaber, it's red blade now humming dangerously close to his right elbow. They stood silently for a moment longer. Erza glanced down to see Wendy stirring a little before relaxing back down into the earth again.

 _I need to draw this fight away from Wendy._

Erza looked back at Starkiller and scowled before jetting off towards the other side of the arena. She breathed a slight sigh of relief as the man followed her away from Wendy. The relief was short lived however as Starkiller quickly caught up to her. His body spun and the red lightsaber flicked out at Erza almost faster than she could see. She brought the white lightsaber up and clumsily deflected the red blade away. Starkiller then jumped high into the air, flipping over Erza while lashing out with his lightsaber at the same time. Erza's eyes widened at the sudden acrobatics. She quickly got over her shock and brought her own lightsaber up in time to catch Starkillers before it sliced into the top of her head.

Starkiller landed roughly and barreled forward at Erza. He slashed right, Erza deflected it quickly. Then she felt an elbow hit her in the left temple. Starkiller had twirled after his attack and smashed his armored elbow right into Erza's skull. Her vision became stars and her legs gave out from under her, which may have actually saved her life as she heard the lethal hum whiz by just inches above her head.

" **REQUIP!"** Erza summoned forth a normal sword and telekinetically launched it at Starkiller.

The man glanced up in annoyance and made a fist with his right hand. The blade instantly shattered, sending sparkling shards of metal raining down around them. But it was enough of a distraction for Erza to jump to her feet and begin her own counterattack. Her white blade spun in her hands, creating a circular wall of light as she swung at Starkiller. Her opponent seemed to be caught slightly off guard as the first time their lightsabers connected sent him staggering a few steps. He quickly recovered though and met Erza's lightsaber as she aimed to slash into his right thigh.

The blade lock held for a few moments. Starkiller grunted in frustration and slammed Erza with a fully powered force push. The red head flew all the way across the stadium and crashed into the wall. This time, Starkiller didn't wait. He charged at her with incredible speed. The entire time the crowd was cheering and the announcers were awestruck at the level of magic they were seeing.

Erza was able to clear her vision just in time to see a slash of red light nearing her. She tucked her head into her body and rolled away. The heat from the lightsaber passing over her head singed some stray hairs and made the exposed skin on her neck turn red. Right as she pulled out of her roll she was having to defend herself again. Starkiller's attack just kept coming, each one stronger than the last. Then he started flipping and dashing around Erza, attacking her from every angle imaginable. Yet somehow, Erza held firm, deflecting slashes, parrying thrusts, and striking back with a quick counter before being forced into a defensive posture yet again.

" _This is absolutely incredible!"_ Chapati cried, " _Ladies and gentlemen! What a fight! What a fight!"_ His head turned to the clock in the booth, " _There are only five minutes left folks! Will this intense battle end in a draw!"_

 _Not if I can help it._ Starkiller thought to himself before he felt Erza's foot hit him in the face which sent him sprawling back towards the center of the arena. Erza was on top of him in a second. The man barely had time to twist his body so that her white blade wouldn't enter his chest. He felt the searing pain of a lightsaber slash into his shoulder, just beneath the collarbone. Rage filled Starkiller almost as much as pain did. He backhanded Erza off of him then lifted her with the force, tossing her away like a rag doll.

 _I've had enough._

Erza struggled to get back up to her feet. Her body was covered in slight burns, bruises, and scrapes. She gasped for breath as she pushed herself back up. She let her head hang for a moment before looking up to see Starkiller launching another force push at her. Only this time it was different. Following the push was a large ball of lightning. Almost like a blue version of Laxus's Raging Bolt. It rocketed towards her and while flying, began to expand, and expand, and expand. Erza's eyes widened as her vision was now covered by a wall of blue lightning. Erza summoned the last bits of her power for one last requip.

"ERZA!" she heard a voice scream nearby before the lighting bomb hit her.

….

Joshua pounded on the rune barrier in front of him. He threw punches, kicks, his body, every force technique he could possibly muster at the damn thing. But it wouldn't budge. Nothing was passing through the barrier until the battle was over. He watched in horror as the massive crackling ball of blue lighting slammed into Erza.

"ERZA!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as the lightning hit her then developed into a massive explosion.

The force behind the explosion tested the barrier. It shimmered brightly all around the Domas Flau causing the crowd's cheers to die away. Panic began to simmer among the crowd as the barrier glowed brighter and brighter, trying to contain the massive explosion. Then the explosion and blue lightning bolts disappeared. Only smoke remained and the barrier slowly faded into obscurity once again. Joshua reached out with the force, desperately searching for Erza in the smoke. He felt Starkiller almost immediately. The Dark Side around him was roaring with life but Joshua also sensed that he was exhausted. Then he found her. Joshua's eyes widened.

The smoke began to clear and the crowd waited to see what happened. Everyone was just as stunned as Joshua was. There stood Erza, right where the epicenter of the explosion was, covered from head to toe in her Adamantine Armor. She stood rigid for a moment. Then the gong was heard again.

" _TIME! IT IS A DRAW!"_ Chapati exclaimed.

Right when Chapati declared the match a draw, Joshua saw Erza's legs buckle. She slowly fell to the side and crumpled in a heap. Her Adamantine armor practically disintegrated as it hit the ground. Joshua could sense the barrier being powered down. He'd be able to grab he in a sec-

Starkiller marched forwards and grabbed Erza roughly by the neck.

"WHO IS YOUR MASTER, JEDI!?" he roared at her even though Erza was barely conscious.

That did it. Joshua rushed through the barrier as soon as it was gone. Starkiller raised his lightsaber and pointed it at Erza's heart.

"Tell me or you die." Starkiller snarled.

Erza just hung limply in his grip, too exhausted to even speak.

"Very well then."

Just before he plunged the sword into her heart he felt force lighting slam into his body. The pain was incredible. Starkiller hadn't felt pain like this in his entire life. Then he felt a ball of fire hit his sword arm, burning it and causing him to drop his lightsaber. The arm he was holding the red haired woman with turned into ice as well. Starkiller glared around and saw three figures charging at him. One figure though, caught his attention. Blue lightning was dancing from the fingertips of his right hand, his left hand then made a fist. Starkiller felt the force grip him tightly and yank him away from the woman, tossing him to the side like a piece of trash.

Joshua caught Erza just before her body hit the ground. He cradled her head in his right arm and brushed some of her red hair away from the cuts on her face.

"Erza!" he cried.

He saw a small smile form on her face, "What are you worried about little bro? I technically won."

Joshua didn't' know whether to smack her or hug her. Instead he let out a small laugh, "It was draw, Erza."

"So I bested him then. He didn't beat me." She croaked.

"You look beat to me." Gray stated.

"Do you have a death wish snowflake?" Natsu commented while Gray suddenly realized what he just said.

"OH SHIT! You won Erza! Yeah, you won! Big time!" Gray stammered.

Erza wanted to laugh but it hurt too much. She then remembered, "Wendy…"

"Natsu is already going to make sure she is ok." Joshua then looked over at Gray, "Help her out."

Gray nodded and placed Erza on his back. Joshua then stood and turned to look at Starkiller who was fuming with anger. Hate filled eyes stared at Joshua.

"Who are you?" Starkiller snarled.

Joshua glared back him. He allowed the dark side to flood everything around him. The look on Starkiller's face said it all. The Dark side ebbed and flowed at Joshua's command, making Starkiller seem like a child in his current state of weakness.

"Make another move you piece of shit, and I will end your life." Joshua growled his eyes flashing crimson, "You hurt her! The only reason you are even breathing right now is because I'd rather legally kill you in the games than have magic suppression cuffs slapped on my wrists ever again."

Joshua felt a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon Joshua. Save it for tomorrow." Gray stated calmly.

Joshua gave Starkiller one last stare before following Gray back to the entry where Porlyusica was waiting with Sherria Blendy of Lamia Scale beside her.

….

The room was quiet. Completely and totally quiet. Just how he liked it. A peaceful quiet place. There was no one to bother him, no one to tell him what to do. Just peace. He could sit here and meditate as much as he wanted, without distraction. Fresh air filled his lungs as he breathed in the air slowly coming in through the balcony. The muffled sounds of the guild causing a commotion in the dining area below him occasionally came through the floorboards. But he didn't mind too much. He needed to be up here alone, away from everyone. He needed to calm himself, he needed to be in control.

 _He almost killed Erza…_

Joshua eyes squeezed tightly and he clenched his jaw. Images of Starkiller nearly killing Erza flooded his mind. But the feeling that accompanied them made it worse. It was guilt. He felt it in his bones. He should've been the one fighting Starkiller. Not Erza and Wendy. There was no way they could've defended themselves. It was a miracle that Erza was able to keep up in the fight at all. And Wendy… Joshua silently thanked any deity out there that Starkiller forgot about her in the battle with Erza. Erza was at least able to keep up, Wendy…

 _He electrocuted her!_

Joshua could hear it now. The dark side, it was whispering to him. Like it was when he lost control as a child. It's seductive voice filled his mind. Planting seeds of anger and hatred wherever it was heard. Then another voice was heard in his mind. A voice that Joshua recognized, but didn't fully know.

" **Give in to your hatred… Let it consume you."**

Joshua's breathing quickened. He could feel the force crashing like waves around him.

" **Kill them all… Slaughter those who would dare harm your family."**

The voice. It was low and gravelly. Authority rang out with every word. Power dripped from each syllable. It felt good.

 _He almost killed both Wendy and Erza…_

The Dark Side was growing. The room grew cold, his breath became visible as his breathing grew more rapid.

 _I will kill him!_

Somewhere inside his mind, a dark entity grinned. He was almost ready.

….

Wendy sighed and shut the door to the team's' room behind her. She wiped her forehead with the back of her right hand before stretching her arms out and yawning.

"You've been working for hours now." Porlyusica said as the old woman came to take her turn at keeping an eye on Erza.

"So?" Wendy replied sleepily.

Porlyusica frowned, "You were injured as well. You shouldn't push yourself so hard after the hits you took today."

Wendy shook her head, "I'm fine Ms. Porlyusica, really I am." She looked back at the shut door behind her, "I'm worried about Erza. She's… she's not looking good."

Porlyusica sighed, "Just don't overdo it."

Wendy smiled, "Don't worry I won't."

The old woman nodded and was about to enter the room when Wendy stopped her.

"Do you know where Joshua is?"

Porlyusica had her hand on the doorknob, "He's in one of the other rooms down the hall." Her wrinkled hand twisted the doorknob and she quickly opened and shut the door.

Wendy shouted her thanks through the door and walked down the hall until she came across the last room on the right. She immediately felt a wave of cold hit her, even from outside of the room. Goosebumps formed on her skin and she got the feeling that it was not safe here. It felt like total darkness was on the other side of the door, and no light or warmth would be allowed in. Wendy hesitated.

 _Why am I like this! It's just Joshua. And… he needs you right now because of Erza._

Wendy took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. She allowed the door to slowly open. It's hinges emitted a low groan as the wooden door slowly swung open. Wendy's brown eyes widened as she entered the room.

Everything in the room was floating. The bed, the dresser, the lamp, even the mirror on the wall, was ripped free and floating in the air. Wendy then got the feeling that something was tugging on her as well, trying to raise her into the air. The light from the hallway seemed to shrink away from the darkness in the room, as if the lamp was being covered by a blanket. She had to let her eyes adjust to the shadows. But once she was adjusted, she got a much better picture of everything. There wasn't just floating objects in the room. Everything in the room had been crushes. The bed was splintered, its' wooden shards floating in the air doing it's best to maintain shape. The mirror was cracked and glass slowly rotated in circles around the brass edges. The dresser had been compacted into a small, gnarled cube of wood barely bigger than a chair. And every wall in the room was damaged. One wall had deep slashes in it while another was splintered, exposing the frame of the Honey Bone Lodge. In the center of it all, was a young man sitting cross legged on a spotless rug.

"J-Joshua?" Wendy took a quiet step forward. The floorboards creaked underneath her foot causing her to stop abruptly and cringe. She had no idea why she was so afraid right now. Every single impulse in her body was screaming at her to run out of the room.

Joshua's head tilted when he heard the floorboards groan. Wendy gulped and took a few more steps towards him.

"Hey… are you… ok?"

She heard him let out a deep breath. As he exhaled, the different shattered items in the room slowly dropped back to their spots on the floor. Most just became piles of wood and glass shards. Now it looked like the shadows were running and the light was shining through. The lamplight from the hallway seemed brighter as Wendy got closer to Joshua.

"What do you want?" she heard Joshua whisper shakily. He turned his head to look at her, "You should be resting."

"I've rested enough. Besides someone had to help Erza. And I'm the healer."

Joshua nodded, "I should be able to help her too." She saw his hands ball up into fists on his thighs. The mechanical hand groaned as he clenched tighter and tighter, "But… I… I should've been fighting! Not her!" Joshua voice seemed to rise in power and anger, "You and Erza shouldn't have been down there! I-" Joshua shuddered a moment before yelling out in anger. Wendy took a step back as everything in the room rose in the air then was smashed against the floor.

She thought about leaving. Letting him have time to cool down. But then she heard it. It was quiet at first. Then it got a little louder. Joshua's shoulders shook as he buried his head in his hands. Wendy's eyes widened.

 _He's crying!_

 __Wendy swept forward and sat down beside Joshua before wrapping her arms around him. Joshua broke down and just started crying loudly. The Sky Dragon slayer just held him there.

"It's ok. She's going to be ok."

Joshua sniffled, "I- I- I trained to become p-powerful enough to p-protect you all. And I-I c-can't even do that! I wasn't able to break th-through a damn barrier!"

Wendy closed her eyes and kept embracing him. Letting him sob in her arms. She couldn't imagine it right now. She was unconscious when Starkiller nearly killed Erza. So she couldn't imagine what was going through Joshua's mind as he witnessed that. He must've had flashbacks of Tenroujima as it happened. He must've thought he was about to lose her again, but this time permanently.

Joshua sniffled some more before Wendy let her arms fall back to her sides as she sat down beside him. Joshua rubbed his right eye with his right hand then moved over to the left eye as he tried to stop the tears from continuing.

"I was so scared." He said, "And I hate that. I hate being scared. I hate not being able to do anything about it."

Wendy shook her head and forgot all shyness as she cupped his face in her hands, "You… You had every right to be scared. Everyone was. And that is normal. There is nothing wrong with being afraid."

She felt his left hand come up and rub against her hand. The mechanical hand was surprisingly warm despite it not being flesh and blood. Joshua gulped and nodded.

"Do you understand?" Wendy said, "Or is your skull as thick as Natsu's. If it is I may have to beat the lesson into you."

Joshua laughed softly as the tears started to slowly go away, "When did you get so scary?"

"I was the top wizard in the guild for seven years. Needs to be scary is part of the job description." Wendy smiled, "Do you really think Macao and Wakaba were able to handle Twilight Ogre on their own?"

"They can't even handle a bottle of liquor on their own anymore." Joshua laughed.

Wendy laughed with him, "See? It's gonna be ok."

Joshua was smiling a little more. But Wendy could see that he was still really worried. It was written all over his face.

 _What did he do whenever I was super upset?_

Wendy remembered all the times he made her laugh when they were kids. But she never really got super upset back then, the only time she could think of was after that stupid theater job all of those years ago. And what did he do help her get over it. Wendy gulped and took a deep breath. It made her feel better, it should make him feel better.

Joshua looked over at Wendy "So, what are you going to now-"

Joshua's cheeks went as red as Erza's hair as Wendy softly placed her lips on his. Joshua's eyes were wider than balloons for half a second. Then he realized exactly what was going on. And unlike when they were kids, he held the kiss with her. It was only a couple seconds. But it felt like it lasted forever. Once the kiss ended both of them stared at each other for a moment.

"Um… that came outta nowhere." Joshua grinned sheepishly.

 _CRAP IT DIDN'T WORK!_ Wendy nervously fidgeted, "Oh did it! I-Um-I-" she was still blushing, "Well you see-I- trying- kiss- and- um… gotta go!"

In a flash she was out the door. Joshua raised an eyebrow and looked over at the wide open door that she had sprinted out of.

"I wonder what got into her?"

….

Wendy burst into the team's room and slammed the door shut behind her before she sighed and slid down the door, resting on the floor. Her cheeks went red as she realized what she just did, and why too.

"Are you alright child?" Porlyusica asked as the old woman looked over at the clearly stressed out Wendy, "You look a little flush right now."

"I-I-Um-Fine!" Wendy stammered while giving the old woman the most convincing grin she could.

Porlyusica frowned then shook her head, "You need to have some more confidence in yourself before you go around kissing boys."

"HOW DID YOU KNOW!?" Wendy exclaimed.

"Intuition." Porlyusica replied, "That and the last time you were that shade of red, Joshua kissed you when you were ten."

"I'm not that embarrassed!" Wendy exclaimed, "I'm ju-"

The door whooshed open, smashing Wendy against the wall as it swung inwards.

"Oi! Crazy potion lady!" Said Gajeel's gruff voice as he entered the room, "Where is the girl?"

Porlyusica scowled at the Iron Dragon Slayer. Gajeel then sniffed the air and heard a groan come from the other side of the door. He raised an eyebrow and pulled the door back to see Wendy flattened against the wall, eyes spinning.

"There you are!" Gajeel grabbed Wendy's arm and dragged her out, "C'mon, I gotta show you and Salamander something."

Wendy mumbled out a jumbled series of incoherent words as her eyes continued to spin. The pair disappeared down the stairs leaving Porlyusica alone to figure out what in the world just happened. The old woman's eye twitched a little.

"What in the world?"

"They're… probably up to some mischief again." She heard a weak voice say next to her.

Porlyusica sat up straight and glanced over to see Erza with a small smile on her bandaged face.

"Well good evening. I was wondering when you were going to finally wake up." Porlyusica replied.

"I think I've earned a little rest." Erza weakly replied.

"If you just wanted to earn some rest then do some chores instead of having near death experiences all the time." Porlyusica complained, "I swear, between you and Joshua, I may just run out of potions altogether."

Erza softly laughed then stopped as she recalled the conversation Wendy and Porlyusica just had before it was interrupted by Gajeel.

"Porlyusica?"

"Yes?" The crabby old woman replied gruffly.

"Did Joshua and Wendy kiss?"

Porlyusica quickly nodded, "I'm already working on some healing potions for the boy."

Erza nodded, "Good, he's going to need them once I'm through with him!" she said as loudly as she could in her weakened state.

"You know, he's technically an adult now." Porlyusica sighed, "He can do what he wants."

"He's still my little brother and I must protect him from all forms of evils and traps. And women are the ultimate trap!" Erza declared.

"You are one though." Porlyusica deadpanned, "And where in the world did you get that information?" The old woman's eyes widened. This was Erza she was talking too. And if the old woman's conversations with Levy were anything to go by..., "How much smut have you been reading?"

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Erza roared before coughing.

Porlyusica laughed to herself. She guessed correctly.

"I guess you do have seven years to make up for."

Erza's eyes widened and she gulped before sinking her head into her pillow and groaning.

"Don't remind me."

 **And chapter! It was an action packed chapter this time. I hope the fight was good. I also through some comedy in at the end there just to lighten the tone of the chapter up a tad. The next chapter will have a lot of information on the story in it so be ready. Also, as to how Erza was able to keep up with Starkiller. It is my opinion, that Starkiller was ridiculously overpowered in the force unleashed games. I mean, I don't think anyone should be able to beat Vader until Luke comes along in ROTJ. But that's just my opinion. Also, as any good overconfident dark side user does, he severely underestimated Erza and Wendy until the end when he finally had enough. But he still won, and for most of the fight Erza was barely able to hold her own. So I just want to clear that up a little bit. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed and have a nice day!**


	57. Chapter 57: The Dragon Graveyard

**Hello everyone! New chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 57

She felt cold metal hugging her wrists and ankles. Her body was pressed up against a stone wall as she was suspended in the air by her chains. The woman's blue eyes opened slowly and she groaned, feeling a slight throbbing in the back of her head. She tried twisting her arm only to finally notice the restraints that strapped her to the wall. Now her eyes were wide open, filled with fear. She struggled against the restraints, grunting as she tried to break free.

"Resisting isn't a good option for you right now." said a low voice in the darkness.

The woman stopped jerking and glared angrily at the darkness.

"LET ME GO!" she shouted. She didn't know how she ended up here or who took her, but she wasn't going to take this.

She then heard the faint clinking of keys rattling against each other. It was a heavy clanking like iron keys, but rather a gentle chiming noise. Her heart jumped to her throat. She knew that sound anywhere.

"Resist and you will never see these again." She saw as shadowed out hand hold a key ring with silver and golden keys looped around it.

The woman's eyes widened and she began to shake with both fury and fear, "Don't you dare touch my keys!" She growled.

" _ **But he already has."**_ A voice that screeched at some points and sounded very human at others replied.

The room went ice cold. She could see her breath coming out in small puffs of frost from her dry lips. The already dark room seemed to become pitch black. No light could penetrate the darkness. her eyes jumped to and fro as she tried to make out her surroundings, but the shadows were too deep. Heavy footsteps then entered the darkness. The sound of armored boots clapping against stone floors filled her ears.

"Lucy Heartfilia." A strong voice rumbled, "Are you a true celestial spirit wizard?"

Lucy kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to talk to these people.

The footsteps moved closer and she could finally make out who was talking to her. The man was very tall and very muscular. Most of his body was hidden behind a bulky set of steel armor. His head was topped with wavy hair that stuck up from his scalp. His heavy set brown eyes burrowed into Lucy's as he gave her a harsh glare. He moved his head closer so that his mouth was centimeters from her left ear.

"Ms. Heartfilia," he whispered, "I apologize for this but you need to cooperate, or we are both dead." Lucy was about to gulp when he continued quickly, "Don't react. Stay completely still. He can't hear me right now. I'm going to continue, I apologize in advance. Please know this isn't my choice."

Lucy's mind was racing. Who was this man? Why was he apologizing? What did he mean by if she didn't cooperate they were both going to die?

The man backed away and cleared his throat. His harsh voice returned, "I won't ask again," he growled, "Are you a true celestial spirit wizard?"

Lucy hesitated. She wanted to believe this guy. His voice did sound very afraid when he whispered to her. But at the same time, it could be a ploy to get her to cooperate. Lucy bit her tongue. It was better to wait and see.

" _ **Arcadios…"**_ the voice warbled, " _ **What is taking so long?"**_

"Forgive me, master. She seems to be more stubborn than we thought." Arcadios replied, hoping to buy some time.

" _ **Oh really?"**_

This time, Lucy heard light footsteps coming into the room. If a feather could walk, then this is what it would sound like. The small tap of feet against the stone floor was barely heard, it almost sounded like a brush lightly sweeping along the ground. Lucy looked up and saw a look of terror cross Arcadios's face before he closed his eyes and exhaled. To Lucy that meant only one thing, he wasn't lying. He looked genuinely afraid right now.

Lucy peered into the darkness behind Arcadios and finally saw her second interrogator. This one had a monstrous appearance. His entire face was shadowed out by a cavernous hood. His whole body was clothed in thick black robes that completely disguised even what gender this newcomer might be. His arms were folded into the sleeves of the robes and his head was bowed so that he practically blended into the darkness.

" _ **Miss Lucy Heartfilia. Please… we need your help."**_ The figure's head shifted underneath the hood to look at the knight. " _ **Arcadios, please hurry in answering her questions, we don't have much time."**_

It was apparent that the friendly tone this figure was using threw Arcadios off balance. He glanced back at the robed figure. The hood slightly turned to look at Arcadios as if telling him to start speaking. Arcadios got that impression as well and turned back to Lucy, ready to answer any question she had. Lucy swallowed and felt some nervous sweat forming on her forehead.

"What do you want with me?" she asked.

"We want you to help us open a gateway to another time." Arcadios replied, "This gateway will allow great warriors to come through and help us defeat a great evil that is coming to our world."

Lucy blinked. Seriously? That was what they wanted her to do.

"And how exactly would I do that?"

The robed figure was silent, content with allowing Arcadios to speak for him.

"Your keys, they are… well… the key to opening the gateway."

Lucy frowned. How was she supposed to believe this?

"How do I know that you are not just trying to trick me?" she questioned, "How do I know that you aren't trying to separate me from my keys and harm my guild somehow."

Before Arcadios could respond he saw Lucy's face contort in pain. His own gaze turned to look at the figure behind him. His head was now raised and his shadowed out face was glaring straight at Lucy. A single, glowing, red electronic eye beamed at Lucy from under the hood. Arcadios looked back at Lucy and saw the girl thrashing around, her eyes beginning to roll into the back of her head.

" _ **You see it now."**_ the robed figure screeched, " _ **The death, the devastation. It will come, and it will be a never ending wave. He will lead his armies here, and nothing will be able to stand against him."**_

Lucy's skin was pale and her body was starting to shake.

"Master?" Arcadios questioned as he was now clearly worried for the girl's safety.

The figure exhaled. The strange force holding Lucy seemed to give way. Lucy's chest heaved and she gasped for air as she tried to comprehend what she just saw in her mind. Her body quivered both from fear and the cold.

" _ **Arcadios, those bindings are not necessary. I don't know why we used them in the first place. She understands now."**_

Arcadios nodded and unlatched the shackles on Lucy then caught her as she fell forward.

" _ **I apologize for that experience Ms. Heartfilia. Such magic can be rather traumatic when used on another living being. But it was the only way I could think of in order to get you to believe us."**_

Lucy coughed then looked up, finally able to see under the figure's hood a little bit. She saw a face, a very pale face. Only the mouth was really visible actually. The lips were dried and cracked. But what caught her attention was the figure's left side of his face. His entire jaw, cheek, possible all the way up to the top of his head, was metal and mechanical. An electronic red eye stared at her while the right side of the figure's face remained hidden in shadow. She saw the figure remove his left hand from the robe's sleeve and extend it to her. She could see that the hand was wrapped in a black leather glove.

" _ **Will you help us?"**_

Lucy looked at the hand. She then swallowed any fear in her. She knew what she had to do. Such a future could not happen. The death, the destruction, the pain she saw, it will not happen, not while she drew breath. She clasped the hand, feeling cold metal underneath the glove. With surprising care, the figure grabbed her hand and shook it. She could see the right side of his mouth curl into this person's version of a smile.

"What do I need to do?"

" _ **For now, go back to your lodging."**_ The figure explained, " _ **I will send Arcadios to you when the time comes for you to open the gate with your keys."**_ the figure rose, the shadows once against hiding all of his features, " _ **Again, I apologize for your treatment. Arcadios, have Yukino show her the way out."**_

 _Yukino is here!_ Lucy thought, now feeling a little better about the whole situation knowing that someone like her was nearby.

The knight nodded and followed the robed figure out. He signaled over to his newest sergeant, Yukino Agria, to take Lucy back to her lodgings and make sure the blonde swore herself to absolute secrecy. Then he continued to follow the robed figure down the dungeon halls.

"Master, may I ask why you didn't-"

" _ **Why I didn't break her?"**_ the figure replied, " _ **Persuasion is a subtle art, Arcadios. One must know two things, when to coerce and when to show restraint. In this case, restraint worked perfectly. But…"**_ Arcadios was hit by a barrage of blue lightning, he slammed into the corridor walls and before he could cry out he felt his throat being squeezed by a hidden force, " _ **The case with you involves more coercive forms of communication."**_ The figure's red eye glared at Arcadios, " _ **Try to warn them again, and I will make sure you watch her die in the most horrific way possible. And believe me…"**_ He let Arcadios fall to his knees, the invisible force releasing it's hold on his throat, " _ **I can be very creative."**_

….

The three dragon slayers walked towards the Domas Flau arena. They slowly ascended the many steps that led to the top of the plateau that the massive coliseum rested on. Gajeel had told them that there was something very important that they had to see. The other two dragon slayers were at first very confused by what Gajeel meant. Then he told them about what lay far below the Domas Flau. In the depths of the rock and dirt that made up the plateau was a dragon graveyard. That simple explanation convinced Natsu and Wendy to follow Gajeel up to the Domas Flau. Their exceeds also went with them. The three cats floated beside their respective wizard chattering back and forth about mundane things such as fish, tea, and kiwis, basically all of their favorite foods.

The group finally made it to the Domas Flau and easily snuck past the guards that patrolled the grounds at night. Gajeel eventually led them to the area where the massive hole in the ground was in the arena.

"It's down here." he said gruffly, "Lily."

"On it." The black cat gripped Gajeel's back and helped him float gently down to the bottom of the pit. Natsu and Wendy stared down from the edge and into the black abyss beneath them.

"It looks a little… dark down there." Wendy gulped.

"Afraid of the dark?" Natsu questioned with a slight smirk.

Wendy shook her head, "No, but for some reason, this dark feels really different."

"You mean that this isn't your average darkness." Natsu replied, "Are you saying this is…" he gulped, eyes going wide and pupils shrinking, "Advanced darkness."

Wendy sweat dropped, "Sure Natsu. Whatever you say."

"I don't know if I wanna go down there now." Natsu gulped.

"Oh be a man and get down here!" they heard Gajeel call up through the blackness.

"You heard him Carla." Wendy nodded to her best friend who gripped her back and slowly lowered her down into the pit as well.

Natsu's teeth chattered for a moment before he shook his head, "Dammit all!" he didn't even look back at Happy who was about to grab his back. He just jumped right in."

"NATSU!" Happy exclaimed as Natsu plummeted down in the darkness, "Wait for me!"

Down below, Wendy gently set foot on the floor of the pit. Her eyes scanning the darkness as she regained her balance. She glanced to her left and saw Gajeel's outline in the darkness. But Natsu wasn't there.

"Where is Natsu?" she asked.

"Wait for it." Gajeel grunted.

"GAAAAAAAAH!" Natsu slammed into the ground kicking up clouds of gray dust around the three dragon slayers.

"There he is." Gajeel stated bluntly.

"Did he seriously just jump?" Wendy said in disbelief.

"He's Salamander, what do you expect?"

"HAPPY!" Natsu jumped to his feet, "Why didn't you catch me!?" He turned to his blue companion that slowly fluttered down to the bottom of the pit.

"You were falling too fast." The cat replied innocently.

"Bullshit!" Natsu pointed at Happy, "You're still mad about the fish that I fried!"

"YOU WASTED A PERFECTLY GOOD FISH BY BURNING IT!" Happy yelled back with his high pitched voice.

"It still tasted good!"

"Too you!"

Gajeel winced and poked his right ear out with his finger, "Would both of you shaddup! You're gonna make me lose my hearing."

"Yeah guys, we need to be more discreet." Wendy said, "We can't attract attention. We're technically not supposed to be in the arena right now."

Natsu and Happy crossed their arms and glared at each other before giving each other the silent treatment.

"Even after seven years they are still this childish?" Carla sighed.

"Apparently." Wendy said with a small smile. It was nice to have a small amount of normalcy back in the guild, and those two definitely brought some. The bluenette looked over at Gajeel, "So, where's this dragon graveyard?"

Gajeel, who was sitting on the ground, rose to his feet and looked over at Natsu, "Salamander, we need a light."

Natsu nodded and lit his right hand aflame. His dark eyes widened in shock as the shadows retreated revealing cracked yellow bones piled up high around the three dragon slayers. The bones were enormous, towering over the three like giants. Mixed in with the ancient bones were smaller ones that all three recognized as being human. Natsu gulped, he then noticed the fire was flickering a little. He glanced over at his right hand and saw it was trembling.

"Wh-what caused this?" Natsu muttered as he spun around some more to look at the massive skeletons surrounding him, "What killed them all?"

Gajeel shrugged, "Beats me. It looks way worse now in the dark than it did earlier."

Wendy had her mouth covered as a horrifying realization came to her mind, "You don't think that our dragons are-"

"Don't say that!" Natsu growled back.

"Yeah, it's not likely girl." Gajeel replied, "These bones look ancient. Our dragons disappeared… wow… fourteen years ago now."

"That long?" Natsu mumbled.

Wendy nodded, "It may not seem like it to you guys since you were stuck on Tenroujima. But it definitely has been that long."

" _Wendy…"_

She heard it. A whisper in the air. She was barely able to make it out. But it was there. Softly saying her name. She shook it off as a simply her mind playing tricks on her at first. But then she heard it again, only louder this time.

" _Wendy…"_

Her brown eyes drifted over to a large dragon skull lying haphazardly on the dusty ground. It was easily as big as she was. If the dragon was alive, then she had no doubt that it would've been able to swallow her whole.

For some reason, she felt herself being drawn towards the skull. It called to her, beckoning her to come towards it. She took a hesitant step towards the bones, then another. Eventually she was within arms length of the massive beast's remains. She could see the whole skeleton now. It's ribs towered over her while the branch like bones hovered over her.

 _The wings…_ She thought somberly.

Wendy's eyes turned back to look at the skull. She saw something strange. On the top of the skull, perfectly set between the eyes, was a black scorch mark with a perfectly circular hole drilled into the mark.

 _Fire?_

 __"Hey Natsu." Wendy called.

"Yeah?" The fire dragon slayer came over and saw what Wendy was staring at.

"Did fire cause that?" She asked.

Natsu quickly shook his head, "It doesn't smell like fire."

"Of course it doesn't smell like fire, Salamander." Gajeel replied, "The damn thing looks hundreds of years old. I don't think smells last that long."

"Well…" Natsu frowned and moved his nose closer to the scorch mark. He quickly sniff then wrinkled his nose, "Nope. Fire definitely didn't do that."

"How can you tell?" Wendy asked.

"It doesn't smell like soot." Natsu replied, "Soot smells like smoke, and that doesn't smell like smoke. It doesn't smell like anything actually."

Wendy raised an eyebrow. How can something that looked like the consequences of a fire not be the result of fire? She frowned and stepped back.

"I'm going to ask it what happened." she stated.

"Eh?" both Natsu and Gajeel remarked.

"I think she finally lost her marbles you guys." Happy commented.

"Wendy, you do realize that dragon is dead." Carla explained.

Wendy nodded, "Yeah, but… I thought I heard it calling to me."

Everyone was quiet.

"I think you may be right Happy." Natsu said.

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Wendy shouted back, "I'll prove it."

She waved her arms and one of the most intricate magic circles Natsu had ever seen formed beneath Wendy. She was standing perfectly in the center of the glowing purple markings. Natsu and Gajeel back away as they felt an enormous amount of magic power coursing through the magic circle and surging up and around Wendy. She then began to chant, her eyes were closed shut and her mouth was moving quickly.

"What kinda spell is this?" Gajeel asked as he watched in shock. _Since when did she have this much magic power!?_

"That… is one of the spells Grandine left for Wendy." Carla explained as she looked on with a worried expression as Wendy continued her fast paced chant in a language Carla could no longer understand, "It is a spell that is used to communicate with a dragon's soul, Milky Way."

"Woah." Natsu mumbled as he watched with both awe and pride. Wendy had grown incredibly strong if she was able to do something like this.

"She was studying it for the past seven years, trying to decipher its many intricacies. But it wasn't until you all returned from Tenroujima that she was finally able to grasp it with some help from Levy." Carla further explained, "Although, I don't know what is about to happen."

Wendy uttered one final word that seemed to make raw magic power explode out from her in a massive burst of green light. Beams of light burst out of the magic circle and rocketed out across the graveyard, colliding and passing through the many piles of bones and skeletons. Wendy's eyes stayed closed for a moment then she gasped.

"Th-there is a soul here." she breathed as she stared at the dragon skull in front of her, "It is the soul of this dragon."

She sent the green light straight into the dragon's bones. A dull roar was heard in the large pit. The light stopped hitting the bones and began to swirl above the dragon. Natsu and Gajeel watched as a whirlpool of green light spun in the air above them.

Then they saw it. A long, sharp, black talon poked out of the green swirl. All three Dragon Slayers felt their hearts go into their throats as four more talons slipped out of the green light, revealing a massive clawed appendage. It was white in color, almost like snow. It's great scales shone brightly despite the deep shadows of the cavern they were all in. The rest of the muscular arm appeared followed quickly by the rest of the dragon. Wendy and the others could only stare in awe.

The dragon was massive. It's white scales shimmered in the dim light while it's powerful body rumbled and rippled as the dragon moved. It's head was unique, featuring some sharp protrusions coming from the top and sides as well as a horn at the tip of it's snout. The dragon rumbled then roared loudly revealing its massive teeth, of which two canines on the lower jaw were over sized and stuck out of it's jaw.

All three dragon slayers had their ears covered as the great white dragon roared, causing the ceiling to shake and the floor to rumble. It felt like a massive earthquake was taking place.

"Girl! I don't think he's friendly!" Gajeel shouted.

The roar abruptly stopped, "Not friendly?" A low, rumbling, yet kind voice said incredulously, "Only to my enemies am I not friendly, young human."

"IT TALKED!" Natsu exclaimed.

"But isn't it dead!" Happy shouted.

"I'm dead…" The dragon's head glanced around at his body, "Hmm…. it appears so. Thanks for telling me that young pink haired human, may I inquire your name."

Natsu's jaw hung open. He then shook his head and pointed at the dragon, "HEY! DO YOU KNOW IGNEEL!"

"Natsu! He asked your name!" Wendy shouted back.

"Igneel? Igneel… hm… ah yes, the Great Igneel! A great pain in my backside… yes I know him." the massive white lizard replied.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted back.

"Gihi, sounds like you and your dragon are pretty similar Salamander." Gajeel chuckled.

"HE IS NOT A PAIN! TAKE THAT BACK! He is King of the Fire Dragons so show some respect!"

"Is he now." The white dragon uttered a low amused laugh, "Ah… he must've finally grown into his own then after I passed. That is good to hear. However, pink haired human… you still haven't answered my question."

"Oh um… my name is Natsu Dragneel." Natsu replied.

The white dragon's eyes narrowed, "Dragneel… peculiar…"

"And I'm Gajeel Redfox." Gajeel declared proudly.

The dragon seemed to be pulled from his thoughts about Natsu and looked over at the Iron Dragon Slayer and nodded.

"And… um…" Wendy didn't know why she was feeling shy but she couldn't shake it for some reason, "I'm Wendy Marvell."

The dragon's massive head turned to her and he acknowledged the Sky dragon slayer with a slight nod as well. His massive jaw then parted into a wide, friendly grin.

"Greetings then young humans, my name is Belserion, the Sage Dragon." The dragon then sniffed the air loudly, "Come to think of it, you three do not smell like normal humans."

"Well we are dragon slayers, so that may be why." Gajeel noted.

The term dragon slayers seemed to make the dragon's mood shift from one of cheer to melancholy. He let out a low sigh that made the ground rumble a little.

"Dragon Slayers… I see. That explains why you smell similar to my kind." He opened his massive eyes again to look at the three wizards, "How did you manage to summon my soul?"

Natsu and Gajeel pointed at Wendy. The dragon's gaze moved to the blue haired girl who gulped and slightly raised her hand.

"I-I did it. I used a spell my mom, Grandine, taught me."

"GRANDINE!" Belserion bellowed, "As in, the Sky Dragon herself!"

"Aye sir!" Wendy yelped.

Belserion chuckled, "Ahhh… it's good to here she survived then. And raised a human for that matter too. A powerful human… very powerful. Come to think of it, you do have some of her mannerisms."

"I do?"

Belserion nodded, "She never took any shit from us males that was for certain but she was also a rather meek dragon. It warmed my heart every time I spoke with her." He sighed as if remembering a long cherished moment before lowering his head towards Wendy so that his eyes were at her level, "So… there must be some very important reason that you summoned my soul."

"Y-yes there is." Wendy stated remembering why she did this in the first place, "We wanted to ask you what exactly happened here? Why are there so many-"

"Bones? Skulls? Skeletons?" Belserion finished. He let out a weary sigh, "It is a long tale. I will do my best to explain it to you before this spell wears out." he lifted his head to look out at the graveyard, "What you see here is the last battle of the Dragon Civil War, known as the Dragon King Festival."

"Dragon… Civil… War…" Natsu breathed.

"Yes, young Natsu. This battle occurred almost four hundred years ago. It was the last great battle before the systematic extermination of my kind."

Wendy, Gajeel, and Natsu's eyes widened.

"Extermination!" Wendy gasped, "By who?"

Belserion closed his eyes, "In order to explain this properly. I must start at the beginning. You see, this planet at one time was inhabited by just us, the dragons. For millennia we lived in peace with each other. Then came the humans from the stars."

"Humans from the stars?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"Yes… from the stars. There wasn't just humans either, no, there were many others too. One name I do remember is Twi'lek. Don't know why though. You humans only arrived on this world roughly a millennium ago. Aboard massive flying ships. Some of you were rulers, wizards with great and terrible power. But most of you were fodder, slaves to your masters who called themselves… the Sith.

We immediately felt the currents of magic change with the arrival of these beings known as Sith. We dragons would let magic flow through and guide us. The Sith used magic to their bidding, controlling it and perverting it into an abomination, into merely a tool instead of a way of life. When they first arrived, us Dragons offered them peace, for it turns out they were refugees fleeing a great cataclysm. But they denied peace. They said that there is no such thing as peace. Thus began the first Great War.

We Dragons fought for our lives, for our freedom. The normal sith warriors were nothing to us. They fought with glowing red blades that could harm us, even pierce our scales, but their magic was inferior to ours." Belserion took a deep breath, "We were winning that war… but then… they decided to fight."

"Who?" Wendy asked completely enthralled yet horrified by what she was hearing.

"The leaders of the Sith. The greatest of them… the Dark Lords, they were terrifying sights to behold. They seemingly bent darkness to their will. And as with all living things, Dragons had dark sides as well. These Dark Lords, though few in number, were the most powerful beings we had ever faced. And, with their black magic, they corrupted the minds of some of my kind. Robbing them of their identity, their knowledge, their morals, and their understanding. Those ones we called Fallen, and they served the Dark Lords till their deaths either at our hands, or at the hands of their own masters."

Natsu's face contorted into raw fury while Gajeel's lips curled into a snarl. Wendy's heart was pounding in her chest as she learned all of this horrifying history.

"As the battles raged, we dragon's freed some of the humans slaves. They eventually became the ancestors of your kind today." The Dragon's let out a small smile, "I always loved the looks on your kind's faces when their chains were broken. The joy made me remember what I was fighting for. I was fighting for freedom. Not only for my kind, but for yours as well. This war, this terrible war, lasted for three hundred years until eventually the stalemate was recognized.

We dragons and the Dark Lords called a truce. They would control the western half of the world, a world devoid of population, while us Dragons would rule the eastern half from the sparkling coasts of Fiore to the great cliffs that made up the end of Ishgar. We lived in an uneasy peace for three hundred years. But…" The great white dragon closed his eyes and sighed, "Peace was not meant to be. War began once again as the fallen dragons of the West were called upon by their masters to slay all of us in Ishgar, human and dragon alike. Thus began the Dragon King Festival.

At first, humans could not defend themselves against the might of both Sith and Dragon. They knew nothing of magic, only that the Sith were masters of it and they were not. But one…" A sad smile appeared on Belserion's face, "One good friend of mine, an enchantress, she was able to come up with the idea of Dragon Slayers, humans enchanted and trained in the magic of dragons."

Wendy's eyes widened. This was how dragon slayers came about, they were the result of the Dragon King Festival.

"With the humans now capable of dealing with the corrupted dragons, my kind began to battle the Sith to our fullest capacity. The tide of the war turned in our favor and we began to win mighty victories. At the lead was a dragon slayer of great renown. He was once a noble man, good hearted and just, but… war and conflict corrupts, power corrupts, and he began to thirst for both. In one major battle, he was promised this by one of the last Dark Lords. The man accepted and his mind was twisted as the Dark Lord attempted to turn him into yet another mindless fallen.

However…. The process failed… and something far worse emerged than a mere fallen. This man was no longer a man. He was a monster. He laid waste to all, indiscriminately killing dragons, humans, Sith. He cared not for life. All there was to him was battle. He bathed in the blood of dragons, drank in their souls, and soon became one himself." Belserion glanced down at the three dragons slayers, "This monster's name was Acnologia."

Fear erupted in the three dragon slayers as they heard that name. Memories of the malevolent black dragon descending on Tenroujima replayed in their minds. Wendy did not see this dragon, but from what she learned from Joshua, it was a terrifying monster.

"Eventually, Acnologia wiped out most of my kind as well as the Sith. In fact, only one Dark Lord remained when this battle took place. He was a recent arrival to this world. His name was Ramage. He was far more powerful than the Dark Lords that came before him. Those Dark Lords, the ones that came one thousand years ago, waned in power over the centuries, allowing us to fight on equal ground with them. Ramage was different. His power was massive. But he was not a brute or coward like the other Sith. He was as cunning as a snake. When he arrived he sought to finishing the work of his ancestors. Continuing the battle against my kind, Acnologia, and humans. During this time, he took a single disciple. That disciple eventually slew his master and took up the mantle of Dark Lord. That is when the final battle finally took place. Here, in Fiore. The last of my kind emerged to try and end the war, to end the darkness brought about by both the Sith and Acnologia. But…"

Wendy saw a tear drip from Belserion's eye, "We failed… for it turns out that Acnologia did follow one master. That one master was the last Dark Lord, the one trained by Ramage. He was the only being left that the black dragon respected and feared. It was not a relationship like the other Sith and Fallen. This was one of mutual respect and mutual fear. They both knew wouldn't be capable of defeating the other, so they decided to fight a common enemy, one that was beatable for them. The last of the dragons fell here, on the ground you stand on. And this fatal blow on my head," he pointed at the hole in his skull, "was dealt by the last Dark Lord himself. After that, my soul drifted here aimlessly having failed in my mission to end the carnage. I witnessed the disappearance of both Acnologia and the Dark Lord after the battle, and after that I slumbered…"

He looked back at Wendy, "Until you awoke me." Belserion exhaled, "So you see, Wendy, daughter of Grandine, that is how this graveyard came to be."

"That's… terrible." Wendy trembled feeling water building up in her eyes. The horrors he described were the things of her nightmares. She could never imagine dragons killing each other, let alone being enslaved by such horrible people as the Sith.

Natsu clenched his fists tightly. The heat around him rose as his anger soared, "How can someone do that to others! These Sith… how could they enslave anyone they pleased!? IF I EVER SEE ONE I WILL KILL HIM!"

"Relax Salamander, Belserion just said that there was only one left and he disappeared." Gajeel said.

The dragon shook his head, "I never said they were gone."

Wendy felt her heart stop.

"I sense the currents of magic still. And they are in turmoil. There is yet another user of the black arts alive. I sense him…" He breathed in deeply, "He is young, but he is strong. The currents of magic, they are strange with him. For they do not feel evil but at the same time, they certainly have the potential." Belserion looked down at the three dragon slayers, "Beware of the Sith young ones. And beware of Acnologia. For their one goal in this world," Belserion's body began to fade away. The last remnants of the Milky Way disappeared, "Is total domination."

….

The three dragon slayers returned silently to the Honey Bone Lodge that night. None wished to discuss what they had just heard. Their hearts were too heavy to dwell on it anymore. Wendy was especially shaken up by what she heard. She was always taught by her mother that Dragons were kind, benevolent creatures by nature. Yet she just heard an ancient dragon describe two great wars between people called Sith, themselves, and Humans. Wendy's heart ached for the creatures. She couldn't imagine her mother in a war as terrible as the one Belserion described.

When they all arrived back at the lodge, everyone else had already gone to bed. Natsu and Gajeel silently slunk off to their own beds and quietly attempted to fall asleep. Only Wendy remained awake. She quietly sat in a chair in the team's bedroom, pondering everything she had just learned.

 _I should've never used that spell. I never wanted to know that… I never…_

"You ok?"

Wendy's head jerked up as she saw Joshua sitting up from his bed and staring sleepily over at her.

Wendy nodded and wiped her eyes, "I'm fine, just can't sleep."

Joshua frowned and threw the covers off of him. He swung his legs out and walked over to Wendy.

"Don't lie to me. I can tell when you are."

"How can you tell?" Wendy muttered quietly.

"Well… you get really quiet. Your magic power fluctuates like crazy. And you don't blush when you see me not wearing a shirt."

Wendy instantly felt her cheeks heat up a little. But it died away quickly as she sighed and got to her feet, walking out to the balcony hoping the fresh air would help clear her mind a little. Joshua followed her out there.

"Hey, c'mon, tell me what's going on?"

Wendy was quiet. She just held her arms and kept her head bowed as she leaned against the balcony railing. Joshua closed his eyes and placed an arm around her, feeling her sorrow. Wendy began to cry quietly.

"We-We found a dragon graveyard… underneath the Domas Flau." Wendy said quietly.

Joshua's eyes widened, "A what?"

"A dragon graveyard. Gajeel found it when he fell in that hole during his fight." She explained, "He took us to it and… I used a spell that allows me to contact the souls of dragons."

Joshua's jaw opened slightly, "You can do that!? That's… that's kinda awesome."

Wendy couldn't help but smile slightly. But that smile faded quickly, "The dragon soul we found was that of a dragon named Belserion. And he told us how that dragon graveyard came about."

Joshua felt a bad feeling enter his gut as he saw the expression on Wendy's face. He had never seen her look this sad before, not since they both awoke back at the guild after surviving the apparent destruction of Tenroujima seven years ago.

"He told us of a great war, between two groups, the Dragons… and some people called the Sith."

Joshua felt his chest tighten as he heard the last word. He knew the Sith were once on this planet, otherwise they wouldn't have had a temple here. But he had no idea that they warred with the Dragons. Then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. It was the nature of the ancient Sith to conquer. He learned that during his studies with Count Dooku and Ventress.

"They killed each other off… in horrific ways too. The last war, it's end result was the death of all dragons… and the rise of a lone Dark Lord and Acnologia."

Joshua's hazel eyes widened, "Ac-Acnologia!?"

Wendy nodded as tears began to dribble down her cheeks, "I don't know if maybe… maybe that's what happened to my mom… maybe Acnologia or this last Dark Lord found her and… and."

She felt Joshua's arms wrap around her, embracing her tightly as she finally broke down.

"Hey… that's not what happened." Joshua said quietly, "I'm sure of it."

"How do you know?" Wendy sobbed.

Joshua gulped, "I- I just know. I got a feeling."

"A feeling isn't good enough this time." She trembled.

"Well… I…" Joshua sighed, "I don't really know what to do right now."

Wendy actually felt a small laugh escape her lungs. He could be so clueless sometimes. She cried for a few more moments before taking a few deep breaths and collecting herself once again. Once she did, Joshua ended the embrace and looked at her with concern.

"Better?" he asked.

"Not really, but… I can't cry forever." She replied.

Joshua frowned, "But you are worried, I can tell."

She nodded, "Belserion said that there is another Sith out there other than the last Dark Lord." Joshua's face paled for a moment before he force himself to get it together, "He said that this Sith was young and a complete unknown." Joshua watched Wendy clench a fist, "But he is part of those people who destroyed the dragons, who destroyed my Mom's family and maybe her too!" Joshua saw genuine anger flare up in the usually mild Wendy, "Natsu and Gajeel said that if they find these Sith they will avenge the dragons. To be honest with you, I'm kinda of the same mind."

Joshua felt his stomach flip.

"Well…" he exhaled, "You do what you gotta do Wendy." he started, "I can't tell you what to do. Just… just be careful if you follow that road, ok?"

Wendy nodded, "Yeah." She then felt her eyes finally get heavy as she started to realize how late it was. She stretched out her arms and yawned loudly before blinking. "I need to sleep. We got a big day at the games tomorrow."

Joshua nodded, "Yes we do."

Wendy started to walk back to the curtains that separated the balcony from the room. She then noticed Joshua wasn't walking with her. She turned back.

"You coming?"

"Eh?" Joshua said his face turning a little red. He quickly shook it off, realizing that what he thought was not what she meant. He sighed, "Nah, not yet. I'm gonna do some thinking."

Wendy smiled, "Well don't think too long. We need you in the games tomorrow."

Joshua smirked, "Goodnight Wendy."

"Goodnight Joshua." and she disappeared behind the curtains.

Joshua now stood alone. The night sky was filled with stars above him that twinkled down over the slumbering city. He leaned against the railing and closed his eyes. He then let out an irritated sigh.

"You eavesdropped on that whole conversation didn't you?" He turned his head and stared at the ghostly apparition of Mavis sitting casually on the railing.

Mavis nodded. But it wasn't a normal, playful nod from her. This nod was serious.

"You didn't tell her." she said.

"Didn't tell her what?" Joshua groaned.

"That you're technically a Sith." Mavis replied.

"Not so loud!" Joshua hissed.

"Relax, I'm only allowing you to hear me and see me right now." Mavis replied, "You will avoid a lot of problems if you just tell her who you are."

"I do that.. I lose her." Joshua replied sharply, "I'm not about to lose someone again."

Mavis sighed and shook her head, "I can't force you. But I will say, that if you don't, you will live to regret it." Her form faded away leaving Joshua alone once again on the balcony.

He pursed his lips. Frustration building up in him. He knew that crazy first master was right. Dammit, she was always right! But… he glanced back at the curtains.

 _I can't do it… and besides, I never took the title of Darth. Therefore, I am not a Sith. Yeah… that's right._ Joshua thought trying to reassure himself. _So that means Belserion wasn't referring to me._ He stood quietly for moment and bowed his head, _Who am I kidding? Of course he was talking about me! Dammit!_ He jerked his head up and let out a deep breath trying to calm down, _I can't tell her. I… I just can't. Not after what she told me. No,_ He walked back to the curtains and pulled them aside. He quickly flopped back in his bed and yanked the sheets over him, _There is nothing to worry about._

 **And Chapter! Wow, heavy chapter! Lots of information and stuff. It took me forever to piece this chapter together, I've been planning it for weeks. And I even rewrote this chapter several times trying to get it right. So I hope it was good. Anyways, apparently the Sith were responsible for the Dragon King Festival. An interesting little development there. It'll be interesting to see where that little bit of history will take us further down the line. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	58. Chapter 58: Begin Battle Royale!

**Hey everyone! Time for a new chapter! Warning: On Monday I will be traveling back home from school. Let's just say the shit hit the fan when it comes to finances for school, so yeah. It is a twelve hour drive so there probably won't be an update Monday and maybe not Tuesday. Just to give you guys a heads up now. I will be sticking with this story, I enjoy this way too much to stop. So yeah… With that being said, let's begin!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 58

Joshua stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Today was the day. Today was the day he would face them. He felt no excitement, there was no thrill in what was about to occur today. Instead, determination filled him along with the ever burning embers of anger he held towards Imperius. He nodded to himself in the mirror before pulling the black cloak over his shoulders and stepping out to meet the rest of his team.

The others had just finished getting ready as well. Lucy wore her usual blue and white outfit with an overly revealing top and short skirt. Natsu wore a black waistcoat trimmed with gold along with his normal, billowy white pants, and nothing could separate him from the scaly white scarf around his neck. Wendy wore simple white pants with a green shirt and Gray was well… being Gray.

"Put some clothes on already snowflake." Joshua sighed.

"I did!"

Joshua glanced over at him, "They must be invisible then."

Gray raised an eyebrow and looked down to see that he was only in his boxers. He grumbled to himself while searching for his clothes. Joshua shook his head. He wondered how that guy could be that oblivious sometimes. While the others finished getting ready, Joshua walked over to Erza's bedside and knelt down beside it.

"How are you feeling?" He asked the sleepy red head.

"Mmm… a little better." She replied, "But I bet I still look like I'm in rough shape."

Joshua nodded, "I've seen you look worse. But yeah, this is up there for you." he looked over to the room's entry and saw Porlyusica stride in, "You're keeping an eye on her?

The old woman nodded, "She still needs to be treated. The burns that lightning bomb gave her will take some time to heal. But it's nothing I can't handle. And once you all finish these stupid games, Wendy will be back to assist me."

Joshua nodded, "Then there is nothing for me to worry about." he glanced back at Erza, "Get some rest sis. We'll win this one for you."

Erza smiled, "I'm counting on it."

"You ready Joshua?" Gray asked as he finally put on his clothes and slipped his arms into the sleeves of a long white coat.

Joshua nodded and joined his team as they marched out of their room and down to the dining area of the lodge. When they got down the stairs, they were surprised to see the rest of the guild was still waiting for them. They were all group together in front of the stairs. Standing in front of them all was Master Makarov.

"Team B has already gone to the arena." Makarov stated as Team A stopped at the foot of the steps, "I already gave them this speech, but I'm giving it to you now." he paused to take a breath, "This is no longer about winning or losing these games. We have been threatened, attacked by both Imperius and Sabertooth. We have been dishonored and tossed aside like trash. They have bullied us, they have beaten us, not just now… but for seven long years." The master gave Joshua's team a fiery glare, "Win this one! Prove them all wrong about Fairy Tail! We are strong! We are not to be trifled with! We are not just a guild! We are family!" For some reason, Makarov's gaze turned specifically to Joshua, "And family looks out for each other! And avenges each other when wronged! I believe in all of you! I know you can win! Your hearts are pure, your strength is unimaginable, you will succeed! I know you will!" He pointed at the door, "NOW GET OUT THERE AND SHOW THE WORLD WHO FAIRY TAIL IS!"

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu bellowed while the guild cheered.

Joshua couldn't help but grin at the old man who merely nodded back to him. Joshua then looked back at his team.

"Well, we got a battle royale to win. Let's get moving." Joshua stated.

Wendy and the others smiled widely at Joshua then uttered a phrase usually reserved for Erza when she gave an order.

"Aye sir!"

….

" _WELCOME TO THE FINAL DAY OF THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES!"_

The crowd roared shaking the arena's foundations and causing the rocks that rested on the arena floor to tremble. Chapati beamed as he looked out at the stands to see that there wasn't a single empty seat in the arena. He cleared his throat and moved his mouth close to his microphone.

" _Before we begin today! We will announce our teams by rank so far in these games!"_ He tidied some papers in his hands and began to read from them, " _The scores are slightly different than expected due to the sudden disqualification of Raven Tail just a day ago. Now, the scores for events are distributed as this: First Place gets ten points, Second Place gets eight points, Third Place gets six points, Fourth Place gets four points, Fifth Place gets three points, Sixth Place gets two points, Seventh Place gets one point, and last gets zero points. This point distribution was used for day four's events and will be used for today's events as well. So.. let's see our leader board from last to first!"_

The crowd roared and screamed as the saw a blank scoreboard appear over the arena.

" _All the way back in last place after a devastating performance on day four, is… Blue Pegasus with twenty points!"_

Blue Pegasus fans in the crowd bowed their heads in shame while a long sorrowful "meeeeehn" was heard from the Blue Pegasus balcony.

" _In seventh place, after a strong performance on day four, is Fairy Tail B with twenty five points!"_

Over on the Fairy Tail B balcony Laxus folded his arms and frowned. They were second to last. Not a position he was used to being in.

" _In sixth place, sputtering to the finish after two straight days of disappointment is Lamia Scale!"_

Everyone in the Lamia Scale balcony, including the mighty Jura, began spinning violently as their erratic master took her anger out on them.

" _Amazingly, we have a three way tie now. The three way tie for third place is between… Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus, and… Sabertooth!"_ The crowd gasped in shock as they heard the seemingly invincible guild's name announced as third place, " _All three have thirty four points! Now then… in the most shocking underdog story of all time, second place belongs to… FAIRY TAIL A WITH THIRTY FIVE POINTS!"_

The crowd was stunned for a moment before they began to cheer loudly for Fairy Tail A.

" _Which means, that currently sitting on top is…"_ Chapati gulped, " _I-Imperius… with thirty eight points."_

Boos rained down from the crowd as they all voiced their displeasure with the guild that was in first place. The Seventh sister snarled while the others on the team's balcony remained emotionless. They glanced up at the scoreboard that was now completely filled in.

 **First Place: Imperius- 38 points**

 **Second Place: Fairy Tail A- 35 points**

 **Third Place: Sabertooth- 34 points**

 **Third Place: Mermaid Heel- 34 points**

 **Third Place: Quatro Cerberus- 34 points**

 **Sixth Place: Lamia Scale- 27 points**

 **Seventh Place: Fairy Tail B- 25 points**

 **Eighth Place: Blue Pegasus- 20 points**

The Grand Inquisitor grinned as he looked up at the scores. Even though their goal never was to win these games, it did fill him with pride to know that he was winning. He glanced over at the other inquisitors.

"You have done well. But do not forget our original purpose for being here." He looked at all of them, "Have you compiled your reports for Admiral Thrawn and Lord Vader?"

All three nodded. The Grand Inquisitor looked past them at the man leaning against the archway that made up the entrance to the balcony.

"Starkiller?"

The young man simply glared up at the Grand Inquisitor, forcing the Pau'an to be silent with a simple, powerful stare. He then rose from the his position on the wall and stepped out into the light so he was standing next to the Grand Inquisitor.

"Do not let Joshua Scarlet defeat us." he stated simply, "he is the lone threat left to us in these games. Jura will not battle us. He is too passive. The only way we will draw his wrath is if we provoke him. But we have provoked the second Scarlet. And he will hunt us down in today's event." he glared at them all, "Beat him or you die. And if he doesn't kill you, then I will."

….

Erza sat quietly in her bed, her head lifted up by several pillows so that she could see the lacrima crystal sitting on her bed. Images of the grand magic games flew by on the lacrima recounting the previous day's events as well as the highlights that had wowed the entire country. The number one moment of the games so far… her battle with Starkiller.

" _That battle we witnessed yesterday between Erza Scarlet and Starkiller was something else wasn't it Mr. Yajima?"_

" _Indeed it was Chapati. I hope Ms. Scarlet is recovering ok."_

" _That's right, she may not be in the lineup for Fairy Tail A today."_

" _Most likely not. But we are about to find out."_

 __" _Right you are Mr. Yajima. It is now that time everyone! Here are the wizards competing for their guilds in the battle royale!"_

Erza shifted in her bed which caused a slight throbbing pain to run through her abdomen.

"Don't squirm so much." Porlyusica scolded as she sat calmly in a chair beside Erza.

" _We will announce our teams once again from last to first!"_ Chapati stated, " _First up, Blue Pegasus! They will be sending out… The Trimens, Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, and Jenny Realight!"_

Erza toned out the names being listed out. She already knew who Fairy Tail B was sending out. Gajeel, Laxus, Mira, Juvia, and Cana would be competeing for their team, with Laxus being their leader. The only guild's she was interested in hearing was Fairy Tail A, Sabertooth, and Imperius.

" _And finally our last three teams! For Sabertooth it will be: Orga Nanagear! Rufus Lore! Sting Eucliffe! Rogue Cheney! And their team leader, Minerva Orland!"_

Loud cheers rained down from the crowd as the Sabertooth team stepped forward.

"They're still the favorites?" Erza said with a raised eyebrow.

"They've won almost every year since you dissapeared on Tenroujima." Porlyusica explained, "It's difficult for the crowd not to think they'd win."

" _Now up, our second place team… Fairy Tail A!"_ The cheers were loud once again. Erza shifted herself so that she could see the lacrima better which earned her a sharp glare from Porlyusica, " _Fairy Tail A will send out: Lucy Heartfilia! Wendy Marvell! Gray Fullbuster! Natsu Dragneel! And their team leader… Joshua Scarlet!"_

Erza felt some pride build up in her when she heard that the Master had selected Joshua to lead Fairy Tail A in these games. That pride slowly faded into concern as she saw the serious expression on Joshua's face. He wasn't like Natsu or Gray who looked excited for this fight. Instead he looked like he was about to attend a funeral. He had changed his clothes at the arena from the purple and white they wore on opening day, to all black robes with a black cloak and gloves. Erza felt a pit form in her stomach.

 _He almost looks like Joshua Knightwalker, just not as pale or skinny._

"Erza? You look nervous." Porlyusica noted.

"Joshua… he seems to be taking this very seriously." Erza stated.

"Can you blame him." the old woman replied, "First Sabertooth injures Lucy in the Naval Battle, luckily her injuries were mostly superficial and I was able to treat them easily. But then… Imperius harms Wendy and injures you to the point where you can't get out of bed. I would say Joshua isn't here to win anymore. He's on a mission to deliver those guild's some well deserved pay back."

Erza gulped. The last time Joshua went for payback… her mind wandered all the way back to when he slaughtered twenty two Phantom Lord wizards. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

"Please… don't lose control." She said under her breath.

" _And now! The first place guild, Imperius! They will send out: Eighth Brother, Fifth Brother, Seventh Sister, Grand Inquisitor, and… Starkiller!"_

Again, a hail of boos and jeers rained down on the Imperius guild as they stepped out onto the arena floor.

" _Interesting…"_

" _What is so interesting Mr. Cat?"_ Chapati asked as he turned to look at the commentator wearing the bright green suit and cat mask.

" _Both Starkiller and Joshua Scarlet are team leaders. I have a feeling we're going to see a grudge match in these games."_

" _You think so?"_

Bob Cat nodded, " _Just look at Joshua Scarlet. He's got a fire in his eyes right now. He's going to be after Starkiller after what happened yesterday. No doubt."_

Erza felt her heartbeat quicken as the announcers discussed this. She didn't have a good feeling about this. Starkiller was so powerful, and Joshua… well he lost to Bacchus. She didn't know how he could possibly beat him. She gulped.

 _How's he even going to keep up with him?_

….

" _Alright! We have our teams! Now it's time to announce the rules of the Battle Royale!"_

He could care less about rules right now. Joshua's sole goal was to find Starkiller in this battle royale, and make good on his guarantee.

" _It is simple. If you defeat a member of another guild, your guild is awarded five points! If the team leader is defeated your guild will be awarded ten points! Whoever defeats the most opponents, wins the Battle Royale. But first…"_

Joshua felt the ground beneath his rise into the air. He glanced around and saw that they were standing on floating earth platforms that were slowly floating out over the entire city of Crocus. His eyes widened as he realized what was going on.

"The whole city is the battlefield?" He breathed in shock.

"Whoa! How are we going to find anyone to fight?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Use your nose idiot." Gray grumbled.

"Oh right! HEY! I'M NOT AN IDIOT!" Natsu roared as he stormed up to Gray.

Just before the two could but heads Joshua glared over at them.

"Do I need to be like Erza? Cause I can be." He snarled.

The two mages slowly backed away from each other. Joshua closed his eyes.

"Save that pent up energy for your opponents." he took a breath, "Now then… you all remember the strategy Mavis went over with us?"

Everyone on the platform nodded. Slowly, they descended down into the city until they were once again on ground level.

"Good." Joshua replied, "I'm making one adjustment." he turned to look at them all, "Leave Imperius to me."

"Wha!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Are you crazy Joshua!" Wendy yelled.

"Hey man, we get you want some payback but your practically talking about a suicide run." Gray noted.

Wendy marched up to Joshua. Her face inches from his as she stared hard at him.

"You are not going to risk yourself like that!" She growled.

"Wendy…"

The blue haired girl turned to see Natsu placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Let him go."

"WHY WOULD I DO THAT! He's only going to get himself hurt!"

"Because… everyone has a fight." Natsu said simply, "This is his. He's got to do this." The pink haired man looked up at Joshua and nodded at him, "You do what you gotta do, we'll take care of the rest."

Joshua smiled a little, "Thanks Natsu." The gong rang out and they all stepped off of the earth platform and onto the cobblestone roads beneath them. Just before Joshua wrapped himself in a Force cloak Natsu called out to him again.

"Kick their asses for Erza!" He shouted.

Joshua glanced back and nodded before disappearing. He quickly moved through alleys and streets, ducking into shadows and behind nooks and crannies as he tried to locate the Imperius guild. He let the force flow through him and stretch out through the city. He could already feel battles breaking out all over the city. The biggest one he felt so far was between Gray and Rufus Lore of Sabertooth. Joshua smiled as he sensed them clashing.

 _Good, Gray is following the strategy to perfection._

He raced across a street and planted himself against a stone wall. Joshua carefully peaked his head around the corner of the building and saw yet another empty street. A frown crossed his face and he carefully stepped out from the building's shadow and into the road.

 _Where the heck are they?_

"Looking for us?"

Joshua stopped. How did they know he was here. He made sure his cloak was undetectable.

"You can stop using that simple technique. It won't work against us, not a second time."

Joshua saw four figures step out from the alleys that lined the streets. All four wore black clothes with glossy black armor. One was a woman with green skin and fiery eyes. The next was a hulking creature with stone like skin and opaque, grey eyes. The third wore a mask over it's face and had three fingers and three toes on it's hands and feet. The fourth and final one was the Grand Inquisitor with his long grey head covered in red markings. His thin lips were curled into a pleased grin, revealing razor sharp teeth meant for ripping into flesh.

"Starkiller foretold this moment. He said you'd come for us." The Grand Inquisitor stated.

Joshua sighed and let his force cloak fade away. The Imperius wizards slowly edged around him, setting themselves up so that they could attack him from every angle. Joshua's eyes darted back and forth between the enemy wizards. His face showed no hints of fear or anxiety. Instead it was completely blank.

"Are you not afraid?" The Grand Inquisitor asked, "After all, we are a force to be reckoned with. We do lead in these games."

Joshua glared back over at the Grand Inquisitor, "Do I look like I care whether or not you lead?"

The Grand Inquisitor smirked, "No you don't. You look like someone out for blood."

Joshua heard the Seventh Sister cackle to his left, "Oh… we'll give him blood alright." She hissed, "His own… then that of his friends." Joshua felt a snarl come across his face. The Seventh Sister noticed and grinned, "Starting to get it now? You should be very afraid and-"

"No." Joshua interrupted, "You should be afraid."

All four let out amused chuckles.

"Oh really?" The Grand Inquisitor grinned, "And why is that?"

Joshua narrowed his eyes at him. He let his magic come to life in his left hand. A golden light enveloped his arm for a moment before quickly winking away. The Grand Inquisitor's grin disappeared as he saw what was cradled between Joshua's fingers. Joshua ran his thumb along a silver hilt until it rested over a red button.

"You have not only angered me, but you have threatened my family." Joshua pressed down and his lightsaber boomed to life released loud cracks as red energy arced unstably around the core of the lightsaber. The red crossguards hissed as they expelled excess energy and heat. "A very unwise decision considering who I am."

Joshua noticed the Fifth Brother nervously glance over at the Seventh Sister. He knew that look on his face. The Fifth Brother was afraid. He could feel the Dark Side billowing out of Joshua like thick, black smoke. Joshua's eyes returned to rest on the Grand Inquisitor, his own lightsaber handle now clutched in his right hand. The other inquisitors followed suit, all of them holding their hilts parallel to the ground. Each one ignited their sabers. Two blades emerged from each end of the black hilts, creating a line of red around Joshua.

"And just who might you be?" The Grand Inquisitor snarled.

Joshua glanced at the four, dual lightsabers surrounding him. He then looked back at the Grand Inquisitor and smirked.

"I'm Joshua Scarlet. Little brother to Erza Scarlet…" Joshua raised his lightsaber in front of him, just as he was taught by Erza all of those years ago, "And… Grandson of Darth Tyrannus."

….

Makarov felt his heart stop in his chest as he watched Joshua's lacrima vision. The others in the guild had confused expression on their faces. Some were asking who the hell was Darth Tyrannus. But Makarov knew exactly who this Tyrannus was. Erza told him long ago, before the S class exams, during the selection process. When Gildarts had offered up the idea of sending Joshua to the exams, Erza adamantly refused because of a being named Tyrannus possesing Joshua whenever he lost control.

"Third Master?" Makarov looked up at the stone railing to see Master Mavis sitting still, "Who is Darth Tyrannus?"

Makarov gulped, "A… a very dark entity. Someone that I wish Joshua had never mentioned." He felt his fist tighten, "That boy… I can forgive not adhering to the strategy, but to invoke such an evil name and claim it as his Grandfather, is unacceptable!"

"How is it unacceptable?" Mavis asked as she glanced over at the fuming Makarov, "I don't see it as invoking that name, but rather accepting the reality of who he is."

The veins in Makarov's head stopped pulsing and he glanced up at Mavis in confusion.

"I see it as Joshua recognizing what his past is, what his heritage is, and deciding to use that to his advantage." She nodded up to the lacrima visions. Makarov glanced up and saw the looks of absolute terror on three of the Imperius guild's faces while a snarl covered the Grand Inquisitors, "They obviously fear that name. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so nervous to fight him now. Notice how they were so excited about taking on Joshua before he mentioned his Grandfather. Now they are hesitating. He's making the enemy think twice and doubt their abilities." Mavis grinned, "And the first step to taking down a difficult opponent is making them lose confidence."

Makarov's eyes widened, "You-you anticipated this didn't you! You knew he wouldn't follow the strategy. So you made a strategy around that strategy."

Mavis nodded, "Precisely."

"But are you certain Joshua can take on Imperius by himself?"

Mavis tilted her head to the side for a moment then looked back at Makarov and gave him an innocent smile, "I don't know."

Makarov stared at her completely dumbfounded for a moment before face faulting on the spot.

….

Joshua smiled. That little bombshell had it's desired effect.

"I'm sure you all know that name."

The Grand Inquisitor snarled angrily at him, "Oh… I've heard of him."

"Then you should know what he was capable of."

The Pau'an scowled, "That doesn't mean you are anywhere close to Tyrannus' ability. It's not possible for a child like you to be as strong as him."

Joshua laughed a little, "Do you want to test that theory?"

The Grand Inquisitor growled and pressed a button on his black hilt. Joshua's eyes widened slightly as he saw the blades begin to spin like a windmill along the circular guard. He then heard the other Imperius members doing the same thing. The hum of the eight blades spinning through the air filled Joshua's ears and drowned out the violent crackling his own lightsaber was making. They began to move in towards him. Depriving him of space as they pressed closer. Joshua could see what they were trying to do now. They were trying to box him in, make him attempt to leap over one of them, before they cut him in half mid air.

 _Clever._

Joshua smirked at the Grand Inquisitor.

"Before you try to kill me, I must warn you. I've had seven years of training." The red blades began to chop into the ground, sending up sparks and filling the air with loud cracks of energy, "Seven years of training that I have yet to use." Joshua began to fill himself with the force. He concentrated it into his right hand, "You four are going to be the perfect guinea pigs."

Joshua slammed his palm into the ground sending out a massive pulse that knocked all four Imperius wizards off of their feet. Before any of them could hit the ground, Joshua flew into action. He surged through the air towards the one he identified as the weakest link among his enemies, the Fifth Brother. Joshua sent his saber rocketing down at the recovering creature who barely raised his own blade to parry the thunderous blow. Joshua immediately sensed danger behind him. He back flipped over a swipe from the Seventh Sister and landed behind her. With a quick flick of his wrist he slammed his blade into her own.

The force screamed out in warning again.

 _Left._ Joshua thought calmly.

He ducked and heard a dull whir go over his head. Joshua quickly kicked the Seventh Sister away and twisted to his left. Force lightning jumped from his fingertips and plowed into the Eighth brother, sending the masked creature flying into a stack of wooden crates.

 _Right!_

Joshua rose up and quickly parried a stab from the Grand Inquisitor. The Grand Inquistor roared in frustration and sent a flurry of attacks at Joshua. The teen instantly shifted into Soresu's defensive posture and deftly parried every strike before sensing danger behind him. He sidestepped a thrust from the Grand Inquisitor before pushing the Pau'an away with a quick blast of the force. Joshua then turned to meet the Fifth Brother's powerful attack that he felt rushing at his head.

The blow hit Joshua's blade with enough force to send a rancor staggering back. Joshua felt his left leg buckle beneath him. Thinking quickly, he ignored any pain in his leg and rolled under the follow through.

 _Gotcha!_

Joshua's sword flicked out faster than a viper. He could hear the red blade searing flesh as it bit into the Fifth brother's right calf. The large alien gasped in pain. He was then silenced by Joshua's elbow slamming into his right temple, knocking the creature out.

 _One._

Joshua heard the Seventh Sister let out a defiant roar. She chucked her saber at Joshua, it's blades spinning in a deadly arc towards him. Joshua grinned and reached out with the force. The seventh sister's eyes widened as Joshua caught the blades mid flight. Her shock then turned into a sneer as she saw the Grand Inquisitor about to run the brat through. But shock returned to her as the brat somehow sensed what was coming and dropped her saber to the ground while dodging left of the Grand Inquisitor's attack.

Joshua began to feel it. The thrill of being in a lightsaber duel. It was intoxicating. He was losing himself in the adrenaline and power coursing through him. His strikes became more fluid and powerful. Even as all three inquisitors attacked him, he was able to deftly parry the blades or dodge them before blocking another vicious strike. The entire area they were battling in was a sea of red flashes and a storm of thunderous cracks as the red blades crashed into each other. Joshua's lips widened into a grin as he continued to mount an impenetrable defense.

 _Old Hag, thank god you taught me Soresu._

Joshua ducked under a swipe aimed at taking his head off. He could hear Ventress's voice in his head. Her endless hours of drilling, instructions, scoldings, and beatings filling his mind and his muscles. He could hear her in his mind as if she was still alive.

" _Counter now, brat!"_

Joshua's blade swiftly lashed out at the Eighth brother. The masked alien cried out as Joshua's lightsaber dug into his left shoulder.

" _Stupid boy! You're taking too long to address other threats!"_

"Fuck you Old Hag." Joshua snarled before spinning around and catching the Grand Inquisitor's sword with his own, "I know what I'm doing."

Joshua saw the eighth brother out of the corner of his eye, slowly staggering to his feet. He muscled away the Grand Inquisitor's blade before rolling away from another wild swing from the Seventh Sister. As Joshua rolled he stuck out his left hand, grabbing the Eighth Brother and pulling the unfortunate Imperius wizard close. Joshua rose out of his roll and stuck his lightsaber out, impaling the Eighth brother through the stomach. The alien let out a quick gasp of shock before passing out. Joshua turned to face the final two inquisitors. All of them were breathing heavily as the intensity of the fight only grew. This time, the inquisitors waited. They weren't going to attack now, it was clear that Joshua's defense was too strong. The boy grinned widely. This was going exactly to plan. He yanked his lightsaber out of the Eighth Brother's stomach, allowing the creature to fall limply to the ground.

 _Two._

….

Macao could only watch in awe as he stared at Joshua's lacrima vision. His expression mirrored that of his guild's and the rest of the crowd. No one was paying attention to the other battles. Everyone was completely captivated by the display of power and skill occurring between Joshua and the Imperius guild. Macao felt Wakaba tug on his sleeve.

"Y-you're seeing what I'm seeing right." Wakaba muttered, his cigar hanging loosely in his lips.

Macao gulped as he watched the red blades hum through the air and clash with mighty flashes of light as the swordsmen continued their deadly dance.

"Yeah." Macao finally uttered, "How did the kid get that strong?"

Makarov could understand how Macao and Wakaba were feeling. He was feeling it himself. Joshua was showing a level of skill that very few could ever hope to match. His eyes widened further as he watch the boy impale the Eighth brother.

"I-I've only seen him fight like this when he's lost control." Makarov gulped, "But it was never to this scale."

Mavis smirked at Makarov, "You wanna know something scary."

Makarov gulped, "What?"

"Look at his eyes."

The aged third master looked back up at the lacrima vision and saw a quick closeup of Joshua's face as the remaining fighters attempted to catch their breath. The old man's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Joshua's eyes… they were completely normal. They were their normal hazel color. Not a hint of crimson was in his irises.

"He's in complete control right now." Mavis commented, "For further evidence, look at the fallen Imperius wizards… not one of their injuries is life threatening, but it was enough to put them down."

Makarov's jaw hung open. The first master was right. He could see the two defeated fighters slowly squirming on the ground, their bodies curled around their injuries. They were completely alive.

"I'd say you owe Joshua an apology." Mavis smiled.

"I didn't do anything!"

"You doubted his ability to control himself just now." Mavis said, "It was written all over your face."

"I-uh…" Makarov sighed and nodded, "You're right."

"And because of this show of restraint, he's still not going all out."

"WHA!" Everyone in the balcony exclaimed.

"He's-He's got more!" Macao trembled.

Mavis nodded, "If Joshua were to completely unleash, free himself from the shackles that he placed to hold himself back, then I believe he would be completely unstoppable."

"B-but he lost to Bacchus. Maybe it's just that Imperius wasn't as strong as we thought." Romeo commented.

Mavis shrugged, "Maybe. But Joshua never used a blade against Bacchus. Only his fists. I have no doubts that if Joshua actually took his fight with Bacchus seriously it would've ended with Bacchus in the hospital."

Romeo gulped, "Whoa…"

"Everyone quiet!" Max hissed far down the balcony, "They're about to go back at it again!"

….

Joshua breathed deeply through his nose as he filled his lungs with precious air. Sweat covered his body and stained his robes. But he didn't feel tired. In fact, he felt completely alive. He was loving every second of this battle. It was a challenge that he had been wanting for a long time. But now, there were only two Imperius wizards left. As long as he didn't get cocky, he'd be able to end this quickly and move on to his real target.

"H-how!" The Seventh sister growled, "HOW THE HELL ARE YOU THIS POWERFUL!"

Joshua smirked at the green woman, "I exercised and ate my green vegetables."

"Haha." The Grand Inquisitor replied dryly, "I supposed you weren't blustering earlier. You are truly skilled." The Pau'an's face was no longer confident, but rather seething with fury, "For humiliating us… you will suffer. You will suffer in the worst possible way!"

Joshua started chuckling, "Well… that would be intimidating if you were, well, intimidating."

"I didn't say I would make you suffer, although I wish it would be me. I already know I'm going to lose this battle." The Grand Inquisitor replied causing the Seventh Sister to cast a fearful glance at him. "Starkiller… he will make you suffer."

"I'd love to see him try." Joshua snarled.

"He doesn't have to. He already knows your greatest weakness." The Pau'an flashed an evil grin, "Tell me… do you have a way of finding that pretty little thing with the blue hair." Joshua's stomach flipped, "What was her name… Wendy, was it? Yes, I believe it was. Are you certain you made sure that Starkiller would only be waiting for you?" Joshua felt rage bubbling to the surface, "I have a feeling, that Starkiller has her already. And he is quite possibly entertaining himself as we speak."

Joshua let out a scream unlike any the Grand Inquisitor had ever heard. It echoed around him and made his body become filled with unbridled dread. The Seventh sister was the same. Terror engulfed her as Joshua roared then twirled towards the inquisitors. His red blade flashed in their faces for a brief moment. The Grand Inquisitor felt something slash through his waist. He coughed and glanced down to see his body slowly sliding away from his legs. He then looked up and saw glowing crimson eyes staring back at him.

 _Th-those eyes…_ The Grand Inquisitors vision began to fade, _Those are… Sith… eyes…_

His body flopped away and his legs crumpled to the ground. The crowd stared on in horrified silence. The Seventh Sister felt herself shaking. Her knees were knocking together as she felt the dark side of the force completely ignoring her will. It bent to the will of this brat, no, this monster in front of her. Fear unlike any she had felt in a long time sprang up in her like water bursting forth from a geyser. Her shaking hands dropped her lightsaber, the red blades deactivating before the hilt hit the ground.

His gaze was on her now. His stare was ice cold despite the fiery crimson eyes. She then felt the force clasp her trembling body and violently throw her into a stone wall nearby. Her head snapped back and her helmet cracked as her body made a crater in the wall. She then felt her throat tighten up as an invisible hand wrapped around it.

"Where. Is. He?" she heard the monster say to her.

His fingers were pinched together like pincers and pointed at her throat. She gasped for air, her eyes widening and her face contorting in pain. Her lungs began to burn. She couldn't die like this. No! She wasn't ready to die! She didn't want to die. She felt the hand leave her throat. Any relief she felt was instantly replaced by searing pain as blue tendrils of lightning slammed into her and pinned her up against the wall. The Mirialan screeched in pain, her skin beginning to char and smoke as the lightning continued to build.

"WHERE IS HE!?" Joshua roared.

"Gardens…" She croaked before screaming, "Palace… gardens."

The lightning stopped and she felt a gloved hand wrap around her face. The hand shoved her head back into the stone wall once, twice, then three times before he helmet finally gave way and her skull smashed into the stone. The Seventh Sister instantly blacked out.

….

Her brown eyes were wide with fear. The muscles in her throat were contracting and her jaw was clenched tightly shut causing pain to wash over her face due to the injuries she sustained the previous day. But she didn't care. Erza could only feel fear. She knew those eyes, she knew them anywhere. It was the first sign of Joshua losing control, and it was usually the last sign as well before He took over her brother.

"Erza… what is this?" Porlyusica said, her old hands trembling, "H-he just killed that Imperius member."

Erza couldn't speak. Her words were stuck in her throat. Somehow she could feel what Joshua was feeling as her mind attempted to scream out at him. She just wanted to go down to the arena and shake him free of this rage filled rampage he was now in. She could feel it all. The fear he felt, the anger, the hatred. But most of all was the fear. Erza felt it weighing on her shoulders. He wasn't just angry, he was terrified.

"He's… scared." Erza whispered.

"He's what?" Porlyusica replied, "How could he be scared? he looks more enraged than afraid."

Erza shook her head, "I know he's scared. I just know. He's scared for Wendy. He's not doubting the Grand Inquisitor's threat."

Porlyusica's old eyes widened, "H-how can you know that?"

Erza gulped as she felt Joshua's emotions churn like rapids in her mind, "A feeling… a terrible feeling."

 **And chapter! Joshua finally lets loose on Imperius. And holy crap, Ventress taught him well. Now, how was he able to take on all four at once. If you watch Star Wars Rebels, you will see that the Inquisitors are actually very, very weak.**

 **Think about it. Kanaan in the show was barely a padawan when Order 66 occurred, which means he barely had any complex lightsaber training, and he was able to defeat the Grand Inquisitor. Ezra (Kanaan's padawan) in the show is being taught basically by a padawan learner which means he's not getting the greatest lightsaber skills lessons either. And those two were able to easily hold their own against the Seventh Sister, Fifth brother, and Eighth brother.**

 **Now imagine if someone with actual complex training, such as Joshua (who was trained in lightsaber combat by Ventress who herself was able to hold her own against the likes of Obi Wan, Anakin, Maul, and Count Dooku) took on the inquisitors. It wouldn't be close. The Grand Inquisitor is really the only one who could really compete and even then, he made the mistake of enraging a Sith, something you do not want to do.**

 **This fight is now going to come down to the one you have been waiting for… Starkiller vs. Joshua. Ooooh it's going to be so much fun to write! I'm so excited! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed and have a nice day!**


	59. Chapter 59: Joshua vs Starkiller

**Hey guys! I'm back! I didn't have internet for a couple days there so I wasn't able to update but now I do so it's time for a new chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 59

" **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A tornado of wind erupted out of Wendy's mouth and slammed into Rocker of Quatro Cerberus, sending the muscled meathead flying into a building. The building shuddered as he cratered into the wall before the entire building collapsed in on Rocker, burying him in rubble. As the dust settled, Wendy let her shoulders sag as she tried to catch her breath.

"That takes care of Quatro Cerberus." She mumbled to herself, "Sabertooth already took out Bacchus, so I don't have to worry about him."

Wendy moved a stray strand of blue hair out of her face before proceeding down the street she had battled Rocker on. All was quiet once again. She had no way of knowing where the other guilds were or if they were already engaged in battle or not. She wasn't like Joshua in that regard. In fact, she kinda envied that about him. He always seemed to know what was going on during a battle no matter how far away he actually was. It was something that amazed her constantly. All he would have to do is close his eyes and focus and he could pinpoint anyone, anywhere, as long as they weren't too far away. He could sense magic better than anyone else in the guild. And while Wendy had her dragon senses to help her, she could only dream of achieving the precision Joshua had with his sensory magic.

She wandered into the gardens near Mercurius. She had no idea that this was part of the battle royale. She figured that such a beautiful place would be off limits. The fresh smell of flowers hit her nose and caused her to smile as she reminisced her walk through here with Joshua. She remembered how amazed she was that he was able to sense where the exit to this place was.

 _All I can really do is hear things and smell…_ Wendy stopped as a new scent hit her nose, _Smell… strange…_

Her brown eyes widened as she wheeled around and launched two whips of wind towards a dark alley. The wind cracked against the woods and stone walls of the buildings around her, chipping away bits of them and creating a wall of shrapnel that exploded down the dark alley.

The deadly wall of projectiles eventually subsided. Wendy stood stock still at the alley's entryway. All of her focus was on her nose right now. If there was one thing that never failed a dragon slayer, it was their nose. She sniffed the air and frowned.

 _Missed…_

"Damn… I thought I was much more careful than that."

Wendy felt fear grip her as she heard a voice behind her that sent chills up her spine. The voice was then followed by a low hum that echoed in her ears and made her skin crawl. She slowly turned to see Imperius' strongest member casually leaning up against a stack of crates, a glowing red blade lazily swinging back and forth in his right hand. She watched him reach up with his left hand and rub a gash on his cheek.

"You actually caught me there." He grumbled before standing upright and walking away from the crates so that he was across from Wendy, "I honestly didn't see that one coming."

Wendy scowled. She really didn't like this guy, "You'll find I'm full of surprises like that."

Starkiller chuckled, amused by her tough act. He could sense it coming from her. The waves of fear hung like a thick fog in the air. She knew how dangerous he was, and she knew that he wasn't someone she could beat.

Wendy gulped when she heard him laugh. He knew she was just acting. She was afraid right now. But that fear quickly turned into terror as she realized what he was holding. The red blade glowed against its surroundings giving everything around it an evil red hue.

 _Belserion said that the Sith used… glowing red blades!_

"Sith…" She snarled at Starkiller which caused the young man to pause his advance towards her.

"What did you call me?" he asked, genuinely dumbfounded that she even knew that term.

"Sith!" Wendy spat, "You… your people are responsible for killing off the dragons!" Wendy felt anger unlike any she had ever known sprout inside of her, "I'll avenge them!" She sucked in a large amount of air, " **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

The cyclone erupted from her mouth once again. Starkiller however, quickly dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. Wendy was about to launch a wing attack at him when he raised a hand a shot blue lightning at her. Wendy's eyes widened and she was sent screaming into a wall as the lightning lifted her from the ground.

Pain washed over every cell in her body as she shuddered from the electrical shock that had just rocked her. She tried to get back up. But as she got to her hands and knees, Starkiller delivered a quick kick into her ribs. Wendy felt the air leave her lungs and she jumped a few inches off of the ground. She then yelped in pain as Starkiller roughly grabbed her blue hair and tossed her into the wall of crates he had been leaning against.

"I'm slightly flattered. You actually think I'm a Sith. First of all, I'm amazed that you even know what that is. Second of all, I know nothing of dragons, what the hell is a dragon anyways." Starkiller wondered, "And lastly, if I was a true Sith Lord, you wouldn't be alive right now. In fact, none of your little friends would be alive either."

Wendy struggled to her knees. An invisible hand wrapped around her body and hoisted her into the air so that she was above Starkiller. The Imperius wizard glared up at her.

"I hate the Sith." he snarled as he hand started to make a fist. Wendy felt her bone begin to bend in her legs. "I HATE THEM!" he roared.

Wendy cried out in agony as her left leg snapped inward. Starkiller clenched his teeth and snarled as he tossed her into a hedge that made up the outside of the palace gardens. He stormed up to her and grabbed her by the throat, hoisting her in the air once again. Wendy felt her throat tighten as his fingers clenched her neck tighter and tighter.

"The Sith! They killed my family! My Master… he killed my family! And then turned me into a weapon!" He growled at her, "Don't ever call me a Sith! I never want to be one!"

Wendy's vision began to darken around the edges. Her lungs were burning from lack of oxygen as she began to go limp in Starkiller's grip.

"You will never call me that again." Starkiller growled, "You'll be dead."

Wendy weakly clawed at his gloved hand but to no avail. She could feel herself beginning to lose consciousness.

 _Is this it?_

She then heard an ungodly scream nearby that made goosebumps form on her skin. Through her blurring vision, she saw Starkiller's eyes widen before he quickly dropped Wendy and raised his red blade at the sudden attacker. A crackling and exploding sound filled her ears as she lay prone on the ground for a moment. She coughed as air rushed back into her lungs before she looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw another red blade pressing against Starkillers. This red blade was unstable and vicious looking. Slim red currents of light danced away from the main red shaft on occasion as the unstable blade locked with Starkiller's perfectly shaped red saber.

Her brown eyes widened as she followed the blade to the silver hilt that was perfectly polished. She then followed the hands, one flesh, the other covered in a black leather glove. Her eyes fell then on Joshua's face. But it didn't seem like his face. His face was always kind, even when he got a little moody. But this face, it was sinister. An evil snarl was fixed on his lips and his eyes blazed a hateful crimson color. Wendy's eyes darted back and forth, from the crimson eyes to the deep scarlet colored blade in Joshua's hands. A horrifying realization hit her as she then felt the darkness swarming around all of them like a colony of bats.

 _Joshua is… he's a Sith!?_

"You. Will. Not. Touch. Her!" she heard him growl at Starkiller with a voice that sounded like it didn't belong to the kind boy she knew.

Starkiller grunted as he muscled against Joshua's blade. He then smirked, "Make me." he replied.

In a flash, Joshua shoved Starkiller's red blade to the side before expanding his left hand. Starkiller cried out for a moment as he was launched through the air and propelled further into the gardens. Joshua stood there for a moment, as if relishing in the darkness surrounding the gardens.

"J-Joshua?"

It was like he didn't hear her. He completely ignored her in fact and instead stormed after Starkiller like a predator hunting down prey. Wendy stared on utter terror and shock. This wasn't Joshua anymore, this was something else entirely.

….

Mavis felt it immediately. She doubled over in her seat and ran a hand along her forehead as a wave of darkness hit her senses.

"First Master! Are you alright!?" Makarov cried as she saw her cringe in pain.

Mavis breathed in deeply for a moment as if trying to collect herself from being hit in the gut. She then gulped and looked at Makarov.

"Third Master… what is it like when Joshua loses control?" she trembled slightly.

Makarov's eyes widened as fear gripped him. He then felt a finger tap him on the shoulder. He glanced over and saw Macao pointing a trembling hand up at the lacrima vision. Makarov's eyes darted up to the lacrima vision where he saw the Grand Inquisitor cut cleanly in half by Joshua and the Seventh Sister sliding to the ground, the back of her head and pulpy mass of blood. Striding away from both of them towards the palace gardens at the feet of Mercurius, was Joshua, eyes blazing crimson. His aged eyes then moved to see Wendy's location, at the gardens of Mercurius.

"Oh… no." he breathed.

His fears only worsened as he saw Wendy get ambushed by Starkiller, the young man from Imperius who badly injured Erza. He glanced back at Mavis and he saw that her green eyes were wide.

"What do we do Master Mavis!?" Makarov exclaimed, "I can go out there and stop him!" He nodded, "I must!"

"Don't move!" Mavis ordered sharply, "I'll handle this." she replied, "If you interfere then Fairy Tail forfeits the games. However, since only Fairy Tail members can see me, I can sneak by. You all wait here, and do not intervene!"

Mavis's spectral form flew through the air at high speeds as she raced out of the Domas Flau and towards the immaculate palace at the center of the city.

" _You must hurry Mavis."_

 _I know Rev! I know! We can't allow him to detect Joshua right now!_

" _No! It's not that."_

 _What is it then!?_ Mavis questioned as she whipped around a corner and blasted down a street.

" _I sealed him inside of Joshua."_

 _Sealed who?_

Revan was silent for a moment, " _Plagueis."_

Mavis screeched to a halt, _What?_

" _Plagueis, he is the dark entity in the boy that causes him to lose control like this. Ever since he was just a boy. It is Plagueis's way of testing the boy's limits as well as testing any barriers put up to keep him sealed away. Plagueis' goal is to return to the physical realm, in order to do that, he needs-"_

 _A host body!_ Mavis realized.

" _He attempted to take over during Joshua's Sith Trials at the Temple. Thankfully I was there to stop him. But I can't this time, I'm too far into the realm of the living force to do much of anything now. The seal I put in place makes it so only an extreme uptick in power will break it. This situation right now is a perfect example of extreme."_

Mavis starting sprinting as fast as her small legs could carry her towards the gardens.

" _If Plagueis gets out, then we will have the most dangerous Dark Lord to ever live reborn. Sidious cannot even compare. Plagueis's return will signal the return of darker things, more terrifying beings. Power invites challenge. And Plagueis's power will not only draw a challenge from Sidious, but from others as well. It will throw the galaxy into chaos. Joshua needs to be calmed now, before it is too late!"_

Mavis skidded to a stop in front of the gardens entrance. She saw Wendy slowly rising to a seat position near a green hedge. Mavis nodded.

 _I get it Rev._ Mavis entered the gardens, _Leave it to me._

….

 _I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!_

His entire vision was a sea of red as he stalked through the gardens. Unlike the last time he came through here, he didn't pay any mind to the flowers. He had one goal in mind. He was going to slaughter him, he was going to make him suffer. He was going to make him feel the same kind of pain that Erza and Wendy no doubt felt. He was going to rip him to shreds.

The dark side of the force flowed from Joshua like lava. Slowly creeping through every inch of the gardens as he sought out his prey. His crimson eyes darted from hedge to hedge, bush to bush, as he stormed through the gardens. Inside of him, a dark power grinned, relishing in the power filling the boy.

 _ ****_Joshua didn't even acknowledge the deep voice muttering to him in his mind. His focus was on one person, Starkiller. Joshua eventually came to a large courtyard in the labyrinth like gardens. He stopped moving and let his senses stretch out all around him. He should've found the bastard by now. He didn't launch him that far.

A twig snapped in the quiet air. Joshua's hand twitched and his lightsaber immediately appeared in his grasp before he turned and deflected a savage strike at his head. The blow staggered Joshua back. Starkiller jumped high in the air above Joshua, flipping over the teen and swiping downward mid air. Joshua raised his own sword and blocked the strike before delivering a ferocious blow of his own.

Starkiller ducked under Joshua's swing. Reversing his grip on his lightsaber, Starkiller jumped forward aiming to slide the red blade across Joshua's stomach. Before he could reach his target, Starkiller felt a heavy metal fist plow into his right cheek. The Imperius wizard rolled with the punch, using its momentum duck to the side and get a better angle on his opponent. Starkiller charged once again, closing the space between Joshua and himself quickly. He jumped into the air, calling on the force to help him gain speed. Yet somehow, his Earthland opponent met his fast strike with relative ease. The two red blades clashed together, sending sparks into the air around them that burned several plants down to the stems.

"I think I get it now." Starkiller grunted as he muscled against Joshua's blade, "You're no ordinary 'wizard'. No, you are something else entirely."

Joshua didn't even reply. His brow furrowed and his face turned into a snarl as he shoved Starkiller away. He stomped towards Starkiller, ignoring all his teachings and relying purely on anger and instinct. Joshua raised his blade high overhead and thundered it down at Starkiller. Starkiller moved to the side, parrying the strike before lashing out with his own. The speed of the strike surprised Joshua. Before he could reach up and block Starkiller's blade he felt it glanced off of his mechanical arm. A pained snarl escaped Joshua's lips before he gathered the force into his hand and shot Starkiller across the clearing.

Starkiller flipped mid air and landed easily on his feet, sliding back a few feet and stopping just short of a large marble statue that was in the garden. Joshua was on top of him in an instant. His mechanical fist rocketed towards Starkiller's head. The Imperius wizard ducked out of the way at the last second. Joshua's fist collided with stone and the marble statue crumbled from the force of the punch. Starkiller grinned as he spun around.

"Gotcha." he smirked.

Joshua felt pain enter his abdomen as a red lightsaber buried into his body. The burning pain was all too familiar to Joshua. Normally, he would've crumpled to the ground, curled up around the wound. But he didn't feel the pain this time. The pain wasn't crippling him right now. Instead, it motivated him. It gave him power.

Starkiller's victorious smirk faded away as Joshua's head turned to glance back at him.

" _ **That's all?"**_

 _That's not his voice!_ Starkiller realized quickly.

He backed away from Joshua, his lightsaber sliding out of Joshua's body. Starkiller jumped back several feet, trying to gain some distance from the enemy before him. He watched his opponent turn and lose his balance for a split second before standing up straight and holding his hands out wide.

" _ **Is that really all!?"**_ he taunted Starkiller, " _ **I'm disappointed."**_

Starkiller scowled, "That's not all!"

Blue lightning jumped from Starkiller's free hand. This fairy wouldn't be able to avoid this attack, not when he was this close. He poured his power into the lightning, feeling its intensity build.

 _Why is there no screaming?_

Starkiller stared forward and his jaw slowly fell open. Joshua was launching lightning right back at him. The long blue bolts were colliding mid air causing mini claps of thunder to be heard in the gardens.

 _That's not possible!_ Starkiller's eyes reflected the violent blue light as it drew closer to him, _No! I am the apprentice of Darth Vader! I will not be bested!_

Starkiller let go of all restraints he had left. His lightning pushed back Joshua's till the two were once again at a stalemate. The sounds of thunder rose higher and higher to the point where it sounded like a small thunderstorm was in the courtyard. Starkiller's frustration only mounted as Joshua's resistance held firm. Behind the wall of lightning, Starkiller saw his opponent grinning with pure joy as the battle continued. He was enjoying this now, it was complete entertainment for him. Starkiller's anger mounted at the thought that he was merely being toyed with.

 _I will not lose!_

….

Wendy pushed herself up onto her hands. She didn't dare move her legs. She couldn't feel one of them which meant that it was definitely broken. The young dragon slayer bit her lip as she fought off the pain she was feeling right now. Everything had just happened so fast. She thought she was about to die then all of sudden Joshua came and-

 _No, not Joshua…_ She felt her lips begin to quiver a little, _That monster I saw couldn't possibly be Joshua._

"Wendy!" The bluenette's eyes looked up to see the ghostly apparation of Master Mavis sprinting up to her. Mavis knelt beside Wendy. "Are you alright?"

Wendy's eyes drifted down as she still attempted to process what had just happened, "I've ben better."

Mavis closed her eyes, "I wish I had magic, then maybe I could heal you up a little. But we don't have time for that right now. Where is Joshua?"

Wendy's brown eyes narrowed, "Joshua is a Sith."

Mavis's green eyes closed, "Yes… he is." Mavis stared hard at the young dragon slayer. Wendy's reaction was instant. The blue haired girl looked like she was about to sob, she looked like she had just been betrayed in the worst possible way, "But we don't have time to discuss that right now." Mavis continued, "Joshua… he's in danger."

"Why should I care!?" Wendy shouted back.

"You don't mean that." Mavis replied softly, "And you should care. After all, how many times has he saved your life."

Wendy opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She didn't know how to respond right now. Hell, she didn't even know what to think. Did Erza know about this too? What about Master?

"Wendy…" Mavis placed a ghostly hand on her shoulder, "I need to find him now."

"Why?"

Mavis sighed, "There is an evil being in him that is threatening to break out. It's name is Darth Plagueis. If unleashed, I don't believe there is a single person on this planet, much less the galaxy, that is capable of stopping him." Wendy's eyes were wide, "I need to find Joshua and calm him down before his rage and power shatters the seal placed on that being."

Wendy gulped, "Can you help me up?"

Mavis nodded and grabbed Wendy's hand, an action which confused the girl.

"I thought you were a ghost?"

Mavis smiled a little, "I can control my properties better than most ghosts can." Mavis threw Wendy's arm over her shoulder so that the dragon slayer's weight was resting on Mavis, "Now then, I assume you have a plan Wendy?"

Wendy nodded, "I can try to calm him down. But I need someone to distract Starkiller."

"Say no more." Mavis replied, "I can do that." The blonde's knees bent, "Now hold on, we're about to go really fast."

Before Wendy could question what that meant, the world began to zip by her. Wendy could feel magic surging through the first master's ghost. Her brown eyes stared in shock. It felt so similar to Joshua's and Starkiller's magic.

"Focus Wendy. Use your dragon senses to find them." Mavis said.

Wendy blinked, "R-right." She focused hard and then she heard it, the sound of rolling thunder nearby. "I don't remember Laxus being near here."

"He's not if he's sticking to the strategy." Mavis replied, "Direction?"

Wendy pointed to the east. Mavis turned heel and bolted through the maze of flowers and hedges. After what felt like hours, they reached a courtyard where they saw Joshua and Starkiller engaged in an incredible display of raw power. Blue lightning danced from their fingertips and collided between them, forming a growing ball of lightning that shot out bolts in random directions.

"Can you walk?" Mavis asked.

"I can hop." Wendy replied.

"Then hop fast. I've got to deal with Starkiller."

Mavis set Wendy down and sprinted towards the Imperius member. Wendy watched in awe as Mavis got up close to Starkiller and used the same powers that Joshua and Starkiller wielded to catapult Starkiller down a path in the maze of plants. Wendy shook her head. This was no time to get distracted. She hopped quickly over to Joshua. The first thing she noticed the look of absolute glee in his crimson eyes. He was having the time of his life in this fight. Then she felt the cold hit her. It was like running into blizzard. Her skin stung from the cold she was feeling and her breath frosted from her mouth. She then saw the hole in Joshua's abdomen. He was hurt already. But somehow, he was acting like it was nothing.

 _What kind of training were you doing the past seven years!?_

Joshua grinned and began to walk towards where Mavis launched Starkiller. Wendy stopped and hopped in place.

"Joshua!" she shouted.

Her voice caused him to stop moving. His head tilted to the side a little as if trying to figure out who exactly just shouted at him. Wendy slowly hopped towards him until she was just a few feet away.

"Joshua." She said a little more softly, "It's ok. I'm right here. You don't need to… well…"

 _How do I put this? Gah! I'm bad at this sort of thing! Natsu is always good at the power of friendship speeches!_

The same absent look was on his face right now. It was like he wasn't even on the same planet. She was sure she heard him shout. But it was like it wasn't registering. Something was blocking him from sensing her.

 _It's that Plagueis guy._ "Joshua." Wendy slowly approached and wrapped her hand around his right hand, "I'm right here." _Maybe that's all I need to say. That I'm right here._ It felt like that was right to her. She felt like that is what he needed to hear right now. That she was ok and that she was right here, at his side.

"I'm right here."

She moved her hand over to his face and turned his head so that he was looking her in the eyes. The crimson eyes were unsettling, even scary to look at, but Wendy ignored the fears and stared up at him.

"I'm. Right. Here." she stated firmly, "And you better snap out of this before I decide to show you that I still have my magic power too!"

There it was. A small glint of hazel in the crimson. Wendy smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "Don't let this be you." She said, "This isn't you. This isn't the Joshua I know."

She held him for several moments, praying silently that this was working. At this point, all she could do was hope he was snapping out of it. Before it was too late.

….

" _ **He killed her! Don't you want revenge?"**_

 _ ****_His mind was silent.

" _ **You watched him choke her to death. You saw her die, boy!"**_

Silence was all the Plagueis received. The boy was locked in the thrill of battle. His lightning dancing off of his hand and colliding with Starkiller's in a dazzling display of light.

" _ **Your worst fears came true. He has killed her. Get your revenge!"**_ Plagueis roared in his mind as he watched the boy's power grow.

Soon the seal would crack enough for him to get out, and once that happened, no one, not even his traitorous apprentice could stop him. His glee was short lived however as he saw Starkiller suddenly fly away from the area, carried by an invisible force. Plagueis tilted his head and then he heard it in the boy's mind.

"I'm right here."

His sharp teeth clenched together. How did she manage to get by Starkiller and get to him undetected!

"I'm right here."

His plans were about to go up in smoke! Plagueis wanted to go into a rage and destroy everything, but then he remembered, he had nothing to destroy. He was only a presence right now. A presence, with all the time in the world. He glared at the seal holding him back.

" _ **Revan… you win this time."**_

"Don't let this be you." "This is not you."

Plagueis saw the girl that this boy was head over heels for. She was a pretty to look at, for a human at least. Plagueis grinned, there was always a way to twist love like a knife. This may actually work out better in the long run. Yes… it may be better to wait this out. He stopped pressing against the barrier and began to retreat into the boy's darkest recesses.

" _ **I will get out Revan… and when I do, I will destroy all evidence that you even existed."**_

….

Wendy began to give up hope. The crimson was not going away from his eyes. She had been trying to reach him but it didn't seem to be working. And she had no idea how long Mavis could keep Starkiller occupied. Time was running out. Maybe she should just get out of here while she could and-

She felt his hand reach up and brush a small tear from her cheek.

"How's it going?" Joshua asked.

Wendy felt a multitude of emotions. Happiness, sadness, but the biggest one right now was anger.

"How's it going!?" she saw Joshua's crimson eyes widen, "I get told that you are a Sith! That you have some ancient, dark, something inside of you ready to kill us all! And I have to be the one to calm you down! And you reply with how's it going?"

Joshua felt like he wanted to shrink away from Wendy. Who knew her temper could match Erza's in a situation like this.

"Um… I-" he then felt really, really exhausted. Pain spread out through his abdomen. Joshua glanced down and saw the hole left by a lightsaber in his stomach, "Oh…" He mumbled before dropping to his knees.

Wendy stopped yelling and dropped down with him, "Crap! I forgot about that!" She panicked, "Um… uh…" she revved up her Sky magic and began to heal Joshua as best as she could. Through it all, Joshua was laughing a little, "Why are you so happy?" she growled trying her best to not sound scared as well.

"I'm just happy to know you're ok. That thing, Plagueis, he made it seem like you died." Wendy's eyes widened, "It must've been some sort of illusion he used in my mind. But… it was damn convincing." He looked up at her, "I wasn't even sure you were real until now. I figured I was dreaming. But then you panicked like that." Joshua began to laugh again despite the pain in his stomach, "And well… I'm convinced this is real life now."

"Oh ha ha." Wendy replied dryly, "You know, I do more things then panic and squeal around you, you know."

Joshua chuckled again but then he saw the serious expression on her face, "Wendy…" He sighed, "I'll tell you everything later." He then lowered her hands away from his wound, "But first." he sensed Starkiller closing back in on the clearing, "I got this idiot to deal with."

Wendy gulped as she saw Joshua's eyes move to the maze entry that Mavis took Starkiller. She could see the hedges shuddering and jerking around. Joshua pushed Wendy behind him and he ignited his lightsaber.

"Get ready." he stated, "This could get interesting."

The hedge closest to them shuddered. Joshua raised his saber. Suddenly, Mavis sprinted out of the hedge and jumped behind both Wendy and Joshua. Her knees were shaking and sweat was comically dripping down her head. Wendy and Joshua both glanced back at the first master.

"What?"

"He's really, really, really mad." Mavis replied quickly as she hid behind the two young Fairy Tail wizards.

"Why?" Wendy asked.

"WHERE IS THAT FUCKING GHOST!?"

Starkiller burst out of the maze. He looked completely normal, except for the mushroom growing out from the top of his head.

"I got him to eat one of the mushrooms." Mavis replied petrified, "He didn't really like the joke."

Joshua snorted as he tried to contain his laughter.

"Get outta here first master, you've helped enough." Joshua glanced over at Wendy, "We can handle him."

Mavis gulped, "You sure?"

Joshua looked back at the fuming Starkiller and smirked, "Yeah."

"Oh thank god!" Mavis sprinted away leaving the three alone in the courtyard.

Joshua sighed and looked back at Starkiller, "So… you fell for that practical joke?"

"Don't-"

"Doesn't Happy do that a lot?" Wendy interrupted, "You know, eat the mushrooms?"

"It's hilarious every time?"

"Who is this Happy?" Starkiller growled.

"A cat." Joshua replied, "So… you're as smart as a cat then-"

Starkiller roared and charged at Joshua and Wendy. Wendy and Joshua both dodged to the side. Ignoring the pain he was feeling, Joshua shot lightning at Starkiller, who jumped above the torrent of lightning. His own lightsaber hummed to life and he brought it down at Joshua.

" **Sky Dragon's Claw!"**

Wendy had managed to hop over and use her good leg to kick up a gust of wind into Starkiller. The Imperius wizard felt himself slam into the ground with Wendy landing nearby.

"Wendy!" Joshua called, "Nice shot!"

"Thanks!"

Starkiller groaned and rose to his feet, the mushroom wobbling on top of his head, "I'm going to kill you all." he growled.

Joshua smirked and readied himself in the Makashi style of combat, "Come try."

Starkiller snarled and charged at Joshua. The Imperius wizard instantly noticed a difference in the fighting style of his opponent. He was no longer fighting blindly or in a rage. He seemed in control and focused now. Joshua's lightsaber crackled and danced in the air as it clashed with Starkiller's own heavy strikes. In the background, Starkiller heard the girl cry something out again.

" **Enchant! Ile Arms! Ile Vernier! Ile Armor!"**

Three magic circles appeared in front of Wendy and several colors glowed beneath Joshua. Starkiller saw his opponent grin as his power suddenly surged to heights Starkiller never knew he could achieve. The speed of his crossguard lightsaber only increased and the power behind each strike began to send Starkiller staggering. Through his countless hours of training and drilling, Starkiller had never encountered someone with this kind of speed. Not since he last dueled his master, which was now years ago.

Joshua slashed across Starkiller who blocked and engaged in yet another blade lock. Starkiller and Joshua struggled against each other. Eventually, he felt Joshua beginning to give a little.

 _I have him!_

"Requip!"

A bright golden light enveloped Joshua's right hand as he removed it from his hilt. The action made Starkiller able to power through the blade lock. Joshua quickly sidestepped, turned, and slashed into Starkiller's back with an old, familiar, steel rapier. Starkiller cried out both in pain and shock as he stumbled forward.

 _He… has that too!_ He thought as he remembered his battle with the red head, Erza Scarlet.

Joshua drove the rapier down into Starkiller's sword hand, pinning it to the ground as he landed. Joshua then reached out with the force and ripped Starkiller's lightsaber from his weak grasp. Starkiller attempted to twist his free hand and launch a barrage of lightning at Joshua, but instead he felt a cyclone slam into his arm, breaking it.

" **Sky Dragon's Cyclone Fist!"**

Wendy jumped over Starkiller after breaking his arm and she landed beside Joshua. She stumbled on the landing but Joshua caught her.

"Nice one." he stated.

"I figured I'd return the favor." Wendy said as she nodded to her own broken leg.

And with that. The battle was over. Starkiller lay on the ground, a broken right arm and a pinned left hand. Joshua sighed and deactivated his lightsaber before returning it and his rapier back into his requip space. He looked over at Wendy.

"Give me a moment."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "You're going to talk to him?"

"Might as well. I want to know who trained him. He's been one of the toughest fights I've had in a long time."

Joshua slowly walked up to Starkiller, who lay unmoving on the ground. The Imperius wizard's head turned to look up at Joshua.

"Just get it over with and kill me already." he grumbled.

Joshua shook his head, "Why would I do that?"

Starkiller frowned, "I'm a defeated opponent. A dangerous one at that. If you let me live, I could come back and harm you again."

"I'd love to see you try." Joshua replied with a slight laugh, "To be honest with you… it's tempting. Especially after what you did to Erza and Wendy. But…" He looked down at Starkiller, "I'm not a murderer. And I won't let myself become one again."

Starkiller stared incredulously at Joshua, "You are a Sith." he stated, "You should be merciless."

"Nah.." Joshua replied, "You're kinda helpless right now. It wouldn't be fair."

Starkiller jaw opened then closed, "Do you think the others care about fair?"

"What others?" Joshua asked, "If you're talking about your guild then don't bother, I took care of them already."

"No… they are pawns, much like myself actually." Starkiller replied, "My master, and his master… they don't care about fair. They, unlike you, are true Sith."

Joshua frowned, "Who?"

Starkiller gulped, "Vader and the Emperor. If you want to know who sent me here then there is your answer. Above this planet, there is a Star Destroyer that has been monitoring this entire festival and sending out probes to investigate the entire planet. If my master doesn't know about you now, then he soon will. And the Sith do not share power with others, especially when it comes to the dark side of the force. You are a threat to them. So you will be extinguished like any other insignificant little threat."

Joshua frowned, "Again… I'd love to see them try." Before he turned away from Starkiller, he gave him one last look, "Hey… next time you find me, I'll fight you again. Only this time it'll be a fair fight." Joshua smiled at him, "I'm sure it'd be fun."

Starkiller could only stare in stunned silence as Joshua and Wendy helped each other leave the gardens. He sighed as he saw them leave and then he moved his head so he could stare up at this planet's crystal clear, blue sky.

"So if you lost…" Starkiller heard a woman's voice nearby, "How in the world do you expect me to win."

Starkiller turned his head to see a young woman with jet black hair, wearing a white coat, and carrying a sheathed steel sword walking up to him.

"I don't anymore." Starkiller replied, "I don't think you could."

"You don't me and my sword." The woman replied.

Starkiller narrowed his eyes, "Yes I do." he replied, "You won't beat them. You will only hurt yourself in the process, Kagura Mikazuchi." Starkiller groaned as the pain in his back only worsened, "Now, do you mind helping me ou-"

A lightsaber hummed to life. Kagura stared at Starkiller's red blade in wonder as she slowly swung it through the air.

"That's mine." Starkiller growled.

"So?" Kagura replied, "I can use it just as well."

Starkiller frowned, "No you can't. If you approach him with that blade, you will lose."

Kagura grinned, "I didn't say I would go after them now. I do need to train more after watching how well he fought you. Maybe... maybe your master can teach me?"

Starkiller's eyes widened, "No... you don't want to do that!"

"Why not? You say your master is powerful. Maybe he can teach me and I can then surpass you and Joshua Scarlet. If I can do that, then I can definitely end Jellal Fernandes' life."

Starkiller shook his head, "You are so bent on revenge that you are willing to enslave yourself to a power you do not understand just to achieve it."

"Absolutely." Kagura replied, "These games don't matter to me anymore. Only my revenge does." She glared over at Starkiller, "How do I find your master?"

Starkiller narrowed his eyes at the woman. He could see there was no talking the woman out of this, "Talk to the inquisitors. They will take you to him."

"You won't be coming with?"

Starkiller shook his head, "I have failed my master. He gave me a mission, and I fantastically failed. If I were to approach him now, he'd kill me on the spot." He looked over at Kagura, "I guess you may end up being my replacement."

Kagura closed her eyes, "It seems so." She began to walk out of the maze of flowers leaving Starkiller behind in the courtyard.

 _Talk to the inquisitors? He must mean his guild. That is how I will get in contact with his guild master. Then, when I have become strong enough, I will confront Jellal,_ Kagura emerged from the garden of flowers and strode towards the inn where the Imperius guild stayed in Crocus, _And I will kill him._

 **And Chapter! Wow, what a chapter! A good fight with a pretty scary reveal at the end. Seems Kagura wishes to speak with Vader. Now, why am I going that route? Well one, Starkiller did kinda fail. He lost to Joshua, which means that he is weak in Vader's eyes. And Vader does not tolerate weakness. So Starkiller knows there is no returning to his master. Two, Erza did not battle Kagura. Therefore, Erza did not give Kagura that speech that set Kagura straight and made her not want to kill Jellal anymore. In fact, Kagura's thirst for revenge is very Sith like. Plus, it'd be kinda scary to have an apprentice to Vader who can manipulate gravity like Kagura can. At this point, unless he runs into Joshua during what little time is left in the battle royale, she may be going down that path. But, who knows what could happen. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	60. Chapter 60: Victory

**Hey everyone! I've got another chapter ready to go! I hope you all enjoy it!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 60

The interior of the inn was dark and cold. The bar area was nearly empty with the exception of three figures lounging in chairs. Each one clutched a drink in their trembling hands as they contemplated what had occurred during this final event of the Grand Magic Games. In a dark corner of the room, the female Mirialan known as the Seventh Sister sat curled up with bandages wrapped around her head, a faraway stare in her eyes. The fifth brother sat openly at the bar, bandages wrapped around the gash in his leg. The hulking alien grunted as he poured a whole bottle of whiskey down his throat before tossing the bottle away, disinterested in the stuff.

"I've found stronger stuff in a Jedi temple." the Fifth brother grumbled.

Lying down on one of the tables, the Eighth brother snorted his agreement before laying his head back down against the wooden table top. Underneath his mask, he winced from the pain in his abdomen. The lightsaber wound still burned. He heard the Seventh Sister start muttering to herself from the dark corner of the room. The masked alien turned his head in her direction.

"Would you quit muttering. It's annoying." The Eighth brother growled.

She didn't stop. She kept muttering with that same terrified look in her eyes. Her voice cracked every so often as she continued to mutter under her breath.

The Eighth Brother snarled and cursed under his breath before glaring over at the muttering Mirialan, "Hey! Shut up already!"

The Seventh Sister stopped muttering and looked fearfully over to the Eighth brother, "he's coming. He's going to kill us." She brought her knees up to her chest as she began to tremble some more, "He's going to kill us… he's going to kill us."

"If the Fairy Brat was going to kill us he would've done it already." the Eighth brother growled, "Like he did with the Grand Inquisitor."

"I don't think she is talking about the fairy brat." The Fifth brother replied, "I think… she is talking about you know who."

The Eighth Brother felt his spine begin to crawl, "Y-you don't mean?"

The Fifth Brother nodded, "No running from it. Lord Vader will find us, and he will kill us. We failed in the mission he gave us. He told us not only to listen to Thrawn, but to find the force sensitive boy and kill him and anyone else we deemed a threat. And we failed." The Fifth Brother sighed, "Make peace with whatever diety you want Eighth Brother, our time is limited."

"Rather elegant for a hulking creature like you." said a new voice in the dark inn.

The Fifth brother slowly glanced back to the doorway of the inn which was slowly closing shut. Standing in the doorway was a young, human woman with black hair and an intense look in her eyes. She wore a white blazer with gold trimmings along with a short, white frilled skirt and black leggings. Her boots clicked against the wooden floors as she strode up to the Fifth Brother. Over on his table, the Eighth brother slowly propped himself up onto his elbows, grunting from the pain he was feeling. The Seventh sister just continued to mutter incoherently to herself.

"Brave girl coming in here." The Fifth Brother snarled as he fingered his lightsaber hilt which rested on the bar countertop, "What do you want?"

The woman's calm demeanor remained despite the Fifth Brother reaching for his weapon. She made no motion towards her own sword that hung at her hip. Instead she opened her mouth again.

"I want to speak to Starkiller's master." she said.

The Seventh Sister's muttering stopped instantly and the Eighth brother audibly gulped. The Fifth brother sighed and moved his hand away from his lightsaber.

"You do have a death wish don't you girl?" he grumbled, "Why would you want to speak with him?"

"I want him to teach me." Kagura replied.

"Ha!" The Eighth brother spat, "Good luck asking him that."

Kagura shot the Eight Brother a harsh glare before looking back at the Fifth Brother, "I already spoke to Starkiller just a couple nights ago. I wish to become powerful enough to kill the man responsible for killing my brother. I thought Starkiller would be the one to teach me but instead he turned out to be weak like you." The Fifth brother scowled at that statement, "So, I've decided to ask the master of your guild to teach me."

"Master… guild?" The Seventh Sister muttered before rising to her feet for the first time since being brought back to the inn, "We are not a guild. And he is not our Master… he is our executioner now. And he will not want to teach you."

"Then I will demand that he does." Kagura growled.

"No one demands anything from him." The Fifth brother replied with his deep voice, "The only one who demands anything is him. To demand from him, is to ask for your death."

"You make him sound like the boogeyman." Kagura replied.

"I don't know what this, boogeyman man, is." The Fifth brother replied, "but if it is some kind of monster, then even it would fear Lord Vader." The Fifth brother stared down Kagura, "I don't sense fear coming from you. So you are either ignorant or stupid."

"I think both." The Eighth brother declared.

"Just let me speak to him." Kagura snarled growing tired of this conversation.

The Fifth brother sighed, "We would have to call him soon anyways."

"No we don't." The Seventh Sister replied fearfully, "W-we could run and hide."

"There is no hiding from Vader, Sister." The Eighth Brother reminded, "There is only running. And you can't run from him forever. Our brother is right, it's best to face the music now."

The Fifth brother nodded and reached into a pocket in his robes. He pulled out a small circular device and tossed it on the wooden floor. As soon as the device hit the floor, it whirred to life and several blue lights illuminated the room from the device. Soon, a large hologram appeared from the device. Kagura was amazed by the device she was seeing. It had to be some form of magic. The blue hologram was of a man wearing a brown uniform with colored rectangles on his left breast. He saluted the three inquisitors and gave Kagura a perplexed glance before opening his mouth.

"Inquisitors! May I ask-"

"Get us Lord Vader." The Fifth brother said quickly.

"L-lord Vader?" the man in the brown uniform trembled.

"Do I need to repeat myself."

The man worked quickly and pressed several buttons on a console nearby, "Transferring you to his chambers."

The man's blue image disappeared. The air instantly grew cold to the point where Kagura could see her breath coming out in puffs of frost in front of her face. A feeling of dread came over her as a new figure emerged in the blue light. This figure was one of the most imposing things Kagura had ever seen. He was tall, easily a full head taller than her. He wore what looked like a heavy suit of black armor with a terrifying mask covering the entirety of his head. His chest was adorned with a rectangular plate with that had several brightly colored buttons and switched on it. His appearance, if Kagura wanted to be honest, was startling. But the thing that stuck out to her the most was the breathing. It sounded like someone was breathing through a tube, like a snorkel. But it was also much more mechanical, raspy, and deeper. Put altogether, it was a terrifying figure.

"Inquisitors." The man boomed with a deep, powerful voice, "I hope you are calling to inform me of your success."

Kagura looked over at the Fifth Brother and saw fear written all over his face. He instantly dropped to a knee along with the other two inquisitors.

"N-no my lord." The Black Figure's folded arms fell to his sides, "W-we f-failed our mission. The Grand Inquisitor has been killed, a-and Starkiller is missing in action."

Pressure filled the room around Kagura. It felt like the air was starting to suffocate everything in the room except for her. She watched wide eyed as all three inquisitors reached for their throats and began gasping for air.

"You have failed me for the last time inquisitors." Vader growled before the Inquisitors shuddered. Kagura heard a sickening snap from each one and they all collapsed to the floor, dead.

His gaze then fell on her. Kagura knew that behind those tinted eyes was a monster probing her with both annoyance and slight curiosity.

"And you are?" Vader demanded as he fully turned to face Kagura.

"M-my name is Kagura Mikazuchi." Kagura said with uncertainty filling her voice, "A-and I wish to learn from you Master Vader."

"I have no interest in taking on another apprentice." Vader dismissed immediately.

Kagura felt anger build up in her. She knew that was the reaction she'd get. The inquisitors told her as much. But it was still infuriating to hear. She glared angrily at Vader.

"I DEMAND YOU TEACH ME!" she roared, "I DEMAND TH-*ACK* *ACK*"

Her throat instantly closed up on her. Kagura felt herself drop to her knees as she grabbed her neck and desperately gasped for air.

"You demand?" Vader boomed.

Kagura felt herself rise into the air. Her lungs were burning now and she stared fearfully down at Vader, who merely looked up at her like a piece of trash.

Kagura then felt herself drop to the ground and her throat opened up again allowing air to rush into her lungs. She coughed and stared terrified at the floor before shakily looking back up at Vader's image.

"Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Kagura Mikazuchi." Vader's hologram winked away leaving Kagura to attempt to grasp the terrifying event that had nearly killed her.

….

"So… how many times does this make it now?"

Joshua sighed, "I don't know. You're the one who's supposed to keep track of how many times I get messed up."

Wendy frowned as Joshua carried her weight along the road, "My job is to heal you, not keep track of how many times you get yourself hurt. So… how many times does this make now?"

"How many times have I saved your life?" Joshua replied back as he looked at Wendy.

Wendy was quiet for a moment, "Fair enough."

"Oh… so now the amount doesn't matter." Joshua chuckled.

"Shut up." Wendy grumbled back while Joshua continued to laugh.

Joshua suddenly stopped moving forward. Perplexed, Wendy looked ahead and saw a member of Mermaid Heel exiting a run down inn nearby. The woman looked very distressed, as was evidenced by her exiting the inn in a rush before falling to her knees and breathing heavily.

"That doesn't look good." Joshua mumbled.

"Walk me over there." Wendy said as she hopped on her good leg, "If she's badly hurt then I can help her out."

Joshua blinked and looked over at Wendy, "Aren't we aiming to beat them?"

"Beat them, not watch them suffer." Wendy reminded, "Now get me over there."

"Whatever you say." Joshua replied before trudging over to the Mermaid Heel wizard.

As they approached the woman they saw her slowly get up to her feet, breathing heavily. She then raised her head and saw them slowly walking up to her. The woman's dark eyes widened and her right hand grabbed her sheathed sword forcing Joshua to stop in his tracks. Her terrified eyes became filled with anger as she stared at Wendy and Joshua.

"Wendy." Wendy glanced over and saw a very serious expression on Joshua's face, "I need you to sit for a moment. I may have to deal with this wizard in a less than friendly manner."

Wendy's brown eyes looked worriedly over at the Mermaid Heel wizard then back at Joshua. Joshua looked back at Wendy and sighed.

"Don't worry. I don't plan on using my lightsaber. I save that for people who really deserve it."

Wendy let out a relieved sigh before removing her arm from around Joshua and collapsing in an exhausted heap on the ground. Joshua expression remained deadly serious as he stumbled a moment before regaining his balance and trudging up towards the other wizard.

The woman turned out to be Kagura Mikazuchi. She stared at Joshua with complete revulsion as he trudged forward. She saw nothing but an enemy in the man. He was a member of Fairy Tail. Therefore, he helped in sheltering that monster named Jellal. Her hand tightened around her sheathed sword, Archenemy.

"Not another step closer." Kagura snarled at Joshua who stopped as she spoke.

"Kagura Mikazuchi right?" Joshua asked. His question was returned with a stiff, slow nod. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Hunting for fairies." Kagura growled back.

Joshua closed his eyes. He couldn't engage in a battle right now. He could already feel his strength leaving him. The wound in his abdomen was starting to affect him in more ways than just causing pain. He sighed and did something Kagura did not expect. He slowly sat down on the cobblestone road, crossed his legs, placed his hands on his knees and closed his eyes before beginning to even out his breathing. Kagura raised an eyebrow at this strange action.

"I just threatened your guild… and you are going to sit there?" Kagura said dismayed.

"I find sitting to be a good reaction to many things." Joshua replied, "It allows me to think things through. It prevents me from doing anything…." he opened his eyes and glared at Kagura, "Stupid." He closed his eyes once again, "Care to join me?"

Wendy stared on, completely confused. Joshua said he'd have to deal with Kagura and judging by the expression on Kagura's face, he wasn't kidding. She looked like she was about ready to rip her and Joshua to shreds. And now, Joshua was just sitting there. Did the wound in his gut start interfering with his logic now?

"Why would I want to join you?" Kagura snarled.

"Well... Hm… good question." Joshua replied, eyes still closed as he breathed evenly, "I guess that's entirely up to you. I can't give you a good reason." He took a deep breath, "I can say however that this is rather relaxing right now."

Kagura's eye was now twitching. It was like this guy wasn't at all concerned with his well being. She could literally walk up to him, shove her sword through his heart without any resistance at all. The opportunity was very tempting, yet for some reason, she wasn't moving towards him.

"Hmmm… I see." Joshua nodded, "You are a very conflicted person."

"What could you possibly know about me?"

Joshua sighed and opened his eyes, "The defenses around your mind are rather weak. It was easy to penetrate and glean information."

Kagura's eyes widened. Was he saying that he just read her mind?

"Now before you get all offended. No… I didn't read your mind. You're too strong willed for something like that. I just sensed the force around you. A lot of times the force can betray certain emotions. And right now, you are a very intense mixture of anger, fear, and… a dash of hatred thrown in there." Joshua shook his head, "Not a recipe that turns out very well. I can personally attest to that."

Kagura glared at Joshua, "How-"

"Kagura, before you go into a long winded monologue about how I cannot possibly know what you are feeling, believe me I do. In fact, those negative feelings are what control my powers. The more prevalent those feelings are, the more powerful I become." Kagura and Wendy's eyes widened, "I live with fear, anger, and hatred everyday. I just choose to turn it on or turn it off."

"At least you can choose to do that!" Kagura spat back at him, "I can't! My brother's honor is at stake!"

"Brother?" Joshua raised an eyebrow, "And who so dishonored your family that you are willing to go to Imperius, a guild that would most likely kill you without a shred of remorse, for help?"

Kagura was quiet for a moment, "My brother's name was… Simon Mikazuchi, and he was killed at the Tower of Heaven by that monster, Jellal Fernandes."

Joshua's reaction surprised Kagura. The boy's eyes opened and he grit his teeth a little.

"That blue haired bastard is still causing me grief." Joshua grumbled, "Ok… I'm not going to deny it. You are slightly justified. I'd probably be doing the same thing as you if I was in your position."

Kagura's scowl receded a little.

"But…" Joshua continued, "I have done the whole revenge thing before. I can tell you right now, no matter how good you think it will feel, it never turns out well."

"When could you possibly have done something to avenge someone?" Kagura replied, her scowl returning.

Joshua let out a heavy sigh, "I normally don't like talking about it. But for you… I'll make an exception. You see… I was ten at the time, just barely a member of Fairy Tail. Erza had just taken me under her wing and well… I looked up to her a lot, even then. So, when those bastards in Phantom Lord decided to ambush her and Gray when they were coming home from a job, well, that set me off. I sought revenge. I marched over to Phantom Lord… and I went ballistic."

Kagura's eyes widened and her scowl faded and was soon replaced by shock.

"At ten years old… I killed twenty two Phantom Lord wizards, all in the name of revenge. My actions helped set off a guild war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord that nearly killed several of my friends. My actions, my vengeful actions, caused me to have to wear magic suppression cuffs for most of my childhood."

Joshua subconsciously rubbed his right wrist as he remembered the feeling of those cuffs burning his skin away.

"My actions caused me to fear my powers. That fear, along with those magic cuffs, made me not want to develop my powers. If I had not taken revenge, I would've most likely developed my powers much sooner, and I would've been far more powerful as a result… maybe even powerful enough to help my guild escape Tenroujima so I would have grown up with them by my side. I tell you what… it would've spared me a lot of misery."

Wendy felt some tears in her eyes. She had heard whispers of Joshua's past before, but she had never heard him say it outright like this.

"So…" Kagura replied, no longer snarling but instead whispering, "What's the point?"

"The point… is that revenge has far reaching consequences, and none of them are good." Joshua replied, "Now, I'm not going to tell you what to do. Instead, I'm going to suggest something to you." Joshua got to his feet and groaned as he felt his abdomen ache, "Sit… and think. Consider all the possibilities and consequences. If you do that, I'm sure you will find revenge far less appealing."

He hobbled over to Wendy and helped her to her feet. He quickly wrapped her arm over his shoulders so that she wouldn't have to put weight on her broken leg. Behind him, Joshua sensed Kagura not moving. He looked back and saw her staring at her sword, unsheathed in her hand. Joshua sighed.

"Like I said… I'm not telling you what to do. I don't even listen to my own words sometimes. Hell… I went off again in these games. But now that I thought about it, that would've ended just as badly. So do what you have to do. All I'm doing is warning you against it. You are your own person, do what you want." Joshua grunted and started hobbling away with Wendy leaning against him.

Kagura watched the pair slowly walk away. Her sword was rattling in her hand as her hands violently shook. She looked down at her sword, something she swore she wouldn't unsheathe until she was ready to kill Jellal. She thought about what Joshua said, then she looked back at the inn behind her.

 _Revenge…_ She thought about the strange blue image of Darth Vader, the master of Imperius, choking her and killing the inquisitors around her as if they were nothing but insects, _My desire for it led me to him, and I almost died as a result._ As much as she detested the Imperius guild, she suddenly realized that her desire for revenge led to them hastily calling Vader, which led to their deaths, _I… I'm responsible for that. I-_

She felt tears dripping down her cheeks and her vision turned watery. The sword fell out of her hands and clattered against the cobblestone ground. She then dropped to her knees, her chest heaving as she started crying. Everyone instinct in her body told her to go kill Jellal, but her heart was screaming back at her. She knew it. This wasn't what Simon would've wanted. Now that she thought about it, Simon would've been ashamed of her. Kagura gulped and bit some sobs back as she sat on the ground, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes.

 _Sit… and think._

….

" _AMAZING!"_ Chapati bellowed into his microphone, " _All of the other guilds have been defeated! All of them except the two Fairy Tail teams and one lone member of Sabertooth!"_

" _What about Kagura of Mermaid Heel?"_ Yajima questioned.

" _Because she entered a guild's residence, she technically stepped out of bounds for the games. After all, a guild's residence is supposed to be their safe place to rest and recuperate."_ Bob Cat stated as he flipped through pages of the thick rule book in front of him, " _So she forfeited the match, meaning Mermaid Heel lost."_

" _Wow! Where did you find that in the rule book?"_ Chapati asked.

" _Page twenty, section A, sub section T, line forty."_ Bob Cat replied.

" _So that means… that there are ten fairies, and one Sabertooth member remaining."_ Yajima stated, " _And that member is…"_

" _STING EUCLIFFE!"_ Chapati bellowed, " _I get it now! This was Sabertooth's strategy. Use their four extremely powerful members in Rogue, Minerva, Orga, and Rufus to exhaust their opponents before having a fresh Sting come in and mop up. It's genius!"_

 __" _I don't know."_ Yajima looked down to see the two Fairy Tail teams gathering at the largest square in Crocus.

Each and every one of the fairies had some sort of injury. Gray was covered in gashes and bruises from his battle with Rufus. Natsu had plenty of welts and was barely standing on his own two feet. Lucy was helping Natsu stay up but she too had shaking legs. Laxus had been put through the wringer by Jura, but managed to come out on top. Mira had teamed up with Natsu to take down Minerva. To say that Minerva was shocked by Mira's Satan Soul and Natsu's Fire magic would be an understatement. But the battle was intense enough to leave even Mira badly injured. Gajeel was limping along, his ankle sprained after his intense battle with Rogue of Sabertooth. The only one who didn't seem severely injured was Cana. But she was exhausted, her magic power was going to dangerously low levels.

"Has anyone seen Joshua or Wendy?" Lucy asked as she huffed while carrying Natsu's weight.

Gray wearily looked over at the blonde, "Not since we all split up to fight the other guilds."

A new set of footsteps entered the courtyard. At first, everyone thought it might be Joshua or Wendy. But their hopes were soon dashed as they saw a rested Sting Eucliffe marching out to meet the eight fairies. His face was hidden by a serious expression. He stopped a ten yards from the Fairy Tail teams and narrowed his eyes at them.

"You all are my only opponents left." He said monotonously, "I should be… celebrating the fact that I can easily take you all down. But.. I'm not."

"Why not?" Natsu croaked, "Hell, I'd say you've earned the win if you can take down all eight of us, even if we are a little beat up right now."

Sting's face turned melancholy, "This… this is not how I wanted to surpass you, Natsu." Sting looked up, "I wanted to beat you at your best. Instead, I am going to have to beat a broken fighter." His fists clenched at his sides, "But, I have no choice. If I don't… then Lector…" Sting had some tears forming in his eyes as he recalled his beloved, red haired exceed. If he failed to win, then Minerva would make sure he never saw Lector again. Sting shook the tears from his eyes and grit his teeth, "I-I can't allow that to happen."

Each Fairy Tail member readied themselves for one last fight. Their exhausted forms were barely standing as they faced off with Sting. Natsu's knees were knocking together as he struggled to stay upright.

"Well," Natsu growled, "You're doing this for a friend. Well, I'm fighting for my friends too. And I will not lose! Not when I am fighting with my friends at my side!"

"OH MY GOD ANOTHER POWER OF FRIENDSHIP SPEECH!" they heard dismayed voice cry out to the left.

Every head turned to see Joshua and Wendy hobbling towards the square. Both of them looked like they were in really rough shape. Natsu saw the Wendy's left leg was snapped clean at the shin while Joshua had a charred hole in his abdomen.

"I swear Natsu, if you give one more power of friendship speech then maybe I will help Sting beat your face in." Joshua snapped, "I mean really, how many of those can you say before you realize that we get the damn point. How about you throw some logic at Sting instead."

"What's logic?" Natsu asked.

Joshua sighed and shook his head as he handed Wendy off to Gajeel, who was faring much better in the able to stand up straight department.

"Look, Sting. I get you want to win. But… you're not going to. Think about it, how many enemies has your guild defeated compared to ours." Sting's eyes narrowed, "I'm gonna guess not enough. So… you can still win if you manage to take all of use down. However, as you can see, we are not pushovers." Joshua smirked, "And I bet my team hasn't unlocked their second origins yet."

"Second origins?" Laxus raised an eyebrow.

"Holy crap I forgot about that!" Gray exclaimed.

Joshua nodded, "Just as I thought. Basically, they still have a ton of magic power left over. So, it's you against ten of us. Those odds aren't very good. Now then, I commend you for wanting to try. But… your chances of winning right now are pretty slim. So think long and hard about this. Do you want to expend all of your magic power only to lose because you are outnumbered. Or… do you want to save that magic power and use it on the person threatening your friend, Lector."

Sting's eyes widened.

"After all, you are a Dragon Slayer. I thought you all were incapable of being controlled."

"Joshua," Wendy hissed, "I don't think this is the right direction to go with this conversation."

"No," Sting said, "He's… he's right. I can't beat all of you. And.. I don't want to. I want to beat you all at your best, not when you all are as crippled as you are right now." Natsu took offense to the crippled statement and attempted to shout back at Sting only for Lucy to clasp a hand over his mouth. Sting scowled, "Minerva, I will make you pay." he muttered before dropping to one knee and holding his hands up, "I cannot win… I surrender."

The Fairy Tail teams looked at him stunned for a moment before they all began to cheer.

"WE WON!" Natsu cheered.

But, no gong sounded and no cheering was heard. The silence made them all realize, that there were still opponents on the battlefield. There were two teams left, Fairy Tail A… and Fairy Tail B. The two teams looked over at each other.

"Oh…" everyone mouthed.

"Alright!" Gajeel punched a fist into his hand, "I get to fight Salamander."

"Ready to go another round, Sparky?" Joshua asked Laxus with a grin.

Surprisingly, Laxus shook his head. "As team leader, I say we surrender."

Team B looked at him, mouth's hanging open, "EH!?"

Laxus sighed, "Even with the ten points from this match, we won't have near enough to win these games. If we actually want the guild to win, then we must make sure that Team A gets the points since they have more than us. If you all really want to fight each other so badly, then wait till we get back to the lodge, I'm sure there will be a brawl at some point."

"B-b-but." Gajeel stammered.

"Laxus is right." Mira stated with a sigh, "Team B cannot win these games. We fell too far behind and couldn't catch up in time." She looked across at Team A, "Congratulations you guys." She smiled, "You won it all for the guild."

Cana yawned, "As long as I get my booze I'm happy."

Gajeel's shoulders sagged, "Damn it." He growled, "You just wait Salamander. You and I will go another round soon!"

"Looking forward to it rust bucket!" Natsu smirked.

And with that, the gong finally sounded. Cheers echoed across the city as the Domas Flau erupted. That was it, the Grand Magic Games had finally ended.

" _IT IS OVER! FAIRY TAIL A IS VICTORIOUS!"_ Chapati announed, " _With a total of forty five points in these games, the Fairy Tail guild is the new number one guild in the land!"_

Joshua smiled as he watched everyone pump a fist in the air and smile. They had done it. They had actually won the games. He looked over at the arena to see the final scoreboard appear high overhead.

 **First Place: Fairy Tail A- 45 points**

 **Second Place: Sabertooth- 40 points**

 **Third Place: Imperius- 38 points**

 **Fourth Place: Mermaid Heel- 37 points**

 **Fifth Place: Quatro Cerberus- 35 points**

 **Sixth Place: Lamia Scale- 31 points**

 **Sixth Place: Fairy Tail B- 31 points**

 **Eight Place: Blue Pegasus- 27 points**

Back at the Honey Bone Lodge, screams of joy were heard. Erza was thrashing around, flailing her arms around as she cheered loudly and squeezed Porlyusica, much to the healer's chagrin.

"You aren't supposed to be moving!" Porlyusica growled as Erza cheered.

"Don't care! WE WON!"

"You should care! It's your health! GAH!" Porlyusica was squeezed tightly by Erza as the redhead ignored her and continued to cheer loudly.

High above, atop a tower in the city, Mavis Vermillion smiled. Her strategy had worked, and her guild had performed it magnificently. Her green eyes drifted over to the Domas Flau where she knew the rest of her guild was celebrating right now as confetti shot out around the arena. Her smile widened.

 _You've made a fantastic guild Master Makarov._ She watched as each competitor was hauled off by a team of medical staff to be treated. Each one of them didn't look like they were in pain, they looked happy. _A truly fantastic guild!_

High above even Mavis's position. In a tall spire near the top of the Palace Mercurius, a lone, dark cloaked figure perched. His hooded face revealed no features as the deep shadows given off by his hood perfectly hid him away. Not that he needed it to hide in a hood. He had other methods of making sure he couldn't be seen. A single red, electronic eye lit up underneath the man's hood.

" **Just as it happened before, it has come about again."** He screeched with his half robotic half human voice.

He sighed and reached into a pocket hidden in the heavy black robes he wore. His leather glove pulled out a crumpled up photograph. The figure's red eye glanced longingly at it before the hand opened and let the photograph drift away in the wind.

" **The time is near."**

 **And chapter! Slower chapter. Definitely more of a drawdown after the heavy action we had for the past few chapters. And as you noticed, I nixed the Kagura going to Vader idea. The more I thought about it and the more I planned just made it less appealing in my mind. So yeah, I did like writing Vader's reaction to Kagura demanding he teach her. I thought that was totally how Vader would've reacted. Plus, I don't see Vader taking an apprentice now. After all, in the OT he is trying to turn Luke so that Luke can become his new apprentice. So Kagura becoming one would kinda betray that motivation.**

 **Now what about the other GMG fights, well, I assume that if you are reading this, you have watched the anime or read the manga. I feel like if I completely rehashed the fights from that it would just be, well, boring. So I kept the fights in the past few chapters focused on this story's main characters so far.**

 **And… After nearly seventeen chapters, the grand magic games arc has come to a close. Whew! That… was… a… lot. But it was lots of fun to write! I hope it lived up to the hype! Next arc up, the Dragons arc (I think some call it the Eclipse gate arc too). We have been seeing glimpses of our new villain for this arc. Should be interesting to find out who it is. Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	61. Chapter 61: The Eclipse Gate

**Hey guys! Here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 61

Joshua frowned as he stared at the full length mirror in the bathroom. His hands reached up towards his collar and he grasped the knot on the blue tie strapped around his neck. He twitched it back and forth a little bit, trying to make it so that he didn't feel like he was suffocating. He sighed, no matter what he did with this stupid thing, it still felt claustrophobic. He preferred his cloak to this stupid suit.

His hands moved away from the uncomfortable knot and instead fell to his sides. He took a good long look in the mirror. Right now, this was the fanciest outfit he had ever wore. It was a tuxedo with a nice blue tie. Along with the fancy suit, he had a single white glove covering his mechanical hand while his normal right hand remained bare. Joshua frowned once again. He really hated wearing this thing. He reached over and adjusted the his left sleeve so that none of the metal from his arm would be showing through.

"Quit messing with it." he heard Erza say from the corner, "You look fine."

His sister stood next to the bathroom sink, hair tied up in an intricate style that caused Joshua to wonder how it didn't hurt her head. She wore a long red dress that went perfectly with her scarlet colored hair and a beautiful necklace. She was currently trying to place earrings in her ears, with not much luck.

Joshua rolled his shoulders and sighed, "I hate wearing this monkey suit." He rubbed his neck, "It's too stiff."

"And those robes you wore during the games weren't?" Erza questioned.

"They are actually quite roomy." Joshua replied, "And way less itchy than this thing." He scratched at his right elbow.

Erza slapped his hand away, "Stop it. You'll wrinkle the suit."

"It's gonna get wrinkled anyways."

"Well try to keep the wrinkles to a minimum. This is a fancy ball after all, and the King of Fiore is gonna be attending." Erza flinched as the earring in her hand slipped out of her grasp causing her to grumble in frustration.

"Can't you just requip those things on?"

"I've already tried." Erza replied, "But I can't get it right even then."

Joshua sighed, "For a knight you can be really girly."

"Shut up." Erza snapped back before she sighed and tossed the earrings into a drawer, "Forget about it. We don't have enough time."

As if to confirm what she just said, the two heard a knock on the door followed by Gray's voice.

"Hey, you two almost done in there?"

Joshua walked over and pulled the door open. Just as he was about to step out he felt Erza yank him back in by the collar of his shirt.

"Wait." A comb requiped into her hands.

"Really? I'm seventeen now! Not-" Erza gave Joshua a harsh glare that made him shut up immediately. She then quickly combed his hair.

"You need to look presentable."

"I look like I just lost a bet." Joshua grumbled back.

Joshua heard a laugh from across the room. Natsu walked up to them, wearing his fanciest waistcoat with nice slacks. His signature scaly white scarf was still wrapped around his neck.

"Really?" Joshua grumbled, "Natsu doesn't have to wear one?"

"He'd just burn it away if I tried to put him in a suit." Erza replied.

"Wow Joshua!" Natsu chuckled, "You look really weird dressed up super fancy like that."

Joshua muttered under his breath as Erza finally finished combing out his hair so that it wasn't spiky anymore.

"Oh c'mon Joshua." Gray commented, "Wearing a suit isn't so bad."

"Says the one who's bare ass naked right now." Joshua replied.

Gray blinked and looked down to see himself in only his boxers, "Dammit all! I just put that suit on!"

Erza sighed as the ice make wizard scrambled around the room trying to find his clothes again, "Hurry up Gray, we're going to be late." The red head then glanced around the room and saw two people were missing, "Where is Lucy and Wendy?"

"They went on ahead to the palace." Natsu replied, "Wendy wanted to do some sightseeing on the inside before this ball thing starts. That and she said something about needing to think about some stuff."

Joshua sighed, "I don't doubt it."

Erza frowned as she saw the sad look on Joshua's face, "What's wrong?"

Another long sigh escaped his lips, "Not now. Maybe later." He replied. He then straightened out and starting walking to the door, "C'mon, we have a dumb ball to get to. And the sooner I can get out this damn suit the better."

….

Classical music played softly around the massive main hall of Mercurius. Violins softly whined while flutes whistled quietly in the air. The Cellos' melodious sound rang out over the hall while the bass's deep throbbing laid the foundation of a beautiful piece of music.

Everywhere Joshua looked, there were symbols of elegance. Each and every person in the golden palace wore their best clothes. Long flowing dresses, perfectly pressed suits, jewelry of all kinds, and smiles galore. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the ball that signaled the end of the Grand Magic Games festival. The games ended a day ago, giving everyone enough time to recover from their injuries in order to attend this extravagant event. But Joshua he could be anywhere but here. He didn't do fancy. He was like Cana in that regard. He enjoyed plain things because to him they were much for fun and required a lot less effort.

Speaking of Cana, she was leaning against the same golden pillar Joshua was. And she had the same disgruntled look on her face.

"There is no booze here." she grumbled.

"There is champagne." Joshua replied.

"Do you really think that fruity shit will get me wasted." The Card Mage replied as she snatched a small glass from a silver tray being carried around by one of the many attendants serving the wizards. She downed the glass in one gulp and frowned before tossing the glass away, "That stuff is disappointing."

Joshua grabbed a glass from another attendant that was passing by. Unlike Cana, he only sipped it.

"This is how you're supposed to drink it."

"What?" Cana replied with a raised eyebrow, "I ain't drinking alcohol like an aristocrat."

"You tell him *hic* babe!" They heard a drunk voice call over.

Joshua closed his eyes and scowled before he looked to his right to see Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus stumbling over. He still didn't wear a shirt. Just nice slacks, his purple shoulder pauldrons, and a purple tie around his neck. Of all the guilds in the hall right now, Quatro Cerberus cared the least about looking fancy for the King.

"Bacchus." Joshua grumbled.

"How the hell did you get wasted off of this shit?" Cana asked bewildered.

"Well *hic* you drink enough of it then it does the same thing as the hard stuff." Bacchus slurred back, "Plus," he waved a plain bottle in front of Cana, "I was able to sneak in my own."

Joshua's eyes widened, "Where did you hide- never mind. I don't wanna know." Joshua replied as he saw a mischievous smirk come across Bacchus' lips.

"So… Cana." Bacchus wrapped an arm around the card mage, "Care for another drinking contest. Maybe you'll *hic* actually win since this stuff is so weak."

Cana smirked, "You're on."

The pair walked quickly over to a poor attendant who was soon about to find out that he would have to rush back to the kitchens for more drinks. This left Joshua alone leaning against the pillar, a slim glass of sparkling champagne in one hand while his other was nestled in his coat pocket.

The classical music ended and the musicians left their seat, presumably to take a break. As they left, an attendant stepped up onto the elegant stage and tapped the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentleman," he said in a quiet voice, "King Fiore and Princess Hisui E. Fiore have arrived."

All chattering ended as two figures stepped towards two thrones placed on an elevated platform in the main hall. One was a short man with long gray hair and a thin mustache. He wore an opulent, regal coat with a fancy white suit as well as a crown atop his head. The other was a young woman, roughly Joshua's age, with flowing green hair. She wore a simple golden tiara along her head as well as a pink and white dress.

When the two royals entered there was some applause from the many wizards in attendance. Both the King and his daughter smiled and waved at the wizards before taking their seats and talking with some of the more well connected individuals in Fiore. Joshua applauded a little too. The pair were the ones responsible for putting on the Grand Magic Games, and it was a great festival. He did enjoy himself when he wasn't going ballistic and attempting to kill Imperius wizards.

Speaking of Imperius. Joshua noticed that the guild was not here. Not a single Imperius wizard was present. It was curious thing, he figured that they would show up to cause trouble in some way, shape, or form. After all, he did suspect that they were the ones behind the dark power he had felt in the games. He also suspected that the hooded figure he had seen during one of the events was their leader. But yet, they were absent. If they were going to try something, this would be the best time to do it. That guild seemed like they enjoyed theatrics anyways.

"Hey Joshua."

Joshua blinked and looked over to see Macao walking up to him.

"How's it going Macao?"

The purple haired mage shrugged, "This is pretty boring honestly. The food is the only good part. Speaking of food, I'm surprised you aren't pigging out at the buffet."

Joshua chuckled, "I've thought about it. But… I got a lot of other things on my mind." _Like how the hell am I going to explain to Wendy what a Sith is? And figuring out why that dark power is still hanging over this palace like a fog._ "I do have to agree with you though. This is really dull." He looked over and saw Mirajane freaking out over girly things with Lucy, "But some of the girls seem to be enjoying this."

"Yeah," Macao sighed, "but personally, I'd accept just about anything that ends this boredom."

The sound of an electric guitar loudly strumming was heard. It's sound distorted heavily. Joshua winced and rubbed his ear.

"The hell?" He grumbled then his eyes widened as a gruff voice spoke into the microphone on stage.

"This goes out to my friends."

Up on stage, sat Gajeel, wearing an all white suit with a slick set of shades and a white fedora. A large, iron guitar was in his hands and he was casually strumming it while tapping his foot.

"Oh no!" Joshua groaned before leaning his head back against the pillar.

"Shooby doo ba! Shooby ba, my friends!" Gajeel wailed into the microphone.

"Macao… kill me now." Joshua groaned.

He blinked when he didn't hear a reply. Joshua turned his head and saw that his friend had already retreated out of the main hall in order to escape the ear splitting noise that was Gajeel's singing. Joshua groaned again as an attendant with a full tray of drinks passed in front of him. Joshua pointed a finger at the attendant who stopped and turned to Joshua.

"You there," Joshua motioned with his right hand, "The whole tray, give it here."

The attendant blinked, "Um… sir? I need to give these drinks to everyone."

Joshua frowned, "And I need something that will get me drunk enough so that I can't hear this horrible noise anymore." he replied as Gajeel wailed out another 'Shooby Doo Ba'.

"I'm sorry sir but I-"

Joshua waved his right hand in front of the attendant, "You will give me the damn tray and drinks."

The attendant's eyes glossed over and a blank expression spread out over his face, "I will give you the damn tray and drinks."

He handed the tray over to Joshua, who nodded his thanks and told him to go about his business. Joshua sighed and gulped down one glass, then two, then three.

"The noise is still bad." Joshua grumbled.

"Don't go overboard." Joshua blinked and looked to his right to see a blue haired woman wearing a long green dress walking up to him. She smiled at him, "I don't want to have to use a healing spell on you when you get a hangover."

Joshua smiled back and set the tray down, "There you are. I was wondering where you went."

"I wanted to get here early in order to… sit and think." She replied.

"So my advice was pretty good?" Joshua smirked.

"A little." Wendy replied, "It allowed me to get over how angry I was at you for not telling me that you are a," She gulped a little, "Sith."

Joshua nodded, "You can still be mad. I wouldn't blame you if you were."

Wendy shook her head, "I just… I just want an explanation. That's all."

Joshua sighed, "I did say I'd tell you everything earlier didn't I?"

Wendy nodded.

"Alright…" Joshua backed away from the pillar he was leaning against, "But not here, because Gajeel's voice is making my ears bleed."

Wendy laughed little, "Imagine how bad it is for my dragon ears."

Joshua gulped, "Geez, yeah, we are definitely getting out of here."

The pair laughed and quickly exited the main hall. The two stepped out onto a large balcony that was shockingly free of people at the moment. Joshua let out a relieved sigh. He still wasn't sure about letting others know about what he was. Right now, he only trusted Erza, and now Wendy, with that information. The pair walked over the golden railing and stared out at the city that was currently bathed in the soft glow of the moon.

"It's pretty out tonight." Joshua said.

Wendy nodded and then took a breath, preparing herself for Joshua answers to her questions, "So… what exactly are you?"

Joshua gulped and bowed his head before looking at Wendy, "Well… I'm a human, not some freak. I'm a human Sith."

Wendy nodded, "Ok? So… what are the Sith then?"

Joshua took a deep breath, "The Sith are… difficult to describe, and even more difficult to explain without you thinking I'm crazy."

Wendy smirked, "Try me."

Joshua nodded, "Well, for one, the Sith are not from this planet."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "Eh? Are you saying that you are some sort of alien?"

"Technically I am. But I am human." Joshua replied, "I was born on a planet called Serenno. After I was born, I was kidnapped by Maul," Wendy gulped at the mention of that nightmarish creature from their past, "And taken to a world called Dathomir. There… I had this thing put inside of me that basically makes it so that I'm a vessel for-"

"Darth Plagueis." Wendy finished for him.

Joshua's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

"Master Mavis may have let something slip in the gardens when you were battling Starkiller." Wendy replied.

Joshua nodded, "Makes sense. Anyways…. The ceremony that put Plagueis inside of me, also sent me here to Earthland at complete random. I spent nine years, just wandering around the world. How I survived, I still don't know. But then… I was found by Erza and the others. And well… you know the rest." Joshua exhaled, "That's my life story in a nutshell. Now.. to answer your question as to what a Sith is, you have to know about the force."

"The Force? You mean your magic?"

Joshua nodded his head a little, "Kinda. You see… how do I explain the Force?" he tapped his fingers on the railing before stopping, "Well, I guess in layman's terms, it is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, binds us, and brings the entire galaxy together."

"Sounds like magic to me." Wendy replied.

"Like I said, it kinda is. Only, it's a little more… expansive than just magic energy. It is quite literally energy itself, it's the life force of the universe, and those who are force sensitive can tap into that energy and use it." Joshua explained, "Now, there are two sides to the force… Light and Dark."

"Let me guess," Wendy interrupted, "The Sith use the Dark Side of the Force."

Joshua nodded, "Correct. The Dark Side of the force is fueled by negative emotions: anger, fear, hatred, pain. And through those emotions, a Sith gains power in the force. Now, a very strong Sith doesn't let those emotions consume them, but rather, uses them like one would use a hammer, as a tool. A weak Sith, gives in to the Dark Side and let's those emotions control everything about them. They allow the darkness to consume them until they are nothing more than a mindless animal."

Wendy nodded, "I hope you fall into the strong category."

Joshua sighed, "I hope so too. But… I differ from a traditional Sith. A traditional Sith is all about domination and power." Joshua sighed, "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." he looked over at Wendy, "That is the Sith ideology. Power is freedom."

"And… you don't agree with that?"

Joshua shook his head, "Not in the slightest. Power can be good, but it's not everything. Power is not freedom. So in a way, because I don't adhere to the code, I'm technically not a true Sith Lord, but more of a… grey Sith I suppose."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "So… what about the Sith who are traditional, like the ones that killed all of the dragons?"

Joshua gulped, "They are dangerous." he said simply, "You said that the Sith and Dragons wiped each other out four hundred years ago right?"

Wendy nodded and saw the perplexed look on Joshua's face.

"Strange, the Sith order has been gone longer than that. Although…" he rubbed his chin, "It may not be the rule of two, but rather the Brotherhood of Darkness."

"The Brotherhood of what?" Wendy asked.

"They were the last massive gathering of Sith, roughly one thousand years ago. All of them were killed at the Seventh Battle of Ruusan. I know this because my… my master, taught me a lot in the ancient history of the Sith."

"Master?" Wendy questioned.

"Tyrannus." Joshua replied, "That was his Sith name. Anyways… the Sith you described sound like the Brotherhood. The new Sith, the rule of two era that I belong to, are not really warriors. They can be really anything. Politicians, bankers, engineers, as long as they are in a position of influence then they are succeeding. And there are always two, no more, no less. This Sith Order was founded after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan by the lone survivor of the Sith, Darth Bane. However, from what Belserion described, it seems some of the Brotherhood escaped here to Earthland." Joshua exhaled and muttered, "That's rather unexpected."

"So… you technically aren't part of the Sith that may have killed my mom." Wendy said.

Joshua looked back at Wendy, "No." Joshua replied, "I am different from the Brotherhood."

Wendy nodded, "I'm… I'm really relieved right now. I was afraid that maybe you were pretending and that deep down you were like those monsters that killed the dragons."

Joshua shook his head, "I'm not. There is one defining thing about those Sith that makes me different from them."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

Joshua gulped, "I care about others." he said, "I care about the guild, I care about my friends, I care about Erza…" The two got close to each other to the point where their faces were only a few inches away, "I care about you."

Wendy's face reddened, "So… you are saying that because you care about others, you are not a Sith."

Joshua slightly nodded, "A Sith can't care about others. They only care about themselves."

Wendy smiled. She subconsciously placed her hands around Joshua's head. She was so happy right now. Her fears that Joshua may be some sort of monster were wrong. He was the same Joshua she always knew, just with a incredible, and terrifying power attached now. She smiled softly at him as their faces got closer.

"That's good to hear." She whispered before their lips met.

….

Mirajane was having the biggest freak out moment of her life as she watched Joshua and Wendy from the glass balcony door. She just wanted to scream out with happiness as she watched the pair kiss in the moonlight. Her matchmaking prediction had come true! For the first time really ever too. She felt so proud of herself.

A small squeal came out of her mouth as she watched the pair.

"Hey Mira!" Laxus walked over to her, "What's going on? Are there fireworks outside or something?"

Mira grinned, "Oh…. there are fireworks alright."

Laxus raised an eyebrow and glanced out the doorway to see Wendy and Joshua kissing. Laxus' jaw quickly fell open as he stared in shock.

"I called it!" Mira cried out.

"Called what?"

Mira's eyes widened, her pupils shrank, and her wide grin quickly disappeared. Her head shakily turned to see Erza striding up to them. Mira looked fearfully at Laxus, who returned the same fearful glance.

"She can't see!" Mira hissed.

Laxus nodded and quickly rushed up to Erza.

"So Erza…" he wrapped an arm around the redhead which clearly irritated her, "How's your night going."

*SMASH*

Erza slammed Laxus into the tile floor.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" She roared before glaring over at Mira, "Mira, have you seen Joshua?"

Mira quickly shook her head, beads of sweat dripping down her head.

"Mira!" A white cat came flying over, "Have you seen Wendy?" It was Carla, floating up beside Erza, "I can't find her anywhere."

"N-no! I-I-I haven't seen them at all. A-and they are definitely not out on the balcony!" Mira stammered.

Erza narrowed her eyes. Mira didn't use that tone of voice unless she was trying to hide something, "Mira…"

"EEEP!" Mira screeched as Erza gave her a deadly glare.

"What's out on the balcony?"

"N-Nothing!"

Carla zipped past Mira and pressed her furry face against the balcony. Erza saw Carla's fur stand on end almost immediately and watched as the cat's claws scratched against the glass.

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Carla roared as she clawed at the glass door furiously.

"No don't!" Mira tackled Carla, "Don't ruin the romance!" she cried desperately, "I finally got a match making right!"

Erza frowned and looked out the window. Instantly a sword appeared in both of her hands and the magic pressure in the room soared. Mira gulped as she saw the look of absolute fury in Erza's eyes. Mira sighed, poor Joshua was gonna die tonight. But, just as Erza was about to open the door, a slow, loud clapping sound echoed through the main hall.

….

Meldy had comical tears streaming down her face.

"That wind siren has stolen my love!" She cried as Ultear embraced her.

"It's ok, Meldy." Ultear glanced over at Jellal and let out an exasperated sigh while she shook her head, "There are other fish in the sea."

"But… he was my fish!" Meldy cried.

Jellal and Azuma sweat dropped as they all perched atop the Domas Flau and looked down at the Palace Mercurius.

"I say good for the kid." Azuma said, "He doesn't have to deal with your craziness now."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Meldy launched herself at Azuma and the two quickly got into a brawl.

Jellal and Ultear sighed. This was getting out of hand.

"Guys!" Jellal barked causing both Azuma and Meldy to stop fighting, "Stop! If you're too loud then we'll be found out."

Meldy frowned and glared angrily at Azuma while Azuma returned her glance with a simple frown.

"Now then, if you are done fighting, we need to focus on-" Jellal stopped talking. There it was, the dark power, it was billowing out of the palace like a massive, dark fog. But this time it felt different. It no longer felt like it was trying to hide itself. Instead it was coming out in the open, as if making a theatrical appearance worthy of a terrifying villain.

"Jellal…" Ultear gulped, "What power is this?"

Jellal felt his hands trembling. He glanced down and willed them to stop shaking. He jumped to his feet, "We need to get down there, now!"

"But what about the magic council?" Azuma questioned.

Jellal jumped from the Domas Flau, "To hell with them! Everyone is in danger! We need to warn them now!"

….

Lucy was having the night of a lifetime. Unlike the others in her guild, she really enjoyed getting all dressed up like this from time to time. And she definitely enjoyed the elegance of the Grand Magic Games ball. Everything was so fancy and quiet. It was a nice change in pace considering that the majority of her days involved booze infused brawls in a dusty old guild hall.

As she danced around the main hall she was suddenly stopped by a strong armored hand. Lucy looked to her right and saw Arcadios, wearing an intricate set of white and gold armor holding her shoulder.

"Ms. Heartfilia." Lucy's eyes widened, "It is time."

Lucy gulped and nodded. So, they didn't forget. They planned on opening the gate now. Lucy quickly told her friends she was running to the restroom before following Arcadios. As she followed the tall knight she saw him nod over to Princess Hisui. The Princess smiled and returned the nod. But Lucy noticed something. Her smile was nervous, not happy. Lucy leaned towards Arcadios as they exited the main hall and began to descend down a long slanted corridor.

"Is Princess Hisui involved in this too?" Lucy asked.

Arcadios cringed a little before nodding, "He wasn't wrong. You are indeed very smart, Ms. Heartfilia. Yes, Princess Hisui is involved in the Eclipse project. In fact, this is her brain child. She was the one who suggested using the Eclipse gate to thwart the coming calamity described by our mutual acquaintance."

Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine as she recalled her encounter with the figure with the hood and red eye. Despite his good intentions, she still got the creeps whenever she thought about it.

Arcadios led Lucy down a serious of twisting corridors that made her feel completely disoriented. Then they finally came to heavily reinforced door at the end of a long, dark hall. Arcadios strode up to the door and knock several times. The door opened and on the others side was Yukino Agria, former Sabertooth member and now Sergeant to the Royal Palace Guard. Arcadios nodded to her and stepped inside followed by Lucy. What Lucy saw on the inside was unlike anything else she had ever seen.

Towering over them all in the empty room, was a massive device that was shaped like an arched gateways. The gate had an intricate design on it that looked like the sun was being covered by the moon. Around the gate, like spokes on a wheel, were twelve slots. Each slot was designed to hold a celestial spirit key.

"Your keys will be what opens the gate." Arcadios explained to Yukino and Lucy, "but we need to hurry. According to our intelligence, the calamity is almost here."

Lucy gulped as she remembered the violent vision. The ships flying through the stars above their planet, the green energy beams pulverising everyone. The figure with the dark armor and labored breathing towering over the bodies of her friends.

"What will opening the gate do to prevent that?" Lucy asked.

"The point of these Grand Magic Games was to store power into the Eclipse gate. Using the power stored in the Eclipse gate, we can unlock it in order to make the Eclipse Cannon." Arcadios explained, "The cannon will have a single shot, but it will be enough to destroy the enemy before they can land on the surface of our world. Now… we are almost out of time. Quickly, use your keys and unlock the gate!"

Lucy and Yukino nodded. They pulled out their golden zodiac keys and held them aloft. The keys glowed brightly before flying towards the different slots in the gate. All of them glowed a bright gold color as they waited to be turned. Yukino and Lucy clasped hands, as if being compelled to by the spell they were about to perform. They held their hands out in front.

" **OPEN! ECLIPSE GATE!"**

A blinding light filled the entire room. Arcadios took a fearful step back as wind whipped up in the cavernous space. The gate's doors groaned as the keys turned in their slots. The heavy doors slowly swung inward. A bright white light filled the room. Lucy, Yukino, and Arcadios watched in awe as the gate opened. Arcadios grinned, the did it, the calamity was going to be avoided. His glee faded quickly though as he heard a low rumble come from the gate. His eyes widened and fear suddenly gripped him as he saw a large, grey claw rip out of the bright white light. The claw came out further and then Arcadios heard another sound. It sounded like a low artificial hum.

Lucy gulped as she saw the claw. Fear filled her as she heard the hum. She knew what that hum sounded like. Her mind instantly thought of the strange swords used by both Erza and Starkiller during their battle round. Lucy felt her knees begin to shake. Then she saw it, alongside of the large grey claw. The bright white light was replaced… by dozens upon dozens of glowing red swords.

….

Erza stopped opening the balcony door. The air grew cold around her and she saw her breath beginning to frost against the glass panes on the doorway. A sense of dread filled her as she heard the slow clapping continue. Everyone slowly turned to look at the origin of the strange sound.

Standing on stage, a knocked out Gajeel at his feet was a figure clothed in all black. A deep hood hid his face in shadows. Everything was darkened except for a single red, electronic eye that glared out at every wizard in attendance. The figure stopped clapping.

" **This is quite the party."** it screeched with a voice that sounded both human yet not at the same time.

Erza saw Princess Hisui shoot up from her throne and stare terrified at the figure.

"What are you doing here!" The Princess shouted, "You said you would stay hidden."

The figure's red eye drifted over to Hisui who was instantly thrown back into her throne by a powerful invisible force.

" **Sit down… your highness."** The figure snarled before sighing. " **This is just as I remember."**

Erza had forgotten all about Joshua and Wendy out on the balcony. Her entire attention was now on this mysterious, dark figure standing on the stage.

" **I must thank you Princess Hisui, the festival has certainly been entertaining. And… it has served its ultimate purpose."**

Gajeel groaned and attempted to get up but was instantly knocked out again by a quick kick to his face.

"HEY STOP IT!" Natsu shouted.

The figure chuckled. It was a terrifying, mechanical sound. " **Ah… Natsu Dragneel, of the Fairy Tail guild. Still as rowdy as ever."** The figure stared down Natsu, " **I would love to see you try and stop me, old friend."**

"You ain't my friend if you hurt my guild mates!" Natsu charged, hands aflame.

The figure let out an amused chuckle before pointing his right hand at Natsu. Blue lightning shot out from the figure's fingertips and slammed into Natsu with incredible force. The fire dragon slayer screamed out in agony as he was thrown across the room before slamming into a pillar and passing out.

"What are you doing!?" Hisui cried, "Why are you hurting them!? You said you came here to save them!"

Now the figure was laughing, " **I'm still amazed you actually bought that sob story."** He glared at Hisui, " **Then again, I wouldn't be a very good Sith if I wasn't good at manipulating others to do my bidding."**

Hisui's eyes widened and tears formed in her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

" **What I mean, your highness, is that you have played your role in my plans to perfection. In fact…"** He looked out at the wizards, " **All of you have. The magic power you expended in these games for the past seven years was more than enough to finally set the plan into motion."**

Erza stepped forward from the gaping crowd, swords still in hand. She glared at the figure.

"And what are your plans, fiend!" she called as she pointed her blades at the Sith on stage.

The figure seemed to pause when he looked at Erza. All giddiness in his mangled voice was gone as he looked at her. He was no longer laughing. The figure instead raised his right hand. Erza felt the palace floors begin to shake beneath her feet. The pressure was rising in the room to the point where it felt like it was going to suffocate her. Dust and debris began to descend from the ceiling as cracks formed above them.

" **Revenge."**

Erza's eyes widened, "Protect the king and princess!"

The closest wizards raced over to the thrones. Just as they reached the two royals, Erza felt a blast of energy slam into her. She glanced over to the figure and saw his right hand clench into a fist.

Mercurius exploded.

 **Cliffhanger! You guys will have to wait to see what happens with the next chapter! But I promise it'll be a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter, it was so much fun! Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	62. Chapter 62: A New Dark Lord

**Hey everyone! Spent most of yesterday planning out the next few chapters so now I've got a new one ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 62

Soft, classical music played through the speakers in the admiral's quarters. He had finally finished work for the day. While he did enjoy his work, he didn't enjoy this work. He was an admiral, a battlefield commander. He was meant for engaging in ship to ship combat, obliterating rebel ships with his tactical might. He wasn't meant to sit above an unknown planet and wait on some inquisitors to finish their field reports. It irked the Chiss admiral a great deal to know that the Empire considered him so dispensable.

He rotate the wine glass in his hand while staring out his expansive view screen. Far below his was the blue jewel of a planet he had discovered after seven years of searching. While it did give him great pride to know that history would remember him for this monumental discovery, he still felt robbed of his true purpose. The Chiss placed the glass at his lips and sipped it's contents. He grimaced a little as the wine ran down his throat. Holding the glass up to his eyes he glared at it's purple contents and sighed.

 _My personal collection is starting to grow thin._

He heard the hiss of his door opening behind him. The admiral straightened and turned around to see a young human lieutenant walking in.

"Ah, lieutenant, is there something to report?"

The young man saluted then stood at attention, "Admiral, the final reports from the inquisitors have come in. I was ordered to deliver them to you personally."

Thrawn nodded and grabbed the data chip the lieutenant was holding out to him.

"Also sir, Lord Vader requests your presence."

That surprised Thrawn. He hadn't heard anything from the Emperor's enforcer for years now. He had just assumed that Vader had just forgotten about him, as he did with most officers that tended to go against his hard line methods. Thrawn simply nodded again then dismissed the lieutenant. Sighing, he set the wine glass down on a durasteel table and slid the data chip into a console near the table. A hologram glowed to life showing two young humans.

The first human was a young woman with an incredibly beautiful figure. She also had a fierce look about her and seemed to be wearing a type of primitive metallic armor with a simple blue skirt. Her left hand was clutching a simple, primitive sword. But what was in her right hand made Thrawn paused. Her right hand was gently holding a silver cylinder that Thrawn had seen very rarely. In fact, he had only seen such a weapon on a couple of occasions. Those occasions usually involved Lord Vader slaughtering rebels. Thrawn's eyes darted to the description beside the young woman's figure.

"Force sensitive…" he muttered, "possible Jedi?" Thrawn frowned, "Not possible. She looks no older than twenty. The Jedi were wiped out nineteen years ago." Still he read her name so he could remember it, "Erza Scarlet."

Thrawn's eyes then fell on the second figure. This one was of a human male who looked slightly younger than the young woman. He wore layers of black robes with a black cloak over his shoulders. Unlike the woman, the young human male was much more of a puzzle for Thrawn. He certainly looked like a Jedi, the robes were a dead giveaway. Also, the way he held his lightsaber showed that he was experienced with the weapon in a way the woman was not. She was holding it like how a child held a knife when their parents let them hold one for the first time, with care and hesitation. The male however was holding the weapon like it was a part of his hand, firm and confident. However, he couldn't be the Jedi Master that may have trained Erza Scarlet. He was too young, that much was clear from his age description. Thrawn's eyes turned to the description beside the boy.

"Definite force sensitive… extremely dangerous." he muttered then his eyes widened, "Dark side user… major threat, eliminate if at all possible." He eyes looked to his name, "Joshua Scarlet." He tapped the table, "So… they are related."

A button began flashing on the table. Thrawn's red eyes darted over and he cringed a little as he saw which one was flashing. It appears that Vader did not wish to wait. Thrawn exhaled and tidied his uniform before pressing the flashing button on the console. Instantly, the hologram of the two humans was replaced by the towering form of Darth Vader.

"Lord Vader, I apologize for the delay. I was studying the reports that our esteemed inquisitors gathered."

"You have found the planet?" Vader replied. Thrawn noted the somewhat surprised tone in Vader's voice.

"It took some searching. But we did find it." Thrawn replied, "And the inhabitants my interest you."

"The inhabitants are of no concern as of yet." Vader replied, "Do they have a way of leaving the planet?"

Thrawn shook his head, "It is a primitive culture. They barely have electricity from what the inquisitors have reported."

"Then we can deal with the threat at a later time. The Emperor has ordered that you return to Imperial space and assist in hunting down the Rebel's hidden base."

Thrawn smiled a little. Finally, he'd be able to annihilate the ones responsible for destroying the Empire's greatest achievement.

"Very well then, I shall send a shuttle to retrieve the inquisitors."

"The inquisitors are dead." Vader boomed back. Thrawn showed a hint of concern but that quickly faded. _Good, that Pau'an won't be overriding my command of the ship anymore._ "They have failed in their mission. Leave them to rot on the planet. You are to return immediately."

And with that, Vader's hologram winked away. Thrawn felt a wide grin come across his lips. He was finally going to do battle with the Rebel Alliance. He could hardly wait. His finger casually drifted over to another rectangular button on the console.

"Admiral Thrawn to the bridge." he said into a speaker.

"Admiral! What are your orders sir!" The speaker replied back.

"Set coordinates for Coruscant. The Empire has need of us once again."

"Yes sir!" was the immediate, enthusiastic reply.

Thrawn grinned and grabbed his wine glass. He stepped to the view screen once more and looked down at Earthland. In a way, he felt very unfulfilled right now. He hadn't completed the mission given to him by the Emperor. For that, he felt a hint of regret. He very much looked forward to setting foot on the planet surface and experience it's beauty first hand. But, duty calls. Thrawn sipped his wine as the Star Destroyer turned to face the blackness of space.

"I shall return." Thrawn mused, "I shall return and finish my mission."

The stars in front of Thrawn became streaks of white light and the Star Destroyer rocketed away from Earthland.

….

Joshua felt happier than he had ever felt in his life right now. The main reason was that he was kissing Wendy. And it wasn't a shy kiss or a quick peck like they were before. No, this was something different. And it felt amazing. He also felt like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't have to keep Wendy in the dark anymore. He knew he could trust her with the truth about his powers and who he was.

The deep kiss held for a few more moments. They then parted and Wendy took a quick little gasp of air. She then realized something. She was the one who did that. She kissed him! Wendy's face went as red as a tomato.

"Um…" She said with a blush.

"I thought you were supposed to be shy." Joshua smirked back at her.

"Well-I-Um-"

Joshua chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, "You know what, that was kinda awesome."

Wendy's face stayed red as she smirked back, "I'm not sure you're supposed to describe a kiss as awesome."

Joshua laughed, "I can't really think of any other way to describe it."

Wendy grinned, "How about magical?"

"A little cliched don't you think?" Joshua replied.

Wendy smacked his shoulder, "So what! It's a good cliche."

"Maybe…" Joshua replied with a grin, "but I like my description better."

The two stood quietly on the balcony for a moment.

"So… what does this-"

"Wendy, how about we go on a job together when we get back." Joshua said quickly.

Wendy's eyes went wide, "Y-you mean like a d-date?"

"Well um… if that's what you wanna call it then sure." Joshua replied back with a slight red tint on his cheeks.

Wendy felt herself utter a laugh.

"What?" Joshua asked.

"A job request is a pretty strange date don't you think?" Wendy smiled.

"Well… maybe? I dunno." Joshua replied, "It sounded right."

Wendy nodded, "It definitely did." She then gulped, "But… please…. Not another theater job like last time."

"Hey! That was Mira who picked that one out, not me!"

Wendy laughed out loud and leaned against the railing of the balcony. Her heart was thumping in her chest right now. Someone had actually asked her on a date. And he wasn't some creep either like those Twilight Ogres. It was Joshua, someone she actually loved being around. She smiled widely as she looked out at the quiet city of Crocus.

"So Joshua… what job are you.." Wendy looked over and saw Joshua's expression change from thrilled to scared, "Is everything ok?"

"Do you feel that?" Joshua asked, his voice trembling a little.

"Feel what?"

That's when the palace began to shake. It was a slight tremble at first, but soon the shaking became violent. That's when Wendy felt a wave of darkness hit her. The air grew ice cold around the entire palace and all joy seemed to be sucked out of Wendy's body as fear took over.

"Joshua?" Wendy gulped.

Joshua didn't even reply. He just threw himself at Wendy and tackled her to the ground just as Mercurius exploded with a massive bang. Wendy screamed out as the balcony crumbled beneath them. Large shards of glass and gigantic boulders of stone and gold rained down around them. She squeezed her eyes shut and hung onto Joshua for dear life.

Meanwhile, Joshua was channeling the force around him, trying to slow their rapid descent. They were falling fast down the side of the crumbling palace. He used the force to calm himself. He couldn't afford to panic right now. Tightly gripping Wendy around her waist with his mechanical arm, he reached into his requip space a pulled out a circular device with a wire and hook coming out of it. Joshua quickly clipped into to his belt and twirled the hook before tossing it up at a piece of the palace frame that was not currently collapsing.

The grappling hook rocketed towards the palace. It looked like it would connect. But instead, the hook glanced off of the the palace, failing to dig into the side as Joshua intended.

 _SHIT!_

 __Joshua glanced down and saw the ground coming at them fast. He twisted himself so that he would be the one to hit the ground first.

 _This is gonna hurt!_

Suddenly a tree root sprouted out of the ground and gently caught the falling wizards like a hand catching a ball. The root then allowed the pair to slide down and land safely on the ground. Joshua and Wendy stumbled for a moment, trying to regain their balance after having their momentum stopped so abruptly.

"You ok, Wendy?" Joshua asked as he caught his breath.

"Yeah, just a little dizzy." the dragon slayer replied, "Who?"

"Nice catch, Azuma!" the pair heard a woman exclaim.

Joshua recognized that voice. He let out a long sigh. This would be interesting.

"But you could've let that wind siren hit the ground!" the pink haired woman exclaimed at Azuma as the upper half of his body emerged from the large root.

"Wind siren?" Wendy mumbled while Joshua let out a long sigh.

"She's crazy." He replied.

"How?" Wendy asked.

"Creepy kind of crazy." Joshua saw the confused look on Wendy's face, "Think of how Juvia interacts with Gray."

Wendy's face contorted into an angry expression as she glared daggers at Meldy, "He's… mine…"

Joshua gulped while Azuma frowned, "You sure know how to pick them."

"Shut up tree man."

"Good." A new voice entered the conversation, "You two are ok."

Joshua and Wendy looked to their left and saw Ultear striding towards them, her white cape flapping in the breeze behind her. The time wizard stopped beside Meldy and placed her hands on her hips.

"Hey… um…" Joshua paused, "I don't really know your name."

Ultear sighed, "Ultear. And names are not important right now. Remember that dark power Jellal asked you to investigate?"

Joshua nodded, "Yeah, I felt it when Mercurius exploded."

"We did too. Jellal is already on his way to the source. Soon we will know what is wr-"

A loud roar echoed out across of the grounds of the palace. The ground shuddered as if a miniature earthquake was occurring. Then Joshua sensed it. The entire dark side of the force was exploding with power. More and more force signatures were appearing out of seemingly thin air. All of those dark side powers paled in comparison to the one he felt when the palace exploded. But still, he knew exactly what these signatures were. His jaw clenched shut and his hand instantly requiped his lightsaber.

"How the hell?" Joshua grumbled. He looked over at Wendy, who had an absolutely terrified expression on her face, "Do you feel that?"

Wendy didn't reply. Instead she pointed towards where the palace once stood. Joshua followed her hand and his eyes went wide as he too felt fear grip him.

Standing in the rubble of the palace, was a massive gate with a bright white light blazing out of it. Stepping out of the bright light was a massive, grey claw, followed by a lizard like head, and a scaly, muscular body. The massive creature emerged from the gateway with several figures, clothes in black armor and wielding red lightsabers at it's side. The creature opened its maw and uttered an earsplitting roar that felt like it could shatter the heavens.

"D-dragon!" Wendy gasped.

Joshua's mind was slammed by flashbacks of the terrifying Acnologia descending on Tenroujima. He remembered its terrifying power. He felt his arms begin to tremble and his knees began to knock together as he watched the massive grey lizard stomp out of the gateway. Then his eyes widened even further. Another roar, not as loud as the first but more raspy instead, came from the gateway. Stepping out of the gateway, along with more black clad warriors, was a dragon that seemed to be made entirely of flames. It's fire seemingly melted the stone that it stomped on. Then another dragon followed it, this one black as night with scattered purple scales.

"H-how!?" Joshua stammered as cold sweat dripped down his body.

"Meldy! Calm them down!" Ultear ordered.

" **Sensory Link!"** Meldy cast her spell and thin pink magical wristbands appeared on Joshua's right wrist and Wendy's right wrist. Instantly, the pair seemed to calm themselves and focus returned to their eyes.

"Azuma!" Ultear barked, "Move in and asses the situation, assist anyone in need. Attempt to alert the other dragon slayers. It's time their powers were put to the test!"

"Aye." Azuma rumbled back before disappearing into his tree root and snaking along the ground towards the epicenter of the chaos.

"Wendy," Ultear placed a hand on her shoulder, "Joshua," she placed a hand on his shoulder, "We are going to need you to stay strong right now. This is going to be the deadliest fight of our lives. And we cannot afford to lose."

Joshua gulped and nodded along with Wendy.

"Joshua, from what I'm seeing, these black warriors use a similar weapon to yours."

Joshua's eyes narrowed, "Sith Warriors." he confirmed. Wendy's brown eyes widened and she felt anger build up in her, "I can handle them, just as long as their numbers don't overwhelm me."

Ultear nodded then her head snapped up, "Jellal!" she placed a hand to the side of her head, "What is it?"

"Are they using telepathy!?" Wendy asked.

Meldy shrugged, "Sorta, it's my sensory link. If I concentrate it enough then it allows two people to communicate."

"What!?" Ultear gasped, "Hang on!" she glanced at Joshua and Wendy, "You two need to get to that gateway, asap!"

"Why?" Joshua asked.

"Erza and Jellal are in trouble. They've met the man responsible for this. And he is too much for them."

Ultear didn't need to say anymore. Joshua grabbed Wendy by the wrist and sprinted towards the gateway. As they ran through the piles of rubble, a fifth roar was heard from the gateway causing the pair to pause.

"Don't tell me there is another!" Joshua yelled as a white dragon jetted out of the gateway, wings spread and mouth open wide.

"FALLEN!" the white dragon bellowed before launching a white beam of magic from it's mouth at the black dragon stomping away from the gate, "YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME!"

Wendy's eyes widened, "Belserion!?"

The white dragon barreled towards the black dragon, diving down at the creature like a falcon. Belserion's body slammed into the fallen dragon, knocking the black dragon over. The black dragon snarled and roared back at Belserion. The two dragons rose from the rubble and a titanic battle began.

"That's Belserion!?" Joshua gaped.

"It has to be." Wendy replied, "He looks just like that dragon."

Joshua looked over at Wendy and saw the concerned expression on her face, "Go to him." he said, "He may need your help against the other dragons."

"But Joshua-"

"You're more effective against dragons than I would be." Joshua stated, "Whereas I can pound these Sith into the dirt."

The first of the Sith warriors began to appear around them. Battle cries erupting from their masked faces as they charged at Joshua and Wendy.

"Go!" Joshua bellowed, "I'll handle them!"

Wendy gulped then nodded, "Don't do anything stupid!" She shouted back before turning and running towards Belserion, "I don't wanna have to put you back together again."

Joshua chuckled as she disappeared behind a pile of rubble, "I can't promise you anything."

The first Sith Warrior raised his lightsaber overhead and slashed down at Joshua. Joshua frowned and activated his lightsaber. The red cross guard saber boomed to life. With a quick thrust, Joshua pierced the Sith warrior through the chest. He felt the Sith's life force leave him as the force became a void where he once was. Joshua closed his eyes, so this was how it was going to be.

"Forgive me Master Makarov." Joshua's eyes flashed crimson as he stood at the ready, blade parallel to the ground, pointing at the oncoming horde, "But their lives must come to an end."

Joshua let the Dark Side of the force build up around him. His knees bent and his eyes switched from hazel to crimson as he let the force flow through his body. The Sith warriors were almost on top of him now. A scowl covered Joshua's face before he charged the horde.

….

Erza's eyes opened slowly. Her head was pounding and her body ached as she emerged from a pile of rubble and dust. Her vision was blurry at first. But soon, she was able to make out everything around her. Mercurius was gone, and in it's place was a massive gateway. Standing in front of the gateway were three people. Two Erza recognized while the third wore the armor of a royal captain.

"Lucy?" Erza groaned before she felt the ground shudder beneath her.

Erza's head snapped up to look at the gateway. Her jaw slowly fell open and her eyes widened as she saw a massive dragon emerge from the gate. She then heard heavy footfalls beside her. The black robed figure that had caused the palace to explode stepped towards the gate. His black cloak flapping wildly in the wind generated by the open gateway.

" **YES!"** The figure bellowed with it's inhuman voice as another dragon emerged from the gateway, " **Here the call of your new master! For I am the Dark Lord of the Sith!"**

Four dragons emerged from the gate and roared up at the night sky. Erza fully expected them to attack the black robed figure. Instead they passed him by and began to attack the city around them. The figure began to chuckle madly.

" **It's working!"** He laughed maniacally, " **Years of planning are finally paying off!"**

Then Erza saw the warriors coming out of the gateway. Each one wore black armor with dark brown or black robes and all of them wore a metallic mask with a thin visor over the eyes. They slowly emerged from the gateway. As they did, the robed figure's cackling ended and he stared at the warriors emerging from the gateway.

" **Welcome… Brotherhood… to a new era."** He said calmly to the warriors emerging from the gate, " **In this era, I am the Dark Lord of the Sith. My name, is Darth Sanguine."** Erza saw several of the warriors shift a little, their hands twitching around silver cylinders, " **Don't try to challenge me. You will not win. Besides, I haven't brought you here to battle me. Instead, I have called you here… to give you something. Behind me is a city filled with the ancestors of your slaves. The slaves who rebelled against your rule, and caused your downfall."** Erza saw Princess Hisui emerge from the rubble, a terrified look in her eyes. The robed figure looked over at Hisui and seemingly grinned at her, " **Kill them all."**

"NO!" Hisui screamed as the Sith Warriors charged towards what remained of Crocus.

Erza rose to her feet. The Sith warriors were almost on top of Lucy, Yukino, and the royal knight. All three of them were paralyzed with fear. Behind Erza, she could hear the cries of innocent civilians as the Dragons began to attack the city. Erza felt pure anger building up in her as she got to her feet.

 _First, get Lucy and the others out of here!_ She thought. She then glared at the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sanguine, _Second, deal with this villain._

"LUCY!" heard someone shout, " **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A massive blaze of fire erupted at the Sith Warriors and enveloped a dozen of them. The unfortunate few who were caught in the blaze screamed in agony while a pink haired man sprinted at the paralyzed Lucy.

 _Natsu!_ Erza thought.

The Fire Dragon slayer grabbed Lucy and Yukino and began to sprint away from the gateway as a fifth dragon emerged from it. This dragon was different however. It didn't stomp into this world like a mindless drone. Instead it flew in. It's massive white wings unfurled and beating wind down onto the ground.

"FALLEN!" The white dragon roared as it charged at one of the other dragons and tackled it to the ground.

Erza felt a slight smile form on her face, _Looks like one is on our side… good to know._

Natsu raced away with Lucy in one arm and his other hand grabbing Yukino's wrist. Erza sighed.

 _If Natsu is running right now, then he knows how serious this is. Then again, these are dragons. If anyone knows what they are capable of, it is him._

" **Well then, Belserion."** the hooded Darth Sanguine muttered, " **That is unexpected."**

Erza scowled and requiped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. Ten swords hovered in a circle around her as she rose in the air above the black warriors charging at her. A normal sword dance won't do in this case. Erza requiped two more swords into her hands and crossed them in front of her body.

" **BLUMENBLATT!"**

She slashed with the swords and a X made of magic energy rocketed down at Darth Sanguine while her other blades smashed into the warriors rushing around her. Sanguine wasn't moving, he instead turned to look at the oncoming spell. Erza saw his red electronic eye flash and his right hand rose up. Her brown eyes widened as her spell was stopped mid air and held suspened in the air.

" **Erza…"** Darth Sanguine clicked his tongue which produced a hideous mix of human and electronic clicking, " **You should know better than to charge head on like that."**

Lightning jumped from the outstretched right hand and slammed into Erza's Blumenblatt. The two attacks exploded in a bright flash of light. Erza squinted as the light temporarily blinded her. But her eyes adjusted quickly and she was able to get a glimpse of what was under the hood of Darth Sanguine. Her brown eyes widened and horror filled her. The bright flash of light revealed a face that was half metal. The entire left side of his face was made of metal, from the top of his head down to his lower jaw. The red electronic eye substituted for his missing left eye. The right side of his face was normal flesh and blood. A hideous scar ran down the length of his face on the right side while a single crimson eyes glared at her. The light died away and his face was once again hidden in shadows. Erza descended from the air and landed across from Darth Sanguine.

" **Hideous isn't it?"**

Erza's eyes narrowed and she clenched her two swords tightly in her hands. This man described Natsu as an old friend and knew her by name even though she had never seen this person before in her life. Erza pointed a sword at him.

"Who are you!?" She demanded.

" **I told you, I am Darth Sanguine."** his grating voice replied.

"NO! You are not! I don't know anyone named Sanguine! And neither does Natsu! Yet you talk to us as if we are old friends!" Erza yelled, "So I'll ask again, who are you!"

Another chuckle came from Sanguine's hood, " **You're just going to have to figure that one out."**

Erza scowled and charged at him. She reached him quickly and swiped at his head with her sword. Sanguine ducked under the swipe and punched Erza in the gut with tremendous force. Erza felt the breath leave her body before she felt a metallic left hook hit her cheek. As she stumbled backwards she felt an invisible force slam into her and send her flying back into a large pile of rubble.

Darth Sanguine sighed and adjusted the leather glove around his left hand, " **Oh… I've been wanting to do that for so long now."**

"Please.." Sanguine stopped marching towards Erza. His gaze turned to look at Hisui who was attempting to pull herself up out of the rubble, "Please, whatever it is I did to you, don't take it out on my people. You said you wanted revenge, then take revenge on me! But not my kingdom!"

The reply the Princess received was laughter, " **Oh, you are so noble right now. A far cry from what you are in the future."**

Hisui's eyes widened, "Future?"

" **Yes… have you not guessed it yet by my rhetoric. A lot of this I remember. I am not from this time. I am from ten years in the future. I came to you saying I was a prophet. And I was able to prove it by merely predicting things that I already knew occurred. And you fell for it. Then you fell for my little lie about an imminent calamity and that only the eclipse gate would stop it."** Sanguine's laughing continued, " **Isn't this just tragic."**

"PLEASE!" Hisui pleaded, "Don't harm my people!"

Hisui then felt her throat seal up on her as an invisible hand wrapped around her neck.

" **Princess Hisui E. Fiore,"** The figure's laughter was fading, " **I begged for you to do something once as well. To save her, to make sure that she didn't die. Well… you didn't listen to me then, so I won't listen to you now. So quit your groveling! It annoys me."**

Hisui felt her throat reopen and the invisible hand choking her disappeared. The Princess gasped for breath as she collapsed on the ground.

"What… what do you mean? What did I do to you to deserve this!?"

Sanguine's red eye glared at her, " **You took everything from me."**

Erza reemerged from the rubble. Her body now clad in her purgatory armor. Sanguine's eye darted over to her.

" **Both of you did."**

Erza's eyes widened. What did she do?

" **I'll give you two a small hint as to who I once was."** Sanguine reached into his cloak and yanked out an old, beat up T shaped hilt, " **Take a guess, Erza."**

The red lightsaber boomed to life, it's unstable blade crackling against the night air while the T shaped projections emitted short red cross guards. Erza's brown eyes widened and she felt her heart jump to her throat. She only knew one person who had a lightsaber like that. She felt like she couldn't breath right now.

"J-Joshua?" She stammered breathlessly, her heart beginning to ache as she began to feel that small connection between herself and the monster in front of her.

Darth Sanguine sighed, " **At one time… yes."** He gripped his blade with both hands and held it to his side, " **But… Joshua died. He will die, three years from now. And I will be born from the ashes of his once feeble existence."** A long silence filled the air between the two, " **To think, I once called you my sister."** Erza saw his hands shaking on his lightsaber hilt. His natural crimson eye blazed beneath his hood, " **I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU!"**

A horrifying scream emerged from Darth Sanguine's lips as he jumped through the air, his body twirling and his lightsaber spinning like a red cyclone. Sanguine landed in front of the stunned Erza and yanked his lightsaber back. As he was about to impale Erza, the pair heard a new voice scream out across the area.

" **METEOR!"**

 ****Sanguine's crimson eyes widened and he was tackled away from Erza by a bright flash of yellow light. Erza stayed rooted in the spot, horror and sorrow gripping every fiber of her being.

 _He has to be lying! He just has to be lying!_ She felt tears in her eyes as she felt the last thread of the bond she sense with this Darth Sanguine, _But… he isn't lying!_

"ERZA!" The red head felt her shoulders body shake as two hands roughly shook her by her shoulders. Erza's thoughts returned to the moment and she looked to see Jellal staring back at her.

"Jellal…" Erza muttered.

"Good, you're not hurt." Jellal smiled.

" **Blue haired fucking bastard."** Sanguine rose to his feet, " **Blindsiding me as I am about to get my revenge. Now that was dirty."**

Jellal frowned and turned to face Darth Sanguine. Erza saw him place his hand to the side of his head for a moment.

"Ultear, I'm going to need some help." he muttered before letting his hand drop to his side, "So… my suspicions were correct. You are him."

" **No, I am not."** Sanguine replied, " **I was once Joshua Scarlet. But he died. He died over the planet Naboo."**

Erza's eyes narrowed, _Planet Naboo?_

" **And I emerged from his death. I am Darth Sanguine, I am the Dark Lord of the Sith. And I will not allow some blue haired prick to stand between me and my revenge!"**

Blue lightning leapt from Darth Sanguine's right hand and raced towards Jellal. Jellal activated his Meteor spell once again and raced out of the way while Erza dove to the side of the lightning. Her mind was still racing.

 _What does he mean he once was Joshua!? What does that even mean!?_

Darth Sanguine screamed out again and charged at Jellal, slamming him with a powerful Force Push before leaping on on top of him.

" **DIE!"**

Erza snapped back into action. In a flash she was across the area they were battling in. She quickly requipped the old archaic lightsaber Joshua had given her. She ignited the white blade and swung it to meet Sanguine's red one. The two blades collided in the air above Jellal with a bright flash and a sound that resembled a thunderclap.

Sanguine's crimson eye narrowed and he glared over at Erza.

"You may claim to be my little brother." Erza snarled, "But Joshua, would never allow himself to become a monster like you! Nothing could cause him to be like this!" Erza grunted and shoved Sanguine's lightsaber to the side before kicking him away from Jellal. The red haired knight stood protectively in front of Jellal, "You are my enemy!" Erza roared as Sanguine's fist tightened around his own lightsaber "And I will not allow you to win!"

Sanguine snarled beneath his hood, " **Just try and stop me."**

Erza jaw clenched, "Oh, I will."

She yelled out a battle cry and charged at the Dark Lord.

….

He had to give this planet one thing. It was a beautiful place. Especially at night. He couldn't remember being on any other planet that had this clear of a sky when it's sun faded away. He could see the many stars twinkling above him. There were so many, he doubted he'd be able to pinpoint any familiar systems even if he tried.

He adjusted the pack on his shoulder causing his lightsaber to clank against the armor on his hip. This was it. This was his exile. And he knew it wouldn't last very long. His master would come for him eventually and punish him for his failure. The young man sighed, he just hoped he'd be given some peace before that happened.

His boots continued to crunch against the dirt road as he walked further away from the Earthland city of Crocus.

 _I'll have to survive this place somehow…_ He thought as he continued marching along, _Shouldn't be too difficult. The creatures on this world don't sound very dangerous. Well, except for dragons. The legends I heard of those things are-_

A loud roar echoed out across the night sky, causing Starkiller to stop walking. Another roar erupted. The roars were coming from behind him. His head slowly turned to look back at Crocus. Shock filled his body. Palace Mercurius was gone and in it's place was a massive gateway looking structure. Emerging from said structure were massive lizard like creatures that made a rancor look tiny. Alongside those creatures were warriors clad in black and holding-

 _Red… lightsabers._ Starkilller's eyes narrowed and he turned away from the city.

"Ignore it… ignore it Galen." he muttered to himself, "Just keep on walking. There are plenty of wizards on this world that can handle that."

He then felt the dark side of the force surge out from the gateway like a black tidal wave. It caused Galen's hair to stand on end and his spine crawled as the Dark Side crept along his skin like cold hands. His mouth turned into a scowl and he dropped his pack on the ground before turning to face Crocus. His hand wrapped around his lightsaber and he unlatched it from his belt.

"Dammit all." he grumbled to himself as he started sprinting back towards Crocus, "I'm starting to act like a damn Jedi."

 **And chapter! Sorry for the delay, I spent the past two days planning this arc out and outlining the chapters. This should be a very interesting set of chapters. I wonder what could happen? What do you think caused Darth Sanguine to become the way he is? Let me know what you guys think! As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	63. Chapter 63: Tragedy of Darth Sanguine

**Hey everyone! Before we start today's chapter I've been getting requests to rescue two fanfics. The first is World of Warcraft Halo and the second is The Humans Strike Back (This one is a Bleach fanfic). I just find it kinda awesome that you guys would trust me to do that to be honest. I never expected people to enjoy my writing this much, so first thank you. Second, I'm definitely considering picking them up. I'll have to read them first of course, then I'm definitely going to have to do some research. I do know a lot about Halo (BEST FPS EVER!), but I know next to nothing about WOW (Never played it) and I'm very new to Bleach (Just finished season one I think?). So it will take me some time to do enough research to where I can successfully combine the stories with my own. I don't, to put it bluntly, half ass my stories (I kinda made that mistake with my first story). When I write, I want to deliver a great story with great characters and content. I want to try it, but it's also going to take me a bit to catch up. Also, I have a lot that's still going to happen with The Dark Fairy's main storyline (If I do combine those with The Dark Fairy then it will be like a whole other story with the same characters and stuff just so stuff doesn't get jumbled up and confusing). I am starting to read those stories when I have some downtime so I'm on it you guys and I'll see what I can do. It is kinda exciting! Ok… that was really long, anyways, enough about that, you guys are here for a new chapter, so let's get started!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 63

Cascading columns of smoke billowed up into the night sky. The stars had winked away as the fires from the burning city drowned out their light. The heat was tremendous as more fires broke out due to the rampaging dragons clashing in the cobblestone streets. Everywhere, people were running, screaming, crying, falling to the ground paralyzed with fear. They were all running for the city gates, trying to escape the coming slaughter. For there wasn't only dragons to fear, but the black clad warriors as well.

They were equally as terrifying as the massive lizards roaring overhead. The black warriors would appear out of nowhere, as fast as an arrow, and cut down all in their path with the glowing red swords they wielded. The only escape was the gates. And everyone was clamoring to get there.

Then there was a certain blue haired woman running in the wrong direction. Her legs carrying her as fast as they could towards the massive booms of two dragons battling each other. Her green dress was already slightly torn, frayed, and blackened by the fires breaking out in Crocus. But she couldn't worry about her appearance. Her goal was to reach the white dragon, the dragon that was battling the others with a ferocity that Wendy had never seen in her life.

As she got closer, the ground began to shake, causing her to lose her balance with every tremor. The dragons were battling so viciously that even the earth trembled at their war cries. Wendy ducked underneath a stack of fallen stones and wiggled through a choke point. She was almost to Belserion, just a little closer and-

A deadly hum filled her ears. Her dragon senses picked up on it almost immediately. The hum was sweeping towards her head. Wendy didn't even hesitate. She quickly dove to the ground, feeling the heat of a glowing red blade trim the hairs from the top of her head. Her instincts kicked in. Instincts honed during the seven years of carrying the guild. Instincts molded and perfected by taking the toughest jobs the guild had to offer. Her hands hit the ground and she quickly shoved herself up and sucked it air.

" **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A cyclone of wind left her gaping mouth and slammed into a black clad enemy that had ambushed her. The Sith warrior let out a surprised cry as he flew back and collided into a crumbling stone wall.

Wendy closed her mouth and twisted her feet so that she would land upright. As soon as she landed on the cobblestone she stumbled again. Belserion and the black dragon he was battling had collided into each other once again. The Sky dragon slayer regained her balance. She was just yards away from him now. Her head craned up and she finally understood the magnitude of the battle occurring in front of her.

Belserion's white scales were stained red as he clawed at the black dragon. The black dragon howled as Belserion's claws raked across it's chest, leaving deep red gashes where scales once were. The black dragon then opened it's maw and unleashed a massive roar of black magic energy at Belserion. Wendy heard the sage dragon curse loudly before getting shoved back by the attack, creating some room between him and the black dragon. Wendy saw her opening. There was enough time for her to move in.

The black dragon jumped into the air and unfurled its dark wings. It roared into the heavens once again before sending another blast of energy down at Belserion. Belserion shook his head and looked up to see a second attack already coming down at him. A sigh escaped the white dragon's lips. This wasn't looking very good.

Wendy jumped up into the air, between the sage dragon and black dragon.

" **Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: SHATTERING SKY DRILL!"**

Wendy's arms and legs spread out wide and a sky blue magic circle formed beneath her feet. A wall of wind circled around her with the speed and force of the strongest typhoon. Then it condensed and rocketed towards the dark blast of energy sent by the black dragon. The two attacks collided mid air and shoved against each other for a moment. But a moment was as long as it lasted as the black beam of magic tore through Wendy's sky drill.

"CRAP!" Wendy screamed.

"STUPID HUMAN!" She heard a deep voice rumble at her before she felt a massive pair of claws gently wrap around her body.

Belserion's claws enveloped Wendy like a cocoon before he curled up around her small form and took the massive attack meant for him. Wendy heard his body strain against the black dragon's attack before he uttered out a loud, pained roar. Belserion craned his head and glared at the black dragon.

"TAKE THIS FALLEN!"

Belserion's jaws opened and a torrent of white magic power rocketed towards the black dragon. This attack made the black dragon's look miniscule. And it seemed that the black dragon knew that as well. The lizard attempted to scramble out of the way of the attack but it came to fast. In a blinding flash of light the black dragon exploded into dust.

Belserion grinned before roughly hitting the ground, causing Wendy to tumble around in the cocoon made up by his claws. Her eyes and head were spinning as the claws around her opened up.

"Damn human, you shouldn't have intervened like that." Belserion grumbled down at Wendy.

"Dizzy…" Wendy mumbled as her eyes spun around in her head. Then she felt her stomach flip and her cheeks puffed out, "Sick…" She groaned.

Belserion felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his head, "Dizzy? Sick?" He thought for a moment then sighed, "Hallmarks of a dragon slayer." He scooped Wendy up and placed her on top of his head, "Well, you got yourself involved in this, so you are going to help me out."

"Bleh…." Wendy exhaled a massive amount of wind from her mouth.

"DID YOU JUST THROW UP ON MY HEAD!?" Belserion roared at her.

"S-sorry, world is *blurp* spinning." Wendy groaned.

Belserion felt a tick mark grow on his head, "YOU WERE TRAINED BY A DRAGON KID! YOU SHOULD BE USED TO RIDING ONE!"

"Riding not *blurp* tumbling…" Wendy moaned.

Belserion sighed then grumbled under his breath waiting for the blue haired human female to come to. When she finally did, Belserion's yellow eyes darted up to look at her.

"Ok human, who are you? Where am I? Why are there fallen here?" Belserion asked, "Because last I remember, this area was a barren wasteland not a burning city."

Wendy gulped, "You- you were a lot nicer as a spirit."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Belserion replied.

"I… um…. well i communicated with your spirit because well, you're technically dead." Wendy replied nervously.

"Dead? I don't feel very dead right now human. I need some answers!" Belserion growled menacingly.

"THIS IS THE FUTURE!" Wendy cried back with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Future?" Belserion glanced around him, "That would explain how your kind were even able to build a city this massive when it's supposed to be a complete hellscape."

Wendy blinked and looked out at the burning city, "It looks like a hellscape to me." She replied.

Belserion rumbled beneath her, "Oh… you have seen nothing yet kid." Belserion took a deep breath, "Ok, this is the future, check." He set Wendy down and glared at her, "I apologize for my harsh tone. Before suddenly arriving here I was battling the fallen dragons and the last dark lord so you could understand the stress."

Wendy nodded, "I get it. Adrenaline and stress can make you act irrationally."

Belserion glared down at her, "Are you calling me irrational?"

"NO SIR!" Wendy exclaimed.

"That's what I thought. If I was truly irrational, then I would be just like that fallen I just ended." He glanced over at a black pile of ash nearby before turning his gaze back to Wendy, "Now then, what is your name human?"

"Um… Wendy Marvell." Wendy muttered.

"SPEAK UP!"

"WENDY MARVELL!" She shouted back in a hurry.

"You must understand Wendy Marvell, this is no time for meekness or silence. This is war, you must be loud and clear. Clear?"

"AYE SIR!"

"GOOD!" Belserion lowered his head so that he was at Wendy's eye level, "Who taught you dragon slaying magic."

"Um.. my mom Grandine sir!"

Belserion blinked, "GRANDINE!" He fell back on his hind quarters and rubbed his chin, "I had no idea Grandine had a hatchling."

Wendy sweatdropped, "Um… she adopted me."

"OH RIGHT!" Belserion recovered quickly, "Sorry, brain still on kill everything in sight mode."

"Riiiight." Wendy replied.

"So then," Belserion's yellow eyes grew closer to Wendy, "You are the Sky Dragon Slayer then?"

"Aye." Wendy nodded.

"Then you will be of tremendous help. You see, we have three other dragons to take down, one of them being a bit of a bitch named Motherglare."

Wendy paled, "Did you have to call her that?"

"What? She is a female dragon after all."

Wendy's eye twitched, "So my mom is-"

"No, your mom is an angel." Belserion replied with an innocent smirk.

"Uhhh…" Wendy shook her head. _Don't worry about it right now._ "Ok, three dragons to take down. Let's do this!"

"Right you are young Wendy Marvell, daughter of Grandine!" Belserion roared as Wendy climbed atop his massive head and clutched to one of the bony protrusions jutting out from the top of his skull. She looked up and saw a massive grey dragon flying overhead.

"We also have some Sith to deal with." Wendy commented as Belserion's wings unfurled around her.

"Oh I know that." Belserion growled, "The dragon's however, are of greater concern since there is no dark lord in this time right?" Belserion glanced back as Wendy was silent, "Right?"

"Um… well…"

Belserion snarled, "Where is it?"

"He's not an it!" Wendy shouted back.

Belserion's eyes widened, "Don't tell me… you know the current Dark Lord of the Sith!"

Wendy gulped, "Well… he's never called himself that. I think he actually dislikes the fact that he is a Sith."

Belserion narrowed his eyes and stayed quiet, not believing a word she said. He sighed, pushing the subject to the side for now.

"Motherglare is above us." he snarled, "We need to take her out. As a Sky Dragoness you know enchantments correct?"

"Aye sir!"

"Then do your work." Belserion flapped his wings and a powerful gust of wind slammed against the earth, propelling the him into the air, "I'm going to need all the help I can get."

….

Two red blades clashed in the night air. They locked together like puzzle pieces as the two combatants muscled against each other. Then the black clad warrior realized his fatal mistake. A blast of blue lightning arced around his body and sent the warrior flying to the side, the electricity causing his body to spasm. Joshua smirked.

 _Another one bites the dust._

He had little time to celebrate defeating yet another Sith grunt as a new challenger raced towards him, followed by several of his comrades. Joshua's grin faded and was replaced by a scowl.

 _And another one comes._

Joshua gripped his lightsaber and raised it in front of him, frustration apparent on his face as the red blade glowed against his skin. He was getting nowhere fast right now. There was simply too many of these grunts in his way. He had maybe advance a hundred yards and in that span of time had fell five or six of these warriors. His muscles were already starting to ache from the strain he was putting on his body. If he was battling these guys one at a time, then this would be no problem in his mind. But when fighting them in packs like this, he had to use every trick he knew just to beat them, including augmenting his body with the force, which he was decent at but still not excellent.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he raised his blade to meet his newest opponent. The red swords sparked as they collided with each other. He could feel the heat of the two red swords beating down on his skin. His arms were screaming out as they began to cramp up.

 _Dammit all I can't keep this up!_

Just as his arms were about to give way he felt a new source of heat approaching him.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

The three Sith warriors that Joshua had engaged let out stunned cries before being consumed by a massive blaze. Joshua's arms fell to his side, his red blade winking away as he was finally allowed a moment's rest.

"Damn Natsu, I don't think I've ever been happier to see one of your sneak attacks work." The brown haired teen gasped as the Fire Dragon Slayer raced up to him with Lucy right behind him.

"Are you ok Joshua?" Natsu asked.

Joshua groaned and rolled his shoulders, "A little sore right now. I've had to fight way too many of those guys." He glanced around at the Sith Warriors that he had felled, "I didn't expect them to put up this difficult of a fight."

Natsu's eyes widened as he saw the slash and punctures in the many Sith bodies around them, "Did you?"

"No choice Natsu." Joshua replied, "If I didn't, then they'd just get up again. And they'd be angrier than beforehand which would make them even more powerful." he grimaced, "With a Sith, it's better to put them down permanently."

Natsu gulped. He had never seen Joshua like this before. He had seen him lose control, he was there when he went wild against Phantom Lord. While that was terrifying, the way Joshua was now was far more unsettling for the pink haired man. Joshua was doing this of his own free will, and he was effective too. No doubt if Natsu saw him battling at full capacity, it would've looked like a glowing red blender slicing through the enemy like fruit.

"Don't worry Natsu." Joshua stated, "I'm not enjoying any of this."

The two heard Lucy sigh a little, "Th-that's good to know."

Joshua sensed the guilt and sorrow that covered the blonde.

"You opened that gate didn't you?" He said.

Lucy gulped and bowed her head. Her shoulders shaking a little as she began to cry once again.

"Luce." Natsu started.

"Lucy," Joshua sighed, "I'm not mad. You would never want to hurt anyone, and that holds true now. You were most likely tricked into opening that gate." Lucy looked up at the two wizards, tears still forming in her eyes, "Just make them pay for what they've done." Joshua stated.

Lucy's eyes widened and she wiped her eyes free of the tears, "Aye." She replied glumly.

"You hear that Luce! Joshua asking you to kick some ass!" Natsu grinned.

"I'm gonna need you to help out too Natsu." Joshua said as he turned back to the dragon slayer, "I need to get to that gateway as fast as possible. So I need you to cause as big of a distraction as possible and draw these grunts out of the way."

Natsu grinned and smacked his fist into his palm, "Alright! I'm all fired up now!" He looked over at Lucy and smiled. The blonde returned his grin with a weak smile of her own.

"Me too I guess." She replied as she wrapped her left hand around her keys.

Joshua nodded, "Alright, Natsu…" The pink haired man looked at his friend, "Cause some chaos!"

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu roared as fire billowed out of his mouth.

Joshua couldn't help but laugh to himself as he slipped into a force cloak. If there was anyone who could cause a big enough scene, it was Natsu. As he disappeared into the battlefield, Natsu caused as big of a ruckus as possible, with Lucy summoning Taurus to help him out.

The results were almost immediate as Sith Warriors began to stream towards the area. Natsu and Lucy were able to fight off a few before the numbers began to swell even more.

"N-Natsu, I think it'd be a good time to run!" Lucy cried as she dove away from a red blade.

Natsu swung a flame enveloped fist before ducking under a red blade.

"You may be right Luce!" Natsu called back as he just barely dodged another red blade.

He grabbed Lucy's right wrist and was about to turn and run when the scent of fire appeared behind them. The ground shook and the Sith Warriors stopped their advance and lowered their blades, all of them slowly inching away.

"What's going on?" Nastu asked.

His ears were suddenly filled with the loudest roar he had heard in a very long time. Lucy screamed and covered her ears while Natsu felt like his eardrums were about to burst. The pair slowly turned around to see a dragon completely made of flames glaring down at them. Lucy gulped, her eyes wide and pupils small.

"N-n-Natsu." she trembled, "Wha-

"THAT'S A FIRE DRAGON!"

….

Two lightsabers whirred through the night air. One white, one blood red. The two glowing blades collided with each other, showering the ground with sparks. The unstable red core of the red lightsaber sent small whips of energy arcing out from it's main shaft. Each one of these lashes of red came dangerously close to Erza and Sanguine as their blades locked together.

The strength Erza's opponent possessed was massive. Her arms were already threatening to buckle in on her and allow his red blade to slice into her. She quickly bent her knees, trying to absorb the shock of colliding with Sanguine's powerful swing.

 _I can't hold this!_

 __Erza shoved the red lightsaber away from her with all of her strength before quickly hopping back from the Sith Lord. Sanguine didn't pursue her. Instead he stood there, lightsaber clasped firmly in his left hand. She saw a wild smirk form on his lips. He wanted her to attack him, he wanted her to be the aggressor. But why? Was he that confident, that foolish, or was he truly that powerful?

Erza couldn't wait to find out. She rushed towards Sanguine again, this time aiming to thrust her sword through his abdomen. The grin on Sanguine's face only widened as she charged at him. With a flick of his wrist, he easily deflected away the thrust. Frustration built up in Erza as she hacked and stabbed at Darth Sanguine, only for him to lazily deflect each attack away from him with a single subtle adjustment.

 _He's toying with me!_

 __Erza backed away once again as she tried to catch her breath. This was her first true duel in a long time. Her battle against Starkiller was dangerous, but she never felt like her life was threatened, not until the end of that battle at least. But this held the same aura of danger as her battle with Maul on Tenroujima. And Sanguine was treating her with even more contempt than that monster was. At least Maul acknowledged her skill and fought back. Darth Sanguine however, kept that stupid grin on his face and batted her away like she was a novice.

" **Are you done staring at me like that or are you actually going to make this fight interesting?"** Darth Sanguine asked.

Erza snarled and allowed her requip magic to envelope her. She'd have to go all out, nothing held back. Hopefully that would allow her to land a devastating hit on this guy.

" **REQUIP: ARMADURA FAIRY!"**

Bright pink armor plates covered Erza's body as her most powerful requip appeared. She also held a second weapon in her right hand as the lightsaber was gingerly held in her left. The second weapon was her most powerful sword. Her trusty katana that had fell many opponents in her time as a wizard.

" **Going all out already?"** Sanguine tilted his head to the side, " **I wonder if that will be enough?"**

Erza scowled, "Oh it'll be more than enough to defeat you!"

Just as she was about to charge once again, a bright flash of yellow light rocketed in front of her and tackled Sanguine to the ground. The bright streak of light then dashed off of Sanguine and rocked back to her side.

"You're not fighting this guy on your own." Jellal said as blood dripped down from a large gash over his right eye.

Erza let a small smile form on her lips, "I just hope you can keep up."

"I'm faster than you are, remember?" Jellal replied.

" **How cute. Banter between two hopeless romantics."** Sanguine snarled, " **I now want to kill you even more!"**

Erza's smile fell away and she furrowed her brow.

"Don't let that blade touch you Jellal. We may be tough, but that sword can cut through anything."

Jellal nodded, "Noted."

And with that, the pair charged at Sanguine. This time, Erza noticed Darth Sanguine take a much more defensive posture than when he was just battling her. He angled his body so that only his left side was visible. His back leg bent as all of his weight went to it. His sword ran parallel to the ground as he held it in front of his face. His single, human eye flashed for a moment. Erza felt the pressure in the area spike.

"LOOK OUT!"

An ungodly howl erupted from beneath Sanguine's hood before he flew at the two like a raging hurricane. His red lightsaber twirled in the air like a red cyclone, clouding Erza's sight with it's terrifying red glow. The howl coming from Sanguine echoed around the area and Erza felt terror grip her. Her feet stopped moving and her body stayed rooted in the spot. Panic swelled in her as the furious evil charged right at her. Her shaky hands raised her lightsaber blade, but it was far too slow. Sanguine was already in front of her, his lightsaber drawn back as he prepared to thrust it through her body.

"ERZA!"

Jellal raced towards them, his cry causing Sanguine to hesitate. At least, Erza thought he was hesitating. Then she saw that sickening smile appear on his lips again.

" **Watch as the ones you care about the most die."** He whispered to her.

In the blink of an eye he spun around and slashed at Jellal. Jellal was moving too fast to avoid it. The red lightsaber slashed into his chest and dug through his body, shredding the blue cloak he was wearing and making the steel armor that he wore look like nothing more than paper. Jellal let out a strangled cry before collapsing to the ground, his body twitching.

Sanguine backed away from the horrified Erza. The red head's body was finally spurred into motion as she deactivated her lightsaber and rushed to Jellal's side. Her right arm cradled his head as he left hand ran along his wound. Tears stained her cheeks as she began to shake.

"Jellal…"

His eyes opened and he glanced up at Erza, "Well… this… didn't go according to plan." He coughed and his breathing began to turn ragged. Erza then noticed blood beginning to flow from the charred wound. "I was supposed to… rescue…. you."

Erza shook her head, "Don't talk!" She cried, "Save your strength!"

She watched as the light slowly faded from his eyes, "Erza…" he said weakly raising his hand up to her cheek and wiping away a tear, "Don't… cry… over a criminal…like…" The light faded from his eyes and his last word came out like a whisper, "me…" His hand fell limply to the ground.

Her blood went cold in her veins, "Jellal?" She shook him, "Jellal!?" She shook him again, "NO! NO! NO!" Her body was racked with sobs as she realized that he was gone.

" **I've been wanting to kill him for so long."** Darth Sanguine rasped, " **Ever since the Tower of Heaven, I've wanted to see him die."**

Erza let his head gently rest back onto the ground. Her hands were shaking and her vision was blurred by tears.

" **You now know how it feels, sis."** Sanguine continued, " **You now know how it feels to have someone ripped away from you. To have someone you care about killed in front of your eyes!"** Sanguine stomped forward, " **I only wish you were more helpless. As helpless as I was when she died. Then you would fully understand."**

Erza let out a pained cry. Sanguine stopped in his tracks. This feeling, this was not something he remembered. The force, it was screaming out along with Erza. The redhead ended her cry and rose to her feet. As she stood over Jellal, she activated her white blade which slowly began to bleed red.

 _What is this!?_ Sanguine thought as she turned to face him once again.

Her brown eyes were gone. In it's place, were hate filled crimson irises.

"You… are not… Joshua!" She growled, "You are a monster! And one of my favorite pastimes, is killing monsters!"

She charged at Sanguine and raised her blade over her head. Darth Sanguine's grin was gone, and in it's place was a scowl.

 _This was not something I had foreseen._

He raised his own blade and caught Erza's overhead. The two blades clashed and sparked. Sanguine's eye widened a little. Her strength had increased as well as her ferocity and power. But how? A sickening realization filled him. Was it truly possible? Was she a force sensitive like him!?

Erza ripped her blade away from the blade lock and twirly it at Sanguine's left arm. Sanguine did away with any playfulness in his fighting form. This was no longer an opponent he could toy with. Erza had become something else entirely. He met her blade to the left and muscled deflected it away. He then felt an armored boot plant itself in his chest. Sanguine let out a growl as he stumbled backwards.

Erza roared and sent her blade thundering down at Sanguine's head, aiming to cut him in half.

"I HAVE YOU NOW!" She bellowed.

Shock filled Erza, then pain. Her crimson irises faded back to brown as she felt a burning in her stomach. Her head shakily looked down to see a second green blade, impaled in her stomach while Sanguine's original sword held her own above his head.

"You were wide open." he snarled as he yanked the green blade out of her body.

Erza coughed and blood dribbled out of her mouth. She stumbled back and dropped the ancient lightsaber to the ground. The pain was unbearable. It felt like a constant burning in her stomach. Her eyes shakily glanced down to see the charred hole in her stomach. The red head dropped to her knees and stared up at Sanguine as he placed his two lightsabers next to her neck like scissors.

" **Before I end your life, you must know of the sins you committed."** Sanguine growled, " **There is no point in denying who I once was. I was Joshua Scarlet."**

Erza grit her teeth, hating this monster in front of her with every fiber of her being.

" **A year from now, a small group of people will crash land outside of Onibus town. Their leader's name is Leia Organa. In her company is a dark skinned man named Lando Calrissian, and a young Jedi named Luke Skywalker."** Sanguine nodded at the green blade in his right hand, " **I obtained this lovely blade after killing him at a later date.**

 **After they crash land, we take them in, help them, and promise to assist them in returning to the Rebel Alliance. That is the group they are a part of. A rebellion against the galaxy wide Empire, ruled by Emperor Palpatine. Eventually, Earthland gets mixed up in the galactic civil war. You, me, Wendy, Natsu, and Gray, are chosen as the ones to follow Princess Hisui and be her bodyguards because she was selected as the Earthland representative to the rebel alliance. Two years after we enter the war, the battle over Naboo happened. It wasn't much of a battle, more of massacre. The Empire laid the perfect trap, and we fell right into it. Wendy's ship was caught in the thickest part of the battle and I desperately called for aid while my own ship flew in to get her out of there.**

 **And do you know what Princess Hisui said?"** He glared over at the shaking Princess nearby, " **She said, for the good of the rebellion, we must abandon this battle now! And with that, you all left! You left! YOU LEFT ME AT THE MERCY OF VADER AND HIS FLEET! YOU LEFT ME TO DIE! AND YOU LET WENDY DIE! YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRY TO SAVE US!"**

His hands shook on the lightsaber hilts while Erza's eyes widened.

" **I planned on having my revenge in my own time. But… Vader got to you before I could. He smashed the rebellion and slaughtered their leaders. He even killed you. Denying me of any vengeance. I eventually hunted Vader down, battled him, and sent that damn cyborg crawling back to his master.**

 **But, that was not enough. It would never be enough. I needed to get my revenge. I needed it more than anything else. I returned to Earthland, and learned about the Eclipse gate, a gateway that distorts the laws of time and space so that one can time travel. I used the future version of the Eclipse gate to come to this time and get my revenge. Oh, but I wouldn't be satisfied with just killing all of you. No… I wanted you all to suffer. I wanted Hisui to suffer as she helplessly watches her kingdom burn. I wanted you to suffer as I slaughter everyone you love. And once I kill you, I will take your body, and I will parade it to your friends before I kill them as well."** Sanguine glared at Erza, " **Do you understand now Sis? Do you understand?"**

Erza coughed and glared up at Sanguine, staying silent.

" **Nothing to say back? Very well then."**

His arms tensed. Just as the lightsabers were about to slide across and lop Erza's head off, a massive cloud of blue lightning slammed into Sanguine. The Sith Lord's eye widened and he howled in pain as he was launched away from Erza. Erza's weary eyes widened as the lightsabers missed her neck by millimeters. She could feel scorch marks on her skin as Sanguine was thrown away from her.

 _Blue lightning? Joshua?_ Erza thought as she began to fall backwards only to be caught by the newcomer.

"Made it, just in time." Said a voice that surprised Erza.

The redhead stared up and saw a young man with short black hair on top of his head. He wore gray and black clothes with a dark cloak over his shoulders and grey patches of armor around his body. His right hand cradled Erza, while his left hand held a perfectly stable red lightsaber.

"St-Starkiller?"

"It's Galen Marek actually." The man replied, "Starkiller is just a code name. And before you start asking how and why, I'm not your friend. I still really want to kill you and that little brother of yours." He dropped Erza to the ground, "However, your little brother just so happened to spare my life during the Grand Magic Games, even though he was fully justified in wanting to take it. He let me live." He glanced down at Erza, "I don't like being in debt to others. So I consider this my payment to him for sparing my life."

Across the battlefield, Darth Sanguine rose to his feet, electricity still sparking around his body. A low robotic groan escaped his lips.

" **Starkiller?"** He growled, " **I definitely don't remember you returning."** His red electronic eye glared at the Sith apprentice, " **Something is wrong. You're not supposed to be here."**

Galen Marek scowled, "Well too bad, because here I am." He stomped forward, his lightsaber held in his preferred reverse grip, "You said you were once Joshua Scarlet. That's good to hear. That means I actually get a chance to kill him without anyone attempting to stop me."

Darth Sanguine reactivated his red lightsaber while placing the green one back on his belt, " **Come and kill me then, Starkiller."**

Galen narrowed his eyes and sprinted at Sanguine. He flipped into the air, over Sanguine's head, and landed behind the Dark Lord. He quickly slashed at Sanguine's back only for it to be deflected by Sanguine's unstable red blade. An intense blade lock ensued and the two Sith muscled against each other.

" **Are you prepared to die Starkiller?"** Sanguine growled from beneath his hood.

Galen snarled back at Sanguine, "I don't plan on dying today." He roared at Sanguine and the duel began.

….

Ultear felt it almost instantly. The sensory link connection she had with Jellal had been violently severed. Which could mean only one thing. Ultear closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Ultear? What's wrong?" Meldy asked.

"Jellal…"

Meldy's eyes widened, understanding what Ultear meant immediately. A small tear formed in Meldy's left eye.

"Is he really?"

Ultear shakily nodded, "It appears so. Joshua….Joshua didn't get there in time." Ultear began to walk away from Meldy, "Meldy, find someplace safe. I may have to use a spell that has some unknown effects."

Meldy's eyes widened, "You don't mean!? But, that's a forbidden spell!"

Ultear sighed, "I know that. But… I don't know if we can win this battle. Maybe, if my life is worth it, I can reverse time enough so that the others can be more prepared for this horror."

"But Ultear-"

"GO MELDY!" Ultear shouted back, "Get out of here in case this doesn't work! I don't want to see you die as well!"

Meldy felt tears dripping down her face. She gulped and took a step back. Her body turned and she began to sprint away from the battlefield.

 _Please don't die Ultear…. Please don't die._

 **And chapter! Holy smokes that was a chapter! Took a bit to put this one together. This arc is proving to be a bit difficult to write. I hope this chapter turned out well. And talk about a tragedy. Darth Sanguine's story is a sad one. It also looks like some things aren't going according to plan for him. I wonder why?**

 **Now then, I also hinted at where this story is going in this chapter. Luke and company will show up on Earthland soon. It will happen before the Tartaros arc, I will tell you guys that much. I won't say anymore though since I don't want to spoil what I have planned out.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	64. Chapter 64: Last Ages

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 64

Wendy felt a rush unlike any she had ever felt. She was always far too young to fully appreciate what it was like to fly on a dragon when she was with her mom, Grandine. But now that she was older, she finally could understand it. Even though she was flying straight at a hostile dragon, she felt like she was on top of the world. A wide grin spread across her face as Belserion rocketed up towards the massive grey dragon named Motherglare.

"Hold on Wendy!" Belserion boomed as her lowered his massive head like a battering ram.

Wendy smiled and grasped one of the bony protrusions on top of the white dragon's head. Wendy tightened her grip and braced herself. Belserion plowed into Motherglare's underbelly, the bony projections on his head digging into the massive grey dragon's scales and causing the beast to unleash a loud, pained roar.

Wendy's body jostled on Belserion's head as the sudden stop made her muscles strain to hold her grip. She grit her teeth and felt her fingers slide along the bony projections.

"WATCH OUT!"

Wendy's eyes shot open and she saw a massive grey claw swing down at Belserion's head. She quickly let go of Belserion's head and slide down his massive frame until she was on his back. The claws dug into Belserion's head with a hideous digging sound. The Sage Dragon howled and kicked a leg up at Motherglare. The massive grey dragon then moved with a surprising amount of speed, twisting away from Belserion's kick and lunging at the Sage Dragon's neck with her massive jaws.

Wendy slowed her skid down Belserion's back and inclined her head, generating as much magic power as she could she opened her mouth.

" **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

The cyclone that left her mouth slammed into Motherglare's head, knocking the massive dragon to the side and causing her jaws to just barely miss Belserion's neck. Wendy acted quickly, knowing she had very little time to help Belserion before Motherglare recovered and returned her attention to her and the Sage Dragon. The sky dragon slayer spread her arms out and three magic circles appeared in front of her.

" **Enchant! Ile Arms! Ile Armor! Ile Vernier!"**

Rainbow colors glowed around Belserion as her enchantments began to take effect on the dragon. Belserion bellowed a powerful roar then snapped his jaws at Motherglare, sending the grey dragon backwards for a moment.

"Nice enchantements human." Belserion commented as he faced off with Motherglare.

"Thanks!" Wendy replied as she looked across the sky at Motherglare. Wendy gulped as she saw the dragon's dark eyes look directly at her, "I think she's figured out that the enchantments are good."

"Most likely. Motherglare may be a fallen, but she is not a stupid dragon by any means." Belserion replied, "Be ready and-"

A new roar sounded off behind them. Wendy's body froze and she slowly turned to see a pale blue dragon rocketing towards Belserion from behind.

"There's another!"

Belserion's yellow eyes widened and he quickly flapped his powerful wings, just barely dodging the second dragon as the blue dragon raced by beneath them. Just as Belserion moved out of the way, Motherglare swooped in and clamped her jaws down on the Sage Dragon's right wing. Belserion let out a earsplitting roar as the blood began to flow from his white wing. Wendy raced into action, spreading her healing magic over the wound while Belserion used a roar attack to knock Motherglare off of him. Wendy felt them slowly beginning to descend despite Belserion's furious attempts to stay airborne. Then the blue dragon hit them with a breath attack that felt like an ice storm was hitting them. Wendy felt her skin begin to freeze as Belserion shielded her from the attack.

The ice forming on Belserion's body began to weigh him down. Their descent grew more rapid. Wendy could hear Belserion letting out some exhausted gasps. Motherglare roared and began to dive down at them once again, this time going for the kill. Belserion craned his head up and snarled at Motherglare.

Wendy let a scream slip out of her mouth as Motherglare wrapped her jaws around the back of Belserion's neck. Belserion let out a strangled cry and his long talons began to frantically claw at Motherglare. Wendy's terrified scream was then suddenly cut short. A numbing pain washed over her and she felt some blood drip from her mouth and plop down onto Belserion's once shiny white scales. Wendy glanced down and saw a shard of ice poking through her chest.

"Wendy…" Croaked Belserion as Motherglare released her grip and let the pair plummet to the ground.

….

Well, the force cloak didn't disguise him for very long. Just a few minutes after Joshua left Natsu, another group of Sith Warriors sensed him and attacked his invisible form, forcing Joshua out of the force cloak and into yet another exhausting battle against multiple warriors. His red lightsaber danced in his hands as he parried and slashed back at his enemies. He used every technique he had in order to keep up with the six that had him surrounded. Shii-Cho, Makashi, Soresu, he was employing the first three forms as best as he could, switching between the forms in rapid movements as he deflected with form three before lashing back with form two. With every deflection, Joshua felt the force warn him about two more strikes coming near him. Never in his life had he ever been pushed this far when it came to lightsaber combat. He cursed himself for not training in it more thoroughly while getting ready for the Grand Magic Games.

Joshua sent a barrage of force lightning at one Sith Warrior that he had kicked away. The warrior let out a sickening cry as electricity coursed through him. The attack was short lived though as Joshua's attention was quickly diverted to the two swords swinging at his head. Another flurry of curses left Joshua's mouth as he deflected the savage swings and jumped over a low cut at his feet by a fourth sith warrior. He was now stuck in form three, good for holding out against these warriors, bad for ending the fight quickly which is what he needed to do. But these Sith were not giving him any room to switch back. When one of them attacked, Joshua would have a split second to deflect it then turn his attention to a new slash or stab. He was counting himself very lucky that he hadn't been cut into yet by one of their red blades.

Joshua then felt the force scream out. It wasn't a warning scream, it was a scream of absolute anguish. Joshua's senses then detected a life being snuffed out near the gateway. A pit formed in his stomach. He wanted to drop into his sensory abilities and search for what happened, but if he lost concentration for even a second he would be dead. A sick feeling filled him. Was it Erza he sensed dying? Was it Wendy? Or was it someone else? His jaw tightened. He could afford to stay here any longer. He needed to get moving.

The force seemed to be against him though as three more Sith Warriors raced to Joshua, reinforcing their six comrades. Now Joshua was worried. No matter how much training he had, there was absolutely no way he'd be able to keep up with nine blades all at once. That was an impossible task. He shoved away a red sword and desperately fought to create an opening to escape through. But the net continued to tighten around him. The red blades soon filled his entire vision as they slowly enclosed him in a deadly circle of lightsabers.

His breathing was rapid and ragged and his muscles were exhausted. He weakly held up his lightsaber in front of him. The force let out another anguished cry. This one coming from farther in the city. Joshua closed his eyes feeling yet another bright light being put out by the cold hands of death. This one however, felt closer to home for him. He couldn't sense who it was, but he was certain that it was someone from the guild, someone he was close to. Then he felt it. The connection he had with Wendy, it was snapped clean. Like a string being clipped by scissors.

"No…"

His lightsaber fell to his side. Rage was not boiling in him. Instead he was filled with despair. A feeling of hopelessness washed over him. No amount of rage would get him out of this, no amount of rage would get him to her in time. He glanced around at the red blades aimed at his body and closed his eyes.

"What are you waiting for?" He whispered hoarsely, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

The salty water streamed from his eyes as he let his lightsaber drop to the ground, it's unstable red blade deactivating as the metal hilt fell with a clank into rubble at his feet. It was hopeless, there was no way to win this. His mind had already run through every possible scenario. And every scenario ended with him and someone he cared about dead. He didn't want to live to feel someone else leave the world of living again. He glared at the Sith Warriors.

"DO IT ALREADY!"

Nine red blades plunged into Joshua. The world was filled with searing pain as the lightsabers burned through his flesh and blood. Joshua coughed and looked up at the smoke filled sky. The blades left his body and he limply fell into the muddy ground, eyes filled with the vacant stare of death.

….

Ultear gulped, her hands were shaking as she felt more magic powers being destroyed in the burning city. The enemy was too much for everyone. The dragons had decimated the royal guard, and she was certain that one of the dragons, the one that looked like a dragon walking boulder, had killed two of the dragon slayers. High above, she watched as the white dragon which appeared to be on their side fell to the earth, blood streaming from it's neck. Falling beside the white dragon was a young woman with blue hair and a green dress. Ultear closed her eyes. That was Wendy. She bit back a small cry and clenched her eyes shut. The enemy had not reached her yet. But she could sense that they were close. Soon the dragons' attention would be on her and the remaining wizards. Then they would leave Crocus and lay waste to the rest of the Fiore. Ultear shook her head, her eyes filling with determination. She wouldn't allow that to happen. And if that ended up costing her her life, then so be it.

She breathed the air in deeply, then let out a long breath. She was prepared to do this. She was ready to lay down her life. She didn't deserve to live anyways. In her mind, she had committed to many atrocities to deserve this second chance that she had been living. It was only her desire to protect Meldy and rid the world of Zeref that kept her alive. If it wasn't for those two things, she would've wished to die long ago. Ultear closed her eyes and took another deep breath. This was it.

Her dark eyes shot open and power burst forth from her body. Hurricane force winds whipped up around her, causing rubble and dirt to rise into the air in small cyclones. A massive, blue magic circle filled the entire area she was standing in. It's bright blue light glowed like a beacon on the ground. She clenched her hands into fists, summoning up every last drop of power from her body. She opened her second origin and drew from its container. She would need all the power in her to even attempt this spell. That was why it was so deadly. A wizard's life force was directly tied to their magic power, use up all of it and the wizard would most likely die.

She had learned of this spell while still a member of Grimoire Heart and even Master Hades, the greatest practitioner of forbidden magic, ordered her to never use this spell. It was a last resort. No… it was the last resort. The most powerful time spell she could possibly cast was revving up in her body. The magic circle was now shining an intense blue, lighting up the sky above her with an ominous blue glow.

The raw power coursing through her now began to cause her pain. The human body could not take this much strain for this long. She felt her muscles beginning to cramp. Her lungs began to grow weak as air became more and more difficult to breath. Long cracks began to form on her skin, making her look like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering.

 _How ironic,_ Ultear thought, _The most powerful spell I know, is one that makes me as fragile as a fallen leaf._

The intensity of the magic in the area reached it's peak. Ultear had no more to give. It was now or never. All she could do was hope and pray that the spell worked. She let out a loud cry and dropped to her knees, placing her hands on the ground.

" **ARC OF TIME!"** She bellowed, " **LAST AGES!"**

The magic circle's light turned white and shone with a brilliance that would rival the sun. Then the light winked away for a single moment. Ultear felt all of the magic power hanging in the air. Then in a massive flash, it exploded out around her in a shining rain.

In the western portion of the city, Ultear could see a tall clock tower. The minute hand quivered for a moment then began to tick backwards.

 _One minute… two minutes… three minutes…_

Breathing was difficult. The air felt toxic to her. It burned her lungs and throat.

 _Ten minutes… eleven minutes… twelve minutes…_

All around her, buildings were beginning to return to form. The rubble was rising with the debris and forming the walls of houses and shops once again.

 _Twenty minutes… twenty one… twenty two…_

Ultear's entire body was shaking. The fires in the city began to retreat back towards the Eclipse gate. Above her, the massive dragons were reversing back towards the gate as well.

 _Twenty… eight… twenty… nine..._

Ultear's body felt like lead. It was heavy and wouldn't respond to her anymore. All magic power then left the area.

 _Thirty… minutes…_

The hand stopped, trembled, then ticked forward one minute. Ultear let out a loud gasp. She had done it. The spell had worked. She had reversed time thirty minutes. That would mean that the entire battle had just begun in the city.

As if to confirm what she thought, she heard the first ear splitting roar of the dragons bursting forth from the Eclipse gate as well as the last sounds of Mercurius crumbling to the ground. She let out a long sigh, her lungs screaming at her. Maybe now there was a chance.

Ultear coughed. She was far away from where she and Meldy originally were.

 _Meldy…_

The memories flooded Ultear's mind. She remembered finding the poor girl in a village that she had helped destroy. She remembered raising Meldy alongside the members of Grimoire Heart. She remembered how proud she was when Hades named her one of the seven kin due to her power. A small smile crept across Ultear's lips.

The first time Meldy truly smiled entered her mind. It was after Jellal had proposed the idea of forming an independent guild. She couldn't remember what was said, but she knew it was hilarious. Hilarious enough to not only cause the normally melancholic Meldy to smile, but to cause Meldy to burst out laughing as well. The pink haired girl never returned to the doom and gloom state of mind she once had after that. Ultear had provided her with a true family. Her, Azuma, Jellal, and Meldy. One weird, quirky, family of criminals. Ultear let out a laugh that sounded more like a wheeze.

Her body began to drift away into clouds of dust as the wind brushed against her. The cracks in her skin peeled away with each dust particle. Ultear closed her eyes and remembered Meldy meeting Joshua. She had laughed so hard at Meldy's reaction to meeting him. It was one of the funniest things she had ever seen. And she comforted Meldy when Joshua decided to go after someone else.

"There are plenty of fish in the sea, Meldy." Ultear whispered as her arms disappeared, turning into dust drifting on the wind.

Ultear smiled, it was so strange she chose that phrase to comfort Meldy. Meldy hated eating fish, she thought it was disgusting. Ultear let out another small laugh.

"Go find your fish, Meldy." She breathed before her body completely faded to dust on the wind.

….

Joshua blinked. Was this… the afterlife? Was this what it felt like to become one with the force? He groaned and pushed his body up from a pile of rubble.

 _If this is what it feels like to become one with the force, then I really regret my decision!_

 __He heard a woman groan next to him. Joshua's eyes widened and he glanced to his right to see a woman with blue hair and a green dress slowly getting up to her feet along with Joshua. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. It was Wendy! She was alive! But he felt her die. Was she one with the force took? But he shouldn't be able to see her right now. Death was death after all. Joshua's head whipped back and forth as he took in his surroundings. The most startling case of deja vu hit him. He was staring around and golden debris from the collapses palace Mercurius. Small fires were beginning to start in Crocus as massive winged creatures took to the skies. One of the giant lizards, the one with bright white scales, was screaming "Fallen" as it shot into the sky after the black dragon that had just appeared in the night sky.

"That was.." he heard Wendy muttered beside him, "A close call. But who saved us?"

"Uh…" Joshua was still not sure if he was alive or damned to reliving a nightmare.

"Nice catch Azuma!" he heard a familiar voice exclaim.

Joshua's head whipped to his left and he saw Meldy racing up to them with Azuma appearing out of a massive tree branch.

 _This… this is…_

The wheels in Joshua's mind were turning at a frantic pace. If he were a droid, he would've been erratically exclaimed, "Does not compute!" over and over again. He had felt Wendy die. He felt himself die. And it was very painful. That kind of pain doesn't just all of a sudden go away like it has now. He narrowed his eyes and stared completely puzzled at Meldy and Azuma.

"Joshua?" Wendy looked over at him and noticed the perplexed expression on his face, "Are you alright?"

Joshua glanced over at Wendy, "Is it just me, or have we had this conversation before?"

Wendy opened then closed her mouth. Her head tilted to the side, "You know what, I feel like we have. But that's impossible right?"

"It should be." Azuma nodded, " But, I feel like I have done all of this before as well." Azuma looked around, "Meldy, where is Ultear? I thought she was right beside you."

Meldy blinked, "She should be." Meldy looked around but the time mage was nowhere to be found. "She was right next to me." That's when Meldy began to realize what had happened. "Wait… the case of deja vu…" The others saw tears form in her eyes, "Azuma… I know why Ultear isn't here."

"Why?"

"Do you remember her ever telling you about, Last Ages." Meldy trembled.

Azuma's eyes widened, "Yes." He then came to the same realization as Meldy, "You don't think-"

"There is no other explanation." Meldy sobbed, "She, she used that spell."

"What spell? Why are you acting like Ultear just died?" Wendy asked.

That broke Meldy. The poor girl dropped to her knees and began to wail as tears fell from her eyes. Azuma closed his eyes.

"Ultear's specialty was time magic. Specifically, Arc of time." He explained to Joshua and Wendy, "There is a forbidden spell within that realm of magic called Last Ages." even Azuma took a somewhat shaky breath, "It is a time reversal spell. Something that should only be used as an absolute last resort."

"Why?" Wendy asked.

"It kills the user, doesn't it?" Joshua concluded.

Azuma bowed his head, "That is why we feel like we have been here before. Ultear must've used it and set time back to this point. As a result, she has passed on."

Joshua closed his eyes and nodded, "That explains quite a bit."

"What?" Azuma asked.

"I remember what actually happened."

Azuma's eyes widened, "But how!?"

Joshua sat down on a large rock, "I have to assume it's because of my… powers." he hesitated to say the force. He still wasn't entirely sure about letting others know about what his powers were, "I remember what was happening." he looked over at Wendy, "I sensed you die. I sensed someone die near the Eclipse gate. I saw Belserion fall from the sky. And…" Joshua choked a little, "I died too."

Wendy's brown eyes widened in shock. Then Joshua's head snapped up.

"We can discuss all of this later." He said firmly, "We need to deal with the situation at hand right now." Joshua looked at Azuma, "Azuma, you and Wendy gather up the dragon slayers and get them all to Belserion. We cannot afford for them to get separated and have to battle a dragon on their own. It'd be too much for them."

Azuma nodded, his focus now reverting back to the task at hand. Joshua nodded to Wendy, "Go with him. He'll keep you safe." He said.

"What about you!?" Wendy asked, "I don't want to have to-"

"Put me back together again." Joshua finished with a smirk, "I know. And you won't have to." his smirk faded, "I have a plan. You're just going to have to trust me." His gaze then turned to Meldy, "Meldy."

Meldy sniffled and rubbed her eyes, "W-what?"

"I need you to go to the north road, outside of the city and retrieve someone before he gets to far. We're not very far away from where he is."

"Who?" Meldy whispered.

"Starkiller."

Wendy's eyes widened, "You can't be serious."

"I'm going to need his help." Joshua replied quickly, "I can already sense that much. The power coming from whoever caused this is immense. I won't be able to fight them alone. Now, we can't afford to waste anymore time. We have to move now before we are cornered by the Sith Warriors coming through the gate."

Wendy gulped and he face paled, "Sith… warriors."

"Azuma, Wendy, Meldy get moving!" Joshua barked.

"Right!" Azuma replied while Meldy merely nodded.

The pink haired girl began sprinting towards the north road out of Crocus while Azuma grabbed Wendy and took her into a root with him allowing them to quickly travel through the now burning city. Joshua stood alone for a moment, giving him time to close his eyes.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He grumbled to himself before he went into a deep meditative state in the middle of the war zone.

His mind was normal at first. It wasn't calm, it was on alert. After all, he didn't want a Sith Warrior getting the drop on him. Joshua took a deep breath.

 _Where are you Plagueis?_ He thought.

His mind was instantly clouded by a dark shadow that sucked all light away. Joshua felt some fear build up in him, but he quickly squashed it away. He needed to be a Sith right now, he needed to show dominance.

The shadow in his mind eventually took shape. A dark, wraith-like creature appeared. His body was covered head to toe in dark robes while a deep hood hid his long face in dark shadows.

" _ **I was wondering when you would come calling me?"**_

Joshua swallowed the last bits of fear.

" _ **You have finally come to a realization haven't you?"**_

Joshua frowned as he stared at the wraith in his mind.

 _What do you mean?_

 __" _ **You need me."**_

Joshua sighed. He wasn't wrong there. Joshua knew he didn't have the power to fight off the Sith warriors while attempting to reach the gate in time to battle the Dark Lord that awaited him there. He couldn't fight off dozens of warriors forever.

" _ **You know what you have to do, young one.**_ Plagueis hissed in his mind, _**Unshackle me. Let me walk free through you. And you will have the power to save the ones you love from the fate you have already seen."**_

Joshua tilted his head to the side. _Tempting…_ Joshua's physical body activated his lightsaber and held it to his own throat.

" _ **WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"**_

 _ ****_ _There is a funny thing about all of this, Plagueis._ Joshua replied with a grin, _You need me, as much as I need you._

He could feel the waves of anger flowing from the Dark Lord.

 _If I die, then I assume you will be forced to return to the nether realm of the force. And there is no Mother Talzin to bring you back this time._ Joshua explained with a triumphant grin on his face. _It would really piss you off for all of those plans you had to suddenly come crashing down if I say… killed myself._

He could feel Plagueis's gaze digging into him.

" _ **You wouldn't. You have to save your friends after all."**_

Joshua smirked at Plagueis, _I am more than confident that they will survive. If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have let Wendy and Erza out of my sight._ He replied, _They don't need me to survive. They don't need me to win. But you… you need me to survive. You need me to win. So, if you ever want a chance to get out and take over the galaxy, then you are going to play by my rules. Or… I will send both of us packing._

Plagueis was silent for a moment.

" _ **Curse that red head for finding and raising you."**_ He growled.

Joshua chuckled, _I take that as submission._

 _ **YOU WILL TAKE THAT AS ME ADMITTING I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE!**_

Joshua laughed again, _Whatever you say._ He shrugged, _Now then, how much power can you provide despite the shackles Master Revan placed on you?"_

Joshua swore he could hear Plagueis grumbling some obscenities in foreign language before glaring back at Joshua, " _ **Enough to kill these pathetic excuses for Sith."**_

 _And any specific techniques._

More curses then Plagueis spoke again, " _ **You need to get to your target fast, correct? You already have the skill to kill these weaklings swarming nearby. You just need to reach your destination before they can overwhelm you."**_ Plagueis stepped towards Joshua revealing the force chains that shimmered and held him back. A shadowy, black, spidery hand reached out and pressed against Joshua's forehead, " _ **This is force speed. I was a master of it. Even Palpatine couldn't match my use of it. Use it to crush your enemies to dust. Like a true Sith Lord!"**_

Joshua felt a warning ripple through the force. He instantly reemerged from his mind and activated his lightsaber. Feeling speed unlike any he had ever used before, Joshua twirled and sliced a black cloaked Sith Warrior in half. The warrior let out a strangled cry before falling to the ground.

Joshua's eyes glowed a bright crimson as he felt, not only the Dark Side, but Plagueis's power coursing through his body. He had never felt power like this before in his life. It easily overshadowed anything that Dooku could do. Joshua let a wide grin come across his lips. This power felt good. It felt right. He closed his eyes for a moment again and pinpointed his target. His knees bent and Joshua's crimson eyes opened once again before he sprinted away as fast as a lightning bolt towards the Eclipse gate.

….

Galen Marek blinked and quickly turned back and forth. Where in the world was he? And why wasn't he battling a Sith Lord right now? He could've sworn that he was engaged in the most heated duel of his life just moments ago. Everything about it was so vivid in his memory. He turned to look back at Crocus and saw a familiar scene. The city was burning and the cries of innocents filled the night sky.

"What the hell?" he grumbled, "I was just here ten minutes ago."

His mind drifted to the Sith Lord he was battling. The man was immensely powerful. It actually made Galen slightly nervous about facing off with the monster again.

"Starkiller!"

Galen frowned as he saw a pink haired woman wearing a red outfit and purple cloak sprinting up the road towards him. How did this woman know his name? He had never met her before in his life.

The woman stopped her sprint and doubled over trying to catch her breath.

"What do you want?" Galen asked, his hand brushing over his lightsaber.

"Joshua needs your help." she panted, "Something about a dark power near an Eclipse gate."

Galen sighed, "Why would I want to help Scarlet?"

Meldy sighed, "Because… you might be a good person?"

Galen narrowed his eyes at her, "You are really stretching for something to convince me aren't you?"

An irritated expression came across Meldy's face. She stomped towards Galen and jabbed his chest with her finger.

"Look here Starkiller. My best friend, the person who raised me, just sacrificed her life to reverse time! And Joshua recognizes the need to succeed and he also recognizes that he isn't strong enough to win this fight on his own!"

Galen was surprised by how forward this woman was. She wasn't taking any of his usual attitude. She was visibly furious. He felt it through the force. He also felt a great deal of sorrow in the woman which informed him that she wasn't lying. Someone close to her did just die. Whether or not he believed the whole reversing time aspect of the story was up for debate. But it would explain why he somehow had strange memories.

"So quit your dark and mysterious attitude, and help someone out!" Meldy finished with a shout.

Galen stared hard at the woman. Normally, his icy stare would force his opponents to realize just how powerful he was and how badly they screwed up in challenging him. But this woman stood her ground. The stare wasn't making her back down. In fact, it seemed to make her even more furious.

"WELL!?" Meldy barked.

"You are a peculiar woman." Galen commented before starting his march towards, "Beautiful but strange."

Meldy blinked. _Did he just call me beautiful?_

"Are you coming along, or should I try to find Scarlet on my own?"

Meldy shook her head, escaping her surprised stupor, "R-right! Let's move!"

….

Erza's mind was at a complete and total loss. How was she not on the ground with a hole in her stomach? Why was she just now emerging from the rubble of Mercurius? She knew that she had already done all of this. So why was she repeating it all?

" **What just happened?"** she heard a screeching voice ask.

Erza's eyes widened and she quickly jumped to her feet. She didn't even bother with her normal weapon and armor requips. She remembered that those did no good against Darth Sanguine. She had to go straight for the lightsaber.

The heavy, black and silver hilt appeared in her right hand. Her thumb slipped over the activation button and the white blade hummed to life from the emitter. The noise of the blade made Sanguine's head tilt before he turned to look at Erza. She wasn't going to give him time to address the Sith Warriors. She was going to make his life incredibly difficult.

" **How are you even moving right now?"**

"You're so powerful. Figure it out!" Erza snapped back before launching herself at Sanguine.

Sanguine seemed surprised by her sudden charge. Erza noticed him acting completely confused. Nevertheless, he still whipped his own saber out and caught Erza's white blade easily.

" **I don't remember any of this."** He growled at Erza, " **What is going on?"**

Erza ignored his ramblings and shoved his lightsaber to the side. She couldn't afford to be put on the defensive. She somehow had memories of that happening. Her and Jellal were put on the defensive and Sanguine ended them without breaking a sweat. His weakness was his defense. If she could keep him on the ropes long enough for Joshua to arrive, then she may be able to survive this.

Erza attacked with another vicious swing, aiming to separated Sanguine's left arm from his body. The Sith Lord grimaced under his hood and batted the blade away. Erza then felt the pressure rise in the air.

" **I don't have the patience to play with you again."** He growled.

Erza's eyes widened as his red bladed became a whirlwind of light as it twirled in his hands. It took every skill she knew just to deflect the blade before it could hit her. His movements were so fast and precise. He wasn't fighting with two hands like he was before. This fighting style was incredibly fluid and it was easy to guess that this fencing form was what Sanguine had mastered.

 _Even when he took me seriously, he was still toying with me!_

Erza caught her breath as she saw the red blade come swinging down at her right shoulder. The movement was so fast that she did not even have time to raise her own blade to deflect it. Erza braced for the blinding, burning pain of the lightsaber separating her arm from her shoulder. But the pain never came. Instead she heard the unstable red blade slam into another lightsaber with an earsplitting crack. Erza's gulped and saw Sanguine's red blade get shoved away from he by a similar, unstable red lightsaber. She then felt her body get yanked away from the battlefield by a strong invisible hand.

"Looks like you took on more than you could handle." She heard a familiar voice say to her.

A grin spread across Erza's face, "Says the pot to the kettle." She replied as she glanced over to see Joshua lowering his hand. He had pulled her away from Sanguine before the Sith Lord could recover from the surprise deflection.

Joshua smiled back at his sister before his eyes turned to look at the monster in front of them. Joshua's eyes widened as he recognized the red blade and hilt in the Sith Lord's hand.

"Ok, what is going on? Why does he have my sword?"

"It could just be a copy, Joshua." Erza relied, still hoping that Sanguine was lying to her about his true identity.

"Nope, that's my sword. The energy from the blade is just as unstable as mine. It's the result of using a lacrima as a power source instead of a kyber crystal."

Erza raised an eyebrow, "Kyber what?"

"The thing that is powering your lightsaber." Erza glancd at her own blade, "That is why it is so stable. The parts of your lightsaber compliment the crystal perfectly. Mine don't. My lightsaber is the only one I know of that is unstable. And he has one that looks just like it." He looked over at Erza, "Can you tell me what is going on?"

Erza sighed. So Sanguine was telling the truth, "He claims to be you… from the future."

Joshua's eyes widened and his mouth hung open a little bit, "You're shitting me."

Erza shook her head, "I didn't want to believe it either but what you just explained about your sword confirms it… unfortunately."

Joshua glared over at Sanguine, "ok then. So he's me. Big deal." Erza looked at Joshua stunned. "We will still kick his ass. He threatened you, he threatened the guild, and he threatened Wendy." The last name made Sanguine straighten up a little, "So I am going to-"

" **I would never threaten Wendy!"** Sanguine snarled, " **I remember that she survives this whole ordeal. I'm not worried about-"**

"When did I become such a gigantic idiot?" Joshua asked himself. He stared back at his future counterpart, "Didn't Dooku teach you anything? The future is never set in stone. It is constantly changing."

" **But I am from the future so-"**

"Doesn't matter." Joshua interrupted, "By coming back in time, you have most likely changed the timeline. A time paradox has now occurred." Erza stared at her little brother. Since when was he this smart? She did remembered stressing education to him but she never taught him any of this, "Meaning that the likelihood of your future happening is very small now. That makes Wendy incredibly vulnerable now." Joshua deactivated his lightsaber and tossed it to the side.

"Joshua," Erza hissed, "What are you doing?"

"The Jedi way of beating an opponent, surprisingly." He replied before looking back at Sanguine, "If you are me. Then you no doubt sensed the bond you have with everyone here. With Erza, with Wendy, hell… even with that blue haired bastard that is just now showing up."

Right on cue, Jellal raced in and took a stand beside Erza.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

Erza jabbed him with her elbow, "Not now!"

"Bonds in the force are not easily broken. No matter how far you end up falling." Joshua said as he took a step towards Sanguine, "And I know me. I know that you sensed Wendy die earlier. Before Ultear's time spell took effect. You sensed the bond sever. And I'm damn sure that it sent you into a rage." Joshua took another step towards Sanguine.

" **What are you getting at?"** Sanguine asked as his own red blade lowered slightly.

"You are still me." Joshua continued, "You still care about all of them. You have just buried under layers of pain and hatred that have blinded you to what you are actually doing." Joshua stared steely eyed at Sanguine, "You are killing her sooner than your timeline."

" **SHUT UP!"** Sanguine snarled. But he didn't attack. Instead he started shaking a little.

"You are now directly responsible for her death. You have killed her." Joshua said, "But that time spell changed all of that. This is your chance to change the outcome." Joshua was now feet away from Sanguine, "This is your chance for redemption." Sanguine's red eye glared at Joshua, "Help me destroy the Eclipse gate. Help me prevent any more death from happening."

Sanguine jaw clenched tightly. He glared at Joshua then over at Erza and Jellal. A loud roar was heard and his head slowly tilted up to see Belserion battling Motherglare with Wendy and Gajeel on his back. A single crimson eye widened. With the exception of Gajeel being there, it was playing out exactly as it was before. His crimson eye fell back down to Joshua. The bright orange glow began to die away a little bit and he let out a heavy sigh.

" **Damn my feelings."** He muttered. The image of a smiling blue haired woman passed through his mind, " **And damn love."** A shaky breath left Sanguine's half robotic lips, " **I'm going to need the celestial keys to close the gate."**

Joshua let a small smirk spread across his face, "I knew I was in there somewhere."

" **Don't be so proud."** Sanguine snapped, " **I'm doing this for her. And for no one else."**

Joshua nodded, "I understand." He looked over at Erza, "Where's Lucy?"

Erza shrugged, "Natsu took her away from here when the Eclipse gate opened."

"I'll try to find her." Jellal said before speeding away with his magic.

"Hurry!" Joshua shouted, "Who knows what could-"

A chill swept through the gate and over the figures standing in front of it. The air turned cold and the shadows deepened around them. Joshua turned back to the Eclipse gate.

"Hey me?"

" **What?"**

"What is this presence coming from the gate?"

Sanguine swallowed as he felt fear for the first time in years, " **One of two things. It could be a young Acnologia."** Erza's face contorted in terror, " **Or… it could be, Darth Ramage. The Dark Lord of the Sith over four hundred years ago."** Realization dawned on Sanguine as the last remnants of crimson faded from his lone, natural eye, " **They're trying to pass through the gate! We don't have time to wait on Lucy!"**

Sanguine sprinted towards the gate. The Dark Side of the force billowed out in the thick clouds. They weren't invisible clouds either. Not these were visible dark clouds that choked the air around the Eclipse gate. Joshua and Erza quickly followed Sanguine towards the gate.

"Can we destroy it with our lightsabers?" Joshua asked.

Sanguine shook his head, " **That would take too long."** He gulped, " **The eclipse gate was originally constructed by Zeref himself. With all things, he built a fail safe, just in case he couldn't acquire all of the celestial keys in order to open and close the gate."** Sanguine let out a heavy sigh and he glanced over at Joshua, " **Hey."**

Joshua looked over at Sanguine.

" **Don't tell her what I became."** Sanguine said before drawing his lightsaber and plunging it through his heart.

"NO!" Joshua shouted.

Suddenly, the force roared to life around Sanguine. It's power became so thick that the force became visible around Sanguine glowed a pale blue. Sanguine grit his teeth as he dropped to his knees.

" **The fail safe, requires a life."** The faint blue glow was slowly being sucked into the Eclipse gate. Erza and Joshua's eyes widened as the heavy doors began to creak inwards. Sanguine let a smile spread over his face, " **Here I come Wendy… Erza… Natsu. It'll be… just like…"** he dropped into the mud, " **Old times…"**

With a loud clank, the doors to the eclipse gate sealed shut.

 **And chapter! Wow… that was the most difficult chapters I've ever had to piece together. I went through several different versions of all of this before deciding to run with this one. And yes, Ultear is actually dead. I thought about leaving Jellal dead too, but if there was going to be one major death then I wasn't going to have two. Plus the prospect of Joshua having to grow up with Erza liking Jellal is just too good to pass up. I also paid a slight homage to KOTR in this chapter with the force glowing a light blue around Sanguine as he closed the gate. And yes, if you don't have the celestial keys to close the gate then it does kill you, that's how Lucy's mom Layla died. Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	65. Chapter 65: The Monster Reborn

**Hello everyone! What a game yesterday am I right! Didn't see that one coming. Even though I'm not a fan of either team, I enjoyed it.**

 **Now, before we begin I want to address the possible crossover again. It is only a possibility right now. Like I said before, I've got a lot of catching up to do and even then I still need to figure out how to make a story out of it, if it is even possible. I do appreciate the suggestions and information though, it absolutely helps. I just wanted to let you guys know that a crossover with this Story and the other two I mentioned is still in the very, very, very early planning stages. I also want to finish this story first since I have a lot of ideas for it.**

 **Alright, now then, I have a new chapter for you guys. Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 65

The silence was deafening. There were no more roars coming from the Eclipse gate. And the dark side of the force seemed to slowly ebb away from the area. In the background of the Eclipse gate, fires still crackled and burned intensely throughout the city. Dull roars still rang out over the black sky from the five remaining dragons doing battle high above. But the terror seemed to fade away as the gate clanged shut. Joshua stood stunned as a soft wind whipped by him making his torn suit coat flap in the air. He exhaled and bowed his head while the others looked at the fallen form of Darth Sanguine in absolute shock.

"Farewell… Joshua Scarlet." Joshua said to his future self, refusing to call him by his fallen name.

He heard footsteps approaching him followed by the feeling of a strong, slender arm wrapping over his shoulders.

"You continue to amaze me." he heard Erza say to him.

Joshua closed his eyes and smiled a little, "It was nothing."

"No… it was a lot." Erza replied, "Even if he was you… you redeemed him."

"No, I didn't." Joshua replied quickly before looking over at Erza, "He redeemed himself. I just gave him a nudge in the right direction."

"ERZA! JOSHUA!"

The siblings perked up and turned to see Starkiller calmly marching towards them with Meldy chasing after him. Erza stiffened as she saw the former Imperius wizard coming towards them. Her hand clenched tightly around the archaic lightsaber hilt that was still out of her requip space.

"Relax Erza." Joshua said as he left her embrace and patted her on the shoulder, "He's with me."

Starkiller stopped stomping towards the two and finally allowed Meldy to catch up. The pink haired wizard wheezed as she finally trudged to stop.

"You walk really fast." she gasped as she bent over and put her hands on her knees.

"You run really slow." Starkiller replied nonchalantly, his arms crossed as he surveyed the area around him.

Joshua snorted a laugh and called his lightsaber hilt to his hand with the force. The t-shaped, silver hilt flew to his hand. Joshua quickly gripped and clipped it onto the leather belt he was wearing.

"Nice of you to drop by." Joshua addressed Starkiller.

Starkiller folded his arms, "I was told that you might need my help." He glanced past Joshua at Darth Sanguine's fallen form, "But… it seems you have things well in hand."

Joshua was confused by the angered expression Starkiller was giving him. Joshua raised an eyebrow then glanced back at Sanguine before his sight returned back to Starkiller.

"Oh I see why you're pissed at me!" Joshua folded his arms and grinned, "You couldn't beat him."

Starkiller face turned into a snarl, "Don't make me want to kill you more than I already do."

Joshua just chuckled, "Well… I didn't beat him conventionally."

Starkiller raised an eyebrow, "Hm?"

"I talked him down."

That made Starkiller's other eyebrow rise up as well, "You… talked down a Sith Lord?"

Joshua nodded, "Yup."

Starkiller eyed the younger Scarlet sibling as he walked over to a large piece of debris and leaned against it.

"I don't know why, but that infuriates me even more." Starkiller grumbled.

"You're just angry all the time." Joshua replied.

"Shut the hell up." Starkiller growled back.

"Nice to see you two are so friendly." Meldy interjected sarcastically, "But… we can't continue this lovely conversation. We still have several dozen Sith Warriors and five dragons to deal with, in case you two forgot."

"Meldy is right." Erza said as she walked up the group, "How are we going to handle that?"

Joshua tilted his head and back and blew out a puff of air from his mouth, "Good question. I don't know how to kill a dragon. But I do know how to skewer a Sith." he looked back at Starkiller, "What do ya say? Friendly competition?"

"On what?" Starkiller growled back.

"Who can kill more of em." Joshua replied.

"Joshua…" Erza sighed, "Please don't say it so nonchalantly. It makes me worry."

Meldy tuned out the argument that ensued as Joshua defended his offer of a competition. Her gaze turned to the Eclipse gate that still towered over them. It's brass doors glinted with the firelight from the bonfires that raged through the city. Meldy took a step forward and felt a chill run down her spine. Something was wrong. A dark feeling was creeping over her skin, leaving goosebumps as it ran along her flesh. She gulped and her bright, green eyes fell on the corpse of Darth Sanguine. She took another hesitant step forwards, the darkness she was feeling only growing more intense as she neared his body.

"Geez Erza! How many times do I need to explain this!?" Joshua groaned.

"Killing is wrong Joshua." Erza stated firmly.

"You cannot afford to let a Sith live!" Joshua replied, "That just makes them angrier."

Starkiller's eyes darted back and forth as the argument continued.

 _So this is what having a sibling is like?_ He wondered, _I'm not very impressed._

"Hey guys." Meldy called as she neared Sanguine's body.

"I just don't understand how you can be so callous when you say it?" Erza shook her head at Joshua.

"Well, I was kinda trained that way ok."

"Not by me." Erza snapped back.

"You both are being very loud." Starkiller interjected.

"SHUT UP!" Joshua and Erza yelled at the same time with a glare that made Starkiller back up a step.

"I think he's alive." Meldy called again as she kneeled down next to Sanguine's body. The darkness was so thick that she felt like it was choking her.

"Not now Meldy!" Erza snapped at the pink haired girl before returning her attention to Joshua.

"But-"

"Meldy just not now." Joshua said calmly before getting smacked by Erza, "OH THAT DOES IT!"

"GUYS!" Meldy yelled before she suddenly felt her throat seal up. She gagged and gasped for air as a tight invisible fist wrapped around her neck.

The dark side of the force roared to life. Joshua and Starkiller stiffened as they instantly sensed the sudden change in the force around them. Erza noticed their worried expressions and her gaze turned to look at Meldy as well. All three saw Meldy desperately clawing at her throat as she tried to get air into her lungs. Horror was etched on their faces as they saw a dark, hooded figure slowly climb up from the ground.

" _ **Well then…"**_ A voice that didn't belong to Joshua or Sanguine said as the body of Darth Sanguine stumbled to it's feet, " _ **This is rather unexpected."**_

Meldy choked and gasped again as she dropped to her knees. The Erza and Joshua were frozen in place, paralyzed by shock and fear. But Starkiller was already in motion. He quickly sprinted towards Meldy and activated his lightsaber. The dark figure's attention snapped away from choking Meldy and to Starkiller's attack. The former sith apprentice swung a savage, reverse gripped blow at the figure's head.

The cloaked man's right hand released its force grip from Meldy's throat, sending the girl sprawling to the ground. The hand quickly reached into the dark cloak and whipped out a green colored lightsaber. He raised it quickly and parried Starkiller's attack. Starkiller flipped over the cloaked figure and attempted another strike which was deftly blocked before both Starkiller and Meldy were violently shoved way by a force push.

Joshua slowly came of his stupor. His mind reeling at what he saw rising before him.

 _That voice… I've heard it before… but.. It can't be him!_

The figure rolled its shoulders and neck as if testing out the muscles it now possessed. Joshua felt his hands trembling as he clambered to grab his lightsaber from his belt. He heard Erza's breathing growing to a rapid pace.

"H-how?" the red head asked as she stared stunned at the robed Sith Lord that she swore died.

The figure looked down at his right hand and rotated his forearm as if studying a new limb, " _ **I'm asking myself the same question woman."**_

There it was again. That voice. There was no mistaking it. Joshua felt fear building up in him. How could he have forgotten!? Darth Sanguine was him after all. And unless he found a way to expel him from his body, then that means he was still in there this whole time. And it appears that the death of Darth Sanguine has unshackled the true monster that lurked in the depths of his mind.

"It can't be." Joshua breathed out shakily.

His thumb trembled as it pushed the activation button on his lightsaber. The red blade boomed to life in his left hand.

"Joshua… what is it?" Erza asked as she too activated her own white lightsaber.

" _ **Ah… perhaps I should introduce myself, since the boy is obviously to stunned to form words right now."**_ The figure cleared his throat. His voice was no longer robotic, screechy, or even remotely close to what Joshua's voice was. It was low and powerful. Each word carried weight as the figure spoke with an incredible amount of authority and elegance that made each word seem like honey coming from the half robotic mouth, " _ **I… am the monster placed inside your dear brother, Erza Scarlet."**_ He took a step forward, stumbling a little at first before regaining balance, " _ **I am darkness incarnate. And now… I am free."**_ He called Sanguine's red blade to his right hand and activated the unstable blade, causing red and green colors to clash over his body, " _ **I… am Darth Plagueis."**_

….

"Natsu!"

The fire dragon slayer of Fairy Tail continued sprinting away from the Eclipse gate as he hauled Lucy in his arms. His head looked down at the blonde he was carrying.

"What's up Luce?"

"The gate closed!" Lucy replied as she pointed behind them.

Natsu skidded to a stop and wheeled around to see that the gate was indeed closed. It's massive brass doors were sealed tightly shut and an ominous, pale blue glow had enveloped the structure.

"How'd they close it?" Natsu wondered aloud.

"I don't know. I thought my keys were needed to open and close it." Lucy replied.

A wide, toothy grin appeared on Natsu's face, "Well… that's a good sign for us!"

Lucy let a small smile spread across her face as well. She was still feeling tremendous guilt right now over opening the gate. But the fact that it was now closed brought her a small measure of comfort. No more dragons or those black warriors would come into the city. With their limited numbers, the wizards in Crocus might actually stand a chance. Still, Lucy couldn't help but have a feeling of trepidation all over her. She couldn't help but feel like she had been here before. Her severe deja vu only grew worse when the ground rumbled beneath them and the smell of smoke filled their nostrils.

"Um… Luce."

Lucy was afraid to even ask, "What?" she squeaked out.

Natsu was staring behind them. He gently put Lucy back on her feet and the pair turned around to see a wall of flames behind them. At least, Lucy thought it was a wall of flames. She then saw a head of multicolored flames appear from the wall. This wasn't just some blaze in front of them.

"THAT'S A FIRE DRAGON!" Natsu exclaimed with wide eyes.

The massive fire beast uttered an earsplitting roar that made Natsu jump up and cover his ears, face contorting in pain. Lucy meanwhile felt fear crawling up her entire body as she stared at the fire dragon with wide eyes. The roar soon died away and the dragon simply stared at it's prey.

"N-natsu… maybe we should-"

"OI! YOU DUMB LIZARD! THAT HURT MY EARS!" Natsu exclaimed while shaking his fist at the dragon.

"NATSU!" Lucy cried out, stunned at how unafraid Natsu was.

The dragon let a low growl escape it's fiery jaws. Smoke billowed out in thick, grey clouds as its fiery wings unfurled. Lucy and Natsu stared up in awe at the dragon's wings spread out to form a curtain of fire in the night sky above them.

"Lucy."

"W-what N-Natsu?" Lucy stammered as he knees began to knock together.

Natsu was quiet for a moment, "I wonder what it tastes like?"

Lucy's eyes widened and her pupils shrank. Was Natsu seriously considering eating the flames!? Was he crazy!? Wait a moment… she was the stupid one! Lucy smacked her face. Natsu can eat fire, of course he'd be wondering what the fire dragon tasted like. Her eyes widened again in realization.

 _Natsu can eat fire… Natsu can eat fire! We can win this!_

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted, swallowing the last bits of fear she had in her, "We can beat this guy!"

"We can?" Natsu replied innocently.

Lucy nodded, "You are a fire dragon slayer! He is a fire dragon made entirely of fire." She pointed at the fire dragon who had tilted its head at the two humans, amused by their conversation, "How hungry are you?"

"Pretty hungry." Natsu replied as he rubbed his stomach.

Lucy waited for it to sink in.

"HOLY CRAP I GOT A WHOLE MEAL IN FRONT OF ME!" Natsu bellowed happily.

"Exactly." Lucy said with folded arms.

Before the blonde could say anything else, Natsu charged at the fire dragon, mouth salivating.

"COME TO PAPA!" he roared as he jumped at the dragon.

The dragon's fiery eyes narrowed and a massive, flame covered claw swung at Natsu, attempting to swat him away like a gnat. Instead, Natsu grabbed hold of one of the flaming talons and licked his lips.

"Delicious." he grinned before sinking his teeth into the fire.

The effect was instantaneous. The fire dragon stopped his swing. It's flaming eyes stared blankly forward for a moment before they widened. A pained roar escaped the fire dragon's jaws and it frantically swung it's claw trying to throw Natsu off of him. Instead, the fire dragon slayer climbed his way up the creature's massive leg and up onto it's back and sank his sharp teeth into the flames once again. He greedily consumed the flames beneath him while the fire dragon tried to scratch Natsu off his back like a bad itch.

"Lucy!"

The blonde's eyes were removed from the comical scene as she heard a high pitched voice flying near her. Her brown eyes turned to see a blue and white cat racing towards her. A small amount of relief came over her as she saw that the two exceeds were unharmed.

"Happy! Carla!"

The blue cat rocketed into Lucy's chest and quickly wrapped his arms around her in a fuzzy embrace while Carla hovered nearby, arms crossed.

"Lucy! You're ok!" Happy wailed.

Lucy smiled a little, "You were worried about me?"

"Of course I was!" Happy wailed, "Who else can I make fun of if you got hurt!?"

"Really?" Lucy grumbled.

"By the way, where is Natsu?" Happy asked.

"And Wendy for that matter." Carla asked, "I need to make sure she is safe."

"Well…" Lucy pried Happy off of her chest, "I don't know where Wendy is. But Natsu is up there." She pointed at the fire dragon that was flailing about.

Happy stared at the massive flaming beast. His paws smacked into his blue cheeks, "NATSU TURNED INTO A DRAGON!"

"NO YOU IDIOT!" Both Lucy and Carla snapped back.

Lucy rubbed her forehead, "Natsu is on top of the dragon, Happy." she sighed.

"Oh… right…" Happy replied, "GO NATSU!"

"It's amazing how his emotional state can change on a dime like that." Carla deadpanned.

"You'd think he'd be exhausted from doing it." Lucy mumbled back.

Back up on top of the fire dragon, Natsu was happily munching away on some of the best tasting flames he ever had.

"Holy smokes, you taste amazing." Natsu said with a mouthful of fire.

The dragon roared up at him, still trying to swipe him off with it's massive claws.

"Oh c'mon, take a compliment." Natsu replied back as he devoured a patch of dark flames, almost black in color.

These flames didn't taste as good as the others though. It had a bitter taste to it that made Natsu's cheeks pucker slightly. His face scrunched up in disgust and her spat the flames up into the sky.

"GAH!" Natsu exclaimed as he fell back on his butt, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?"

The fire dragon stopped trying to claw Natsu off and just stood there motionless. Natsu furiously rubbed his tongue.

"I canth geth thet thasth outh ma moth!" Natsu cried as he scrubbed his tongue with his hand.

"Who is up on my back?" rumbled a raspy voice that caused Natsu to pause.

"Eh?"

"I asked, who is up on my back? And why do I feel saliva on my back as well?" The fire dragon rasped.

Natsu blinked and stared at the fire dragon as it's massive head craned to look back at the fire dragon slayer.

"Y-you can talk?" Natsu gasped.

"After many years… yes I can." The fire dragon rasped back, his voice slowly becoming less scratchy. Natsu cocked an eyebrow. It sounded like he wasn't able to talk for years. His voice would crack and grow soft in spots. "And you must be the one on my back… slobbering all over the place." The fire dragon's eyes narrowed at Natsu.

"Sorry, you're flames just taste really good!" Nastu replied. The fire dragon's eyes widened in shock, "Except for the black ones. Those taste disgusting!"

"You're a dragon slayer!?" The fire dragon exclaimed.

"Obviously." Natsu replied, "How else am I able to eat fire?"

"And you ate the black flames?" The fire dragon hummed, "I don't remember having… black…" Realization dawned on the fire dragon's face, "Flames… oh…"

"Oh what?" Natsu asked.

"I… I fell." The dragon trembled.

"You're standing up right now." Natsu replied with a confused expression.

"No, no." The fire dragon replied, "I encountered the Dark Lord. And he… twisted my mind… turned some of my flames black… and made me a mindless beast!" The heat from the flames grew incredibly intense, "OH WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM, HE WILL WISH HE NEVER TURNED THE FIRE DRAGON, ATLAS FLAME!"

"Turned?" Natsu's eyes widened as he remembered the conversation he, Gajeel, and Wendy had with the spirit of Belserion, "You were a fallen?" He whispered stunned.

The fire dragon's flame encrusted eyes closed in shame, "Indeed young slayer. I was a fallen. I gave into the temptations of power flaunted by the Dark Lord. And I lost myself because of it. But… you consumed the corruption in my flames." the fire dragon named Atlas Flame looked at Natsu, "You saved me. And yet… the flames haven't corrupted you? How?"

"I spat them out." Natsu replied innocently.

"Uh…" A small bead of fire dripped down the side of Atlas Flames' head, "I… well then… that's a lucky break."

"I'll say!" Natsu replied with a toothy grin, "My stomach probably would've become my worst enemy if I swallowed those flames." He crossed his arms, "I should've known better. Igneel always told me not to eat any fire with weird colors. Bad for the… what did he call it? Methambolis."

"Metabolism." Atlas Flame corrected.

"Right! Mentosism." Natsu grinned.

Again, Atlas Flame felt the equivalent of a sweat drop on the side of his head as he stared stunned at the young human. Yup, he was raised by Igneel alright. He had the same carefree nature as the fire dragon king.

"You were raised by Igneel, I assume. Since you mentioned him lecturing you about fire."

"That's right!" Natsu replied, "He's my dad! You haven't seen him recently have you? He disappeared a while ago."

"Igneel a father!?" Atlas Flame exclaimed, "HA! That's a good one!"

"I'm not joking!" Natsu roared back, "Show some respect!"

Atlas Flame continued to chuckle, "Fine… Igneel is your father." he took a breath trying to stop his laughter, "To… to answer your question. No, I haven't seen the Fire Dragon King for some time now. Not since the battle where I became a Fallen actually."

Natsu smiled, "Well, I'm sure once I find him he'll be happy to see you again."

"Maybe." Atlas Flame replied.

"NATSU!" A young woman's voice called, "What's going on up there!?"

Natsu blinked and Atlas Flame glanced down to see a blonde human female staring up at them. Beside her, two peculiar looking cats stood on their hind legs.

"I've never seen cats standing like that before." Atlas Flame mumbled.

"HE SEES US CARLA!" Happy panicked.

"Calm down, Happy. I don't think he's our enemy anymore." Carla sighed.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE!?"

"Well… he hasn't roasted you for being annoying yet." Carla replied as she folded her arms.

"HA!" Lucy laughed.

"You are so cruel, Lucy." Happy sniffled.

"I wasn't the one who said that!" Lucy roared back.

The argument between the three quickly ended when they heard the fire dragon utter a low, amused laugh.

"I forgot how amusing humans are." Atlas Flame chortled. He quickly lowered his head and allowed Natsu to jump off of him and land beside Lucy, "Who might you be young human?"

"EEEEP!" Lucy squealed.

"Eeeep?" Atlas Flame tilted his head, "Such a strange name."

"N-no, my name is Lucy."

"You are Eeep to me from now on." Atlas Flame said resolutely, completely ignoring Lucy, "We fire dragon's will roar your name to the heavens after you help us defeat the Fallen and the Dark Lords."

Lucy's head was bowed and her shoulders sagged. She gave up.

"It's ok, Eeep." Happy patted the blonde's shoulder.

"Don't test me cat!" Lucy snarled.

A series of loud roars broke out in the skies above them. Atlas Flame craned his head up to see three dragons battling high over head. One dragon was a massive grey beats with scales that looked like armor. Another dragon was bright blue in color and had the appearance of a crystal. The third dragon was a bright, white dragon with several bony protrusions coming out of it's skull. On top of the white dragon, Atlas Flame saw two humans battling the other two dragons. One was a wild looking human male with long, messy black hair. His arms had transformed into iron clubs as he wildly swung at the hulking grey dragon. The second human was a young woman with blue hair and a green dress. She was furiously waving her arms, whipping up massive currents of wind and launching them at the blue dragon. The humans were putting on an impressive display of power. But it was the dragon they were riding that drew Atlas Flame's attention. His fiery eyes widened.

"T-the Sage Dragon himself!?" he gasped.

Natsu and the others looked up to see the titanic battle playing out high the sky.

"Hey!" Nastu pointed at the white dragon, "That's Belserion!"

"Who?" Lucy asked.

"And he's battling Motherglare." Atlas Flame growled, "He can't have that second dragon distracting him. Son of Igneel!" Natsu looked up at Atlas Flame, "Hop on my back. We have an Ice dragon to take care of."

Natsu grinned, "So, we are gonna battle ice! Perfect! My specialtly!"

As Natsu jumped up onto Atlas Flame once again Lucy sighed.

"He does know that his fights with Gray almost always end in a draw, right?"

"Just let him have his fun." Carla replied.

"GO NATSU! SHOW GRAY WHO'S BOSS!" Happy exclaimed.

"He's not fighting Gray you stupid cat!" Lucy groaned.

"I know." Happy shrugged, "But if he can beat an Ice dragon, then Gray will know that he can't beat Natsu."

"I fail to see the logic in that." Carla deadpanned.

"Just roll with it Carla."

As Lucy said this, she felt hot wind whip up around her. She stared up in awe as Atlas Flame spread his fiery wings once again and with one powerful beat, surged into the sky with Natsu on his back.

"Whoa…" Lucy muttered as she watched the fire dragon soar towards the other dragons.

"That's incredible." Carla stared in awe.

Lucy stared up at the pair with a smile on her face. She felt hope surging through her. For some reason, the fear she had before was gone. She felt like they could win this battle. But all of the courage she felt was soon drowned away by a sense of dread flowing from the Eclipse gate once again. Lucy turned and felt the darkness hit her like an enormous wave.

"Lucy…" Happy whimpered.

"We need to get to the gate." Lucy said, swallowing her fear and replacing it with determination.

"Why?" Carla asked as she trembled a little, the dread and cold making her hairs stand on end.

"Because, I have a feeling that is where we are needed." She looked down at the two cats, "C'mon, let's move!"

….

Joshua was the only one with a look of sheer terror on his face. The others looked somewhat afraid, but he was the only one who understood the gravity of the situation they were in. This was Darth Plagueis, reborn. In his mind, Joshua heard a familiar voice chuckle at him.

" _ **You lied to me, young one."**_ Joshua heard Plagueis say in his mind, " _ **I'll be taking my power back now."**_

Joshua suddenly felt exhausted. His shoulders sagged and his muscles felt stiff. It felt like he had just fought an hour long duel. Erza glanced over at her little brother and notice not only the look of terror on his face, but also how exhausted he looked.

"Joshua?"

"We're fucked." He replied.

" _ **That's one way to put it."**_ Darth Plagueis replied in front of them.

"Scarlet!?" Galen called over to Joshua, "Who is this guy?"

Joshua gulped as he stared down the terrifying monster in front of them, the red and green blades Plagueis had glowing brightly in his hands.

"That… is Darth Plagueis."

"Who?" Erza asked.

"He's… he's something that was implanted in me when I was an infant." Joshua replied seeing the look of horror appear on Erza's face, "I only found out about it recently." Joshua swallowed, "It's… it's a complicated situation."

" _ **Indeed, even I don't know some of the intricacies of Mother Talzin's spell. But… it has worked. And I am very pleased with the results. I haven't felt power like this in decades."**_ Plagueis replied as a wide grin appeared on his half robotic face.

"But… he was Darth Sanguine a few moments ago." Erza muttered.

"Sanguine died. Plagueis took over his body." Joshua reasoned, "That's the only explanation I have for it."

Erza gulped while Starkiller nervously twirled his lightsaber.

"Ok then, Joshua." Erza started, "Any ideas on how we can beat him?"

Joshua shook his head confirming Erza's fears. Joshua had no idea how to beat him.

"Plagueis is one of the most powerful Sith to ever live. I don't know if we even stand a chance."

*SMACK*

Erza's hand slapped Joshua on the left cheek. Joshua blinked and looked back at his older sister, who had a rather disappointed look on her face.

"I didn't teach you to be a quitter." She snapped at him, "We are Fairy Tail!" she gripped her own lightsaber tightly, "And we never back down from an enemy."

"I happen to agree with her." Galen Marek commented, "I don't plan on running with my tail between my legs. I plan on testing this guy. I want to see how powerful he really is."

And with that Galen charged at Plagueis. Erza cursed and quickly followed Galen so that he wouldn't be battling the monster on his own. Joshua stayed rooted in the spot. His lightsaber rattled in his right hand. He was still shaking. Joshua grit his teeth. Why couldn't he stop being scared?

Erza and Galen were now feet away from Plagueis. The Sith Lord smirked at them and held his lightsabers in the formal style of dual blade fencing, Jar Kai. Galen instantly recognized the fighting form and adjusted his assault so that he could outflank the Sith Lord. However, Erza didn't recognize the form. She was unfamiliar with lightsaber combat, and Galen noticed it too late.

" _ **Yes… entertain me, weaklings."**_ Plagueis hissed.

"MOVE TO THE SIDE!" Galen shouted at Erza before Plagueis's arms came to life.

Like a blur of red and green, his blades hummed through the air with deadly intent. Erza's brown eyes widened and she just barely ducked under the red blade while deflecting the green one. Galen immediately jumped in and engaged the red blade in Plagueis's left hand. The force behind Plagueis's deflection was enough to stagger Galen. But the young Sith apprentice noticed something immediately. As soon as their blades clashed, he saw Plagueis wince. The block was clumsy and weaker than he expected. Galen's eyes jumped from point to point on his opponent, attempting to pinpoint a weakness. And he found it as Erza launched her first attack at the Sith Lord's green blade.

Her white lightsaber quickly cut through the air towards Plagueis's chest. Galen saw the Sith's eyes widen and he quickly raised both lightsabers to deflect the blow. Galens' eyes then fell on the hole in Plagueis's chest. The same hole Darth Sanguine inflicted on himself in order to close the Eclipse gate. Galen smirked. The Sith Lord was weaker because he was feeling the effects of the wound. He wasn't as invincible as Scarlet made him seem. With a wide grin, Galen summoned the force into his right hand and launched a barrage of force lightning at Plagueis.

The lightning hissed and crackled in the air as it arced towards Plagueis. The Sith Lord felt the static in the air and shoved Erza away before using the red lightsaber to catch the lightning. Erza saw her opening and began her assault once again. Plagueis's grin was no longer there. His face was deadly serious beneath the deep hood that shadowed his head. He deflected several chops from Erza before using the force to shove her away with a sharp push.

His arm buckled under the intense lightning barrage Galen was delivering. Plagueis grimaced, he hadn't felt lightning like this in decades. The human was quite adept at it. Plagueis silently applauded his efforts. Whoever trained the boy did a splendid job. The Sith Lord decided it was time to show the little apprentice just how powerful he truly was. Before Erza could rise to her feet again, Plagueis deactivated his green saber and thrust his right hand at the lightning.

Erza couldn't believe what she was seeing. Starkiller couldn't believe it either. The lightning was being sucked into Plagueis hand. Galen attempted to intensify his attack by deactivating his own saber and using both hands, but Plagueis merely absorbed that as well. Galen eventually saw there was no point to this. He was wasting power. The young Sith apprentice cut off his attack and stood there, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Plagueis's right palm glowed an intense blue. Lightning danced between his fingers as he shakily tried to absorb the lightning. Galen then noticed it again. The Sith Lord was having trouble. Plagueis had overestimated his body's strength. With a loud cry Plagueis threw his hand up in the air, releasing the excess force energy in his palm with a brilliant bolt of lightning. A loud thunderclap followed which shook the ground. Plagueis huffed and sucked in air.

" _ **What is the matter with me?"**_ he growled, " _ **I should be having no trouble dealing with you weaklings. Yet… I feel taxed."**_ Plagueis's eyes widened, " _ **Could it be that the body was not prepared? Or…"**_

No, the body was ready. But it wasn't whole. Plagueis's frowned as he patted his left side with his natural right hand. What he felt wasn't flesh and blood, it was cold metal. Sanguine's entire left side of his body was mechanical. He was no longer human, he was no longer a living being, he was a cyborg. Plagueis cursed. The connection he had to living force was being hampered because of his lack of living tissue. This body was now inferior. Add in the problem of not being used to the proportions of a human body, and his abilities were greatly compromised.

Fury built up in Plagueis. Years of waiting, years of planning, decades of having no form, and this was his reward. A half machine!? The dark side of the force burst to life in him as he summoned forth as much power as he could. His fury would be directed at these life forms around him. No one would be safe! He had been robbed of his body! And someone had to pay!

Galen instantly sensed the rage building up in Plagueis. He watched with trepidation as the Sith Lord stood up straight and turned to face Erza.

" _ **You will be first, woman."**_ he snarled, " _ **You set my plans back tremendously with your caring ways!"**_

Plagueis catapulted himself at Erza at inhuman speeds. The redhead's eyes widened as she jumped to her feet and raised her lightsaber in front of her. Just as Plagueis reach her he was shoved away by a powerful force push. Galen retracted his arm and rushed up to Erza, standing shoulder to shoulder with someone he had considered a foe just a day ago.

"You can't be flat footed in a lightsaber duel." He warned Erza, "Stay on your toes."

Erza gulped and nodded, shifting her weight so that she wasn't back on her heels.

"We're taking him together." Galen continued, "Distract him enough so that I can get an opening. Then I'll cut his head from his shoulders. Got it?"

Erza nodded. Just as the two were about to chase down Plagueis, the Sith Lord rose to his feet. Darkness swelled over the entire area and the temperature plummeted.

" _ **With the way this body is… I cannot hold back."**_

Plagueis spun both lightsabers in his hands, assuming a stance Galen did not recognize. It looked similar to form seven, his own preferred fighting form, but it was different. Galen's mind raced as he drew upon every practice duel he ever had with is trusty droid, Proxy. His mind listed off the Jedi.

 _Kenobi… no, he was form three. Mundi… no, that was Makashi. Dooku… no, Makashi again. Fisto… no, form one._ Galen continued down the list as Plagueis' built up his power, _Tiin, Shak Tii, Rancisis, Drallic, Maul, Grevious._ He shook his head, _No, no, no, no, and no._ Then the last name appeared in his mind, _Windu._

Galen stared back at Plagueis. He was wielding two lightsabers, but the way he was holding them gave it away. Galen couldn't believe he didn't see it before.

"Vaapad." Galen muttered.

"What?" Erza asked.

"It's a variant of form seven in lightsaber combat. It's main power is that it draws on the dark side of the user's opponent." Galen scowled, "I don't know where this guy learned it, but this is the most dangerous fighting form I have ever encountered." he looked at Erza, "He's directly countering my abilities in the dark side with it. I'm not sure how much help I'm going to be now."

Erza exhaled, "Doesn't matter. We still have to fight him. And we still have to win."

Galen nodded. He liked this woman's attitude. Her entire mindset was focused on victory. He could respect that. No wonder she was a difficult opponent in the Grand Magic Games. He was a fool to underestimate her then.

"On my mark." Galen said as he felt Plagueis readying himself, "One, two…" both Erza and Galen braced themselves, preparing to charge once again at the Dark Lord.

"Go!"

….

Joshua was paralyzed. To stunned and afraid to move. He stared in horror as Erza and Galen desperately battled Plagueis. The Sith Lord's entire fighting style had changed. He was no longer simply deflecting and countering. He was now a whirlwind of death. Green and Red lightsabers spun and twirled in his hands creating a curtain of light around him as he deflected and attacked Erza and Starkiller. What was worse though was what Joshua sensed in the force. The Dark Side of the force was being channeled through Darth Plagueis in a way Joshua didn't think was possible. Not only was he channeling his own darkness, it seemed like he was drawing from Starkiller's as well. Joshua shook his head. Erza and Starkiller didn't get it. Plagueis was unbeatable, his power immeasurable. There was no possible way to beat him.

" _Joshua…"_

His heart continued to race as he heard a familiar, kind voice in his mind.

 _Old man Qui Gon?_

" _Since when did Erza teach you to give up?"_

Joshua gulped, _Qui Gon, how the hell can we possibly beat this… this.. Monster._ He replied as he saw Plagueis shove one of Starkiller's chops away before hacking at Erza with is green lightsaber. _He's drawing on the dark side like a virus. He's negating my abilities as well as Starkillers and-_

" _It's called Vaapad."_ Qui Gon interrupted, " _It's a fighting mindset, not just a form. I don't know how he came across it. But, it was created by a colleague of mine many years ago. And yes, your observations are correct. Your Dark Side abilities are useless right now. He will just draw on them and increase his own power."_

 _So, how do I win!? How can I save Erza!?_ Joshua asked as he watched Plagueis block Erza's slash before kicking her away and engaging Starkiller yet again.

" _He cannot draw on the light."_

Joshua frowned, _I'm not exactly the best choice for the light._

" _I wasn't talking about you."_ Qui Gon replied.

Joshua's eyes widened as his gaze drifted back to Erza, who was struggling to get back up to her feet.

" _I'm sure you have sensed it by now. Erza is force sensitive. And she could become very powerful. She already subconsciously uses it with some of her requips. The telekinesis with her swords, making her swords sharper with her magic power. It's not magic power at all, it's the force. She just hasn't been able to identify it as that yet._

 _She not only has tremendous potential, but she is also very bright in the force. Rather surprising given her anger issues."_

 _Watch what you say about her. She may kick you for that._ Joshua replied wryly.

" _I'm already one with the force. It'd be interesting to see her try."_ Qui Gon chuckled.

 _Ok great._ Joshua thought, _Erza is force sensitive. But, she is unrefined. She is no where near powerful enough to take on Plagueis on her own._

A new voice entered the conversation. One that instantly seized Joshua attention, " _You are once again correct, Joshua."_ Said the voice of Revan in his mind, " _That is why I am about to tell you of a force ability long since lost to time. It's simple to do, but rather… unethical."_

 _I don't care about ethical!_ Joshua shouted back, _I care about surviving!_

 __" _I thought you'd say that."_ Revan replied, " _It is very similar to something called Essence Transfer. Only far less thorough. It involves you transferring your powers into Erza for a short period of time. Let's call it… Force Transfer."_

Joshua frowned, _You're super smart and that's the name you come up with?_

" _Names don't matter right now."_ Revan scolded, " _Anyways, what you have to do is find your connection to Erza in the force. Use that connection to give her your abilities and your strength."_

 _Question._ Joshua stopped Revan, _I'm a dark side user. Won't she just inherit my dark side abilities then?_

" _No,"_ Revan replied, " _You forget, the force is neither light nor dark, it simply is. How a being uses the force determines its shade. It is a neutral manipulated by living beings. So when it goes to Erza-"_

 _It'll become light if she uses it that way!_ Joshua realized, _Master Revan you're a genius!_

" _One more obstacle."_

 _WHAT!_ Joshua groaned.

" _It takes five minutes and requires physical contact."_

Joshua blinked, _Really?_

" _Really."_

 _Dammit all Master Revan!_

The ancient force user didn't reply. Both Revan and Qui Gon's presences disappeared leaving Joshua alone with his thoughts once again. The teen looked down at his left hand, his lightsaber still active in his hand. His grip tightened. There was a way to win this, he just needed to buy some time. Joshua built up the force around him, using what little strength he had left to surge towards the intense duel in front of him.

Just as Plagueis shoved Starkiller away, he felt a third, familiar presence enter the battle. Plagueis quickly used the force to gain some separation from Erza as he raised his blade over his head and caught Joshua's red blade. The young teen then flipped over Plagueis, sending a barrage of lightning at him mid air. The lightning connected causing the Sith Lord to growl in pain and drop to a knee. Joshua then pulled as much power into his right hand as he could and shoved Plagueis with a powerful push, sending the Sith Lord through a large piece of rubble and kicking up a large cloud of dust.

"Finally stopped shitting yourself?" Starkiller commented as he sucked in air.

"Shut it!" Joshua growled before he looked at Erza, "I've got a way to beat him."

"How?" Erza panted as she wiped some sweat from her forehead.

"Yeah… how?" Starkiller asked.

"It's called Force Transfer. It's a relatively simple technique. Because of his use of Vaapad, he is turning our dark side abilities against us." Joshua explained to both Starkiller and Erza, "However, Vaapad is designed to only utilize and counter the dark side, not the light." His gaze fell to Erza.

Erza's brown eyes widened, "What?"

"You are a force sensitive Erza."

"You mean to tell me she had no idea?" Starkiller asked stunned, "It was so damn obvious."

"What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"It means you have the potential to do the same stuff as me and Starkiller." Joshua replied.

"It's Galen Marek." Starkiller muttered.

Erza's eyes widened further. Was Joshua saying that she had the same darkness in her.

"You are a force sensitive, but your signature is on the other end of the spectrum." Joshua explained, "You're as light as light gets. It's just dormant right now. I don't have time to teach you anything, so we are going to settle with transferring my power into you. The Force is neutral by nature, it's how someone uses it that determines dark and light."

Starkiller's eyes widened as well. He was starting to understand where Scarlet was going with this. It was pure genius.

"You give her your power. She converts it to the light side, and uses said power to overwhelm Plagueis." Starkiller nodded, "Not bad."

"One wrinkle." Joshua replied, "I need five minutes to do this."

Starkiller gulped, "What?"

"I need you to buy me some time." Joshua said with a slight grin.

Starkiller frowned, "You're asking me to fight that monster by myself for five minutes!"

"Yeah," Joshua nodded, "I'm sure you can handle it though."

All three felt the ground begin to shake as Plagueis began to reemerge from the rubble, his anger more intense than it had ever been.

Starkiller shook his head.

"I'm sure you can handle it though." he grumbled to himself as he march towards the rising Sith Lord, "That's like asking Vader if he can handle oxygen." he grumbled again before looking back at Joshua, "This better be worth it!"

"It will be!" Joshua shouted back as Starkiller charged at Plagueis and engaged the Sith Lord once again.

Joshua looked at Erza and saw that his sister was visibly shaken.

"Hey." Joshua placed a hand on her shoulder, "Trust me on this. Ok?"

Erza gulped and nodded, "You wouldn't be family if I didn't trust you." she exhaled, "Let's do this."

Joshua nodded and began searching for his connection to Erza in the force. He kept his hand firmly placed on her shoulder as he searched the intricate web in the force. After what felt like forever he found a single strand in the force that glowed bright. That was it. Joshua seized it and poured his powers into it.

Instantly, Erza felt an unknown power surge into her body. It felt both terrifying and exhilarating. It felt like pure energy and life was flowing into her. Erza glanced at Joshua, as smile spreading across her face. He had grown so strong. Pride swelled in her. She did a good job didn't she?

Minutes passed and Joshua clenched his jaw as he felt the last remnants of his power leave his body. His legs felt weak and his right arm felt like a noodle. With a last burst of power he let go of Erza and fell on his back. He felt the effects of the technique begin to hit his body.

"Oh… god… this hurts." he groaned as he flopped back into the earth, "Feels like magic deficiency disease."

Erza's eyes were wide as she stared at her hands. Power unlike any she ever felt before coursed through her veins. This was the power Joshua had contained in his body. It was incredible! But how was she supposed to use it? She had no idea how Joshua did some of the things he did. She had no idea where to start.

" _Perhaps I can help."_

Erza gasped as she heard a voice in her head.

 _Who are you!?_ She replied

" _I'm sorry to startle you. I guess you could say I'm one of Joshua's teachers."_ The voice replied, " _My name is Revan. And it's a pleasure to finally meet you Erza. Now, we don't have time for questions or small talk. Here is what you must do."_

 **And chapter! That was turn of events! Didn't see that coming huh? It'll be interesting to see where this goes.**

 **Now, why is Plaguies so under powered? Well, if you noticed, he's pissed that Darth Sanguine's body is part machine. And, much like Darth Vader, that cuts his connection to the force significantly due to the lack of living tissue. Also, Sanguine's body has that hole in his chest, further weakening Plagueis. Lastly, Plagueis was a Muun. (YES HE WAS A MUUN! AND UNTIL MICKEY MOUSE SAYS OTHERWISE HE WILL STAY A MUUN!). He is not used to the abilities or proportions of a human body, further hampering his technique and abilities. So, that's why Erza and Starkiller are somewhat able to keep up with him.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	66. Chapter 66: Erza's Power

**Hey guys! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 66

The once peaceful skies of Crocus were now filled with the thunderous roars of dragons as the massive winged beasts clashed high above the city. Mixed in with the loud roars and snarls, were small human voices that shouted their own spells as they assisted a large white dragon.

" **SKY DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!"**

Wendy jumped into the air and swung her arms. Whips of wind emerged around her and slammed into the massive grey dragon named Motherglare. The fallen dragon bellowed a roar before swinging a claw at Wendy.

" **IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!"**

Just as the claw was about to slash into Wendy, an iron pillar jutted up from Belserion's back and smashed the grey claw. The force behind the pillar shoved the grey claw away from Wendy, forcing the long talons miss by a hair's breadth.

"Be careful Girlie!" Gajeel shouted as he retracted his iron covered arm.

Wendy dropped back down onto Belserion's back.

"You know Gajeel, you don't have to call me by that nickname!" Wendy shouted over the cacophony of noise the dragons were generating.

"I gave you that nickname. I'm sticking with it." Gajeel replied back gruffly before ducking under a shower of ice shards. He grimaced as he felt some shards slash into his left shoulder, "That damn ice lizard is making this complicated!"

Wendy had flattened herself against Belserion's back in order to avoid the ice dragon's breath attack. She rose to her feet, unscathed, and immediately fired her own sky dragon's roar at the Ice Dragon. Belserion wasn't so fortunate. His entire back was covered in shards of ice that seemed to stick up out of his scales like thorns. The Sage Dragon's breathing was becoming ragged. Battling two powerful dragons at once was taking it's toll on him.

"Hang in there Belserion!" Wendy exclaimed.

"I'm trying." gasped Belserion, "I didn't expect Motherglare to put up this much of a fight."

Indeed, Motherglare was fighting savagely. Her long claws had already raked large gashed through Belserion's scales, staining his once shining, white scales red.

But he gave as good as he got. Motherglare had less energy than before as well. Belserion was proving how powerful he was in this battle. The massive grey dragon had red streams of blood dripping down it's tree trunk like legs from several deep puncture wounds caused by Belserion's boney head. The Sage Dragon was using the boney protrusions on his head like a spiked mace. Whenever Motherglare came in closed, Belserion would violently swing his head at her. This either caused more injuries to the grey dragon or forced her to back off. It was a very close, intense battle.

The battle with the Ice Dragon though, was not intimate like Motherglare's and Belserion's. The Ice Dragon preferred to stay at a distance, firing sharp shards of ice at Belserion and the two dragon slayer's on his back. In between clashed with Motherglare, Wendy would hear Belserion cursing the Ice Dragon for what he called a coward's way of fighting. But that coward's way of fighting was working. Motherglare and the Ice Dragon were slowly chipping away at Belserion, weakening the mighty Sage dragon one attack at a time.

"DUCK!" Gajeel shouted.

Wendy hit the deck again, narrowly dodging another shower of ice shards. She heard Belserion utter a pain rumble as more ice buried into his scales. This couldn't go on for much longer. Wendy had a feeling that Belserion was reaching his limit. But she couldn't do much to help. She had already enchanted Belserion as much as she could, and her attacks were doing next to nothing to the Fallen dragons.

 _So much for being a dragon slayer._ She thought to herself, _I can't even slow one down._

Wendy rose to her feet, but stumbled as Motherglare once again rammed into Belserion. She turned her head to her right and saw a large grey claw descending down towards her.

"MOVE GIRLIE!" Gajeel shouted.

He was about to fire another Iron Dragon's Pillar to knock the claw away when he was suddenly hit by the Ice Dragon's tail. The Ice Dragon was ready to get up close and personal now. Gajeel skidded across Belserion's scales, small cuts forming in his skin as he slid across the jagged surface. He quickly shook of the daze in his head and looked to see Wendy staring up at the quickly falling claw like a deer in the headlights.

"WENDY!" he shouted.

The claw moved like it was in slow motion for Wendy. She could dodge it, but her body wasn't responding. She was just staring up at the black and gray talons like she was a lost little girl. She was took paralyzed by shock to move. The claw was now inches away. She calmly closed her eyes and accepted what might be the end.

Heat. Heat unlike any Wendy had ever felt rushed across Belserion. It was so hot that it felt like she was roasting in an oven. What was more, she didn't feel any claws crushing her. She was still standing. She cautiously opened her right eye and saw a wave of fire enveloping Motherglare's claw. The massive grey dragon howled in agony and instinctively jerked it's claw away from the fire.

"NICE SHOT ATLAS!" she heard a familiar, rowdy voice shout out across the night sky.

Wendy's head snapped over to Belserion's tail and she saw a fiery inferno approaching her.

"Is that a fireball?" Gajeel asked as he slowly got to his feet.

Wendy took a closer look and saw what seemed like a dragon's face in the fire. Some of the flames were outstretched like flaming wings. It was a fire dragon. A pure fired dragon. And on it's back was a grinning, pink haired man with tan skin. Wendy let a triumphant smile come across her face.

"Nope." Wendy grinned, "That's Natsu."

"EH?" Gajeel narrowed his eyes and saw the pink haired dragon slayer on the fire dragon's back. A wide grin formed on Gajeel's face as well, "I'll be damned. He made a dragon friend."

The Ice Dragon flew up above Belserion, roared out in triumphant, then dived down at Belserion's back. It was aiming to wrap its powerful jaws and claws around Belserion and drag the Sage Dragon down to the ground. Wendy's eyes looked up and widened as she realized this.

"Gajeel…" She said nervously.

"Salamander! Above!" Gajeel shouted while pointing at the ice dragon.

"Gotcha!"

The fire dragon's flaming wings beat furiously in the air as it sped forward to intercept the Ice Dragon. The Ice dragon didn't' know what hit him. It looked like a massive inferno hit the pale blue lizard and sent it plummeting down to the earth. Belserion's own yellow eyes widened as he saw the Ice Dragon fall back to the ground, engulfed in fire.

"Atlas flame?" Belserion whispered in shock before craning his neck to see an old foe flying up beside him.

"Nice to see you Belserion!" The fire dragon rasped, "It's been far too long."

"Hi Belserion!" Natsu waved from Atlas Flame's back.

Motherglare had back off, her dark eyes narrowing at the two conversing dragons. She was now facing two opponents. This was something the ancient dragon was not anticipating.

"But… you are a Fallen." Belserion muttered in shock.

"Was, I was a Fallen." Atlas Flame replied, "Igneel's brat knocked some sense into me." he finished gesturing to Natsu.

"Igneel's brat?" Belserion looked over at Natsu who replied with a toothy grin, "He certainly has that fire dragon's carefree attitude." Belserion's gaze then returned to Atlas Flame and a grin came across Belserion's face, "It's good to have you back old friend."

"It's good to be back." Atlas Flame rasped back.

Belserion's eyes returned to Motherglare, who was cautiously hovering a few dozen yards away from the two dragons.

"Motherglare eh?" Atlas Flame muttered.

"She's been a pain in my ass for too long." Belserion growled.

"I can agree with you on that." Atlas Flame replied, "How do you want to handle this Belserion?"

Belserion hummed for a moment, thinking hard on a strategy, "We have three dragon slayers helping us. We have the advantage in numbers. But she is tough. I don't know how many times I've rammed her with my head. What we need to do, is take her out from above."

"She's heavily armored above." Atlas Flame replied with skepticism in his voice.

"I know. But the top of her head, like any other dragon, only has scales and a skull, no muscles. If we can get a strong hit up there, we may be able to knock her out of this fight."

"Concuss her." Atlas Flame nodded, "Then take her out. She'll figure that out if we try it."

"That's why we aren't going to try it." Belserion looked back at Gajeel and Wendy, "They are."

Wendy and Gajeel's eyes widened.

"You want us to get on top of Motherglare?" Wendy muttered fearfully.

"I believe you can do it." Belserion replied, "You have proven your metal as dragon slayers. You have survived not only an Ice Dragon, but you are surviving Motherglare. Few dragon slayers can say that."

Wendy gulped then nodded, "I'll do it."

"Gihi!" Gajeel smacked a fist into an open palm, "I'm ready let's do this."

"I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW!" Natsu bellowed.

Belserion chuckled and looked over at Atlas Flame who was shaking his own head in disbelief.

"The enthusiasm of humans." Atlas Flame rasped.

"It's infectious isn't it?" Belserion laughed.

"It's perplexing." The fire dragon replied.

"LAST ONE ON THE DRAGON BUYS DINNER!" Natsu shouted.

"YOU'RE ON SALAMANDER!" Gajeel shouted back.

"I take that as a sign that we should start." Atlas rasped.

"Yes," Belserion gathered magic into his jaws, "Let's start!"

He opened his jaws wide and a massive beam of white magic rocketed towards Motherglare. The terrifying grey dragon responded by quickly ducking under the breath attack and charging at Belserion while he was recovering. Motherglare opening her jaws wide and was about to wrap them around Belserion's throat when a fiery blaze hit her in the side. Atlas Flame had latched onto her left side with his fiery claws and he sank his teeth into the grey dragon's back.

"GO SON OF IGNEEL!" Atlas growled.

"Right!" Natsu jumped from Atlas Flame's back and onto the heavily armored back of Motherglare.

"Gajeel! Go!" Belserion snarled as he latched onto Motherglare's other side.

The Iron Dragon Slayer jumped up onto Motherglare who was practically screaming out in pain as both flames and bone shredded her grey scales. The entire grey dragon was rumbling as she tried to shake Belserion and Atlas Flame off.

"I'm going to beat you there Salamander!" Gajeel taunted as he raced up Motherglare's long neck.

"In your dreams metal head!" Natsu shouted back as he picked up his own pace.

Motherglare felt the little insects on her back. And they were irritating her. She braced her body and tucked her legs into her torso. Belserion immediately saw what she was going to do.

"Back away Atlas! She's going to do a death roll!" Belserion warned.

Atlas immediately unlatched himself from Motherglare's side. Just as he back away she began to spin violently in the air, like an alligator in a river. The violent spinning threw both Gajeel and Natsu off of her back. Belserion moved quickly and caught both falling dragon slayers in his claws. Motherglare continued to role, using it as a defensive tactic. She knew they were aiming for her skull now, that was why the little humans had jumped on her back. If she just kept spinning then her enemies wouldn't be able to hit her head.

Suddenly, Atlas Flame rushed at Motherlgare and hit her from the side. His flaming jaws wrapped around the back of her armored neck, stopping her death roll in it's tracks. Motherglare snarled and angrily swiped at Atlas Flame. Her massive claws dug into Atlas Flames' underbelly, leaving hot gashes in his stomach. Molten magma seemed to flow out of the wounds like blood. Wendy could see that Atlas Flame was in a lot of pain from the deep gashes.

Motherglare raked her claws across Atlas Flame again, causing more fissures to erupt in his flaming body. The fire dragon howled in pain, but held firm.

"Belserion! Hit her now!" Atlas Flame roared painfully.

"GO WENDY!" Belserion shouted as he shot towards Motherglare and pinned her right side.

Wendy braced for the impact. Her body jostled on Belserion's back as the two massive dragon's collided with each other. She quickly looked across and Atlas Flame and saw more rivers of lava were pouring from the deep wounds in his underbelly. Her brown eyes widened as she saw his flames beginning to flicker. Atlas Flame couldn't hold on much longer. She had to move quickly.

Wendy jumped to her feet and sprinted onto Motherglare. Her feet carried her quickly up Motherglare's back and onto her neck. The massive grey dragon tucked her legs in once again to attempt another death roll. But Belserion dug his claws further into Motherglare, holding the fallen dragon firmly in place. Atlas Flames' fire had gone from a blazing yellow to a dark red as Wendy rushed up to Motherglare's head.

The Sky Dragon slayer quickly spun her arms, summoning every last once of sky magic in her body.

" **SKY DRAGON'S CYCLONE FIST!"**

Her small hand plummeted down to Motherglare's head. Wendy's hand was practically glowing from how fast the wind was spinning around her fist. Time seemed to slow as Wendy's fist slammed into the back of Motherglare's head. The wind whipped up around Wendy like a violent hurricane as she muscled her way through Motherglare's dark grey scales until she hit bone. When a sickening crack rang out over the sky, Wendy knew she hand landed the perfect punch. Motheglare's dark eyes widened as scales flew off of her head. A rumbling croak came out of her jaws as the massive grey dragon went limp in the sky. Wendy quickly jumped into the air as Belserion and Atlas Flame dropped Motherglare.

Wendy fell quickly to the ground. She let out a scream as she rocketed away from Belserion. The Sage Dragon was quickly chasing her down, trying to reach out and grab her. When Wendy was just feet away from the ground she felt two small paws grab the back of her dress.

"I got you." Carla said as her angelic wings flapped and carried Wendy away from the ground.

"Carla!" Wendy cried as she looked back to see her best friend carrying her towards Belserion, who had landed beside Atlas Flame.

"You need to be more careful Wendy!" Carla exclaimed, "You almost gave me a heart attack." Carla sighed, "I'm glad you are safe though."

"All thanks to you coming in at the last second." Wendy smiled, her sharp canines glinting in the firelight.

"You're welcome child." Carla replied as the pair made it over to Belserion.

Wendy's eyes widened as she saw a pile of flames lying down on the ground. Hot magma spilled out of Atlas Flame as he lay on the ground, smoke puffing out of his nostrils. Natsu was kneeling beside him, teary eyed.

"Oh no." Wendy breathed.

Atlas Flame's fiery body was practically brown in color now. His flames were dying out. Already, his tail no longer existed. Wendy's feet hit the ground and she quickly rushed up to the wounded dragon. She had used a lot of her power in the battle against Motherglare, but she could still use some healing magic. She placed her hands near the cooling flames and let as much magic pour into Atlas Flame as she could.

"Wendy…" Natsu trembled.

"Young one." Belserion gently pushed Wendy's arms down, "It's too late for him."

Wendy's eyes became watery, "No…" She croaked.

Natsu wiped some tears from his eyes, "I won't cry." He said, "Igneel wouldn't want me to cry."

"Nonsense." Atlas Flame rasped weakly, "Igneel himself would cry. He always did when one of his brethren fell in battle." Atlas Flame's fiery eyes gently looked up at Belserion, "Motherglare got me good didn't she?"

"She did." Belserion replied lowly, his bony head bowed so he was looking Atlas Flame in the eye.

Atlas Flame snorted, "Well… at least I pass on like a true dragon would." Wendy watched as the rest of his flames began to die out, "And… I have you… to thank for that…" His fiery head began to die out, "Natsu… son… of… Igneel."

The flames disappeared, leaving only scorched earth as evidence of Atlas Flame's existence. Belserion bowed his head.

"Farewell, old friend." The Sage Dragon whispered.

"But-But.." Natsu's shoulders shook, "You-you still have to see Igneel. You can't die Atlas! Not yet!"

"Natsu…" Wendy closed her eyes and embraced the mourning dragon slayer, "It'll be ok Natsu."

Gajeel was standing beside Belserion, head bowed in respect just like the sage dragon. The fire dragon had died a worthy death. He went down like a true dragon, fighting.

"Who caused this?" Belserion growled now.

"Hm?" Gajeel replied.

"Who opened the gate? Who let us pass through to this time?" Gajeel could practically feel the anger flowing like waves from Belserion.

"He's still at the Eclipse gate." Gajeel replied, "He referred to himself as a Sith Lord."

Belserion's yellow eyes narrowed and the ground seemed to shake as he let power leak out of him.

"Another dark lord causes my kind pain." Belserion growled before looking over at the closed Eclipse gate, "Another dark lord to put in the ground."

The Sage Dragon began to storm towards the gate when several red lightsabers ignited around him and the dragon slayers. Their low hum rang through the air causing Wendy's hair to stand on end. Belserion's fury only grew as he saw the red blades.

"And more Sith to destroy."

….

Erza's eyes were as wide as balloons as she listened carefully to what Revan was saying. Her mouth hung open a little as he told her specifically what she had to do in order to use this power and battle Plagueis. Her eyes darted over to Joshua, who was lying on the ground.

 _This is the power that you have inside of you!?_ She thought in shock.

It was both incredible and terrifying. It felt like raw energy was coursing through her veins, doing everything it could to break out of her body. The raw power inside of her made her tremble. It didn't feel like magic power.

" _It's not magic power. So you cannot treat it as such."_ Revan stated calmly.

 _Then how am I supposed to use it?_ Erza replied, still trying to wrap her head around all the different aspects to this power. From what Revan explained, if used correctly, this power could enhance her strength, speed, dexterity, as well as give her telekinetic powers she could could only imagine of. It all seemed so complicated, yet Revan made it sound so simple.

" _Trust in the force. Trust in yourself, Erza."_

Erza's brown eyes returned to look at the battle in front of her. Starkiller was desperately trying to hold off Plagueis. The duel was becoming increasingly one sided as Plagueis's experience and power began to overwhelm Starkiller. It took all of his energy and focus just to delfect hacks and slashes coming from both of Plagueis's sabers.

" _He can't hold out much longer, Erza."_ Revan said, " _You need to attack."_

 _I-I-I can't._

" _Erza…"_

 _I don't know how to use this power! Joshua was always enraged when he used it as a kid. Yet, you told me I couldn't let my anger or anything like that take over or Plagueis would use that against me! How am I supposed to use this power then!?_

Revan was quiet for a moment, " _Use it the light way. Not the Jedi way, but the light way. The dark way is through negative emotions. Anger, fear, pain, hatred, that is what fuels the dark side of the force. The light side of the force is fuel through compassion, peace, selflessness, and… love."_

Erza's eyes widened.

" _How much do you wish to protect those you love?"_

 _I want to protect them with every fiber of my being._ Erza replied as she looked back at Joshua who had fallen unconscious on the ground.

" _Then that is all you need to unleash your powers. Let those feelings you have burst forth like a supernova, and Plagueis will stand no chance."_

Erza understood it now. This power, it relied heavily on feelings and emotion. Her feelings of love and compassion were what fueled the force in her. It gave her strength she could've only dreamed of before. A shaky breath left Erza's lips as she steadied her breathing. Her brown eyes narrowed at Plagueis. The Dark Lord had knocked Starkiller to the ground and was hammering away at Starkiller's weak guard. Erza's thumb ran over the activation button on her lightsaber hilt. The white blade roared to life with a loud hum.

" _And now… you understand your power."_

Erza charged. She quickly cleared the space between her and Plagueis. Just as Plagueis was about to bring both of his sabers down on Starkiller, Erza's lightsaber lashed out and caught them mid air. Erza was stunned. Her arms didn't buckle from Plagueis's blow. In fact, she held completely firm.

" _ **So, you wish for your death to come now?"**_ Plagueis growled, " _ **Weren't you ever taught how to wait your turn?"**_

Erza glared at Plagueis's glowing crimson eye. For the first time during this entire fight, she wasn't afraid of that evil stare. Warmth seemed to be washing over her as she felt the strange power give to her by Joshua burst to life in her. Plagueis's eye widened momentarily before he glared hatefully at the red head. He felt it, the light side of the force was burning bright in this woman. He had only felt this power in a rare few.

" _ **Jedi!"**_ he snarled.

"No," Erza replied, "I'm a wizard from Fairy Tail!"

The red haired knight shoved Plagueis's blades away.

" _Strike right, then prepare to block a counter strike on the left."_ She heard Revan's voice in her mind, instructing her on how to best Plagueis.

Erza followed his orders to the letter. She trusted his guidance. Joshua held Revan in high esteem if he was willing to call the voice his teacher. She would be foolish to not treat his words with the same respect. After all, Joshua didn't give out his respect lightly. It had to be earned. Starkiller had earned it in their duel during the battle royale. Macao had earned it after all of those hours of card games. She had earned it by teaching him everything she knew and then some. If Joshua trusted Revan, then she would too.

Just as Revan predicted, her attack was blocked by Plagueis's red blade. She quickly pulled her own sword back and deflected a sweeping stroke at her head from Plagueis's green blade.

" _Kick him in the chest. Aim for that hole."_

Erza quickly complied. Her leg snapped out and she planted her foot into Plagueis's chest. The Sith Lord let out a pained growl as she kicked his wounded chest.

" _Low strike, try to take his legs out at the hips."_

Erza's white sword darted low. Plagueis's was caught off guard. The sudden sweeping blow was highly aggressive! Was this woman using Juyo!? He reached down with his green saber and caught her white blade, initiating a blade lock.

" _Back away now!"_

Erza darted away from Plaguies, her lightsaber sliding along his green saber before the two stopped clashing.

" _Can you do flips?"_

 _Not in armor._ Erza replied, _Too heavy._

" _Then I suggest losing the armor."_

 _What'd you say!_

" _For practical purposes."_ Revan finished quickly, " _Lightsabers can cut through that armor easily. No need to hamper your agility and speed when it won't do a damn when it comes to protecting you."_

Erza nodded, _Fair point._

" **Requip!"** Erza was engulfed in a bright golden light. Within seconds she reappeared wearing long, baggy red pants with a flame pattern on the sides as well as bandages covering her breasts.

" _As little weight as possible. Good choice."_

 _Now I can do a flip._

" _Good to know. Use the force to bolster your jumping. When I tell you to, leap over Plagueis and cut the bastard in half."_

Erza hesitated as he said this, _What?_

" _BLOCK RIGHT!"_

Erza shook of her surprise and blocked a savage chop from Plagueis.

" _ **I'm impressed woman. It seems I may have underestimated your abilities."**_ Plagueis commented, " _ **Did the brat teach you all of this?"**_

Erza shook her head.

" _ **Then who did? I'm curious."**_

"Just a voice in my head named Revan." Erza replied before ending the blade lock and jumping back.

Plagueis lowered his blades, anger evident in his face.

" _ **Revan!?"**_ he spat out the name with venom, " _ **That damn traitor!"**_

"Traitor?"

" _ **He hasn't told you? His full title is Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith."**_

Erza's eyes widened in shock. Revan was a Sith! But how did he know all of this light side stuff.

" _ **He manipulating you woman."**_

" _Don't listen to him."_ Revan replied, his voice as calm as ever, " _What he says is true. I was a Sith Lord. But I was also once a Jedi. And I like to think that if I was alive today, I'd help rebuild the Jedi. He is the enemy Erza. Not me."_

Erza glared back at Plagueis. _Revan._

" _Yes?"_

 _Joshua trusts you?_

" _He does."_

 _Then I would be stupid not to._

If Revan still had a body he would've smiled. " _I'm glad to hear that. Now, you've managed to enrage him by mentioning my name. That won't exactly work in our favor."_

 _Oops._

" _Be prepared for him to up the ante. He is growing very irritated with this fight."_

" _ **Well woman?"**_ Plagueis continued, " _ **What do you think?"**_

Erza glared at Plagueis, "I think you're full of shit."

" _Are you trying to make him angry!?"_

 _I got a plan!_

" _It better be a good plan or you're not going to survive this."_

Plagueis's rage began to boil over. This woman, this human, dared to mock him. She dared to make him out as nothing more than a simple opponent! He was Darth Plagueis, the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy. And this woman was about to learn that. He charged at her once again, lightsabers dancing in his hands. A whirlwind of green and red light filled Erza's vision as she deflected the lightsabers.

 _Revan!_

" _Yes?"_

 _How do I push him?_

" _Well you place your hand on him and-"_

 _WITH THE FORCE!_

 __" _Right. Gather the force into your hand, and shove it out like a wave. Imagine he is one of your swords and you are trying to throw him with your telekinesis."_

 _Got it!_

 __"Starkiller!" Erza shouted as the other Sith Apprentice groaned and got to his feet, activating his lightsaber.

"What?" he mumbled as Erza did her best to block Plagueis's attacks.

"CATCH!" She shouted.

"Catch?"

Erza felt the force rise up in her body and surge to her hand. She stretched out her palm and shot it out like a cannon. Plagueis' felt the wind leave his body as he was suddenly shoved across the battlefield towards Starkiller.

Starkiller smirked a little. Catch? Oh he'd catch this bastard alright. Starkiller stepped to the side, his lightsaber activating in his hands. He quickly swung the glowing red blade at Plagueis. At the last second, Plagueis twisted to the side, avoid the sword from cutting him in half. However, he felt Starkiller's red blade lop his right arm off.

Plagueis howled in pain as he skidded along the ruined ground, right arm now missing and green lightsaber lying broken on the cold ground.

" _I see… nice plan."_

Erza grinned, "Way to disarm him Starkiller!"

The sith apprentice glanced over at her, "Really?" he shook his head, "That damn pun."

"It was a great pun!"

"It was terrible." he grumbled as he stomped towards Plagueis, red blade humming in his hands.

Plagueis wasn't moving on the ground. He just lay there in a crumpled heap, curled up around the stumpe that was once his right arm. Starkiller scowled as he stood over the Sith Lord.

"Pathetic." Starkiller stated.

A red flash went across Starkiller's vision and he felt burning pain in his abdomen. The young Sith apprentice glanced down and saw an unstable red blade jammed into his stomach, a cybernetic left hand clasping the hilt.

" _ **Your forgot an arm."**_ Plagueis snarled as he ripped the lightsaber out of Starkiller.

The young man cringed and fell to the side. This was the worst pain he had ever felt. And he had felt pain in his lifetime. After all, his old master was Darth Vader.

" _ **Foolish boy."**_ Plagueis groaned as he slowly rose back to his feet, " _ **Too stupid to remember who he is dealing with."**_

"Starkiller!" Erza shouted.

Starkiller groaned and rolled onto his back. His breathing was growing labored as he fought to remain conscious.

" _ **You're dead already."**_ Plagueis growled, " _ **Now excuse me, I have to deal with a nuisance that I should've taken care of years ago."**_

Erza clenched her saber tightly. Small amounts of anger began to leak out of her.

" _Erza don't! He'll turn that anger against you!"_

Erza didn't hear Revan. She let out a loud cry and charged at Plagueis. Plagueis held his red blade steady in his left hand.

" _ **Yes… come to me and die."**_

Erza feinted a thrust at Plagueis's chest. The Dark Lord smirked as he fell for the feint. It was too easy fighting this one. She was so predictable.

Suddenly Erza yanked her blade back, throwing Plagueis off balance as his parry met nothing but air. Erza summoned the force around her, using it to propel her over Plagueis's head. She flipped through the air and landed behind Plagueis before slashing her white blade across his body. She watched as the white lightsaber cut through Plagueis' torso, sending both blood and sparks flying through the air. Plagueis let out a shocked cry as he felt the lightsaber burn through his body and separate his legs from his torso. Loud, labored breaths left Plagueis's lungs just before he saw the white blade come into his vision yet again. Then he saw nothing.

….

Meldy groaned. Her throat hurt like hell. Then again, she was choking for a while before someone finally intervened. She felt a sharp pain in her forehead and winced before rubbing it. A massive migraine was going through her head, making it feel like hammers were pounding the inside of her skull. She groaned in the dirt before slowly pushing herself up on her elbows. Her eyes blinked and her head pounded as the light from the many fires in Crocus made her migraine even worse. She squeezed her eyes shut again and took a few deep breaths before slowly cracking them open. It didn't hurt as much this time. Now instead of hammers it felt like rubber mallets inside of her head.

 _Great._ She thought sarcastically.

All thoughts of the migraine vanished though as he eyes fell upon Erza and who she thought was Darth Sanguine. Erza was charging at him and about to stab him through the chest. She saw the grin on his face like he was anticipating such a move when suddenly Erza flipped over the enemy, landed behind him, and slashed her saber through his body, bisecting him at the hips. Meldy's eyes widened then as she saw Erza chop at the enemy's head and cut it free from his shoulders in the blink of an eye.

The headless body slowly flopped into three separate pieces. Just as the body hit the ground, an explosion of dark energy burst out of the body. A long, haunting moan rang out over the sky before the dark energy finally disappeared without a trace. Darth Plagueis had been defeated.

Erza huffed as she tried to catch her breath. Then she saw what she did. The lightsaber deactivated and fell out of her grasp, clattering against rubble on the ground. The red haired knight fell backwards, eyes wide and heart racing.

 _I-I killed him._ She thought. Her entire body felt numb as she stared at the lifeless body.

" _Yes you did Erza."_

"I killed him." She repeated aloud, shock evident in her voice.

" _Erza… you did what had to be done. If you hadn't killed Plagueis, then he would've only returned to destroy more live."_

"I-I still killed him. I took a life." Erza looked at her hands, the instruments with which she delivered the death blow, "What have I done?"

" _You did what was necessary Erza."_

"Necessary?" she whispered to herself, "Since when did it become necessary to take a life?"

" _Since your planet became enveloped in a conflict thousands of years old."_ Revan stated, " _Erza, if you hadn't killed him. He would've killed you, and he would've killed everyone you cared about."_

Erza gulped, her hands still violently shaking. She fought back some tears as that moment replayed in her mind. Her arms swinging quickly, lightsaber slashing through Plagueis's neck. She squeezed her eyes shut and her whole body began to tremble.

"ERZA!" she heard a woman shout out.

Erza slowly opened her eyes again and she saw Lucy running towards them with Happy by her side.

Lucy was thrilled to see Erza alive. But then she saw the battlefield. Three bodies lay on the ground. One was sliced into three pieces. One was writhing in pain, hand clasped over his abdomen. And the third was lying on the ground, shivering as cold sweat drenched his body. She then saw the faraway stare in Erza's eyes as the red head blankly looked out at her.

"Oh no." Lucy muttered as she sprinted up to Erza, "Happy! Find Natsu and Wendy! Quickly!"

"Aye sir!" Happy's angelic wings appeared and he jetted off to where they both saw the dragons land after their titanic clash with Motherglare ended.

Lucy skidded to a halt beside Erza and knelt down beside her trembling friend.

"Erza?"

"I-I killed him." Erza muttered as she kept staring at Darth Plagueis's body.

Lucy followed her stare to the dismembered corpse of Plagueis. The blonde gulped but chose to ignore it. Erza needed some help right now.

"Hey…" Lucy placed a hand on Erza's shoulder. Her skin was clammy and drenched in sweat, "It's ok. Natsu and Wendy are on their way." Lucy heard a dragon utter a triumphant roar, "And it sounds like Belserion finished off the last of the Sith Warriors." She smiled, "It's over now Erza."

Erza stared blankly forward. Lucy heard someone cry out and she saw Natsu and Wendy jetting towards them with Carla and Happy carrying them. Lucy wrapped an arm around Erza.

"It's over now."

 **And chapter! Done! The battle is done! Holy smokes that was a lot of action! There will be one more chapter to this arc, but that is mostly just to tie things up with it. Then we will a have a few filler chapters before the Tartaros arc and the arrival of some new players from the galaxy. I bet you can guess who. Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	67. Chapter 67: Aftermath

**Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay on a new chapter! Life got kinda busy and I also wanted to take some time and plan out the story going forward. Ok, we've got a new chapter now! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 67

The night air was finally silent. There were no more screams, no more roars, just peace and quiet. All Joshua could hear now was the sounds of crackling fires and his own, labored breathing. After every other exhale he'd wince, feeling the residual effects of giving up all of his power and pouring it into Erza. He had no strength left, and no power as well. He couldn't even stretch out with the force and sense anyones locations. There was nothing left in him and Joshua was completely exhausted.

Occasionally, the silence was broken by Lucy attempting to comfort a traumatized Erza. Starkiller's groans were also heard through the night air as he was placed beside him by Natsu. Joshua winced and glanced over at the other force user.

"Quit your whining." Joshua grumbled, "I've seen worse."

"Fuck you." Starkiller groaned as he held his right hand over his bandaged stomach.

The others had found Joshua and his friends a few minutes after the last of the Sith Warriors were defeated. The first to reach them were of course Natsu and Wendy. Wendy had originally attempted to heal Joshua but he told her to focus on Starkiller. His injuries were the result of losing his powers not any physical wounds. And Wendy's speciality was physical injuries. As she was healing Starkiller, Jellal eventually showed up with Azuma. His appearance at first startled Princess Hisui, who had been taking cover behind a large pile of rubble. But once she saw how friendly the Fairy Tail guild members were to the fugitives, she relaxed.

Finally, as Starkiller was placed beside Joshua, Master Makarov and the majority of the other guild members made their way to their location.

As Makarov approached the battlefield he took in the scene before him. The entire area looked decimated. Nothing was left of the palace Mercurius. The only structure standing for at least a mile in all directions was the Eclipse Gate. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the massive bronze structure and silently sighed. They were lucky someone closed the gate. His concerned stare then fell on his children that were present at the epicenter of the battle.

Joshua was lying beside Starkiller. He didn't have any physical injuries, but he seemed to be out of commission. Natsu was standing beside a massive white dragon that was talking to Hisui about how to possibly destroy the Eclipse gate. Gray was resting next to some rubble with Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, and the Strauss siblings. Wendy was tending to everyone's injuries, and she was clearly overexerting herself. But from Makarov could see, everyone was in high spirits. They had all come out of this alive. The only ones that seemed to be somewhat somber was Crime Sorciere.

Then his eyes finally fell on Lucy and Erza. Makarov's heart stopped as he saw the expression on Erza's face. Or more accurately, the lack of any emotion whatsoever. She just had a thousand yard stare in her eyes. The red haired knight was staring directly at Makarov, but it was like she couldn't see him despite her unblinking gaze. Lucy was sitting beside Erza, arm wrapped over her friend's shoulder as she tried to get Erza to calm down.

 _What caused that?_

 __Makarov got his answer when he saw the body in front of Erza. His heart went to his throat as he saw that the body had been beheaded and chopped in half. Beside the body, was a silver cylinder that Makarov recognized as the same strange sword Erza used in her battle against Starkiller during the Grand Magic Games. Upon seeing all of this, he finally understood the reason Erza looked out of it.

 _She… she killed that man!_ Makarov realized.

Both horror and sympathy filled him. Erza was one of the most powerful wizards he had ever seen, but she was also highly adverse to killing. Even when she was at her angriest, she would never endanger another human being's life. Even if they were an enemy. His old eyes closed. Another one of his children's innocence was lost due to conflict. His old heart was practically breaking. Erza was like his own daughter. To see her in such a state right now, he could barely hold back his own tears.

"Lucy." The aged third master made his way up to the blonde mage, "Do you know what happened?"

The blonde shook her head, "I didn't see anything. But Erza…" She looked at the redhead, "She hasn't moved since I arrived."

Makarov nodded and walked up to Erza, "Erza."

The redhead didn't reply. Her stare fell back down to the dismembered body in front of her.

"Erza." Makarov said again in a comforting tone.

"I killed him." Erza whispered.

Makarov closed his eyes, "I know." He sighed, "I know."

"I killed him."

Makarov exhaled, "Just rest Erza. You need to rest. We will… discuss what happened later." He was already dreading that discussion.

The old man patted Erza on the shoulder before walking away towards Jellal. The former wizard saint glanced down at the master of Fairy Tail.

"Any clue as to what happened exactly?"

Jellal shook his head, "If there is anyone who might know, it'd probably be Joshua."

Makarov sighed, "I had a feeling you'd say that."

"The dragon, Belserion, he might know some things as well." Jellal continued, "I already had a chat with him. I suggest you do the same, Makarov."

The short, old man nodded, "That'd probably be a good idea." He let out another heavy sigh. He hated seeing his children in pain like this, "I'm going to go talk with Wendy. See if she is doing ok."

Jellal nodded turned to talk with Azuma while Makarov quickly walked over to the blue haired, sky dragon slayer. The young woman was sitting beside Joshua with severely irritated look on her face.

"What did I tell you?" Wendy sighed as she shook her head.

"Not to do anything stupid." Joshua winced.

"And?"

"I did something stupid."

Wendy shook her head, "Yes you did." She glared at Joshua, "And now, you have magic deficiency disease!"

Joshua gulped as she gave him an angry glare. He then smirked a little, "At least you won't have to put me back together this time."

"Porlyusica has to instead." Wendy grumbled before sighing, "I'm just glad you're ok."

"Somewhat ok." Joshua replied.

"Bleh…" Starkiller winced, "This mushy crap is making me sick."

"Jealous." Joshua snapped back at him.

"Fuck off already!" Starkiller snarled before wincing and sitting up.

"I wouldn't recommend doing that!" Wendy warned as she watched the warrior slowly get to his feet.

Starkiller stumbled and tilted his neck, popping it in several places. As he did this, Master Makarov approached them. The old man gazed up at Starkiller and gave him a warm smile.

"I wanted to thank you for helping my children today."

Starkiller just glanced down at the old man. He said nothing in reply. Instead, he rubbed his abdomen and began to walk away. Makarov's smile faded a little as the young man called his lightsaber back to his grasp, clipped it to his belt, then began to walk away from the area.

"He's a friendly one isn't he?" He said to Joshua sarcastically.

"He's a pain in the ass." Joshua replied, "But if it wasn't for him, we most likely would've lost."

Wendy helped Joshua sit up, all the while she let her healing magic flow into him, trying to ease the pain he was feeling. Joshua's weary eyes looked at Makarov.

"I'm guessing you have some questions."

"I have a lot of questions." Makarov replied.

Joshua nodded, "Understandable." He looked over at Erza and saw Lucy helping the redhead to her feet and walking her towards the newly arrived Porlyusica, "How's Erza?"

Makarov sighed, "Traumatized. She did just kill someone."

Makarov was surprised when Joshua closed his eyes and grimaced, "I shouldn't have let her do that. It was a mistake." He looked over at Makarov, "In order to properly explain this situation to you, I'm going to need some time. And… I'm already on the verge of unconsciousness." Joshua grinned a little, "Can our talk wait until we get back to the guild?"

Makarov let a small smile form underneath his bushy mustache, "Of course." As he said this Joshua blacked out. The old man looked back at Wendy.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Wendy nodded, "A little tired. But I can still help."

"Don't over do it Wendy." Makarov warned, "Last thing we need is for you to succumb to magic deficiency disease."

"I'll keep that in mind." The sky dragon slayer replied as she gently set Joshua back down on the ground and let him rest, "Are you about to go speak with Belserion?"

Makarov nodded, "It'll be interesting to see what an actual dragon has to say."

"He's a lot like you ya know." Wendy told him.

"How so?"

"Very powerful, very protective of his friends, a little bit of a scatterbrain." Wendy smirked, "You two will get along really well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think Juvia just broke Gray again."

As she said that, Gray yelped out in pain while Juvia shouted an apology. Wendy rose to her feet and stomped over to the pair while Makarov strode over to Belserion, who was having a long conversation with Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue. As soon as the Sage Dragon saw Makarov approaching, the mighty beast nodded for the four dragon slayers to leave for a moment. All four respectfully bowed to the dragon, something Makarov had never seen Natsu or Gajeel do to anyone, and left him alone with the massive white dragon.

"Greetings." Makarov smiled, "I'm Master Makarov, of the Fairy Tail guild."

Belserion lowered his large head so that he was equal with Makarov's height. Even then though, his large yellow eyes were still slightly higher than the short old man.

"I'm Belserion, the sage dragon." he rumbled in reply, "I've heard much about you Makarov. Natsu speaks glowingly of you."

Makarov grinned, "He probably exaggerated a little bit."

"I figured he was when he said he could beat you in a fight."

"That little brat!" Makarov roared as he whipped his head to see Natsu already brawling with Gajeel and Gray.

Makarov's attention returned to Belserion when he heard the sage dragon let out a low laugh.

"It's refreshing to see such youthful faces be dragon slayers." The massive dragon said, "They had so many questions for me, I barely got through answering some of them when you showed up."

"I'm sure they do." Makarov laughed, "They are an inquisitive bunch."

"Indeed." Belserion sighed, "And I will have time to answer them, it seems I may be stuck in this time."

"Stuck?"

Belserion nodded, "It appears that the Eclipse Gate is a time portal of sorts. One that can be opened and allow an unlimited number of creatures or people to pass through to a new time." Belserion explained, "We however, cannot afford to open it and let me go through. The Sith Warriors and Dragons on the other side would come streaming through again. And I don't know how well we'd fare if that happened a second time."

Makarov grimaced, "I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will find this time to your liking."

"Well… there is no war. That's a pleasant change." Belserion replied, "However, I do sense the presence of a Dark Lord and Aconologia. Two things that I must avoid. I cannot stay for much longer. If I do, one of them will come here. And that won't end well."

Makarov nodded, "I understand. I just wanted to thank you for assisting us. We are in your debt."

"No need to thank me Makarov, master of Fairy Tail." Belserion replied as his head rose from the ground, "I only did what I believe is right. Your children would've done the same for me. They are quite magnificent." The yellow eyes looked down at Makarov, "Keep an eye on those Scarlet siblings though. Their destiny is uncertain."

Belserion spread his massive white wings and flapped them once, launching himself into the night sky. He let out one long roar before disappearing into the dark clouds above. Makarov watched in awe as the dragon disappeared. He could still feel the raw power radiating from the beast as he disappeared into the night sky. Makarov trembled. He sure was glad Belserion was on their side.

The old man let out a sigh and turned to look at his children. They were all battered, bruised, and bloodied. But they were all alive. And he was forever grateful for that.

…..

Starkiller trudged through the rubble covered city back to the road he was walking before. He had a long walk ahead of him. He needed to find the best hiding spot possible. After all, it wouldn't be long before his master's attention would turn to this planet. And the last thing Starkiller wanted to do was battle Vader. The Sith Lord made Sanguine look insignificant. And Sanguine put up a hell of a fight.

He grunted and winced as he felt his stomach burning once again.

"Damn wound." he grumbled.

"You really shouldn't be walking around." said a voice behind him.

Starkiller closed his eyes grumbling to himself.

"I must've really hurt myself if I didn't sense you three." he replied turning to see the three members of Crime Sorciere behind him.

He recognized the woman with pink hair. What was her name again? Scarlet had called her Meldy, strange name. He quickly gave the other two Crime Sorciere members a once over. The guy in the back was huge. His muscles bulged out from leather armor and he gave off a calm and collected aura. Starkiller's gaze fell on the the man in the front, who he assumed was the leader of the group.

"What do you want?" He asked roughly, "I've got places to be."

"I doubt that." Meldy replied. A sharp glance from the blue haired man in the front silenced her.

"My name is Jellal Fernandez, and this is my guild, Crime Sorciere."

Starkiller stared at him, unaffected by this revelation, "So?" he asked.

"So, I was wondering if I could extend an offer to you, seeing that your guild is no longer around." Jellal said, "And you clearly have no where to go."

Starkiller furrowed his brow. This man wanted to offer him something? His curiosity was piqued.

"Why not?" he shrugged, "I'm listening."

Jellal took a deep breath, "We as a guild have come to the decision that your experience would be invaluable to us."

"Why?" Starkiller asked, trying to glean as much information as possible from the trio in front of him.

"You handled yourself well on the battlefield from what we have heard. We also heard that you have abilities similar to Joshua Scarlet."

"Maybe."

Jellal frowned, "I have personally fought Joshua. He was much younger when our battle occurred, but he was still strong, even then. I have a rough guess as to how powerful you are then. I also assume that you have knowledge about some things that Belserion spoke to me about."

"What things?" Starkiller asked.

Jellal paused for a moment, "The Sith."

Starkiller's face darkened, "What about them?"

"Are there more of them in existence?"

"You mean other than me and Scarlet?" Starkiller stated, "Yes, there are two others as far as I know. And after this past week's events, their gaze will turn to this planet. And I don't plan on being around when that happens."

"All the more reason for you to listen to my offer then. We need your help." Jellal continued, "My guild is an independent guild. Free from any restrictions. We conduct independent investigations of dark phenomenon. Whether that is monsters, dark guilds, rogue wizards, we try to take care of them before they become a threat. To me, it sounds like the Sith fit that category. I have no knowledge on them, which is an extreme disadvantage if we are to hunt down and stop them."

Starkiller knew where this guy was going, "You want me to join your guild?" He stared at Jellal, "You do realize that I nearly killed Erza Scarlet and Wendy Marvell. Sent Joshua into a rage so powerful that he could've destroyed the entire Domas Flau, and I led the Imperius guild. And despite all of that… you want me to join your guild?"

Jellal nodded, "This guild was not just founded to hunt down evil. This guild was founded as a way of redemption for all of us."

Starkiller eyes slightly widened, "You don't look evil to me."

"All of us once were." the big guy in the back said in his deep voice.

Jellal nodded, "Azuma and Meldy were once part of the most infamous dark guild in existence, Grimoire Heart." Starkiller stared at the cheery pink haired girl, shocked by that revelation, "And I… well… I did many evil things before the light shone on me again." Jellal said lowly, "This guild, we founded it as a way to repent for our evils. And we are more than willing to allow you to do the same."

Starkiller narrowed his eyes at Jellal.

 _Join his guild? Redemption? And a chance to hunt down Sith._

Starkiller glared at the trio. His face never changing from his intense expression. He did have nowhere else to go. If nothing else, this guild could give him a starting point for starting a new life on this world. And give him the resources to stay as far away from Vader as possible. He turned and began to walk away.

"I'm not wearing purple." he said.

Meldy raised an eyebrow while Jellal and Azuma stared on in silence as Starkiller began to walk down the road.

"Um… is that a no?" Meldy asked Jellal.

"Are you three coming or have you retracted your offer?" They heard Starkiller call.

Meldy's eyes widened. He actually accepted! On the one condition that he won't wear their purple colors! The former dark mage could hardly believe it. She looked over at Jellal and saw a small smile on his face.

"We're right behind you Starkiller."

"Marek." Starkiller replied, "My name is Galen Marek. I'd prefer to leave Starkiller behind."

Jellal nodded, "Of course."

Meldy smiled and rushed past Galen, "C'mon Starboy, let's get moving! There are lots of dark guilds to destroy."

Galen glared at the pink haired woman as she and Jellal strode past him, "Starboy?" he grumbled.

"Get used to it." Azuma told him, "She's got a pet name for everyone."

"C'mon Tree Branch let's go!"

Azuma sighed, "And some are better than others… I envy yours."

Galen shook his head, "I refuse to be called that."

"There's no refusing the name. Once she says it, it sticks." Azuma said before flashing a rare grin, "Just be lucky that the rest of us don't do that."

"If you ever call me that, I'll kill you." Galen growled.

"Whatever you say… Starboy." Azuma chuckled.

"I'm not a fucking Starboy!"

….

Joshua's eyes slowly opened and he felt the familiar feeling of a soft bed beneath his sore body. He stared up at an all too familiar wooden ceiling. He had practically memorized every crack and crevice in the roof above him due to how often he ended up in this room. Seeing the familiar wooden planks above him gave him a measure of comfort. He was back in the guild hall he loved. He was back in Magnolia, away from Crocus and the Eclipse gate. His eyes winced as he sat up in the bed. The effects of magic deficiency disease were still affecting him. The white sheets rolled off of him as he propped himself up against the headboard. His head bumped back against the headboard as he let out a small groan, his stiff muscles protesting his every move.

"I got my ass kicked." He grumbled before throwing the white sheets off of him and swinging his stiff legs out from the bed and onto the floor.

Before he stood out of the bed, he rolled his shoulders, feeling the joints pop in places. His cybernetic hand reached back and scratched the back of his neck before he yawned and stood up. As he did this he realized, he was shirtless. Joshua yawned again and glanced around looking for some clothes. That was when the door to the guild hall infirmary opened.

"I just need to check up on him." Wendy shouted back to the guild hall as she pushed the door open. As soon as she turned to enter the room her face turned red.

"Hey Wendy…" Joshua yawned, "Mind telling me where my clothes are."

*SLAM*

Wendy quickly retreated from the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Joshua raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Ok then." He yawned again, "At least I still have pants on."

Joshua trudged over to the door and quietly pulled it open. Rubbing his right eye, he stepped out into the main room of the guild hall.

The guild hall was lively once again. Even though they didn't have the numbers from before, Fairy Tail was still causing a massive ruckus. Already, a small brawl (Small compared to ones Joshua had witnessed) had broken out in the dining area. Joshua shook his head and had a smirk on his lips. As always, Natsu and Gray were at the center of the brawl. He laughed to himself before trudging over to the old, familiar bar. Mira was standing behind the bar, drying a large mug while chatting with Cana.

"I wonder what got into Wendy?" Cana mumbled before taking a large gulp of alcohol from a barrel balanced on her right thigh.

"She's probably just shy." Mira smiled. Her blue eyes widened as she saw Joshua trudge up to the bar and pull up a stool.

"Good morning." He mumbled.

"It's two in the afternoon." Cana replied.

"Oh… how long was I out?"

"A day." Cana replied, "Pretty good for you."

Joshua laughed, "Shortest time I've ever been unconscious in the infirmary. I think that's cause for celebration." As he said this, Mira slid a drink over to him. Joshua quickly thanked her and took a sip.

"Hey Cana."

"What's up kid?" the card mage replied.

Joshua frowned, "I'm technically almost as old as you."

"And I'm technically in my mid twenties." Cana replied, "But a stupid dragon prevented me growing up a little. By my logic, I can still call you kid."

"Whatever." Joshua snorted back, "Have you seen gramps?"

Cana shook her head, "He's been in his office with Erza all day." She looked over at Joshua, "What exactly happened in Crocus? I've never seen her that shaken up before."

"If gramps hasn't told you then I won't either." Joshua replied, preferring to wait until gramps learned about everything.

He had decided to tell Makarov everything he knew before he blacked out at Crocus. The dangers that everyone had just faced had convinced Joshua that it was time to let some people in on his secret instead of just Erza and Wendy. Heck, event they didn't know the full extent of his abilities or of the dangers out in the galaxy. Joshua eyes slowly looked up at the closed door of Master Makarov's office.

"Mira, how long have they been up there?" he asked the white haired mage.

"Several hours." Mira replied, "Why?"

"I need to speak to gramps." Joshua said, "As well as all S-class wizards."

Mira eyes widened as she saw the serious expression on Joshua's face. He was never this serious in the guild hall. Normally he was cheery and playful. But this version of Joshua was deadly serious for some reason.

"I'll grab Laxus then we'll all head up there."

"Thanks." Joshua replied as Mira exited the bar and went to grab the lightning wizard.

Mira quickly returned with Laxus and nodded for Joshua to follow the pair up to the master's office. When they reached the closed door, Mira quickly knocked and called to the old man on the other side.

"Master," she said with a smile, "Joshua is awake and he wants to speak with you."

Joshua heard some voices on the other side. He recognized both as Makarov and Master Mavis. He didn't hear Erza though. He let the force spread out for a moment and sensed his older sister was in the room. But she was silent. Joshua could feel her distress. He closed his eyes. She was shellshocked. The wooden door opened and Makarov emerged from the room. He quietly shut the door behind him and was surprised to see Laxus and Mira upstairs with Joshua.

"What is it?" Makarov asked.

"I believe I owe you some answers." Joshua said, "I'm ready to give them. But I want the S-class wizards present as well. They deserve to know everything as well."

Makarov closed his eyes and nodded, "If you feel that is best." He pushed his door open, "Come in."

The trio of wizards entered Makarov's small office. It was lightly furnished with several small chairs and a desk. There was also two bookshelves lining the far wall, next to a window that allowed the sun to shine brightly into the room. Joshua then saw Erza, slumped in a plush red chair across from Makarov's own chair. Her face had a solemn yet blank expression on it. If Joshua wasn't a force sensitive, then he wouldn't have been able to guess that she was in pain. But he could feel the stress coming off of her in waves that clotted the force around him. He sighed and sat down beside her.

"Hey Erza."

Erza said nothing in reply.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." She mumbled back.

Joshua nodded, "I bet." He replied, "Would some strawberry cake help?"

Erza's eyes blinked a moment before her depressed expression returned.

"She's refused strawberry cake!" Mira gasped, "Ok yeah!" She turned to look at Joshua, "What exactly happened in Crocus!?"

"Mira, be patient." Makarov stated.

"No." Joshua replied to Makarov, "They deserve to know." he cleared his throat and took a breath, "What happened was the Eclipse gate was opened. As it so happens, that magical device was a time portal originally created by the black wizard Zeref." Mira and Laxus shuffled nervously while Erza gulped, "What came out of that time portal were six dragons, two of which ended up being friendly. And… several dozen Sith."

Laxus raised an eyebrow, "Sith?"

Joshua nodded.

"What is a Sith, Joshua?" Makarov asked.

"Well…" Joshua looked over at Master Mavis, who was quietly sitting on the corner of Makarov's desk. The ghostly first master nodded reassuringly to Joshua, urging him to continue, "I am a Sith."

Laxus's eyes widened while Makarov closed his own.

"A Sith," Joshua continued, "Is a person of my abilities who delves deep into the dark side of the force. Their power is fueled not just by the Force but by their feelings and emotions. More specifically, negative emotions. Anger, Fear, Pain, Suffering, Hatred, they all contribute to a Sith's power. And because of that, they are usually considered very evil."

Makarov gulped and was about to reply when Mavis stepped in.

"Third Master. Before you reply I should inform you that Joshua both is and is not a Sith. He hasn't taken on the Sith title, therefore while he does posses their abilities, he doesn't acknowledge their philosophy."

"What philosophy is that?" Mira asked.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Through strength I gain power. Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." Joshua replied instantly, recalling the mantra that had been drilled into his brain over the past seven years, "The Sith's basic belief is that power is everything and that through power one can obtain total dominance over everything in the universe."

Mira gasped and Laxus narrowed his eyes.

"And how do we know you really don't follow that code?" Laxus asked.

"Well Sparky," Joshua spat back with an irritated glance, "Maybe you should just look at my actions and realize that my main goal has always been to protect the guild. Not take over the world. A true Sith Lord only cares about himself. He wouldn't go out of his way to save those around him. To save those around you, is to violate the Sith's belief of destroying the weak. If those around you aren't strong enough to save themselves, then they are not worthy of life. That is part of the Sith code. It is what I was taught. And it is what I rejected the most about the way of the Sith."

"Taught?" Makarov asked.

Joshua nodded, "Over the past seven years, I was training in the ways of the Sith. I was being groomed to become a new Dark Lord of the Sith. I was trained in every aspect of the force that my master could possibly teach me."

"Master? But, Master Makarov is the guild master." Mira said.

Joshua nodded, "And he is mine as well. I wouldn't want anyone else to be the guild master here." Makarov lips parted into a small smile, "But, I had a Sith Master as well. He was the one who trained me and helped me become so powerful over such a short period of time."

"Who was it?" Laxus asked.

Joshua closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, bracing for the reaction from them all, "Darth Tyrannus."

"WHAT!" Makarov and Mira exclaimed.

"Who?" Laxus asked.

Erza flinched at Tyrannus's name but said nothing in reply. She just kept her head bowed and listened carefully.

"Joshua…." Makarov growled, disappointment evident in his voice, "I remember Erza telling us about that evil spirit. It was the very same that would posses you when you lost control of your magic! How could you submit to it and call it master!?"

Joshua sighed, "I desired power." He replied honestly, "I wanted the power to protect the guild and to prevent another incident like Tenroujima from happening again. Tyrannus trained me in all he knew about the force."

"You keep saying that." Laxus interrupted as he crossed his muscular arms, "The force? What exactly is that? Is that what your magic is called?"

Joshua nodded, "The force is what my powers are called. Whether or not it is the same as magic and ethernanos is up for debate. I'd have to do some studying on the subject."

"So if it is not magic, then what exactly is the force?" Mira asked.

"The force is basically an energy field created by all living things. It binds the entire galaxy together." Joshua explained, "There are supposedly two natures to the force, light and dark. The Sith utilize the dark side of the force and attempt to manipulate it to their will."

"You talk like the force is a living thing." Makarov stated.

"It is." Joshua replied, "It's very complicated and I could spend hours trying to explain it. But the Force is very much alive."

"I fail to see the difference between Magic and the Force." Laxus replied, "They sound damn similar to me."

"Like I said, I don't know if they are the same or not. I'd have to research it. But the two are very similar in nature. Both are technically energy fields and both provide otherworldly power to anyone in the galaxy capable of tapping into that power."

"Galaxy?" Makarov mumbled.

"Yes, galaxy." Joshua took a breath, "This may come as a surprise to all of you, but Earthland isn't the only planet filled with life in the universe."

Laxus, Mira, Makarov, and Erza's eyes widened while Mavis remained completely emotionless.

"There are thousands of other star systems in the galaxy. Each one of those star systems contains millions, perhaps even billions of other lifeforms. Earthland is very primitive compared to some of these other star systems." Joshua explained. His hazel eyes glanced over at Erza and he let out a shaky breath, "I am technically an alien on this planet."

"You're not from this planet!" Mira exclaimed.

Joshua shook his head, "I was born on a planet called Serenno. When I was born, I was kidnapped by an evil being Erza is also familiar with… Maul." Erza instantly recoiled at the mention of Maul's name, "I was then taken to another planet called Dathomir, home of a witch's coven called the Nightsisters. There I was imbued with the Dark Side of the Force. I also had a spirit placed inside of me. A…" Joshua paused, "A very dark spirit that I have only learned of recently. That spirit calls itself Darth Plagueis. And that is who we fought at the Eclipse Gate." Joshua looked over at Erza, "That is who Erza defeated."

Erza gulped and bowed her head. Flashes of her killing Plagueis replayed in her mind, making her shudder.

"Wait a moment." Makarov help up a hand, "So this dark being, is it still inside of you?"

Joshua nodded.

"Then how did Erza kill it?" Laxus asked.

"It was a future version of Plagueis and myself. A future that is no longer certain." Joshua replied, "A future version of myself used his version of the Eclipse gate to pass through time and come to our point in the past. His goal was simple revenge. I was able to convince my future self to stop and close the gate. He killed himself in the process." Mira placed a hand over her mouth, stunned at what Joshua was saying, "When he killed himself, the spirit of Darth Plagueis took over his body and attempted to annihilate all of us. What his goals are, I still don't know. But…" Joshua looked over at Erza, "Erza did an incredible thing." The red head's brown eyes slowly looked up at Joshua, watering forming beneath her eyelids, "She saved all of our lives. And gave us a chance at a new future."

Erza's eyes widened. _I…. I saved everyone! Why do I feel so guilty?_

"Damn Erza! I knew you were powerful, but shit…" Laxus shook his head, "You beat a creature that, from the sounds of it, even Joshua is slightly afraid of."

"Thanks." Erza muttered in reply.

"Erza is a force sensitive as well." Joshua explained to the others in the room. This even surprised Mavis, who's crystal clear blue eyes widened, "She is steeped deep in the light side of the force. That is how she was able to defeat Plagueis. We did get lucky though. Plagueis was in a severely weakened state. If he was any stronger, we would've never beaten him."

Silence filled the room as Joshua's statement began to sink in.

"This is… a lot of information." Makarov gulped, "Are these Sith truly that powerful?"

"I fought some of them in Crocus." Mira stated, "They were tough but I could take them on."

Joshua shook his head, "You all fought a shadow of what the Sith once were. The group we fought were remnants of the Brotherhood of Darkness. An ancient Sith Empire that was wiped out hundreds of years ago by the Galactic Republic and on this planet by the dragons and Aconologia." The room darkened and everyone cringed at the mention of the evil black dragon, "They were very weak versions of the Sith. The new Sith, the line that I am a part of, is more powerful than anything we could ever hope to beat."

"H-how did they get so strong then?" Laxus stammered, sweat beading on his forehead as he began to comprehend what Joshua was saying.

This was the same guy who beat Laxus at ten years old. Who had fought off countless powerful opponents and lived to tell the tale. Joshua was someone you couldn't shake easily in a fight. And now he was saying there were people out in outer space that were so powerful no one on Earthland would be able to stand a chance!?

"It's called the rule of two. It's both their greatest strength and greatest weakness." Joshua replied, "It's a code that calls for only two Sith Lords to be in existence at a time, a master and an apprentice. One to hold the power, the other to crave it. Only when the apprentice becomes strong enough to kill the master does a new Sith Lord emerge as an apprentice to the new master. It allows for a succession of strength with each new Sith Lord being progressively stronger than the previous. However, it also limits their numbers. While they can have assassins and acolytes, they cannot have any other Sith Lords in existence. I am a direct violation of the rule of two."

"Wait! You are a violation!?" Mira exclaimed, "Then that means-"

"The two true Sith Lords are out there somewhere in the galaxy." Joshua finished.

Makarov gulped as silence hung in the air like a heavy cloud. The old man then cleared his throat.

"Do we know who they are?" Makarov asked.

Joshua glanced over at the old man, "I'm surprised you aren't doubting what I'm saying."

Makarov sighed, "This all seems so fantastical but at the same time, I don't think you'd lie to us about this. Not after everything that happened in Crocus."

Joshua nodded, "Thank you for your trust." He looked at all of the S class wizards in the room, "The names of the two Sith Lords are Darth Vader, the apprentice, and Darth Sidious, the master." Joshua gulped, "Sidious is so powerful that several apprentices over the years have challenged him. And all of them have failed. My own master was his apprentice at one time." Joshua looked over at Erza, "And Maul was once Sidious's apprentice as well. Vader is the latest, and from what I understand, the most powerful. I was trained by Tyrannus as a way to get revenge on Sidious. However… others have wanted me to go on a different path." Joshua glared over at Mavis.

"What path is that?" Makarov asked.

"A path that has me destroying the Sith and assisting in balancing out the force once again." Joshua replied, "I'd be the dark half, and someone else would be the light half of the force. Therefore they are balanced. But…" Mavis gulped, "After everything that happened in Crocus, I can see that the path chosen for me is not one I desire." Joshua looked back at Makarov, "My goal is to prevent us from ever coming into conflict with the Sith or the rest of the galaxy. I could care less about my own predetermined destiny. I care about you all, I care about keeping this guild safe. And I won't let some supernatural force determine my course in life. My life is my own, and I plan to keep it that way." he stated firmly.

Surprisingly, Mavis nodded, "I can see Revan's teachings have definitely had an effect on you. One he may not like, but an effect. I'm glad to see you desire to protect the guild. And I won't force you into any plan Joshua. You don't desire to be controlled, and I don't desire to have you controlled." The First Master of Fairy Tail jumped down from the desk and shimmered a little, "But be warned, if destiny comes calling for you, it'd be wise to listen to it." And with that she disappeared from the room.

Laxus gulped, "I think you managed to piss off the first master."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've managed to piss off an authority figure in my life." Joshua replied with a slight grin.

"So, Joshua… you said you want to avoid ever coming into contact with the Sith?" Makarov interrupted.

Joshua nodded, "Correct. I care only about this guild and those in it. If push comes to shove, I will fight the Sith to save this guild. But I don't want us to be dragged into a galactic conflict."

Makarov nodded and a wide smile appeared under his mustache, "Young man." he started, "Everything you have told me in this room has shocked, startled, and terrified me. But that last statement, it has given me a tremendous amount of pride to know that you are a member of Fairy Tail." Makarov walked up to Joshua and held out his hand, "You are a true wizard of this guild. And I ask for your forgiveness for ever doubting that."

Joshua was stunned. The Master was apologizing to him for everything that had occurred between the two!? Joshua gulped back some tears. He was finally trusted in the guild. Joshua knelt down and wrapped Makarov in a hug.

"Thanks gramps." he said with a smile.

Makarov jumped a little but then returned the hug, "No problem my boy." The embrace ended and Joshua rose back up to his full height, "Now then… It'd be wise for us S-class wizards to prepare for the Sith in case they ever do show up." he addressed the wizards in the room, "Everything we have just discussed is on a need to know basis. This is now one of our guild's greatest secrets. Under absolutely no circumstances should you tell anyone else. I don't want mass panic and discord in this guild hall. I will inform the other wizard saints."

"Not the magic council?" Laxus asked.

Makarov shook his head, "I have a feeling they would react poorly to all of this. And a poor reaction is the last thing we need. For now, go about life as if it is all normal. Take jobs, get some money, earn some fame, and make Fairy Tail the greatest guild in Fiore. But always be prepared. We never know when danger may come."

….

Joshua quietly pushed the door to number one Fairy Hills open. He then sidestepped, using his arm to keep the door propped open as he allowed Erza into their home first. The red head gloomily walked in and flopped down in her favorite chair next to the window.

The light from the setting sun streamed into the main room, coloring everything in shades of orange and red. Erza stared out the window at the sun, her thoughts constantly switching from admiring the sunset back to the moment she killed Plagueis.

"Erza." Joshua stated as he sat down in a chair across from his older sister, "I don't need the force to know you're hurting."

Erza swallowed and looked across at her little brother.

"I killed someone."

"You saved lives." Joshua replied back calmly.

"I saved lives by taking one?" Erza replied, "How does that make any sense?"

Joshua closed his eyes and leaned back, "It doesn't. But that is the way of the world."

Erza shook her head and requiped a silver cylinder into her right hand. Joshua's eyes opened as he sensed her magic flare up with the requip. He then reached up quickly and caught the lightsaber hilt as Erza tossed it over to him.

"Take it back." She said glumly, "I don't want to use a sword like that ever again." She then rose and quietly left for her own bedroom, leaving Joshua alone next to the window.

 _That strategy was a mistake Revan._

" _How could it have been a mistake."_ Joshua heard the instant reply.

 _Erza… she's in pain right now._

" _Yes she is."_ Revan replied, " _But she did a great and good thing."_

 _She doesn't see it that way._

" _She will."_

Joshua shook his head, _You really don't understand Fairy Tail do you? Erza was taught since she was a small child that every life is precious, no matter how evil it could be. To take a life, is to violate everything she was ever taught and everything she ever believed. She knows Plagueis was evil. And I'm certain she's glad he is gone for now. But she is still feeling tremendous guilt and uncertainty. She isn't like me… she is not a killer._

" _She will have to become one in order to help save the galaxy."_

Joshua frowned, _We won't be saving any galaxy._

" _What?"_

 _I won't allow someone to determine how my life is used. And I certainly won't allow someone to determine Erza's._

" _Joshua… the force is out of balance. It must be returned to-"_

 _If it's so important to you then find someone else. I don't want to cause Erza or anyone else in my family any more trouble or pain. That's final._

Revan didn't reply which caused a long sigh of relief to escape Joshua's lips. He really hated arguing with the guy. Mostly because Revan was very good at arguing with him. The teen rose from the chair and left the archaic lightsaber hilt on the table as he yawned and dragged himself to bed.

 **And chapter! Slower chapter, and a lot of information was explained as well. Now Mira, Laxus, and Makarov are aware of what is taking place. But it also sounds like Joshua has no desire to fulfill his destiny. That attitude could be a result of him hating being controlled because he was controlled so much as a child. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Vader come knocking at his door later on in the story. I'm excited to write it! Don't worry. Erza won't be super depressed next chapter. She is very good at bouncing back from things. She will still be upset by what occurred at the Eclipse gate but she won't let it keep affecting her life. That's just not in Erza's character. Anyways, we will have a couple filler chapters before the next major arc. So stay tuned. Let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	68. Chapter 68: The Little Green Man

**Hey everyone! Sorry about another late update. I've been sick the past few days and yesterday I didn't really have it to write. But now I'm feeling better so I have a new chapter ready to go! Let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 68

"Hmmmm…."

Joshua rubbed his chin as he stood in front of the job request board. His hazel eyes scanned the many requests that had poured in in the week since the Grand Magic Games. Apparently winning the games made the guild a hot spot for new members and job requests again. Also, having the old guild hall back helped. It made taking on all of these jobs and accepting new members much more feasible. Poor Mira had to replace the guild stamp due to the amount of people streaming in to sign up with Fairy Tail.

Joshua's eyes darted over to a request.

"Monster hunt… Clover town… thirty thousand jewel."

Footsteps clapped against the stone floor as Joshua heard someone walk up next to him.

"What job are you looking at?" he heard Wendy ask him.

"Dunno." Joshua shrugged, "There are a lot up here."

Wendy nodded, "I'll say, I can't even see the actual board right now." A wide smile spread across her face, "It's a nice change."

"I bet. You don't have to scrounge for money anymore." Joshua replied.

Wendy nodded and the pair stood silently for a moment. Wendy folded her hands in front of her and shifted her shoulders a little causing Joshua to glance back at her.

"What's up?"

"Um… did you forget?" Wendy asked.

Joshua narrowed his eyes and wracked his brain for a moment. The lightbulb went off and he smacked his forehead.

"Oh yeah! I said we'd go on a job together."

Wendy shook her head, both with amusement and disbelief, "I swear for how smart you are you can be-"

"Totally clueless. Trust me, I know." Joshua finished for her, "Well, I guess if we're gonna go on a job together, you should pick it out."

"Why me?" Wendy asked.

"Cause Erza raised me to be a gentleman." Joshua replied, "The lady chooses."

"You're just scared Erza will get mad at you if you put me in danger." Wendy replied.

Joshua gulped, "Maybe a little."

Wendy laughed to herself and gazed at the request board. She tilted her head to the side a little and raised an eyebrow before plucking one from the top right corner.

"What about this one?" Wendy said as she showed the paper to Joshua.

Joshua grabbed the paper and read it carefully.

"Wizard Expertise Needed!" He read, "Strange object found by residents of orphanage in Lupinas town. Thirty thousand jewel reward." He paused for a moment, "Orphanage in Lupinas town." he muttered.

"What's up?" Wendy asked as she saw Joshua's smile fade somewhat.

"Oh… nothing." Joshua replied, "Sounds like a good job. When do you wanna leave?"

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "It doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"Wendy, I'm fine." Joshua replied trying to reassure her.

Wendy pursed her lips, "If you say so. I'll meet you at the train station in two hours. Lupinas is a bit far away, so I need to pack a little bit."

"Sounds good." Joshua replied before watching the sky dragon quickly exit the guild and head for her home.

He let out a slight sigh and looked down at the job request again before walking up to the counter and telling Mira that him and Wendy were taking this job. The reaction from the barmaid was instant.

"So, when are you two gonna get married?" Mirajane asked with a wide grin.

"GAH!" Joshua exclaimed.

"What'd she say?" Joshua heard the most terrifying voice in his life behind him. He quickly whipped around and saw Erza walking up to the bar and pulling up a seat beside the standing Joshua.

"Um… she said nothing!" Joshua replied.

Erza eyed Mira who emphatically agreed with Joshua.

"Right! I said nothing!" Mirajane replied in a panic.

A suspicious expression came across Erza's face. But the red head chose to let the subject drop. No point in trying to pry some information out of Mira. She could be a chatter box, but when the she devil wanted to she could be extremely tight lipped. Instead, Erza looked over at her little brother.

"So, what are you up to?"

"About to go on a job actually."

Erza sat up straighter, "Really? What job."

"Something about a strange object in Lupinas Town." He replied as he put his hands in his pant pockets.

"You want me to come along."

"Actually Erza, I think Master wanted to talk to you about something." Mira said quickly noticing the cringing expression on Joshua's face.

"He did?"

Mira nodded.

"I'll go speak to him then."

"See ya later." Mira smiled.

Erza glanced back, since when was Mira this friendly to her? Erza shrugged, Mira had mellowed out a lot in the years since their intense rivalry. Maybe she mellowed out more than Erza thought. She still noticed Joshua standing uncomfortably next to the bar. What was up with him today? The redhead shook her head again and went up the stairs to Makarov's office.

Joshua kept his eyes fixed on Erza as she quickly ascended the stone steps. As soon as she disappeared upstairs he let out a relieved sigh.

"Thanks for the save." He breathed.

"No problem!" Mira smiled, "I don't want bimbo brain ruining how adorable you and Wendy are together."

Joshua shook his head, "Don't let her catch you saying that." He glanced up at the clock above the bar, "I better go pack as well."

"Have a nice day!"

….

The train chugged down the tracks. The railings of the track were not as smooth this far out in the countryside so the train would jostle, bump and jump on occasion disrupting Joshua's view of the outside as he stared out the compartment window. Night had fallen outside as the long journey to Lupinas town was now in full swing. The moon was full and high in the sky, showering the ground below with washes of pale light. Stars twinkled in the clear skies and occasionally one would shoot across the black blanket. Joshua yawned while gazing out the window at the picturesque scene. Normally would be sleeping at this time of night, but he was currently preoccupied.

"Oooooooh…. *bleh*" Wendy groaned as she lay down on the seat across from him.

She had been like this for the entire trip. Ever since the train started moving, she had been groaning and attempting to keep her dinner down. And right now was the worst he had ever seen the sky dragon slayer. Her face was a mixture of pale and green while her cheeks were puffed out wide like a chipmunk. Her entire body was shaking and shuddering as she curled up in the fetal position on the vinyl seat across from Joshua.

"Do you need anything?"

"A knife…. to kill myself." She groaned.

"It can't be that bad."

"Says you… *ulp*." Wendy gulped, "The world isn't… *ulp* spinning… for you."

"Well… do you know anything that could help?"

"A knife." she moaned.

"I'm not giving you a knife!" Joshua replied back.

*Bleh*

A rush of wind left Wendy's mouth and stirred up a small tornado in the train compartment, startling some of the other passengers awake.

"S-sorry." Wendy groaned.

Joshua sighed and shook his head before getting up out of his seat and going over to her. He quickly sat down beside the sky dragon and placed her head in his lap.

"I've seen Erza do this Natsu." He said, "Seems to help sometimes."

Wendy felt the world slow down a little as she rested on Joshua's lap. She blinked a little bit, her face still very pale but not as green. Her brown eyes glanced up at Joshua's face.

"Wow that actually-"

The train his a massive bump in the tracks sending the pair flying up in the air then crashing back down in their seats. Joshua groaned as he rubbed his butt after the hard landing while Wendy lay frozen on the seat.

"That'll leave a mark." he groaned, "You ok?"

"It didn't work." she moaned before letting another cyclone leave her mouth.

Joshua smacked his face with his palm and grimaced. She wouldn't be able to help with the job if she didn't get any rest. He leaned his head back and ran through several ideas in his mind, including the possibility of channeling his inner Erza. But he tossed that idea away almost instantly. He wasn't going to knock Wendy out like that.

 _Wait! Knock her out!_ Joshua blinked, _Maybe the force can… worth a try!_

"Hey Wendy."

"What?" She moaned.

"Don't take this personally."

Wendy stopped groaning and saw Joshua's gloved hand over her head. She then felt a strange force enter her body. Her eyes drooped as she suddenly felt incredibly drowsy. She blinked several times before passing out in her chair.

Joshua waited a moment, holding his palm steady over Wendy's face. His own eyes were closed as he carefully used the force to slow Wendy's body down and allow her to fall asleep. Eventually, he heard her breathing even out and felt her relax beside him. Joshua opened his own eyes and saw that her face was still pale but not green anymore. Her cheeks were no longer puffed out as well. Joshua smiled to himself and sighed.

"That actually worked!" he said with a hint of surprise in his voice, "Normally I used that little technique as a prank of Ventress. And I wasn't so nice about it before either." He yawned and stretched his arms, "God I'm tired." he muttered before he rested his head back against the red vinyl and fell asleep.

….

"Hey Mira!"

The white haired wizard paused wiping the bar counter and looked up to see Carla slowly walking up to the bar. Mira smiled at the white haired exceed and leaned against the bar counter so she could see the small creature more easily.

"What can I do for you Carla? More tea?"

"No thank." Carla replied politely, "I'm actually looking for Wendy. I went home today and she wasn't there. She left a note saying she went on a job but didn't say where."

"Really? That's not like her." Mira replied as she subconsciously wiped the bar counter clean of dust and alcohol. Over to her right, she could hear Cana drunkenly snoring at the bar.

"Indeed." Carla replied, "And… I also noticed Joshua went out on a job as well."

Mira froze.

"Care to explain?" Carla's foot tapped against the stone floor.

"Um…"

"Yeah Mira." Mira felt some fear creep up her spine as she heard a second female voice enter the conversation. Her eyes darted to her left and she saw Erza sitting at the bar with an untouched strawberry cake in front of her, "Care to explain?"

"Um… Um…" _Crap they've figured it out!_ Mira smiled nervously, "I don't know what you guys are talking about."

Erza narrowed her eyes at the white haired mage while Carla jumped up onto the bar counter. In fact, Erza was about to start aggressively asking questions when Carla beat her to the punch. The cat surged at Mira and dug her claws into her red dress.

"Are those two together?"

"Eh?" Mira squeaked.

"Are those two, Joshua and Wendy, on a job together… alone?" Carla snarled.

Mira gulped. "Maybe."

"ERZA!" Carla barked.

The redhead was already moving, "The last train to Lupinas town is leaving in ten minutes!" she called back as she strode towards the doors of the guildhall. Carla sprouted her wings and quickly followed Erza to the train station.

Back at the bar, Mira sighed and shook her head.

"Those two…" She mumbled.

….

Joshua's eyes slowly opened. Moist air hit his skin as he groaned and slowly sat up from the soaked ground. He blinked a little bit and frowned.

 _It's been awhile since I've had one of these._ He thought as he glanced around at his environment.

He was in the middle of a swamp. The air dripped with moisture that caused the dark robes he was wearing to cling to his skin. The heat was tremendous as the humidity caused it the area to feel sticky. The earth beneath his was soft and wet, his hands sank into it slightly as he pushed himself up onto his feet. Small fragments of mud fell off of his back as he rose from the ground. He grimaced as he felt his black boots sink a little in the muck around him.

 _A bog… lovely._ He thought sarcastically.

The long cry of a strange animal rang through the air. Joshua froze and let the dark side of the force spread out around him instantly. His senses were then overwhelmed by the sheer amount of life present on this planet. A frowned appeared on his face as his sensory abilities failed to come into focus.

"Dammit." He muttered as he let his powers recede, "That requires too much concentration."

Another growl from a nearby animal hit his ears, making the hair on his neck stand on end.

"And I can't afford to sit down and close my eyes right now." He continued.

His hazel eyes darted from one dark shadow to another, scanning each for a threat. Joshua gulped and began to slosh through the muck that made up the ground he was standing on. Gigantic, gnarled trees surrounded him and covered up this planet's sun, causing eternal night on the swampy floor. Slowly, Joshua started trying to discern the meaning behind this vision.

 _Ok, dark, damp, and…_ another snarl from a shadow to his left. Joshua's lightsaber quickly darted from his hip to his left hand. He didn't activate but held it at the ready, his thumb hovering over the activation button. _Dangerous._ A scowl formed on his face.

"Is this a Dark Side vision?"

"No." a voice replied.

Joshua stopped, "Oh…. well that's good to know."

"Why?" the voice croaked back.

"Well because-" Joshua's mouth snapped shut. He was talking to someone, but he thought he was alone in this swamp. He quickly whipped around, his muscles tense and his lightsaber ready to activate.

Behind him squatted a strange, green alien on top of a log. The creature was incredibly short. He was made even shorter by his hunched over appearance. Long, wispy strands of white and gray hair ran along the sides of his large green head and around his long pointy ears. Wrinkles covered his head forming a checkerboard pattern of skin on his scalp while his face held the normal wrinkles of old age. The thing wore a scratchy looking robe that had certainly seen better days judging by the dirty stains on it. The short creature clutched a gnarled wooden cane in both hands as it perched on the rotting log.

The green creature quickly hid his face as Joshua whipped around and pointed his lightsaber hilt at it.

"Stop!" it exclaimed, "No harm, I mean you."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"No harm, I mean you."

Joshua shook his head. What was up with this thing's speech pattern, "Ok?" he replied slowly lowering his lightsaber hilt and clipping it to his belt.

The creature revealed it's wrinkled face once again, it's greenish-gold eyes pierced through the darkness, somehow shimmering as it stared at Joshua. Joshua narrowed his eyes at the alien creature.

"What the heck are you?"

"Not what, but who." The creature replied, "Yoda, my name is."

"Yoda?" Joshua replied, "You know what… that's a pretty good name for you. It fits."

"Thank you." The creature bowed back, "Your name, what is it?"

"Um… Joshua Scarlet." Joshua replied.

The little green alien named Yoda nodded, "That weapon, what is it?"

"This?" Joshua patted his lightsaber, "It's my sword." he replied.

"Lightsaber?" Yoda asked.

Joshua narrowed his eyes at the creature, eyeing Yoda suspiciously. What did this little guy know about lightsabers? Joshua decided it was about time he started investigating this creature. The dark side of the force billowed forth from Joshua and surged towards the creature.

 _Let's see what you know little guy._

Light, blinding light! Joshua squinted as the dark side of the force screamed out in pain just as it reached little Yoda. It was so bright that it felt like it would burn Joshua alive. He squeezed his eyes shut and called his powers back to him quickly, like a wounded animal retreating from a fire. When his eyes opened again, Yoda's friendly expression was gone and an intense stare was directed at Joshua.

"Dark that was." Yoda grimaced, "Much too dark for someone so young."

Joshua swallowed and winced. He understood what happened now. Yoda had repelled him. And it was the most powerful barrier he had ever felt in his life. No one, not Maul, not Ventress, not even Sanguine produced such a barrier against his power like that. Joshua had been stonewalled from exploring someone's mind before. Sanguine was a perfect example of that. But he had never been physically hurt from attempting to explore the mind of another being.

"What are you?" Yoda demanded his can tapping harshly against the log.

"Me?" Joshua replied incredulously, "What the hell are you?"

Yoda's wrinkled mouth frowned deeply. Then Joshua felt a small rock pelt him in the back.

"OW!" Joshua yelped, "Hey!"

"More respect, you should have." Yoda scolded as he pointed a stubby green finger at Joshua.

"MORE RESPECT!" Joshua roared, "I tried to figure out what the hell you are and I nearly get burned and blinded by the force!"

Another rock hit him between the shoulder blades.

"My opinion of you, worsening it is."

"You're not helping my opinion of you!" Joshua spat back as he winced.

Yoda harrumphed and hopped down from the rotting log. The small creature hobbled over to Joshua and stood toe to toe with him. The little green man stared up at the young human, an intense look in his golden green eyes.

"Sith are you?"

Joshua sighed then nodded.

"So, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say you are an old Jedi." Joshua grumbled.

Yoda hummed, "Old yes… Jedi, used to be I was."

"Used to be?" Joshua questioned, "What happened?"

Yoda eyed the human boy curiously. This was an odd conversation, even for someone of his many years. The boy plainly admitted to being a Sith, but at the same time Yoda didn't feel any malice coming from Joshua. His signature in the force was dark, but not like a light stifling shadow. He felt more like the night sky with many stars twinkling among the darkness. It puzzled the ancient Jedi Master. He had never encountered someone with this type of relationship with the force before.

"Strange you are." Yoda nodded then hobbled past Joshua, leaning on his cane.

"Oh, I'm strange." Joshua grumbled back, "Says the little green man!"

Yoda sighed then waved his cane back at Joshua, motioning for him to follow, "Come, much to talk about, we have."

Joshua raised an eyebrow before sighing and following Yoda to a very small hut in the middle of the swamp. A small fire flickered on the inside of the hut, illuminating the miniature interior and allowing the two force users to easily see the place. Yoda waddled up to the rickety wooden door and gently pushed it open. Joshua carefully followed him in, doing his best to make sure he didn't bump his head on the low ceiling. Yet, despite being hunched over and ducking his head, he still managed to crack his head against the rocky ceiling.

"Fucking house." Joshua grumbled under his breath.

"Language, young one." Yoda replied, his enormous ears easily picking up what Joshua muttered.

Joshua just growled and sat down on a cushion Yoda motioned at. The ancient little creature eased himself down onto a cushion across from Joshua.

"From where, are you?" Yoda asked.

"Where? Earthland." Joshua replied.

"Heard of that planet, I have not." Yoda replied as he reached over to a small table and used the force to float a small cup filled with water over to Joshua. Joshua hesitated before plucking the cup from the air and taking a sip. Surprisingly the water was incredibly clean. "End up here, how did you?"

"This is a vision." Joshua replied, "For me at least."

Yoda's ears twitched, "Vision? For you?" A long forgotten memory returned to Yoda's mind. A memory of a small girl with hair as blue as the oceans of Mon Calamari and eyes that sparkled with youth, "Friend of Wendy Marvell, are you?"

Joshua choked on a large gulp of water and stared wide eyed at Yoda, "How do you know her?"

"Vision she had of me. Discuss you, we did." Yoda replied, "Younger, I was then.

"Younger? How long ago was this for you?" Joshua asked.

"Hmm… twenty one years, almost." Yoda replied while shaking his head, "Long time ago."

"Twenty one years!?" Joshua exclaimed, "Wow… that's longer than I've been alive."

"How old, are you?"

"Seventeen." Joshua replied, "Gonna be eighteen here soon." He set his small wooden cup down on the floor, "Yoda."

"Hm?"

"What did you talk to Wendy about? For that matter, how in the world did she have a force vision. From what I have sensed, she isn't force sensitive." Joshua asked the old creature, completely disregarding his initial dislike for him.

Yoda closed his green eyes and sighed, "The force, strange it has been. For a long time, very strange." His shoulders sagged, "Know what the force wills anymore, I do not. Clouded by the dark side, it still is. Ever since Clone Wars, the force's actions, indecipherable they have been."

"Well, that's a mistake on your part."

Yoda's eyes opened and narrowed at Joshua. The young human noticed the confused expression on the creature's face.

"You may have years more experience than me little guy, but your outlook on the force is pretty… twisted."

"Twisted? Says Sith Lord." Yoda retorted.

"I'm not a Sith Lord." Joshua snapped back, "I never took that title. In fact, I refer to myself as a Sith only because I use the dark side and I would never want to call myself a Jedi. Both sides miss a basic premise of the force, in my opinion."

"That being?" Yoda asked, curious now as to what the strange boy had to say.

"Both try to control the force." Joshua stated, "Now, I can understand the Sith attempting to control the dark side of the force, since I've had personal dealings with that side of the spectrum. The Dark Side cannot be allowed to just flow freely through you. If you do that, it'll drive you insane." Joshua stated, "However, the force cannot simply be bent to your will. It's against the very nature of the Force to be controlled. So there is your problem little guy." Joshua pointed at Yoda, "You are trying to control the force and what it does… and in turn, it resists you."

Yoda felt surprise enter him. The answer the boy gave him was shockingly wise. And very familiar to the philosophy of a Jedi Master long dead. Yoda stared back at the young Sith.

"Very strange, you are. Sith, yet not Sith. Dark, yet not dark." Yoda sighed, "Much to study, I still have. Look into your opinion, I will."

Joshua rolled his eyes, "It's fact, not opinion. You're just too old and stubborn to realize that."

Joshua felt his vision beginning to blur and darken, signaling the end of his vision. Yoda watched as the boy shook his head.

"Jedi and their stubbornness." He muttered before disappearing completely.

Yoda craned his head to the side, staring at the wall wear young Joshua was leaning only moments ago.

"Qui Gon Jinn, spoke to him, you have?"

" _Yes and no. I wasn't the one that imparted that wisdom onto him."_

Yoda titled his head so his large right ear was pointing slightly at his roof, like an antennae.

"Who then, taught him?"

" _He discovered that for himself. And his beliefs were confirmed by one who is far more powerful and wise than I am."_

"Who?"

" _Revan."_

Yoda's old eyes widened, "Learned how to survive beyond death, he did?"

" _Yes. And he is on our side. He hoped you two would meet this way so that you wouldn't overreact when you two finally meet in person. He'll be pleased to see that the force agreed with him."_

Yoda nodded, "Arrive when, will he?"

" _Soon, Revan has foreseen several events taking place before both the boy and Skywalker arrive on Dagobah. For now, we must continue your own training in the force."_

Yoda nodded, "Yes, Master Qui Gon."

….

" _LAST STOP FOR LUPINAS TOWN! LAST STOP FOR LUPINAS TOWN!"_

Joshua's eyes shot open as the train came to a slow stop in front of a small train station. He groaned, feeling a kink in his neck from sleeping against the train seat. He heard a small snore at his lap and saw Wendy still dozing away. Joshua closed his eyes and took a deep breath before yawning and stretching his arms.

 _That was the strangest vision I've had_. He said, Little green man named Yoda. _And he was a Jedi?_ Joshua shook his head, _Must've been a really weak Jedi given how tiny he is. Then again,_ Joshua looked out the window as the train came to a complete stop, _He did stonewall me. Maybe I'm weaker than the Jedi of old, weaker than I thought at least. Dooku did say that the old Jedi had abilities few could ever hope to master._

" _LAST STOP LUPINAS TOWN! PASSENGERS MAY NOW DISEMBARK!"_

 __Joshua sighed. He'd meditate on the vision later. Right now, he had a job to do. He looked down at Wendy and gently shook her shoulder.

"Hey, we're here."

Wendy mumbled some words under her breath before curling up even tighter. Joshua sighed and poked Wendy this time.

"Get up, we're here."

"No…" Wendy mumbled.

Wendy then felt herself twirl in the air. Her brown eyes shot open and she yelped as she twisted in the air. She then felt herself straighten out and be gently placed on the floor. She stumbled as soon as she landed but quickly caught herself before glaring angrily over at Joshua.

"What was that for!" Wendy shouted.

"We're here." Joshua replied, "And you weren't getting up."

Wendy glared at him.

"I tried being nice about it." Joshua stated.

"Sure you did." Wendy grumbled as she grabbed her small suitcase and stepped out of the train compartment.

"I did though!" Joshua exclaimed back.

The pair quickly exited the train and stepped out onto the small train station platform. Lupinas was not a huge town. It was similar in size to Freesia town. Only instead of a cathedral being the main attraction, this town had a famous castle that sat on a hilltop to the south. And just like Freesia town, both had previously been destroyed by a destructive pyromaniac dragon slayer. Joshua sighed remembering that incident. Hopefully the townsfolk had forgiven Fairy Tail for that one after seven years.

The rest of the town was quaint. There were some small shops that Wendy thought were absolutely cute. Joshua couldn't help but laugh to himself as he saw her go from window to window looking inside and excitedly exclaiming how cute or adorable something was. Then he saw it. Or rather, he smelled it then saw. Joshua's mouth began to water a little and he realized now that he was pretty hungry.

"Steak…" he said as the sweet scent of grilled meat hit his nostrils.

Oh he could taste it now. He subconsciously dug into his requip space and pulled out a small wallet. Joshua quickly flicked the wallet open and looked down to see a single, solitary coin in it.

"Oh look how cute this store is!" Wendy exclaimed before hearing some sobs next to her. She looked over at Joshua and saw tears streaming down his face, "What's wrong?"

"I'M BROKE!" Joshua cried, "AND I SMELL MEAT!"

After both laughing and consoling Joshua, the two wizards made their way to the small town hall. The pair were readily welcomed inside by the mayor.

The mayor of Lupinas town was a man with a short stature and plump. The crown of his head was beginning to bald and thin blonde hair ran in a ring around the bald spot. As per his office, he wore fancy clothes that made him look as professional as possible.

"Welcome! Welcome!" The mayor happily said to Joshua and Wendy as they stepped into his office, "I hope the train ride was comfortable."

"Eh…" Wendy gulped as she recalled her motion sickness.

"It was fine, thank you." Joshua replied.

The mayor smiled then jumped, "Oh! Please, please, take a seat! I'm sure it was a long trip and you all must be exhausted."

"Thank you again." Joshua said as he and Wendy sat down in plush blue chairs across from the Mayor, "So, Mr. Mayor-"

"Anderson. Mayor Anderson." The man stated.

"Ok, Mayor Anderson." Joshua continued, "We received a job request about as strange object found by someone at the orphanage?"

"Oh yes! It is a very interesting machine if I do say so myself. One of the orphans found it while playing in the nearby woods. He told the Headmistress right away, and she asked me to send a job request out since she worried for the children's safety."

 _Doubt that._ Joshua thought.

Wendy instantly picked up on Joshua's doubt. She'd have to ask him about that once they left.

"Do you know where we can find the orphanage so we can speak with the child who found it?" Wendy asked.

"Ah yes, it's on the western edge of town, near the woods." The Mayor stated, "But it is rather early right now." Joshua glanced up at the clock and saw the Mayor was right. The train had arrived in the early morning, it was barely six in the morning. "Perhaps you should go to your lodging before making your way to the orphanage."

"That sounds like a great idea." Wendy sighed.

"Great!" The mayor exclaimed, "The inn is just down the road. It is small though, I was only able to reserve you one room." Joshua gulped and Wendy's face burned red, "Will that be a problem?"

"N-not at all." Joshua stated.

"Y-y-yeah." Wendy stammered.

"Splendid! Well, I wish you both the best of luck!"

The mayor quickly shook both of their hands and the two wizards exited and made their way over to the local inn, aptly named Castle Inn. Joshua got their key from the bar counter and the two reached their room.

The mayor wasn't kidding about the place being small. The bed took up most of the space in the room. There was a small dresser in the far left corner of the room and a red plush chair in the far right corner. The closest wall was where the doorway to the restroom was located. Joshua glanced over at Wendy and smirked a little as he saw how red her face was. He then shook his head and laughed a little bit.

"I'll take the floor."

 **And chapter! Shorter chapter! Mostly set up for this little side job request. Also some setup for when Joshua does meet Yoda. Yes, Joshua will end up going to Dagobah eventually. It'll be an interesting meeting. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	69. Chapter 69: A Droid and The Talk

**Hello everyone! New chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 69

The orphanage was an ancient looking building. It's stone walls had moss and vines creeping up the three storied structure. Above the wooden door with peeling white paint was a rickety old sign that creaked as it swung back and forth in the breeze. The sign read, "Lupinas Orphanage: A Happy Place". To Wendy, it looked more like the setting of a horror movie. Even the woods that surrounded the orphanage had an eerie feeling to them. The trees towered above the orphanage casting long shadows and blocking out the sun around the large building. Several dozen yards away from the building sat a small wooden shed with a rotting ceiling. Wendy gulped as she and Joshua walked up the dirt path to the old door.

"This place has seen better days." Wendy said.

A sinister hiss streaked through the air and caused Wendy to jump and cling to Joshua. The other wizard gulped as well.

"What was that?" Wendy trembled.

"My worst nemesis." Joshua replied.

"An evil monster?" Wendy hid behind Joshua as the pair stared at a rustling bush. The brown leaves on the bush shuddered and twigs fell from the dying branches.

"No." The shuddering stopped and a black cat crept out from the shrub, it's teeth clutching a mouse. "A cat."

Wendy raised and eyebrow and glanced at Joshua, "A cat is your worst nemesis?"

"You weren't there for that job." Joshua shuddered.

"What job?"

"Crazy cat lady and the butler." Joshua shook a little, "Took many… cats." He still had nightmares about all fifty of those insane cats that were on that job he and Erza took all those years ago. Ever since, he had come to despise cats.

"You don't act like Carla or Happy are your worst nemesis. And you are pretty friendly with Pantherlily."

"There's a difference." Joshua replied as his eyes carefully followed the black cat as it trotted up to the door, the mouse still in it's mouth.

"What difference?"

"Lily is smart. He doesn't require grooming. And he doesn't shit in a box." Joshua replied, "I don't have to worry about him…" Joshua shook, "Being a cat."

Wendy's mouth hung open. Was she seriously hearing this? Joshua was slightly afraid of cats!? What kind of job did he go on to cause that? It must've been truly terrifying. She watched as he let out a long sigh of relief. The black cat had disappeared back into the bushes.

"Thank god!" Joshua breathed.

Wendy shook her head in disbelief. The two of them had faced down dark guilds, a devil like creature in Maul, dragons, and a Sith Lord, yet he was terrified of regular cats. A small giggle escaped her lips.

"You're afraid of cats." She giggled.

"I-I'm not afraid of cats!"

"Liar!" Wendy laughed.

"Argh!" Joshua threw his hands up in the air, "Damn cats." he grumbled under his breath before rapping his knuckles on the wooden door.

Wendy noticed Joshua gulp a little as they heard some heavy footsteps coming towards the door. He looked so nervous right now. But why? She watched as his eyes seemed to dart from shadow to shadow around the orphanage, as if he was on alert for some sort of danger. He shuffled his feet a little bit and glanced down at his shoes. Wendy frowned. Something was clearly wrong right now. Joshua never acted like this. He had lost all of his confidence and seemed to be not only afraid of the cat, but afraid of this building.

"Joshua are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Joshua replied with a convincing fake smile.

The two wizards heard several latches and locks shift on the other side of the door. A heavy clunk then echoed out from the wooden door before it slowly creaked open. Greeting them in the doorway was a man with stringy black hair. He carried himself with a stooped posture and wore all black clothes. His skin was so pale that he looked sickly.

"How can I help you?" the man asked, his thin, pale lips barely separating as he spoke.

"Um… we're wizards from Fairy Tail. A job request came in saying one of the orphans found a strange object and the orphanage was looking for wizard help." Wendy stated plainly, doing her best to ignore the man's sickly appearance.

"Oh… wizards…" The man's piercing blue eyes glanced quickly up at Joshua and narrowed as he stared at him. Joshua swallowed and looked back at the hunched man.

"What?" Joshua asked.

"Nothing." the man replied. He then stepped out of the doorway and allowed the two wizards into the orphanage, "Come in. The Headmistress is waiting for you up the stairs in her office." And just like that, the hunched man shuffled past the staircase and down a dimly lit hallway.

"He was-"

"Creepy." Joshua finished for Wendy.

"I was going to say interesting but maybe your description is more accurate." Wendy glanced at Joshua and noticed that he was still tense, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Wendy… I'm fine." he breathed, "Just ate something bad this morning."

"Oh, I can help with that." Wendy stated as her hands started to glow a bright green.

"No, that's…" Joshua sighed, "That's not necessary."

Just before he started up the stairs, Joshua felt Wendy quickly grab his right wrist and hold him back.

"I'm not dumb Joshua." Wendy said, "I can tell something is up? And don't tell me it's a cat."

Joshua stared back at Wendy, a slight far away look in his eyes. He grimaced then seemed to study the rusty, iron banister on the staircase.

"This place wasn't so decrepit looking ten years ago."

"What do you-" Wendy blinked. What did he mean by that? "Joshua… how would you know that?"

Joshua gulped, "I was sent to this world as a baby and arrived at Fairy Tail when I was nine years old. Where do you think I was during the years before the guild."

Wendy's eyes widened in realization, "You were here."

Joshua slowly nodded, "For the first seven years of my life… yeah."

He then patted the rusty banister causing some red dust to fall onto the stairs before starting up the old staircase. Wendy quickly followed him, each step creaked and groaned even though she stepped lightly on the wooden floors.

For an orphanage, the place was very quiet. Silence seemed to be the norm. Wendy thought that a place full of children would be loud. Heck, she figured it would've been as loud as Fairy Tail was. And she was prepared for the assault on her ears as well. She did bring ear plugs for the loud noises she was expecting. Instead, silence dripped from the walls around them. It was interrupted only by their footsteps and the groaning of wooden planks beneath their footsteps.

"This place is so quiet."

Joshua nodded, "It was always like this."

"Really?" Wendy said as they began to go up the second staircase. "Why?"

"The headmistress, her name is Grelod. And… well… isn't the friendliest person in the world. And… she wasn't especially fond of us kids."

Wendy gulped, "And that's who we are about to talk to?"

Joshua nodded, "I'm really not looking forward to this."

"What did she do?"

Joshua grimaced, "I'd rather not talk about it."

The pair reached the top floor and carefully made their way up to a set of heavy, double doors at the end of another dim hallway. Joshua motioned at the doors.

"This is it." he said before taking deep breath and knocking on the doors.

"Just a moment." said a kind voice on the other side of the door.

Joshua visibly jumped, shocked by the voice on the other side. Wendy glanced over at him and saw that his eyes were wide.

"That's Grelod?"

"No." Joshua replied, "That voice is way to young and nice to be that old witch."

The sound of a lock clicking open echoed through the silence and the door creaked open revealing a young woman with chestnut colored hair and green eyes. She had slightly tanned skin that was a little dirty and she wore a mustard colored dress. A warm smile was on her lips as she greeted the wizards.

"Hello! You must be the wizards I requested!" she held out a hand and Wendy shook it. The woman extended her right hand to Joshua but the teen only stared at the woman in stunned silence.

"Hand!" Wendy hissed, snapping Joshua out of his daze.

"Huh… oh!" Joshua reach over with his own right hand and gave the woman a quick handshake.

"It's good to meet you both." The young woman said, "My name is Headmistress Margery. Please come in, we can talk for a moment before I take you to the shed and show you what Samuel found."

"Samuel?" Wendy questioned as the two wizards followed Margery into her office.

The office had no lamps in it. Instead there were two large windows that allowed the bright sunlight to stream in. The room was lightly furnished with a desk and a large filing cabinet next to one of the cracked windows. Files were strewn about the room in a haphazard manner and the cabinet was overflowing with papers.

"Yes Samuel, you met him already. He greeted you at the door."

"Oh." Wendy replied, "He was, very-"

"Strange." Margaery finished, "Don't worry, you can say it. He would agree with you."

She waved her hands at two simple wooden chairs in front of her desk. The two wizards slowly sat down in the small chairs while Margery slumped into her own chair and rested her elbows on her old, battered desk.

"So… what guild are you two from?" Margery asked with a smile.

"Fairy Tail." Wendy replied.

"Really!? I watched the Grand Magic Games with some of the children. That was one of the best games I have ever seen!" The woman smiled widely, "The children will be so thrilled that two Fairy Tail wizards are here! What are your names!?"

"I'm Wendy Marvell." Wendy introduced herself. She was slowly warming up to the headmistress. She didn't seem like a bad person at all. Maybe this Grelod person that Joshua spoke of left. Speaking of Joshua, Wendy glanced over and saw him nervously glancing around the office. He was completely out of it. His right leg was shaking while his arms tensely gripped his thighs. "And… this is my partner, Joshua Scarlet."

Margery's eyes widened and she stared in shock at the boy, "Joshua?" She said before leaning forward, "Is that really you!?"

Wendy glanced back and forth at the two. Joshua didn't reply. He just gave the woman a nervous wave.

"It is you!" Margery exclaimed, "Only you have those eyes! I'd recognize those eyes anywhere!"

"Um… how do you two know each other?"

Joshua finally opened his mouth, "M-me and Marge were best friends when I was staying here."

"Yeah… gosh," Margery leaned back once again, "How many years has it been since you ran away and left me alone at the mercy of Grelod."

Wendy instantly detected the slight venom in Margery's tone. And Joshua clearly noticed it as well. He grimaced once again.

"Ten." he replied quietly.

"A decade! Wow!" The woman let out a snort, "Ten years! Ten years that I have-" She shook her head and before she could talk, Joshua spoke up again.

"Look, I'm here to do the job. Once it's done, I'll be gone and you won't have to see me ever again." Joshua said to Margery, "Ok?"

An irritated expression flashed across Margery's face but she quickly suppressed it and nodded, "Very well."

The air in the room was heavy with tension. It was clear to Wendy that these two were definitely not friends anymore.

"So, what did Samuel find and where is it?"

"It's in the shed." Margery replied as she stiffly stood up, "I'll take you there."

The young woman strode past the two wizards and shoved her doors open, causing them to slam against the walls outside of the room. She swiftly descended the stairs, her footsteps never making a sound while the two wizard hobbled along the uneven wooden planks causing loud groans to erupt from the floors. She then led them outside and over to the small shed. Margery produced an iron key ring from a pocket in the apron she wore over her dress. Her fingers flicked through several keys before settling on one. With a firm twist, she unlocked the shed and pulled the door open.

"It's under the tarp. I didn't want the children knowing about it in case it was something dangerous."

"Probably a good idea." Wendy replied, grateful that Margery was no longer glaring daggers at Joshua, "Speaking of children, I'm curious, where are they?"

Margery sighed, "Well… one thing old Grelod did have was money. When she died, the orphanage began to decay. We didn't have the funds to keep the place running like it used to." Margery glanced out at the yard that was overgrown with weeds, "This place used to have dozens of kids. Grelod kept a firm, harsh rule on us, but it was still a somewhat lively place at times. But now… I can only afford to house around five kids. The old place isn't sturdy anymore."

Joshua clenched his jaw and sighed as he walked up to the heavy tarp in the dark shed. He pretended like he didn't hear what Margery was saying. He didn't want to get drawn into a conversation with her right now. It would only turn into a nasty argument. One that he didn't want to have at all.

"That's so sad." Wendy replied to Margery.

Margery nodded, "It is but… I make do with what I have. If this orphanage stopped running then there would be kids homeless out there in the world, and I simply can't allow that to happen. I know what that is like after all. An orphanage is better than life out in the cold."

"You have no idea." Joshua said under his breath before bending down and grabbing the corner of the tarp. His cybernetic hand curled around the tarp's edge and he quickly through the tarp off of the object. As soon as the tarp came off, Joshua felt his breath get caught in his throat.

Sitting in the shed was a massive machine. It was all black in color with a large, flat cylindrical head. It's head had many lenses and cameras embedded in it. The spherical head rested on top of a thick, round metal platform. Jutting out from the other side of the platform were several long, metallic, probing arms with many different hooks and instruments attached. The machine looked like a gigantic metal squid. Joshua narrowed his eyes and saw a large dent on the crown of the machine.

"What is that!?" Wendy exclaimed.

"You're guess is as good as mine." Joshua replied, "But… it isn't from Earthland."

"What do you mean it isn't from Earthland?" Margery asked, tremendous concern in her voice.

"Um…" Wendy thought quickly, knowing that it was probably better that the young woman didn't know Earthland wasn't the only intelligent planet in the universe, "Joshua is just exaggerating. He's going to investigate this… thing. Do you mind if I talk to Samuel and ask him how he found this?"

Margery gulped, "Sure. I'll take you to him. He lives on the second floor." Margaery glanced back at Joshua, "Do you need tools?"

Joshua simply shook his head and reached into his requip space, pulling out a strange T-shaped device. Wendy's eyes widened, Joshua was going to cut into the machine with that!?

"So Samuel?"

"Oh right!" Margery replied, "Let's go."

Joshua heard the two women quickly walk away from the shed. As soon as they were gone, Joshua used the force to closed and lock the shed doors behind him. He was engulfed in darkness as the shed allowed no light in. His mechanical thumb brushed over a button on his lightsaber hilt and the red blade thundered to life. Gripping the blade with force, he carefully hovered the blade over the robot, casting a red glow over the entire shed. He then reached into his requip space again and pulled out several tools that he used when repairing his cybernetic arm.

"Alright… what makes you tick droid?" Joshua placed one tool up at the base of the droid's rotating head, "And how did you end up here?"

….

The short walk back to the orphanage felt like it took forever. The amount of awkward between Wendy and Margery was enormous. Mostly because the young woman who ran the orphanage kept giving Wendy dirty glances. Wendy wanted to responded to her attitude, but she bit her tongue. Margery was technically her boss right now. She was going to be paying her and Joshua for this job. It was probably a good idea not to get any further on her bad side.

"So… Joshua lived here."

"Until he was seven." Margery replied stiffly as she pushed the old doors to the orphanage open. The chestnut haired woman glared at Wendy, "Were you the reason he left?"

"Huh?" Wendy replied.

"Were you the reason he abandoned me and Samuel here?"

"What? NO!" Wendy snapped back, "I didn't meet Joshua until he was ten."

Margaery's eyes widened, "Oh… really." She then bowed, "Please forgive my treatment of you."

"Um… sure." Wendy replied, not entirely sure what to do right now. Margaery's demeanor had changed instantly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Smiled Margaery.

"What exactly happened between you and Joshua?"

Margaery frowned, "Me and Joshua were best friends growing up. And Samuel was with us as well." the young woman smiled to herself, "We called ourselves the three musketeers, you know, after the story. We were that close. Back then, Samuel wasn't… wasn't how he is today. One day, when we were all seven, Joshua just disappeared. And old Grelod thought we helped him escape. She.." Margaery gulped, "She hurt poor Samuel so much. She made him how he is today."

Margaery stopped in front of an old wooden door with lots of scratches and nicks in it. She slowly pushed it open revealing a room that was lit by a single dim lamp. Sitting quietly on a chair in the corner was Samuel, rocking back and forth as he sat.

"Oh dear…" Margaery said, "He's having another episode. Give me a moment."

"Of course." Wendy could hear him mumbling under his breath with her dragon hearing. What she heard disturbed her. Samuel was rambling on about Grelod, death, Joshua, and torture. His striking blue eyes were wide as he rocked back and forth. Wendy gulped.

 _What did this Grelod do to him?_

"Samuel, it's me." Margery said sweetly as she knelt down beside Samuel and placed an arm around him, instantly calming the poor man down, "Wendy of Fairy Tail needs to talk to you about what you found."

"She does?" Samuel muttered.

Margery nodded.

"Will Grelod get mad?"

"Grelod isn't here."

"She told us to never talk to wizards." Samuel shook.

"Sam, Grelod is gone." Margery said in a comforting tone, her words instantly soothing the troubled man, "Wendy is here to help us out, ok?"

Samuel nodded and gulped, "Grelod better not find out."

"She won't." Margery nodded for Wend to come on over. The sky mage hesitated before stepping quietly into the room and standing across from Samuel.

"Hi!" Wendy smiled, "I'm Wendy Marvell, from Fairy Tail."

"Hi." Samuel replied quickly.

Wendy smiled sadly, seeing the slight tinge of fear in the man's eyes. Whatever Grelod did to him, destroyed him. She wished she could do something to help. But no amount of healing magic could save the mind.

"I need to talk to you about what you found in the woods, the strange object."

"The black machine." Samuel gulped, "Yes, I found it in the woods… a week ago."

Margaery rubbed Samuel's back, "Good job Samuel. Keep going."

Samuel let out a shaky breath, "I-I was going out to the garden in one of the clearings, getting herbs for stew when I saw it. It was watching me!"

"Watching you?"

Samuel nodded, "Y-yes, the head, the eyes they were watching me. One of it's arms tried to grab me, so I picked up a rock and smashed it as hard as I could." Another shaky breath, "Then I ran back here and told Marge."

Margaery smiled, "Good job Samuel."

Wendy smiled as well and held Samuel's hand for a moment, "You did great. Thank you!" Wendy stood up but before she left, Samuel's hand jetted out and grabbed her wrist.

"Wait! It asked me something. It's voice said something."

Margaery raised an eyebrow, "You didn't say anything about this before."

Wendy turned around, "What did it say?"

"It said it was looking for Scarlet." Wendy paled, "It's master wanted it to find Scarlet."

….

The train screeched to a stop at the Lupinas town train station. Steam billowed out from the engine and filled the small train station like a thick, gray fog. The doors slowly opened. As soon as they were wide enough for someone to fit through, two figures raced out. One was a young woman wearing steel armor and a blue skirt. Her scarlet colored hair whipped in the air as the steam billowed up around her. Standing beside the scarlet haired knight was a white cat wearing a yellow and pink sundress.

"This is Lupinas town." Carla said as she folded her arms, "How do you suppose we'll find-"

"Where is Joshua Scarlet!?" Erza roared as she grabbed a random man by the neck of his shirt.

"Who?"

*WHACK*

Erza's fist slammed into the man's face, knocking him out instantly. Carla's mouth hung open as Erza streaked over to a woman.

"Where is Joshua Scarlet!?"

"Huh?"

*SLAM*

The woman landed heavily on the concrete platform.

"Um… Erza."

"Not now Carla!" Erza jetted over to another man in a business suit and grabbed him by the collar, "I'm aggressively interrogating!"

A bead of sweat appeared on the side of Carla's head as Erza knocked out another helpless bystander. As the man crumpled to the ground, Carla shook her head.

"You aren't going to get any information if you don't allow them to talk!"

"Nonsense!" Erza shouted back as people ran away screaming from her, "It's always worked before!"

"On who?"

"Dark guilds." Erza replied.

"Well of course it'd work on Dark Guilds, you have to be rough with them!" Carla sighed, "With regular people you need to be more civil."

"HALT! IN THE NAME OF THE MAYOR OF LUPINAS TOWN!"

Carla's head turned to see six town guard rushing up to them, weapons brandished and ready for a fight.

"Oh no." Carla gulped.

Seconds later, five of the six guards were lying in heaps on the ground, welts and bruises covering their forms. Their armor was dented in several places and their magical spears were snapped in half. Erza held the sixth guard up in the air.

"Where is Joshua Scarlet!?" Erza roared.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

"I won't ask again!" Erza shouted as she violently shook the guard in the air.

"ORPHANAGE! THE MAYOR SENT HIM TO THE ORPHANAGE!" the guard shrieked.

Erza sighed then gently set the guard down. She bowed to the man.

"Thank you. I apologize for scaring you."

"Uh… uh…" The guard gulped then quickly ran away while Erza walked back over to Carla.

"Orphanage huh?" Carla said.

"Yup. But I want to speak to the mayor first and clear up this misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding!" Carla exclaimed, "You just assaulted several civilians and six guards!"

"I know."

"Gah… uh… ugh!" Carla grumbled, "Let's just get to the town hall." _I'm starting to worry about letting Wendy be around Erza._

….

Sparks flew up around Joshua as he cut through patches of black armor made of durasteel. The armor was shockingly tough. All the droids Joshua had ever encountered had relatively weak armor. Then again, his experience with droids were limited to B1 battle droids. Not exactly models of engineering. A loud clank rang out through the shed signaling that Joshua had finally cut through the outer shell of the droid's head. Using the force, Joshua lifted the square patch of armor her cut free from the droid and set it to the side. His own lightsaber still hovered over head, providing light while he worked. He carefully lowered the blade so that the interior of the droid was covered in a red glow.

Joshua peered into the hull of the droid. The inside was composed of hundreds of wires and chips, none of them showing any signs of life anymore. He then saw why. A large dent was located right where the droid's main power source was. The durasteel was jutting right into the power cell, disrupting it and causing the droid to malfunction and shut down.

 _Lucky break for whoever ran into this thing._ Joshua thought as he looked over at the blaster mounted on the outside of the droid, _This thing could easily ruin someone's day._

Joshua continued his survey of the inside. He was searching for one item in particular. His eyes carefully scanned the many wire, microchips, and processors in the droid before finally resting on a circular shaped port deep inside of the droid's hull.

 _There you are!_

The golden light of requip magic filled Joshua's right hand and a strange tube like tool appeared in his grasp. The tool had a tipped end and a port on the other end of it. Joshua reached into his requip again and pulled out a small, empty data chip that he took from the Supremacy before he left. In fact, he took all of these tools from the Supremacy. He thought that he would need them eventually. And it looks like he was right to take them.

Joshua carefully positioned the tube like tool at the circular port in the droid's head. He then slowly pushed the tool in. The tool lit up and whirred as did the circular port. Several mechanisms around the port turned and buzzed as the tool extracted the droid's programming and data then stored it on the small data chip. After several moments, the tool beeped and Joshua retracted it out of the droid's hull.

 _Now I'm gonna have to plug this into something._ Joshua frowned, _Damn it. I wish I had an astromech. That would make this so much easier._

The wooden doors to the shed groaned open and sunlight streamed in.

"Find anything?" Wendy asked as she walked in and stood beside Joshua.

Joshua nodded as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. The shed was unbearably hot. He then showed the data chip to Wendy and stored the tool back into his requip space.

"It's a droid of some sort." Joshua said.

"Droid?"

"A robot." Joshua simplified, "It should have some form of artificial intelligence."

"So it's definitely not from Earthland?"

"Definitely not." Joshua replied as he wiped some grim off his hands with his shirt, "Did you learn anything new?"

"Yeah, the person who found this was Samuel." Joshua stiffened, "He said that it talked to him."

"What did it say?" Joshua asked.

Wendy took a deep breath, "It said it's master was looking for Scarlet." Wendy saw Joshua's jaw shift, "Do you think this thing belongs to the Sith?"

"It's entirely possible." Joshua replied, "That's the only people I can think of who would be looking for me. I'll have to read the data chip before drawing any conclusions. And unfortunately that means I can't give the mayor or the orphanage a clear answer as to what this thing is yet. All the instruments I need for seeing the data are back home."

"Their not in your requip."

"I don't have enough room in my requip. Mine isn't as vast as Erza's." Joshua replied.

"Oh."

Silence filled the air between the two. Joshua sensed that Wendy wanted to ask him something.

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

"Something's bothering you." Joshua said, "What's up?"

Wendy rubbed her left arm, "Margery told me what happened."

Joshua took a breath, "Oh… yeah." He glanced at Wendy, "I left because… because I didn't want to live here the rest of my life."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, I had absolute zero chance of a family choosing me while I stayed here. My powers at the time were very… unstable and they freaked people out. Add in that old witch Grelod's hatred of me and it's a recipe for being stuck here forever. I didn't want that. So-So I left. I ran away. Marge and Sam had nothing to do with it. Although," Joshua sighed, "Seeing Sam the way he is now, makes me wish I made them come with me. That horrible witch must've made their lives hell. They were my only friends here. So they were guilty of helping me escape in her eyes."

Wendy looked at Joshua with wide eyes, "So… you wanted to find a better life?"

"Yes." Joshua nodded, "And I did. And while I regret not taking Sam and Marge with me. I don't regret leaving. Leaving allowed me to find Erza and Natsu and Macao. It allowed me to meet you. Leaving the orphanage gave me a real family. And I wouldn't trade that for the world."

Wendy felt some tears fill her eyes, "You mean that?"

"Of course I do." Joshua smiled.

Wendy smiled and embraced him. As the two hugged each other, Wendy looked up at Joshua, "You should probably talk to Sam and Marge before we leave though. Tell them why you did it."

Joshua sighed, "That's... probably a good idea." He stored the data chip into his requip space and exited the shed with Wendy. Waiting outside for them was Margery and Samuel.

"Did you find anything?" Margery asked.

Joshua shook his head, "Your guess is as good as mine with that thing. I was able to extract some information, but the instruments I need to read it are back in Magnolia."

"Will it watch me anymore?" Samuel asked nervously.

Joshua shook his head, "No, I took out it's programming and wiped it with my tools. It's completely harmless now."

"That's a relief." Margery said, "C'mon Samuel, let's go inside and get the money."

"Wait Marge." Joshua said, "Before you go… I just wanted to apologize to you guys." Both Sam and Marge wheeled around slowly. "I shouldn't have left you guys alone to face Grelod. I should've taken you all with me. I'm sorry for that. And… keep your money. I didn't complete the request. We still don't know what this thing is, so I don't get paid."

Marge looked at Joshua wide eyed. Sam gulped and shuffled up to Joshua before hugging him.

"I always said you'd come back." Sam said as he hugged his old friend, "See Marge! He came back!"

Marge stared at Sam with wide eyes. For the first time in years, she saw his pale lips spread into a smile. Marge smiled as well.

"He did. Well… Joshua, Wendy, when you two do figure out what this is, I'll have your reward ready." Marge then took Sam's hand and pulled him away from Joshua, "C'mon Sam, they have a long trip back to Magnolia."

"Bye!" Sam waved with a grin.

"See you later Sam!"

Wendy grinned as she saw the three old friends smiling at each other. She then took Joshua's right hand in her left.

"C'mon, we should get our things and go."

….

"So…" Wendy grunted as she shoved her clothes into a small brown suitcase, "Where were you for the two years between the orphanage and Fairy Tail?"

"Just wandering around the country. Going from place to place, surviving in general." Joshua replied as he packed his own back and then stored it in his requip space.

"Really? A kid younger than ten surviving on his own?" Wendy said.

"You survived on your own."

Wendy laughed, "I had a dragon helping me out."

"That makes it even more badass."

"How?"

"You survived with a dragon!" Joshua replied, "Not many people can say that."

"You make it sound like Grandine would eat me."

"She probably could." Joshua teased.

"Shut it!" Wendy tossed a hairbrush at Joshua as he laughed.

Joshua kept chuckling as he grabbed the hairbrush off the floor and tossed it over to Wendy. As he did this, a slight breeze came through the open window. It cooled the room and caused Wendy's long blue hair to gently drift around her head. Joshua stared at her as she finished stuffing her suitcase. He couldn't help but think that she was gorgeous.

"Hey Wendy."

"Yeah?"

"You know, the train would take a while and it's almost dark out. We could just wait till the morning to leave." Joshua suggested.

Wendy looked up and thought about it.

 _Me and Joshua staying the night._ Her face then turned beat red, _Alone… together… in a room. With. One. Bed._

"Um… um.. Me and you staying the night?"

"Yeah, maybe there is a nice restaurant around here that we could go to."

"L-like an actual d-d-date." Wendy stammered.

"If you wanna call it that." Joshua said, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

Wendy gulped. What was she going to do!? He was suggesting that they stay the night! Go out to dinner! What would follow!? Wendy's blush became more intense as her mind raced faster and faster.

 _Is this how Juvia thinks of Gray!_ She thought.

"Wendy?" Joshua said, "Are you ok?"

"Eh! Y-yeah! Fine t-totally fine!" _GET A GRIP WENDY! Just say yes already!_ "I would love to-"

Joshua raised a hand. A signal telling her to be quiet.

"What's wrong?" She whispered.

"I feel a disturbance in the force." Joshua muttered. There was indeed a disturbance. A huge disturbance. It felt like a raging bull was rushing towards their room. "As if an overprotective person is coming here to-" Joshua's eyes widened large than dinner plates, "Oh god we're screwed."

*SLAM!*

The door to the room flew off the hinges. Joshua yelped and ducked under the flying door before it slammed into the far wall. His head slowly rose to see a woman wearing armor and a blue skirt standing in the doorway. Her deep red hair shadowed out her eyes as she stood in there, glaring at Joshua.

"Joshua…" The woman growled.

"H-hey E-Erza!" Joshua stammered nervously.

"WENDY!" Carla zipped into the room and crashed into the sky dragon slayer, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT LEAVING WITH BOYS!"

"CARLA! STOP CLAWING ME!"

"Joshua…" Erza growled again as she stalked into the room.

"Erza! We were just on a job together!" Joshua defended.

"And you are staying in a room with one bed!?"

"There weren't any other rooms!" Joshua cried as Carla scolded Wendy in the background.

"NO EXCUSES!" The back of Erza's gauntlet covered hand smacked into Joshua's head sending him flying into the wall. She then marched over and grabbed him by the ankle, "C'mon, we need to have a talk!"

"Joshua are you ok!"

"Wendy don't back talk Erza or she will kick my ass!" Joshua said deliriously as Erza dragged him out of the room.

….

Erza stopped in the empty alley next to the inn and dropped Joshua's leg out of her grasp. Joshua groaned and slowly lifted himself up on his elbows while Erza stood above him, arms crossed and foot tapping against the stone alleyway.

"Alright… what punishment now?" Joshua groaned, accepting his fate.

Erza sighed and shook her head, "Joshua… I'm disappointed."

Joshua blinked. This was new. Normally Erza would just get straight to the punishment. What was she up to?

"Joshua… you are all grown up now."

"Yeah?" he replied nervously.

"And you went on a job alone with a beautiful woman."

"Uh huh."

"Joshua… we need to have a talk."

"But we are talk-" Joshua froze. His blood turned ice cold in his veins and he felt his spine beginning to crawl, "No! OH GOD NO!"

"Now Joshua, listen carefully." Erza requiped a sword and a sheath into her hands, "When you first get a requip space…"

"OH GOD IT IS THIS TALK!" Joshua cried.

Erza's hand smacked his cheek, "Be quiet and listen."

"Yes ma'am." Joshua replied quickly.

"Good." Erza nodded then showed the unsheathed sword again, "Now then, when you first get a requip space, you don't want to store your sword unsheathed."

"Are you seriously using a metaphor like this?" Joshua asked.

"BE QUIET!"

Joshua shut his mouth again.

"As I was saying, you don't want to store your sword in your space unsheathed. In order to properly store your sword, you need a sheath. You use the sheath in order to avoid unintended consequences."

"Can't you just say penis and condom so this is less awkward?" Joshua groaned.

"I BETTER NOT HERE ANOTHER INDECENT THING LIKE THAT!" Erza roared.

"A-aye sir." Joshua trembled.

"Now then, if you don't sheath your sword…"

Erza went on to talk about all the unintended consequences. Joshua payed attention the entire time, as to avoid any further punishment from Erza. He was already considering this conversation part of his punishment as it was.

"Do you understand what I said Joshua?" Erza asked.

Joshua glanced up at his older sister and realized something. She hasn't even been kissed yet, but she knows an awful lot about this stuff. His eyes narrowed.

"How do you know about this stuff?"

"Hm." Erza replied.

"I mean… you've never even been kissed before. So how would you know about this stuff?"

"I-I, well-" Erza stammered.

"Erza…" It was Joshua's turn to question her, "What have you been doing at night?"

"NOTHING!"

"What's on the bookshelf you never let me look at as a kid?"

"NOTHING!"

"Is it?" Joshua asked, "Is it really nothing?"

Erza glared at Joshua, "Say one more word, and I will beat you within an inch of your life. Got it?"

Joshua gulped, "Aye sir."

"Good!" Erza stated firmly before sighing, "C'mon let's go home, before anything indecent happens tonight."

"I wasn't going to try anything!" Joshua replied as he got up and followed Erza to the train station, "And… wait… there's no punishment?"

Erza shook her head, "You're all grown up now Joshua. I can't just punish you anymore."

"You do it to Natsu all the time."

"Do you want me to reconsider?"

"No ma'am!"

"That's what I thought."

 **And chapter! Done with this very brief filler. I figured it was time we learned where Joshua was during the nine years he wasn't with Fairy Tail as a kid. So I threw a little more backstory into this. Also, I couldn't help but think that this was how Erza was going to give Joshua the talk, I thought it was pretty damn funny. But that's just my opinion. And for any of you Skyrim fans out there, I'm sure you an guess where I got the name Grelod from. Anyways, now that the filler is done, we can move on to the next arc! And I can guarantee that this next arc will be awesome! Let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	70. Chapter 70: The Millennium Falcon

**It is time for the next arc! There is a small time skip here only to accommodate for the time between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. With that being said, let's begin!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 70

He stood there in the tunnel, blue eyes scanning each shadow as his footsteps quietly echoed off the durasteel walls around him. The lightsaber hilt was clenched tightly in his right hand, deactivated. His thumb hovered the activation button, ready to press down and bring the blue blade to life at a moment's notice. The blonde gulped as he paused. He thought he sensed something.

The air was still. Not a sound could be heard in the dark tunnel that was located deep in the bowels of Cloud City. The young Jedi paused as he heard a short rasp. His eyes widened and he jumped back as a red blade howled to life and slashed at his neck. The blade missed him by mere inches and slashed into the wall on his right, sending sparks showering down around him. The silence was gone, now replaced by labored mechanical breathing and the loud whirring of lightsabers.

The evil red lightsaber swung at him again with a speed that stunned the young Jedi. He barely ducked out of the way in time, causing the blade to chop into the walls once again. The Jedi didn't have time to regain his balance. He stumbled out of the tunnel and out onto the precarious catwalk that ran along the outside of the tunnel and hung over a seemingly bottomless pit. Storming out of the tunnel after him was a behemoth of a man clad in black robes and armor. A black mask covered his face and a black helmet completed the intimidating look. On his chest was a life support system with multiple switches and buttons that added the only semblance of color onto his dark form.

The monster battling the jedi swung his lightsaber once again with savage strength. The blonde Jedi stumbled backwards once again, tripping over his own feet and falling back with a loud thump. He winced then his eyes widened as the deadly red glow hovered inches away from his pale face.

"You are beaten." boomed the deep baritone voice of Darth Vader, "It useless to resist! Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi Wan did!"

The Jedi's face twisted into a snarl before he slashed the red blade away from him with his own blue blade. He quickly scrambled to his feet and backed up once again. His foot slipped slightly as the catwalk narrowed to a point where he barely had room to stand. Vader hacked at the Jedi once again, battering the blue lightsaber to the side. The Jedi winced and recovered quickly slashing back as Vader recoiled from the heaviness of his last attack.

A feeling of triumph filled the young jedi as his blue blades dug into the armored right shoulder of Darth Vader. Blue sparks flew out and Vader let out a pained roar before snarling in anger at the jedi. His attacks increased in speed and strength. Brute strength battered against the young Jedi's tired arms. He ducked away from another chop that almost took his head off. The red blade hissed as it cut completely through a metal attendee at the edge of the catwalk.

The Jedi felt exhausted. He had never expected the battle with Vader to be like this. His energy and strength were sapped. He had nothing left in him to keep up with, let alone defeat Vader. All he could hope for now was survival. He blocked another strike. At least he could deflect the red blade.

The Jedi parried another slash and was ready to react to another attack when suddenly Vader's wrists twisted, twirling the Jedi's lightsaber away from his body. The Jedi caught his breath before letting out an agonizing howl. Pain washed over his whole body as the red blade lopped his right hand off, sending the severed limb and blue lightsaber plummeting down into the dark pit. He dropped into a crouch, cradling his wounded limb into his stomach.

"There is no escape." Vader snarled, "Don't make me destroy you."

The Jedi backed away on all fours, balancing precariously a durasteel beam the led out to one last antennae. He stared angrily up at Vader, blue eyes never breaking contact with Vader's own hollow lenses.

"Luke, you do not yet realize your importance." Vader thundered as he stood back on the catwalk, watching the wounded Jedi crawl away like a wounded animal, "You have only begun to discover your power. Join me… and I will complete your training. With our combined strength we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy!"

Luke clawed his way up the antenna that hovered over the pit. His left hand clutched the structure's supports while his right was stuffed into his ruined jacket. The pain was mind blowing. The burning grew in intensity every second. The blonde Jedi looked back at Vader, his face turning into an angry yet terrified snarl.

"I'LL NEVER JOIN YOU!"

"If you only knew the power of the dark side!" Vader replied, his left hand clenching into a fist in front of his dark helmet, "Obi Wan never told you what happened to your father."

Luke lowered himself down onto the antenna supports, his feet balancing on the thin metal ring around the structure. He glared with hate filled eyes back at Vader.

"He told me enough!" He spat, "He told me, you killed him!"

"No," Vader boomed, "I am your father."

Luke felt a pit form in his stomach. His words were stuck in his throat and his blue eyes widened as Vader's declaration registered in his exhausted mind. He slowly shook his head, hatred and fear being replaced by dismay and sorrow.

"No… that's not true."

Luke was on the verge of sobbing. He always believed that his father was a hero. Ever since Obi Wan told him that his father was a Jedi like him, that his father fought in the clone wars, he believed that he was a hero. A man of legendary status and unimaginable integrity and honor. But here was Vader, the fist of the Empire, slayer of millions of souls, claiming to be his father. His entire perception of everything changed. Sobs came out of Luke's lips as he felt the force confirming to him the truth. But he still refused to believe it.

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Search your feelings you know it to be true." Vader replied, his lidless lenses never breaking from Luke's trembling form.

Luke lost all self control as the force practically screamed the truth in his ears.

"NOOOO!" He screeched, "NOOOO!"

He couldn't believe it. He refuse to believe it. But yet, it was true. There was no way to change it. All Luke could do, was deny it. He stared bleary eyed at Vader, tears beginning to stain his cheeks.

"Luke," Vader continued, "You can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me and together and we can rule the galaxy as father and son."

Vader extended a black gloved hand to Luke. The defeated Jedi gulped and stared down at the pit below him. He exhaled and stared back at Vader. Mind already made up. He gave Vader one last angry glare.

"Come with me," Vader pleaded, "It is the only way."

Luke relaxed his left hand. His fingers slipped away from the metal supports of the antennae and he felt himself lurch backwards. Vader lowered his outstretched hand as he watched him plummet down into the dark depths of Cloud City's pit.

It felt like he fell for forever. The pit's walls flew by him at breakneck speeds as Luke rocketed down like a stone falling off a cliff. He closed his eyes. Luke knew what his fate was. He was going to die here. It was all but certain. Once he hit the bottom of this pit, it would be the end. A slight smile formed on his cracked lips. He would be able to see Biggs again. He'd seen Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. He'd see Ben again. Maybe this wasn't such a bad fate.

His eyes widened in surprise as his body seemed to hit a slide instead of flat ground. Luke let out a pained grunt as he impacted with a slick tube at the bottom of the pit. His form quickly slid through the tube like a rag doll. He was helpless to stop himself. Then the tube suddenly leveled out. Luke was lying completely flat on his back. He winced and attempted to sit up.

 _What?_

No sooner had he thought that when the bottom of the shaft disappeared and Luke fell out of the tube and onto a weather antenna that clung to the bottom of cloud city. He cried out in pain as his legs hit the antenna with a loud crack. He then curled his legs around the structure, preventing himself from plummeting away from cloud city and narrowly avoid the cruel fate that would've been falling forever on the gas planet. The force was not done with him yet.

….

"HOW MANY TIE FIGHTERS ARE THERE!" Leia shouted as the Millennium Falcon shuddered from intense blaster fire.

"Took many!" A dark skinned man with curly black hair and a thin mustache over his lips replied as he expertly piloted the hunk of junk through the thick clouds around the floating city. Beside him, a large alien that seemed composed of all hair uttered a series of loud barks and grunts. "I know Chewie!" The man replied.

Leia gasped and fell back in the cockpits third seat as the Millennium Falcon shook once again. Her head snapped back and slammed hard into the leather headrest behind her. Her vision grew slightly spotty, but the rebel leader shook it off. This was no time to lose consciousness. Suddenly she felt a strange warmth around her. The air buzzed over her skin causing goosebumps to form. As the ship lurched back and forth and the dark skinned man shouted at Chewbacca, Leia heard a familiar voice call out to her.

" _Leia!"_ The voice whimpered weakly.

The young woman instantly recognized it.

"Luke." She breathed.

"Alright Chewie, are the hyperdrive coordinates ready!?"

"Lando!" Leia shouted at the dark skinned man, "we have to turn back.

Lando Calrissian, former administrator of Cloud City and now imperial fugitive stared incredulously back at Leia, "Are you crazy!? There are how many tie fighters out there!?"

Chewbacca let out several barks.

"I thought so!"

"Chewie, it's Luke. He's in trouble! We have to go back for him!" Leia pleaded to the Wookie in the co-pilot's seat.

The Wookie paused and glanced over at Lando. He let out a small whimper at the dark skinned man which caused Lando to let out a long sigh.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this. We could end up dead!"

"I don't care!" Leia replied.

Lando grimaced and shook his head, "Where is Luke?"

Leia gulped. Where was Luke? She felt it. She somehow knew where he was. How she knew, she didn't know.

"Underneath the city. On a weather vane."

"Underneath!?" Lando replied in shock, "How the hell-"

Chewbacca twisted the controls and sent the Millennium Falcon screaming down beneath the floating city. The sudden lurching of the ship caused Lando to fall forward and smack his forehead into the dash of the cockpit. He groaned as his dark eyes looked hazily back up through the glass of the cockpit. His eyes then widened. Sure enough, there was someone hanging by his legs on a weather vane beneath Cloud City. And that someone looked like he was in rough shape.

"Leia get the medical kit ready!" Lando ordered, "Chewie, take over."

Lando jumped out of his seat and raced to the Millennium Falcon's top hatch. He clambered quickly up the ladder and pushed a button on the side of the hatch. A loud whirring sound followed by a hiss filled his ears. An electronic beep then sounded and Lando pushed the hatch open. The Falcon was right below Luke now. Lando reached up and snagged the young man's arms, gently lowering him down from the weather vane before quickly pulling him back inside the ship.

The kid looked like hell. His skin was pouring sweat and his long blonde hair clung to his forehead and neck. His skin was pale and burning to the touch. Then Lando saw the stump that was left of his right hand. The former administrator, scoundrel, and smuggler gulped then refocused as he carried Luke into the ship and towards the small bedroom that was in the ship.

Leia had already set up a medical station, complete with bacta strips, gauze, and other emergency tools. But as soon as she saw Luke and his injuries, she knew that the meager supplies on the Millennium Falcon would not be enough to help him. He needed an actual medical droid and fast.

"Take care of him." Lando said before rushing back to the cockpit.

Upon entering the cockpit, Lando was greeted by a flurry of furious barks and howls from Chewbacca. Lando's face paled.

"What do you mean the hyperdrive isn't responding!?" He exclaimed.

Another series of furious howls replied to him.

"I was told they fixed it!" Lando jumped into the pilot's seat and took over the controls. Chewbacca howled and stared angrily at him as they evaded tie fighters, "It's not my fault!" Lando shouted back at the wookie.

The pair guided the Falcon up out of the planet's orbit and into the jaws of the Imperial navy. Several Star Destroyers began to bear down on them and as swarm of tie fighters dogged their tail. It took every trick Lando and Chewie knew to keep them alive.

"Deflector shields at twenty percent!" Lando exclaimed as Chewie howled at the hyperdrive navicomputer.

Another shudder rocked the ship.

"Ten percent." Lando grimaced before a loud crash was heard far back in the ship followed by R2D2 uttering a loud scream.

Just as the loud crash rang out through the ship's tight corridors, Chewbacca slammed his paw on the Navicomputer in frustration. Lando's head jerked up as the hyperdrive suddenly came to life. The stars became streaks of light around them as the Millennium Falcon shot away from Bespin at beyond light speed.

Lando gulped and looked over at the wookie. Chewbacca did his species equivalent of a nervous gulp and stared back at Lando.

"Were the coordinates correct?" Lando asked.

Chewbacca glanced back at the navicomputer before looking back at Lando and shaking his hair head.

"Where did it send us?" Lando asked, his voice quivering a little. If the coordinates were wrong it could be sending them into a star or and asteroid field. Then their trip was going to end real quick.

Chewbacca glanced again at navicomputer, then back at Lando. His massive shoulders shrugged.

"You don't know." Lando replied in dismay. He ran his hands over his face before sighing and shaking his head. He didn't want to talk to the wookie anymore. He just needed some peace and quiet for a few moments.

Several hours passed before Leia returned to the cockpit. She had a grave look on her face as she entered.

"I've got Luke stabilized, but he needs an actual medical droid. Vader…" She gulped, "Vader did a number on him."

Lando grimaced, "I don't know if we will be able to get him to a medical droid."

Leia's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"Chewie just sent us to unknown coordinates." Lando replied as he gestured at the wookie to his right.

Chewbacca howled in protest at Lando.

"It's not my fault you decided to throw a tantrum and hit the computer!" Lando shouted back.

"Well where did it send us?" Leia asked, desperation in her voice.

Before Lando could reply, the navicomputer burst to life. Flashes filled the cockpit which caused Lando to grimace.

"We are about to find out."

The streaks of light disappeared and suddenly the entire cockpit's glass windows were filled with a planet.

"WE JUMPED THIS CLOSE TO A PLANET!?" Lando cried as he wrestled with the controls and attempted to slow down the Falcon's decent, "Way to go Chewbacca!"

Chewbacca barked and howled as his massive paws hit buttons and pulled levers around the cockpit. Leia meanwhile clutched the armrests on her seat for dear life. The heat shield around the Millennium Falcon burst to life as the atmosphere of the planet produced a fiery glow around the ship.

"We're going in too fast!" Lando shrieked.

The Falcon shook and jostled back and forth as they roughly entered the planet's atmosphere. White puffs of clouds whizzed by them before they finally saw what looked like land below them. The land was covered by a dense temperate forest.

"HOLD ON!" Lando yelled.

Leia closed her eyes. Her knuckles were white as she squeezed her chair. She quickly placed the seat's restraints over her body before she felt the Falcon slam into the planetary surface. Her head whipped forward then back, slamming her violently against the seat and causing the rebel leader to black out.

….

It was a crystal clear day outside. The sun was shining brilliantly overhead of the two travelers that walked through the forest outside of Onibus town. One traveler wore a dark blue skirt, almost purple in color, that came up to her mid thigh. She also wore a red jacket over her torso and hand her long blue hair flowing down over her shoulders. Beside her strode the second traveler. He wore dark robes that looked really warm. But he looked surprisingly comfortable in them. Over his shoulders was a black hooded cloak. The hood was drawn back, allowing the sun to shine of his brown hair and pale skin. The hazel eyes of the second traveler glanced over at the woman to his right.

"I can't believe you made me go on that job… again!"

"It wasn't that bad this time!" the woman replied with a slight smirk.

"I had to wear those blue tights and cotton ball shirt again!" The young man roared while the woman laughed.

"And I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you wear them."

"I hate the theater." Joshua grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms.

"Oh it wasn't so bad." Wendy smirked, "Besides, the play went better this time than last time. You actually kissed me for a change."

"That's because I don't have to fear repercussions anymore." he replied, "Erza finally accepted the fact that I'm dating you."

"When did she finally accept it? After job number three or job number four?"

Joshua tilted his head to the side, "Not sure when. She just kinda did. But she did say that if I tried anything indecent to you she'd castrate me with a rusty carving knife."

The blue haired woman paled, "Oh… that's… violent."

"It's Erza, what do you expect." Joshua shrugged, "Eh, she's just being overprotective. I don't think she'd follow through on that threat."

"How can you be so sure?" Wendy asked.

"It's called hoping and praying."

"Doesn't sound very effective."

"It's something at least." Joshua glanced back at his beautiful girlfriend, "How's Carla taking this so far."

"She's devastated still." Wendy replied, "She still sees me as an ten year old girl."

"I'm sure that's how Erza sees me."

"As a ten year old girl?" Wendy raised an eyebrow.

"That came out wrong."

Wendy laughed out loud as the pair continued down the dirt trail in the forest.

"So… where do you think this meteor the mayor told us about is?" Wendy asked.

Joshua shrugged, "I don't know. He told us the general location where it landed. It's up to us now to find it." The pair hopped over a fallen tree, "That's what we're being paid for right?"

"Right." Wendy nodded, "I just find it surprising that the mayor called us to conduct this search right after we finished the job at Rabian's theater."

"Why?"

"I figured he'd want wizards that knew about meteors and stuff like that to help."

"We were the only wizards in town at the the time." Joshua replied, "It could be he wants us to investigate before the townspeople got into a panic over meteors falling from the sky." Joshua looked back at Wendy, "He said it was a meteor right?"

Wendy nodded, "That's what I thought he said. He was pretty vague about what the object looked like."

"Hm." Joshua replied.

Both wizards stopped in their tracks. Their jaws hung open and their eyes were wide as they stared at the forest in front of them. Or, what was left of the forest in front of them. The once mighty trees of this forest that had towered over every building and person nearby were now violently uprooted and toppled over. Small fires had broken out around a large trench dug by an enormous object that had violently skidded across the ground.

"Woah." Wendy muttered.

The sky dragon slayer glanced over at Joshua and saw that his eyes were closed. She then felt a the strange buzzing over her body and realized what he was doing. He was sending out the location.

"It's a meteor Joshua." Wendy stated quietly, "There shouldn't be anyone nearby."

"Meteors don't skid along the ground. They impact and create craters." Joshua replied as he continued to concentrate.

The force was in a frenzy around him. Wendy could feel the buzzing growing more intense as Joshua further enveloped himself in the force and guided his senses through the destroyed woods.

He could see it all. The small fires around him. The destroyed flora. The fauna that had been killed by the sudden impact of a large object. But the source of this destruction was still eluding him.

 _Where are you?_ He thought before his senses finally stopped and his hazel eyes shot open.

"This way!" he hissed to Wendy.

Wendy nodded, used to not questioning Joshua's sensory abilities. If he sensed something, he was usually right and then it was best to stick close to him. The two wizards raced along the trench, weaving through small fires and around uprooted trees until they finally saw it.

Wendy gasped and her eyes widened as she saw what caused the destruction. Lying like a beach whale in front of them was a large, strange structure. Wendy didn't know what to make of it. The thing had an odd, disc like shape and had a slight protrusion that was covered in glass.

"A star ship." Joshua said to her.

Wendy gulped as she saw the serious expression on Joshua's face, "You don't think-"

"Only one way to find out." Golden light enveloped his right hand and a T-shaped hilt appeared. His hand firmly grasped the hilt and he hovered his thumb over the lightsaber's activation button. "Be ready for anything."

Wendy nodded and the pair slowly approached the crashed starship. Joshua crept up to the side of the ship first. He nodded and Wendy then used the force to pull the ship's ramp open. Metal groaned and sparks flew as the ramp resisted Joshua. Wendy could see him straining to pull the thing open. With one final grunt, Joshua forced the ramp open, snapping all of the mechanisms that were used to keep it closed.

"There." he breathed, "Let's check this thing out."

Joshua entered the ship first. Wendy was closed behind him. The pair entered a small, circular corridor that seemed to wrap around the entirety of the ship.

"Right or left?" Wendy whispered.

"Cockpit is to the right." Joshua replied, "That's where we'll find any information and survivors."

Wendy nodded and the two carefully crept down the corridor towards the ship's cockpit. The cockpit was separated from the rest of the ship by a heavy door. The door had a single, small, square pane of glass in it that Joshua peered through. He didn't see anyone on the inside of the cockpit. It was completely empty.

"Strange." he mumbled.

Just as he was about to turn around he heard Wendy shriek followed by a loud animal sounding howl. Joshua whipped around, his lightsaber thundering to life in his grasp. He was about to slice through whatever had attacked Wendy when he saw that the creature was using her as a shield. Held her high in the air by the neck. Wendy's eyes bulged and she gasped for air as he legs kicked beneath her. Joshua grit his teeth at the bear like creature. The thing was gigantic and covered in long, thick, brown hair. It's dark eyes glared back at Joshua and it's jaws opened emitting a low snarl as it stared at Joshua's red blade.

"Put her down you walking carpet before I put you down." Joshua growled back at the creature.

"You won't be doing anything." Joshua heard someone snarl at him before he felt the cold barrel of a blaster press against his right temple.

 _Dammit, I lost focus._ He scolded himself mentally.

He glanced to his right and saw a middle aged man with dark skin and curly black hair holding the blaster that was pressed to his temple. The man had a large gash in his forehead that was still bleeding.

 _That must've happened on impact._ Joshua thought as he observed the man more thoroughly.

He was dressed in fancy clothing showing that he was someone of great importance. Normally, someone like that would be terrified in this situation. But this man just stared at Joshua with cold eyes showing that he had been in tighter scrapes than this before. The way he held the blaster only furthered Joshua's observations that he was not someone to play around with.

"Leia!" The man called into another corridor.

Joshua glanced over and saw a woman emerge from the shadows of the corridor. She wore a white shirt and pants and also carried a blaster. A determined looked was etched on her pretty face as she glared at Joshua. Her brown hair was ruffled and she had a large bruise on her left temple.

"Put the sword down." The man snarled.

"Tell your bear to put her down then I'll put my sword down." Joshua growled back.

"You're not in any position to bargain." the man growled.

"Am I? Am I really?" Joshua snarled back letting the force flare to life around him, "I tried to be nice but obviously you all just need an ass whooping."

The man's and woman's eyes widened as they were suddenly thrust away from Joshua by an invisible force. The large hairy creature roared at Joshua before it's own dark eyes widened. The creature dropped Wendy to the ground and reached for it's own throat, a gurgling sound coming from it's lungs as it choked for air.

"JOSHUA LOOK OUT!" Wendy yelled.

A blaster bolt streaked through the air at Joshua, forcing him to break his concentration from the animal and deflect the blast with his lightsaber. The man had fired at him. Just before the woman named Leia could fire as well, Joshua reached out with the force and yanked their blasters out of their hands before violently pushing the hairy beast up against the wall and pinning it there with his powers.

"Done being difficult?" Joshua growled, his eyes flashing crimson briefly before dropping the hair creature and deactivating his lightsaber. He glared at his assailants before striding over to Wendy who was still trying to recover on the floor. "You ok?"

"That thing is insanely strong!" She gasped while coughing.

Joshua noticed the dark skinned man take a step forward.

"Not another move or I will chop you into bits." Joshua warned as he hooked his left arm around Wendy's right and helped her to her feet.

As he did this, Joshua heard a new set of footsteps coming down one of the ship's corridors. He glanced down the corridor and saw a young man roughly the same age as him and Wendy. And he looked beaten all to hell. His clothes were torn and frayed, his skin was deathly pale, and he cradled a stump of a right arm around his waist.

"Leia." he rasped before slumping against the wall and sliding to the ground.

"Luke!" the woman in white exclaimed as she rushed over to the wounded man.

Joshua blinked. _Luke, where have I heard that name before?_

His mind raced as he recalled his conversations with Revan, Qui Gon, and Mavis. Then he remembered his vision with old man Obi Wan Kenobi on the desert planet where he saw a young, blonde farm boy named Luke. Obi Wan described him as the galaxy's last hope. Joshua stared stunned at Luke as he realized who this person really was.

Wendy saw Joshua's vacant stare but ignored it for now. She'd ask him what was wrong later. Right now, her healer instincts decided to show up. The blue haired woman rushed over to Luke, ignoring the threatening howl from the walking hair monster. She slid to a stop in front of Luke and raised her hands, enveloping them in a healing light green glow.

"What are you doing! Get away!" Leia shouted as Luke winced.

"Relax." Wendy said in an incredibly calm voice, "I'm trying to help him."

Leia's eyes widened. She then looked down at the blond man and saw some of the bruises and scratches beginning to fade from his skin. Some color then returned to his face and his raspy breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Wh-what? H-how?" Leia stammered.

Lando was just as shocked. He stared in awe as the wounds on Luke seemingly healed themselves. The strange blue haired woman continued her work for a few more moments before she abruptly stopped, a concerned expression etched on her young face.

"Joshua."

She looked over at the young man that she entered the Falcon with.

"What is it Wendy?" the young man replied his arms crossed and his eyes never leaving Lando.

"He has magic deficiency disease. Or well… the kind you had after the Eclipse Gate incident." Wendy then pulled the stump away from his torso, closely examining the wound, "Do you have his hand?" she asked Leia.

"N-no." Leia replied, still too stunned to form sentences after what she had just seen.

Wendy pursed her lips, "I can't do anything about that stump then. Hey Joshua, I'm no good at healing magic deficiency disease. We need to get Luke to Porlyusica as soon as possible." She then reached into a small pouch that she had attached to her hip, "I may have a few potions to help the symptoms until then." she finished muttering to herself.

Leia was about to swat Wendy's potion away from Luke's mouth when she heard the young man named Joshua speak up.

"Relax Ms. Leia." He stated calmly, "If she was going to hurt him, she'd have done it already. Trust me, Wendy is more powerful than she looks." His gaze then turned to Lando as Leia reluctantly let Wendy treat Luke, "What's your name?"

"Lando, Lando Calrissian." the dark skinned man growled, still very suspicious of this stranger. Especially since he used a red lightsaber and the same mystical powers that Vader used to subdue all three of them.

"Nice to meet you." Joshua said with a slight smirk, "And you carpet? What's your name."

Chewbacca howled at him for the insult.

"It's not wise to upset a Wookie you know." Said a very proper voice now shuffling down the hallway. It was accompanied by a series of bleeps and bloops emitted from a small dome shaped droid that rolled beside a golden, humanoid droid.

"Oh my god." Joshua breathed as he saw the blue and white domed droid, "It's an astromech!"

"Yes, R2 is!" The golden droid stated, "And I am-"

"3PO shut it!" Lando barked.

"I beg your pardon!?"

"Nice to meet you too goldenrod." Joshua frowned. He had a feeling this droid was going to annoy the crap out of him.

Lando carefully took a step forward, earning an intimidating glare from the young man in black.

"So Lando," Joshua said, "What caused you to crash here?"

Lando gulped, "I don't think I should tell you."

Joshua glared at Lando before sighing and shrugging, "Your choice then. Hey Wendy, is the Luke guy stable?"

Wendy finished pouring the last drops of a blue potion into Luke's mouth, "He should be good to go until we reach Magnolia."

"Good," Joshua nodded, "C'mon all of you. It's probably not a good idea to stay here."

"Why not?" Leia asked, "Is the Empire looking for us?"

"Empire?" Joshua glanced back at the young woman, "No. There is no Empire here. But there is the Magic Council. And I already don't have a good reputation with them as it is. And if they caught me here with you guys, then things could get a little dicey. I'd rather avoid that. So we're taking you to our place in Magnolia." Joshua started to turn when he looked back at Leia, "Oh, and before you say 'why should we trust you?' You don't exactly have any other choice right now. You're options are limited and we're offering help. Take it or leave it. Either way, Luke is coming with us because good luck separating Wendy from a patient."

Joshua then walked out of the ship while Wendy hooked Luke's legs with her arms. The bluenette looked up at Leia.

"Can you get his arms please?"

….

Vader stared out into the blackness of space. His powerful arms were folded over his chest and his labored mechanical breathing echoed around the Executor's bridge. Despite his current serene demeanor, his mind was reeling. Luke had simply fallen. He had chosen death instead of life. Death instead of power. Death instead of bringing peace to the galaxy by helping him destroy the Emperor. Vader couldn't wrap his head around that logic.

"Lord Vader."

The black, armored mask turned slightly allowing Vader to stare at one of his new favorite Admirals. His name was Admiral Piett.

"Yes Admiral?"

"We have intercepted some rebel transmissions. They contain something about Skywalker."

Vader paused before speaking. Was Luke alive?

"What does it say?"

"My lord, the transmission states that they had one last patch of communication with the Millennium Falcon before it completely disappeared. The transmission from the Falcon stated that Luke Skywalker was alive but severely wounded and would need immediate medical attention. Apparently, the rebellion is distressed and calling all known operatives for possible locations of the Millennium Falcon because the ship along with Princess Leia Organa, Administrator Calrissian, and Luke Skywalker all failed to arrive at the Rebel rendezvous point on time."

"On time?" Vader boomed.

Piett gulped, "For the rebels, the scheduled time was five hours ago."

Vader turned his head back to look at the void that was outer space. Several stars twinkled far away from the Executor. His focus right now was not on those stars however. His focus was on the Force. He searched through its rivers and channels, digging for any sign that Skywalker might still be alive. And there is was. The faint connection in the force that he now had with the young Jedi. He was still alive.

"Skywalker is still alive." Vader stated bluntly, "I sense it. He is now hiding along with Princess Leia and Administrator Calrissian."

Piett's eyes widened. It was his own expert opinion that maybe the rebel scum had perished or were captured after they jumped to hyperspace. He never considered that they may have completely gone off the grid.

"Do we have any way of finding them Lord Vader?" Piett asked.

"The number one rebel fugitive and his friends have disappeared off all scanners and they randomly jumped with programming their navicomputer." A silky smooth voice analyzed as it walked into the room.

Piett and Vader both turned to see a blue Chiss wearing a pristine white admiral's uniform calmly striding onto the bridge. Immediately, every officer and analyst on the bridge stood at attention, including Admiral Piett. Vader kept his arms crossed.

"Quite the mystery you have, Vader." Thrawn stated before turning to the other officers, "Back to your work."

"Grand Admiral Thrawn. We were not expecting you." Piett stated as he looked at the legendary Imperial admiral with tremendous respect.

"But Lord Vader was." Thrawn replied, "Am I wrong."

Vader said nothing. Only his breathing was heard through his mask.

"I may have a solution to your mystery Lord Vader." Thrawn then nodded his head and a bounty hunter strolled onto the bridge. This particular bounty hunter wore beat up green and gray Mandalorian armor and had a large jet pack strapped to his back, "Our esteemed colleague here may have some information that can help."

"Fett." Vader stated, "What is it?"

The infamous bounty hunter said nothing. He simply held out a small data chip and placed it into Vader's gloved hand.

"I hadn't left the planet when the Falcon jumped." Fett stated with his voice masked by a voice modulator, "I used the Slave I's tracking instruments to pinpoint where they jumped. That data chip contains the coordinates."

"To where?" Vader asked.

"If I charted it correctly… unknown space."

"More specifically," Thrawn continued, "My favorite sector of unknown space."

Vader glared at Thrawn then back at Fett. He then tossed the data chip to Admiral Piett. Triumph filled Vader. He had the rebellion's last hope within his grasp. Soon this conflict would draw to a close.

"Admiral, input these coordinates. We are to jump into hyperspace at once."

Admiral Piett clicked his heels together and saluted.

"Yes my lord!"

 **And chapter! Let the newest arc begin! Vader is going to be a part of the Tartaros Arc! And it is going to be epic! Oooooooh, I'm so excited! And Joshua has finally run into Luke by complete and total accident. Should be interesting to see how they interact with each other. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	71. Chapter 71: Meeting Fairy Tail

**Hey everyone! Before we get started today, big announcement! This story has now hit over 20,000 views! WOW! This is awesome you guys! I can't thank you all enough for this. Without you guys, this story wouldn't be possible, so thank you so much. Now then, without further ado, let's start a new chapter.**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 71

Leia was stunned by everything that had occurred so far. First of all, the people who attacked them had offered their help after seeing Luke's injuries. That already caused her some suspicion. Especially of the young man. His name was Joshua. Other than that, the only things she knew about him was the he had similar powers to Luke and Vader. Leia gulped as she remembered the imposing figure of the Empire's monster. When he captured her on the Tantive IV, she only got a taste of his power. She glanced down to Luke, his head resting in her lap as they rode on a primitive train.

 _I can't even imagine what he did to you._ She thought.

Needless to say, the train compartment they were in was very cramped. Lando and Leia occupied the seats across from Joshua and Wendy. Luke lay across Lando and Leia's laps while Chewbacca stooped beneath the low ceiling, constantly uttering complaints in his barking language. C-3PO, the gold plated protocol droid, was still in pieces on the Wookie's back while the astromech R2-D2 sat powered down beside the compartment window.

Leia kept her eyes fixated on their two… helpers. If she even considered them that. What the blue haired woman did was downright impossible. She healed most of Luke's physical injuries like it was nothing. And then there was her companion, Joshua. She really didn't trust him. He gave off an aura too similar to Vader. It made her shiver with both fear and anger.

"So…" Lando's voice broke the silence as he stared at the blue haired woman to Joshua's right. The poor girl was curled up in the fetal position on the red vinyl seat of the primitive tram. Her face was pale and green at the same time while her cheeks were puffed out beyond what Lando thought possible. Several sickly moans escaped her lips as she trembled in her chair, "Does she always get like this?"

The man across from him named Joshua simply nodded, "A product of her magic."

"Magic?" Leia said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, magic. You will find this planet is full of it." Joshua replied stiffly, his arms crossed over his chest and eyes still closed as if he was just waking up from a nap.

"I find that hard to believe." Leia replied.

"How can you explain what she did to Luke then?" Joshua replied back opening his left eye slightly to stare back at Leia.

"I-" Leia frowned, "I don't know!"

"Then it might be to your benefit to trust what I'm telling you." Joshua stated firmly as his left eye closed again, "It'll help you get accustomed to this planet while you wait on Luke to heal up. You are bound to see some pretty… surprising things today."

"What do you mean by that?" Lando asked, his face showing intense curiosity.

"What I mean, is that Wendy's magic is very tame compared to some of our friends."

"Yeah." Wendy groaned, "Tell them about *blurp* Natsu."

"Are you sure she is going to be ok?" Lando asked, "Can't she just heal herself."

Joshua shook his head, "Doesn't work that way, unfortunately. And yes, she'll be fine."

"Can you knock me out already." Wendy moaned.

"You sure?"

Wendy weakly nodded before a blast of wind left her mouth, causing surprised yelps to come from Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca. Joshua sighed then hovered his left hand over her head. Leia stared intently as she watched some color return to the girl's face before her brown eyes drooped and she dozed off into a deep sleep.

"What did you just do to her?" Leia asked.

"Put her to sleep." Joshua replied.

"Is that your magic?" Lando asked. As he asked this Chewbacca let out a series of small grunts as if he was asking the same exact question.

Joshua shook his head, "That's the Force."

Leia's eyes widened, "You know about the Force?"

The young man nodded his head, "I know about it. A lot about it actually. But I also have magic as well. In fact," his eyes opened so he could clearly see both Lando and Leia, "All living beings have magic, including the rug to my left."

Chewbacca barked back at the insult.

"You know I can't understand you right?" Joshua glanced back at Leia, "He knows that right?"

"He doesn't like you referring to him as a rug." Lando commented.

Joshua sighed, "He might as well be. He's got more hair than a Vulcan." he mumbled.

"A what?" Lando asked.

"Nothing." Joshua replied.

The compartment was filled with silence once again. Joshua quietly closed his eyes once again and enveloped himself in the force, trying to calm his seething anger. He was furious right now. The force had decided to bring fate knocking on his door. And it was the last thing he wanted to come. Skywalker represented so much. Sure, he was the light side of the force according to Revan. He was supposedly Joshua's counterbalance, and vise versa. But Joshua also knew that Luke Skywalker was a magnet for danger. Which meant that by running into him, danger was coming to him and those he cared about. In his mind, he was cursing the force and it's apparent omnipotence. Earlier, Lando explained that they had crashed on Earthland on accident. It was a bad luck. Joshua replied with a line typical of a force user. There is no such thing as luck. Not where the force was concerned at least. This whole situation was another case of the force meddling with beings that preferred to be left alone.

 _Damn the force._ Joshua scowled.

"What's with the face?" Leia said snarkily.

Joshua's opened his left eye slightly and just glared at her with a look that easily matched Erza's most intimidating stares. Shockingly, Leia wasn't fazed by it.

 _Huh, must only work on people who haven't faced down the Sith._ Joshua thought.

He was sure Leia had faced the Sith before. He could feel it in her. Her suspicion of him was a dead giveaway that she knew what he was capable of, which meant she had witnessed the dark side of the force before. Add in her feelings of fear which Joshua sensed coming off of her in waves, and he knew that she was knowledgeable about his abilities. At least, she was somewhat knowledgeable.

" _We will be arriving in Magnolia in ten minutes!"_ warbled a speaker overhead.

Chewbacca howled at the speaker, making everyone else cringe as other passengers glanced over at the hairy beast.

"Chewie, keep it down." Lando stated as he patted the Wookie on the arm.

"Yeah, we don't want to draw any attention right now." Joshua commented.

"Kinda hard not to do that with a Wookie by your side." Leia said.

"Is sarcasm your only form of communication? If so, turn on the protocol droid, cause I'll need him to interpret my threats to you." Joshua growled back. He really didn't like this lady.

"Big talk for a boy." Leia replied.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty." Leia replied.

"Two years older than me," Joshua stated, "Such a massive difference." He finished sarcastically.

"Look who is using the sarcasm now."

Joshua glared at the brunette while Lando began to nervously sweat. These two obviously had the tempers to match their threats. The speaker warbled over head again, signaling that they were almost at the Magnolia train station. Luke groaned a little as the speaker slightly woke him up. Leia's irritated expression was replaced with concern as she placed a hand on Luke's forehead. He was burning up. His skin was hotter than a skillet on a stove.

"Don't worry." Joshua said, "We're almost there." The train began to slow down as they pulled into the train station, "If anyone stops us before the guild hall, let me and Wendy do that talking."

Lando nodded while Leia frowned.

"Will do." Lando said, "Right Leia?"

"Fine." Leia muttered.

"Good." Joshua nodded before hovering his hand over Wendy again, causing her to slowly wake up just as the train stopped moving. "Time to wake up Ms. Motion Sick."

"That's not funny." Wendy mumbled as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes.

"It was to me." Joshua smirked.

Wendy punched his arm, "You're lucky I like you."

"I know."

The train car doors slid open. Chewbacca shoulder C-3PO's parts and carefully inched out of the train while Lando carried Luke on his back. R2D2 bleeped and blooped beside all of them as they quickly exited the train car and stepped out into Magnolia.

Leia's breath was taken away by the town. It was absolutely beautiful. The town was made of brilliant white stone with cozy wood and stone buildings lining the clean, wide streets. Criss crossing the entire town was a series of crystal clear canals that had riverboats floating lazily in them. It all brought a smile to Leia's face. It was nice to see a place free of war for a change.

"Wow! Quite the town." Lando commented as they strode down the main road.

"It is isn't it." Wendy smiled, "This is home for us. Well, almost home. Once we get to the guild hall, then it will be home."

"Guild Hall?" Leia asked.

"Yup, a wizard guild hall." Joshua explained, "Since we are wizards, we are members of a wizard guild called Fairy Tail. Guilds are places where we can find work, make money, earn fame-"

"So you are technically mercenaries?" Leia interrupted, "Or bounty hunters?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Never thought of it that way before."

"I guess, in a way, we are." Wendy said, "But, we don't take any jobs that involve illegal activities. We are a legal guild. Which means most of our jobs involve assisting people with everyday problems, taking care of monster infestations, or occasionally… putting down a dark guild."

"Dark guilds?" Lando questioned.

"Where do you think the bad wizards go?" Joshua stated as he glanced to his right at the dark skinned man.

Chewie grunted several times.

"What do you mean in the ground, Chewie?" Leia asked.

Joshua laughed to himself, "I get it. And if we can help it no, we don't kill dark wizards."

"Why not?" Leia asked, "They are evil right? Why not remove them and keep the peace that way."

"Life is a precious thing." Joshua replied, "Even if it's an evil life. Besides… I've seen many instances where redemption is possible. Killing someone prevents that. And while I'm not innocent of killing, I do my best to avoid it."

A sense of admiration filled Leia as he spoke. Despite his dark aura, this man tried to do what was right no matter what. She was still concerned about who or what he was, but she felt her uneasiness fade slightly.

"Woah…" Lando breathed to her left.

Leia looked to where Lando was staring at and saw a massive building towering over the rest of the town. It looked like a stone castle and had several bright yellow banners flapping in the wind along its walls. A gigantic painted wooden sign hung over the large doors. The sign read, Fairy Tail.

"Home sweet home." Joshua said, "Wendy go alert Jet and tell him to get Porlyusica. Luke needs her ASAP."

Wendy nodded and rushed in ahead of them while Lando and Joshua hauled Luke up the stone steps. To Joshua's surprise, small rocket boosters appeared out of R2D2's legs and he rocketed up the steps so he could join them in the guild hall.

"I want one." Joshua muttered under his breath as he stared at the blue astromech, "I really want one."

Just as the group reached the doors, they burst open and Jet went sprinting by them. Lando and Leia stared at the orange haired blur as he raced by with his magic.

"Wh-what was that?" Lando stammered.

"Jet. He's a speed magic user."

"Speed magic?" Leia stated.

"Yeah, to make him go faster."

"I know that!" Leia snapped back.

Wendy then appeared in the doorway and motioned for Lando and Joshua to follow her to the infirmary. As the group entered, Leia could see a small crowd of colorful individuals had gathered around the doors. The variety she was seeing was shocking. She saw a group of people with hair as white as the snow on Hoth. One of them was a massive giant with muscles bigger than her head while the other two were slender, beautiful young woman. She saw a scantily clad brunette balancing a keg of alcohol on her thigh and drinking straight from the keg's spout. Then she saw two men, one raven haired and one pink haired, butting foreheads near the bar.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME ICE POP!" the pink haired man roared angrily.

"YOU HEARD ME ASH MOUTH!"

"NATSU, GRAY!" Joshua shouted, "Don't make me come over there!"

"BRING IT ON!" Both shouted at Joshua as they waved their fists.

"You don't have Erza's intimidation yet, Joshua." Wendy deadpanned.

"I wish I did." Joshua replied as the two boys began to brawl.

Wendy shook her head and pushed the infirmary doors open.

"Just place him on one of the beds. Porlyusica will be here soon." Wendy told Lando.

The man nodded and, with Joshua's help, gently laid Luke on one of the pristine cots. Just as they laid Luke down, the group heard an elderly man clear his throat in the doorway.

"I see you've brought some strangers to the guild."

Leia turned around to see an incredibly short old man saunter into the infirmary. He wore a blue and orange jester's hat on his balding head and had an orange coat over a white shirt. His lower half was covered by bright orange pants. The old man had kind, yet wary eyes and one of the bushiest mustaches' Leia had ever seen on his face.

"Yeah," Joshua replied, "We ran into them after out job in Onibus town."

The old man nodded, "One of them is injured?"

Wendy nodded, "I treated him as well as I could. But he has Magic Deficiency Disease, so I sent Jet to grab Porlyusica. She is the expert on this after all."

The old man smiled, "Good work you two." He looked over at Lando and gave him a warm smile, "It's alway nice to welcome new friends into the guild."

"Friends is a bit of stretch." Joshua muttered under his breath.

"What was that Josh...u...a." Makarov's eyes landed on Leia. To Leia's great shock, the elderly man rushed up to her and gently held her hand, "It is a pleasure to welcome a beauty such as yourself into my guild hall."

Lando's jaw dropped while Chewbacca let out a low snarl. Leia was taken aback at first before smiling at the man's compliment.

"Thank you Mr-?"

"Makarov." The old man said with red cheeks, "My name is Makarov, I am the master of Fairy Tail."

"He's your master!" Lando exclaimed shocked.

"Yup. Gramps is the master." Joshua replied.

Leia's diplomat side decided to come out. It would be to their advantage to make friends with the guild master. He would have the resources to help them repair the Falcon and leave this planet. "It's very good to meet you Master Makarov-"

*SMACK*

Lando's eyes widened like saucers and his pupils shrank. Makarov had just reached around and smacked Leia's behind. Fury was apparent on Leia's face as her cheeks reddened. Makarov nodded then glanced back at Joshua and Wendy. Wendy's eyes were wide as well and she had flushed cheeks while Joshua shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, thoroughly embarrassed by Makarov.

"I approve!" Makarov grinned.

Chewbacca howled and tossed the old man out of the infirmary. If it wasn't for Joshua getting in the way, Chewbacca would've barreled out of the room and ripped the old man apart. As Joshua struggled against the rampaging Wookie, a dainty voice entered the room.

"Did Master Makarov act up again?" Mira sighed as she walked in with a platter of glasses filled with water.

"Unfortunately." Wendy sighed.

"SOMEONE HELP ME WITH THE RUG!" Joshua wailed as Chewbacca picked him up over his head and began to pull on his limbs.

"Chewie put him down!" Leia ordered.

The Wookie stopped pulling and glanced at Leia. Leia nodded her head slowly. Her patience was beginning to grow very thin and the Wookie could sense it. The massive creature let go of Joshua, who crashed into the wooden floor with a loud wham!

"Ouch…" Joshua groaned.

Mira kept her normal, kind smile on her face as she looked at the newcomers.

"I brought everyone some refreshments. Of course, if you want something stronger, the bar is open." The white haired woman walked back to the doorway, "But you may want to hurry, Cana is really drinking today."

"She better not touch my stash." Joshua grumbled as he got back up to his feet.

"Too late." Mira said before quickly zipping out of the room.

"DAMMIT!"

As Mira quickly left, an new figure entered the room. Leia noticed that this person was an elderly woman with strikingly pink hair. She wore rather simple clothes but had an opulent red cape over her shoulders. A deep scowl was etched on her old face as she walked in.

"All of this noise in the infirmary is not allowed." Porlyusica scowled.

"Sorry Ms. Porlyusica." Wendy bowed.

The old woman sighed and shook her head. She knew better than to scold Fairy Tail for being too loud. But it never hurt to try.

"Where is the patient?" she asked Wendy.

Wendy moved out of the way so Porlyusica could move up to Luke's beside. The old woman pulled up a simple wooden bench then placed her large pack on the table beside Luke's bed. Leia watched carefully as the woman started her work. But just as the old woman began to reach into her pack she glared at all of them.

"Wendy… what did I say about humans being around me while I worked."

Wendy paled, "Time to go everyone!"

"I won't leave Luke." Leia growled.

"No choice! Trust me!" Wendy exclaimed, "We don't want to make Ms. Porlyusica angry."

Chewbacca barked at Wendy.

"Wendy is right." Joshua stated, "Porlyusica works best without distractions. And she views us as the biggest distractions. If you want Luke to heal properly then we better give her space to work." He glanced at Leia, who still had an uneasy expression her face, "Relax," Joshua continued, "If anyone can help Luke, it's Porlyusica. Now c'mon, drinks are on me."

"I'll take you up on that offer." Lando stated as he followed Joshua out with Chewbacca and Artoo right behind him.

Leia sighed. Lando was just like Han, a complete and total scoundrel. Leia swallowed as sadness filled her heart.

 _Han…_ she thought, remembering her last conversation with him before he was frozen in carbonite by Vader, _Don't worry Han. As soon as we can, we are leaving this planet and rescuing you._

Leia stole one last glance back at Luke before shutting the infirmary door behind her.

….

Leia quickly ducked underneath a flying wooden chair that crashed into the wall behind the bar. She gulped and stared at the brawl in front of her. It looked like every single person in the building was going at it. Everyone that is, except for herself, Lando, Chewie, Joshua, Wendy, and the white haired woman behind the bar counter named Mirajane. Lando and Joshua were enjoying some drinks and making small talk. The two seemed to get along well enough. Chewie was busy with C-3PO. He was carefully welding the protocol droid's arms back on while Artoo beeped and whined next to him, as if the little droid was scolding the Wookie whenever he made a mistake. Wendy was currently in the infirmary with Porlyusica, assisting the old woman with Luke.

"Dodge." Joshua droned to Leia.

Leia leaned to the left to avoid a beer mug that had been sent rocketing towards her.

"MANLY THROW!" Leia heard a mountain of a man roar as he tossed one of his guild mates up into the building's rafters.

"Does this happen often?" Lando asked as he stared at the brawl.

"All the time." Mirajane smiled.

"Why?" Leia asked, "I thought everyone here was friends."

"Friends fight." Joshua interjected, "Plus… it's how they all avoid boredom." Joshua glanced back over at Mirajane as she set a mug of beer in front of him, "Hey Mira, where's Erza at?"

"Out on a job. She left two days ago so she should be back soon."

Leia noticed that the wizards they had met spoke a lot about this Erza person. Apparently, she commanded a lot of respect in this place.

"Who is Erza exactly?" Lando asked, "Is she as beautiful as the rest of ladies in here?"

"Eyes to yourself when she does come back." Joshua snarled.

"Why?"

"Because, she's my sister." Joshua stated. Leia listened intently to Joshua and Lando's conversation. No wonder Erza commanded so much respect in the guild. She was Joshua's sister, and Joshua had already proven himself to be exceptionally powerful. "Also, she'd annihilate you if you tried anything."

"What do you mean by that?" Lando asked.

"What I mean, is Erza is one of our guild's S-class wizards."

"S-class wizard?" Leia asked, deciding to join the conversation.

Joshua nodded, "There are only four S class wizards in Fairy Tail. They are the most powerful wizards in the guild and take on the most dangerous jobs possible. Erza is probably… what do you think Mira, stronger than Laxus or not?"

Mira shrugged, "They'd have to fight in order for us to find out. And Laxus can be sorta aloof about all of that nowadays."

"True."

"And you are one of these S-class wizards, given the demonstration you gave us at the Falcon." Lando assumed.

To his shock, Joshua shook his head, "Nope. I'm not an S-Class wizard. While I am powerful, I wouldn't put myself in the same tier magically as Erza. I have the force. I think it's a different power than magic. My magic power is actually pretty mediocre."

Leia's eyes widened, "So what you're saying is that Erza is stronger than you."

"In some ways yes. If I got into a fist fight with her, she'd probably win." Joshua explained, "If we fought with swords, it'd be close."

"So she's the strongest wizard here?" Lando asked.

Once again, Joshua shook his head, "That title belongs to Gildarts."

"Who?"

"Gildarts is our guild's ace." Mira smiled, "And Joshua is right, Gildarts is the strongest wizard in our guild. I believe he's been offered a place among the ten wizard saints several times but he rejected it. He said being a wizard saint wasn't really his style."

"Wizard Saint?" Leia asked.

"The ten most powerful wizards on the continent." Joshua explained, "Master Makarov is among their ranks." Before either Lando or Leia could react to what he just said, Joshua looked back at Mira, "When Erza gets back, I need to talk to all S-class wizards and Gramps." His hazel eyes turned back to Leia, "And you will join our meeting."

"Why?" Leia asked.

"Because, you are going to explain why and how you ended up on Earthland and why Luke is in such bad shape."

"And if I don't want to give you information?"

Mira winced as she saw Joshua give Leia a harsh glare, "It's in your best interest to give us as much information as possible. If you want our help to get back home, then we need to know what we might be dealing with as well as what dangers may be coming our way. Once that is known, we may be able to help you repair your ship."

"Really!?" Lando exclaimed, "But, this is a primitive planet. Do you even have starship parts."

Joshua shook his head, "I'm sure we could figure something out. Maybe Gajeel's metal and Levy's solid script will help. Who knows." He sipped his beer before quickly setting it down and stiffening in his chair.

"What is it Joshua?" Mira asked.

He sensed it coming from a mile away. The massive magic power bearing down on the guild hall was unmistakable. As was the temper that came with it. Joshua gulped.

"She's back." Mira's eyes widened and her pupils shrank as Joshua's tone changed to a fearful one. "And she isn't in a good mood."

"I'll grab the strawberry cake." Mira gulped as she rushed back to the guild's pantry.

"Who's back?" Lando asked.

The guild hall doors burst open, nearly swinging off of the hinges as they slammed into the walls beside them. Daylight streamed into the building and the loud wham of the doors being kicked open caused Leia, Chewbacca, and Lando to whirl around in their chairs.

A woman with long, striking scarlet colored hair entered the guild hall. She wore an impeccable set of steel armor with a blue skirt covering her lower half. As soon as she entered the guild hall, all activity and brawling stopped.

"I come home after a long job, and I find everyone fighting." She grumbled as her arms crossed over her large chest.

Leia could practically hear a pin drop in the guild hall.

"UNACCEPTABLE!"

Joshua grimaced and quickly buried his face in his beer mug while Leia and Lando watched Erza rampage through the guild hall.

"Stop fighting Natsu! Gray!"

The two young men at the center of the brawl were suddenly acting like best friends as they wrapped their arms over each other's shoulders.

"Aye sir!" They both nodded in unison.

"Elfman! Get Macao down from the rafters!" Erza stomped through the guild hall, "Vejeeter, go dance outside! Cana!"

Leia watched at the red head's angry gaze fell on a brunette woman who was blacked out drunk on the floor.

"Don't drink so much!" Erza barked, which elicited a weak groan from Cana.

Erza's brown eyes then descended on Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca. The intimidating woman marched up to all of them.

"And just who the heck are you?" she said firmly as she got too close to Leia for Chewie's comfort.

Chewbacca roared at her and stood up to his full, intimidating height. To Leia's shock, Erza only glared at the massive Wookie and, after a moment of silence, roared back. Amazingly, Chewbacca actually took a hesitant step backwards. Leia stared in shock at the woman. This woman had anger issues. Meanwhile, Lando stared in stunned in silence. In his mind, Erza was drop dead gorgeous. But… he didn't doubt Joshua's warnings anymore. The woman had just forced a Wookie to rethink a fight.

"Erza," Joshua whimpered, "They are people who needed help."

"AND YOU!"

"Shit…" Joshua gulped.

"DID YOU DO ANYTHING INDECENT WITH WENDY!?" Roared as she yanked Joshua out of his chair by the collar.

"N-no."

Erza glared at him, "I don't believe you."

"IT'S THE TRUTH!"

"Erza, I have your strawberry cake." Mira shook as she shakily held a plate with a slice of decadent cake on it.

Erza blinked and her head quickly turned. In an instant, her entire demeanor changed, "Thank you Mira." Erza dropped Joshua, who fell in a heap on the ground. She gratefully took the plate and marched over to her favorite booth.

"Thanks Mira." Joshua moaned.

"No problem." The woman smiled.

"S-so.." Lando stammered, "That's your sister?"

Joshua groaned then picked himself up off of the floor, "Yup. She's normally not this hostile. The job she went on must've really got under her skin."

"Obviously." Mira sighed.

"MIRA! MORE CAKE!" Erza shouted.

"She ate it all already!?" Leia exclaimed.

"Before we do, Joshua wants us to have a meeting with Master." Mira replied gently.

Erza finished off the last bite of her strawberry cake then wiped some frosting from the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

"Fine." she grumbled, "I needed to talk to Master anyways."

Mira nodded then looked over at a booth hidden in the far corner of the dining area, "LAXUS!" she called. Leia noticed a tall man with spiky blonde hair and a lightning shaped scar on his face glance over, "S-class meeting with Master!"

"I'll be right there."

Joshua finished off the last of his drink, letting out a satisfied sigh before guiding Leia up the stairs to Master Makarov's office.

"If he touches me I will kill him." Leia growled.

"Don't worry." Joshua replied, "If he tries anything, Mira and Erza would most likely kill him before you could get the chance."

"Really?"

Mira smirked back at Leia, "Yup. Master knows his place."

Leia gulped at Mira's somewhat sinister smile, "Why does she make me nervous now?"

"She's called the she-devil for a reason." Joshua replied.

Leia stopped in her tracks. It was official, this planet was insane.

"The what?"

….

The Executor burst out of hyperspace and began to slowly approach a shimmering blue orb that hung all alone in the blackness of space. Standing on the bridge, was Darth Vader, Admiral Piett, and Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn glanced over at Vader, trying to get a read on what the Emperor's fist was thinking about. His mask hid all emotions, but Thrawn had learned that there were other ways Vader made his feelings known. One of the most notable was choking an officer to death if he was displeased with their quality of work. Thrawn gulped, he hoped that wouldn't be him once Vader saw the planet.

Vader crossed his dark arms, "This is the planet?" his deep voice rumbled.

"Yes Lord Vader," Thrawn replied, his calm voice hiding any sense of nervousness he had, "This is Earthland, as the locals call it."

"Climate?"

"Varies depending on the region. But the area our probe droids surveyed was mostly temperate and mountainous. Although there are massive forested regions nearby."

"Population centers?" Vader asked.

"Small towns and cities mainly. The capitol of the region we surveyed is known as Crocus."

"Military Capacity?"

Thrawn's lips curled into a smile, "Minimal."

"Then how were my inquisitors and Starkiller so easily defeated?" Vader asked.

"A unique cultural feature of this planet is that there are organizations called wizard guilds. Apparently, magic isn't a fable on this planet, but rather a reality." Vader looked inquisitively over at Thrawn, "These wizards vary in strength and abilities, but some are very powerful and would know doubt be able to repel Stormtroopers with ease."

Vader glared briefly at Thrawn. He didn't like that news. The original plan in his mind was to arrive at the planet and conquer it like he would any other. But this unknown that was wizard guild's and magic made him hesitate.

He scoffed to himself. _Magic? How preposterous. There is only the force, no magic._ Vader glared down at the planet and stared through it's crystal clear atmosphere.

It was a beautiful planet covered in water. Land was in the minority on this world. If Vader had to guess, dry land only made up roughly thirty percent of the planetary surface. Which most likely meant that the population of the planet was relatively small compared to others in the galaxy. Still, there was that threat Thrawn mentioned.

 _Wizard guilds?_ He thought, _Powerful enough to fend off the Imperial army. I'd be foolish to ignore that._

"Admiral Thrawn." Vader boomed, "Have you identified any way to effectively combat these wizard guilds?"

Thrawn visibly gulped now, "No Lord Vader. Their abilities vary so much that it is difficult to pinpoint one strategy that would work on all of them."

Vader's mechanical breathing was the only reply. He stared down at the planet. Proper scouting would have to be done. But if he sent normal scouts then they would be easily caught and the Empire's element of surprise would be gone. Vader uncrossed his arms. He knew what to do.

"Admiral, prepare my shuttle. I shall go down there personally." Vader ordered, "I want a small squadron of soldiers with me."

"What will their mission be sir?" Admiral Piett asked.

Vader glanced back at Piett, "Find a way to incapacitate or eliminate all wizards on the planetary surface." With those final words he turned away from the bridge's view screen, his black cape billowing behind him as he marched to his shuttle.

 **ANd chapter! Vader has arrived, and he is on the hunt! I wonder what will happen next! I'm so excited to write this arc! It's going to be awesome! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	72. Chapter 72: Vader's Arrival

**A new chapter ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chpater 72

Silence hung in the air inside of Makarov's office. The old master sat quietly on his desk, small arms folded over his torso and head bowed as he contemplated what the newcomer, Leia, just said. It was difficult to believe. If Joshua hadn't warned him after the Grand Magic Games about the rest of the galaxy and what it contained then he would've laughed in Leia's face. He was close to doing that anyways. It was just so difficult to comprehend that there was other life, other humans, in outer space. Just to further prove it, Leia produced a strange, small chrome disk. She clicked a button on the side and a blue holographic image of the Millennium Falcon appeared.

"This is our ship, it's called the Millenium Falcon." Leia explained.

"It looks like a hunk of junk." Laxus commented as he stared at the hologram.

"It kinda is." Joshua agreed.

"It's a brilliant piece of engineering and science!" Leia snapped back defensively, "It's gotten us out of more scrapes than any other ship out there."

Makarov cleared his throat, "So, you crash landed here on Earthland by accident. I have a question though." Leia gulped, readying herself for the question she had been waiting for, "How did this happen? How did your friend Luke become so injured?"

Leia pursed her lips and let out a deep breath, "I am one of the leaders of a resistance movement in the galaxy called the Rebel Alliance."

"Shit!" Joshua exhaled closing his eyes. This was worse than he thought. Did the Force get a kick out of putting his family in danger?

"Me, Chewie, and our other friend Han," Leia gulped as she said Han's name, "We were all captured on a planet called Bespin. The person who captured us, if you could even call him that…"

 _Oh please don't say what I think you are about to say!_ Joshua pleaded in his mind.

"Was Darth Vader. The Emperor's top attack dog." Leia said with a slight hint of venom in her voice, "Luke came to Bespin to try and rescue us. He fought Vader and… well, you see the results. It was only thanks to his efforts and Lando that we made it off of Bespin with our lives."

Joshua glanced around to see what the other wizards in the room were thinking. Makarov was obviously deep in thought, his normally mischievous nature around woman replaced by the serious expression befitting of a guild master. Erza had a hardened look on her face as she stood quietly near the door. Laxus's face was covered in a frown and Mira looked shocked. She covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head.

"That's horrible." Mira gasped.

"Joshua," Makarov spoke up again, "Is this the same Vader you warned us about?"

Leia's head snapped over to the young man standing next to Makarov's desk. How in the world did he know about Vader? Her mind raced for any sort of solution. It was possible he was a refugee fleeing the Empire. But he knew about the force and even used a crimson lightsaber like Vader. A possibility formed in her mind that made the Rebel leader shudder. Was it possible that this man once worked for Vader?

"Yes," Joshua sighed, "It's the same." He shot Leia an ugly glance, "And by crashing on this world, you have put us all in great danger."

"Well it's not like we could control the hyperdrive at the time!" Leia snapped back. She looked back at Master Makarov, "Besides, Vader most likely thinks we are dead and-"

"That is wishful thinking." Joshua stated, "Vader is incredibly powerful in the force. He is a Sith Lord after all."

Leia raised her eyebrow. A Sith Lord, what the heck was that?

"Vader most likely senses Luke in the force. Just from that evidence alone, he knows you are alive. And he will be hunting for you." Joshua sighed, "Thankfully this is considered an unknown planet still. However, I don't know if those Imperius wizards sent any information back to their ship before they were destroyed."

"Imperius wizards?" Leia questioned, her brown eyes still landing on Joshua as she cautiously eyed the enigmatic man.

"They were a wizard guild that competed at last year's Grand Magic Games." Mira explained, "After they were defeated, Joshua deduced that they were not from this planet. We met their leader, his name was Starkiller and-"

"WAIT!" Leia snapped, "Did you just say Starkiller?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh god, what did he do?" Joshua groaned.

"Starkiller was one of Vader's best assassins." Leia clenched her jaw. In the background, Erza stiffened while Mira's face paled, "He has killed more rebel leaders and innocent people than I could possibly count."

Joshua grimaced, "Yup, that's pretty bad."

"Does Jellal know that?" Erza asked quickly, worrying for her friend.

"I'm sure he does. Besides, that blue haired bastard is powerful. He should be able to contain Starkiller."

"Are you saying Starkiller is still alive!?" Leia exclaimed, horrified at the notion that such a dangerous monster could be on this planet.

Joshua nodded, "Yeah, he abandoned the Empire though, after I beat him." Leia's eyes widened. This kid beat the infamous Starkiller? "He currently is in league with an independent guild run by a close friend of ours named Jellal Fernandes. He was once one of the wizard saints, so don't worry. If anyone can keep a leash on Starkiller, it'd be him."

"That gives me little comfort. You obviously don't know what he is capable of." Leia replied back.

"I am fully aware of what he is capable of." Joshua growled.

"Enough you two!" Makarov barked, "Joshua, what did you mean by you don't if Imperius sent any information back to their ship?"

Joshua sighed, "Imperius was just a vanguard. They were sent here to size us up, see how easy it would be to subdue the planet. I'm hoping they were as lazy with reporting information as they were with combat but…" Joshua grimaced, "I can't say for certain that the Empire doesn't know we exist. It would be in everyone's best interest to help Leia repair her ship and get them off of this planet as quickly as possible."

"Finally something we agree on." Leia sighed.

"I agree as well Joshua. From what you have described, this is not a fight we want to get involved in." Makarov looked back at Leia, "What materials would you need to repair your ship?"

"Lando and Chewie would have to assess the damage, but most likely we would just need some basic armor and small parts. We hit the planet at an angle, most likely there are just some nasty scrapes in the hull that need to be patched up."

"How long would those repairs take?" Joshua asked.

"Again," Leia sighed, "We would need to assess the damage. But if it's as minimal as I think it is, only two to three days."

"Well you won't work on it alone." Makarov said, "You have come to Fairy Tail for help. So we will help you all the way. I'm sure Gajeel and Levy can assist with their magic. Natsu could probably help as well."

"Are you sure you want that Pyro near a construction sight?" Laxus asked, "He tends to destroy more than repair."

"That's a good point actually." Makarov smiled nervously, "We'll see what happens with that."

A small knock was heard against the door. Erza frowned and quietly twisted the doorknob. The door opened a crack and she saw Wendy and Porlyusica waiting on the others side. With a slightly relieved sigh, Erza opened the door to let the two healers in.

"Ah Porlyusica!" Makarov smiled, "How is our latest resident in the infirmary?"

"Medicated and stable." Porlyusica replied, "His physical injuries were easily taken care of by Wendy, except for his missing hand of course."

"I can take care of that." Joshua replied, "I should have something in my requip space or even in my room." Leia's eyes widened as she watched him pull the leather glove off of his left hand, revealing a cybernetic hand covered in a thin armor casing, "I've got the same problem as him after all."

"And the Magic Deficiency Disease?" Makarov asked.

"That was… quite extensive. But it was nothing my potions can't handle." Porlyusica nodded over to Wendy, "She knows to come and get me if his condition changes. But other than that, he needs bed rest for three days before he is allowed to leave."

"Perfect." Joshua commented, "That gives us time to repair your ship."

"It's settled then." Makarov stated, "We will help you repair your ship, Leia. Then we will make sure Luke leaves the guild completely healthy before you all leave the planet."

Porlyusica's eyes widened, "Did you just say leave the planet?"

Makarov gulped and sheepishly smiled at Joshua, who was just shaking his head.

"Loose lips." he mumbled, "Keep this secret Porlyusica. We don't want to cause a scene."

The old healer sighed, "It's just more of your shenanigans. I swear Maki, if anymore are injured because of idiocy, I may just refuse to lend you my services."

"I'll keep that in mind Porlyusica." Makarov scratched the back of his head while nervously laughing. As the healer grumpily left, the old man looked back at Joshua, "Well, go tell Gajeel and Levy what they will be doing. Then go get whatever you need to help Luke. And everyone else remember, this is still considered secret. None of what was discussed here leaves this room, understood?"

Laxus, Mira, Wendy, Erza, and Joshua nodded. Leia smiled at Makarov.

"Thank you."

….

Luke groaned a shifted his legs beneath the sheets that covered him. His body felt completely exhausted. All of his limbs were stiff and sore, rigid like wooden planks. He could barely bend them. Then there was the slight burning he felt in his right wrist. What was that exactly?

His breath caught in his aching throat. It wasn't a dream then. It was real. The burning in his wrist, like a hot iron pressing down on his flesh, was the result of a lightsaber hacking his hand off. Luke's eyes slowly opened and he was greeted by bright daylight streaming through a glass window to his left.

 _Strange? I don't remember making it to any rebel cells._ He thought before wincing and attempting to sit up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." said a voice that was entirely foreign to him, "You'll just hurt yourself further."

The voice was right. Every attempt to move his body resulted in sharp pain stabbing him like needles in his muscles. He let out a pained gasp and turned his head to look at the voice's origin.

The voice belonged to a man who was sitting in a simple wooden chair to his right. He wore a simple, long sleeved blue shirt with tan pants and brown shoes. His right hand was bare while his left hand was covered in a black leather glove. One leg was crossed over the other as he sat in the chair, apparently bored. Luke's eyes slowly adjusted to the light and he was able to make out the person's face.

He was surprisingly young yet looked so calm. Slightly spiky brown hair crowned his head while the skin below was pale. His eyes were closed as he sat quietly in the chair with his arms folded over his chest.

Then Luke noticed it. The force seemed to seep out of this figure like a dark fog. It was a feeling that made him shiver. The darkness in the force was so similar to Vader. Luke could've easily mistaken it for the monster.

"Don't worry. I'm not him." the young man said before opening a single hazel eye and glaring at Luke, "But I'm definitely not happy to see you."

Luke raised an eyebrow. His vision was now clear.

"D-do I know you? Are you with the Empire-"

"No to both questions." the young man interrupted as his eye closed again. He let out a sigh, "And before you ask, I'm not with the rebellion either."

Luke's initial worry subsided a little. So he wasn't with the Empire. That was a good sign. But he wasn't with the alliance either, which meant he could be affiliated with anyone. For all Luke knew, he was a bounty hunter working for the Hutts.

"What is a Hutt?" the young man asked, alarming Luke.

"How did you-"

"For a Jedi, you mind defenses are shockingly weak." The man stated plainly, "Then again, I'm not one to talk about defenses. My own force shield is pitiful most of the time." He sighed, "Spent years trying to fix that, but I can't quite get it right."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "Force shield? Mind defenses?"

Both hazel eyes opened and stared at him. The expression on the stranger's face showed just how dumbfounded he was by Luke's lack of knowledge on the two strange subjects.

"Who the hell was teaching you?"

"A great and powerful Jedi Master."

"He obviously isn't." the young man replied, "Those two things I listed are basic stuff that is meant to be built upon. The fact that you don't know them means two things. One, your master neglected to teach you anything important. Or two, you are inept with the force."

"Joshua!"

Luke heard a new voice enter. His eyes darted over to the wooden doorway to see a beautiful young woman with dark blue hair enter the room. She wore a red jacket that was buttoned up with golden buttons. A dark blue skirt covered her lower half while her long hair flowed over her shoulders.

"Quit being so sour today." the woman scolded.

"I have every reason to be sour." the man named Joshua grumbled under his breath.

"I heard that!" the woman snapped.

"I know you did." He replied, "Damn dragon hearing."

 _Dragon hearing?_ Luke wondered. Then his mind began to recover a few fragments of memory as he stared at these two strangers. He remembered his battle with Vader. He remembered the Millennium Falcon rescuing him from the weather vane beneath Cloud City. But after that, everything was a blur. His heart then began to race.

"Leia!" he gasped, "Han! Chewie!"

Luke attempted to jump out of bed when the woman hand shot out and held him firmly in place. She was deceptively strong. As she held Luke down she glared over at Joshua.

"Looks like he's got your attitude when it comes to injuries."

"I don't have an attitude when it comes to injuries."

"Yes, you do."

"Where is Leia, Han, and Chewie!" Luke shouted, his voice cracking a little bit due to his sore throat.

"Relax. They are safe. Leia and Chewie are resting at my sister's place in Fairy Hills." Joshua explained, "I don't know a Han though. I know a Lando, but not a Han."

 _Lando? Is that the name of the person who grabbed me off the weather vane?_ Luke thought, remembering the dark skinned man that pulled him into the Falcon. He then registered the location of his friends, "Fairy Hills?" he questioned.

"It's an all female dormitory near the guildhall." The woman explained.

"He doesn't know where the heck he is yet Wendy." Joshua said.

"Oh right! Well, I should probably let you explain that one. I need to focus on his condition right now."

"Condition?" Luke asked.

Joshua nodded, "You have a strange case of magic deficiency disease. One that only us force users can get."

"Magic?" Luke raised an eyebrow and snorted a little, "There is no such thing as.. Ma..gic."

His eyes widened as he saw a green glow come over Wendy's hands. She hovered her hands over the stump at his right wrist. Within an instant, the burning pain he was feeling faded away.

"Good." Wendy said, "It's getting better."

"In a day or two it should be well enough for me to attach it. Maybe sooner. Joshua nodded before smiling at Wendy, "You are still amazing."

Luke saw the pair smiling at each other and felt a little more comfortable about his situation. He could now see that these two didn't mean him any harm. But what the woman named Wendy just did still amazed him. Did she have some sort of power in the force that allowed her to heal all injuries? And what did Joshua mean by attach it?

"Now then," Wendy started as she looked back at Luke, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. We'll do our best to answer them for you."

"Yeah," Luke said, "Where exactly am I? What system?"

"You are on a planet called Earthland." Joshua replied, "It's uncharted, so neither the Empire nor the Rebellion know of it."

Luke's eyes widened a little bit, "So… I'm in unknown space?"

Joshua nodded, "You're lucky you ran into us though. Several of our friends are already gathering materials to help repair your ship. And the sooner they get it all the better."

Luke nodded. He didn't understand why Joshua was acting so callous around him, but he could sense through the force that he was very worried right now. He was angry too. He could sense it simmering beneath all the worry like boiling water.

"Why are you angry at me?" Luke asked, "What did I do to you? Did the ship crash on your house or something?" he added with a smirk.

"Might as well have." Joshua grumbled while Wendy smiled a little at Luke's joke, "I know who you are Luke Skywalker." Luke's smile faded. How did this guy know him? "I saw you in a vision a while ago. You were on a farm on a desert planet." Luke gaped at Joshua. He had just described the moisture farm back on Tatooine, "You were under the protection of an old Jedi named Obi Wan Kenobi. And he told me, that you were the last hope for the galaxy. That alone, makes you a magnet for danger. And the last thing I want is anyone I care about to be put in danger, because the force decided that we should chat. So the sooner you leave this planet the better."

"Joshua, stop being so harsh." Wendy stated with a sigh.

Joshua exhaled and nodded, "Look, Skywalker, I'm not angry with you. I'm angry at the damn force for putting us in this situation. I hope you understand that." The eighteen year old rose to his feet and rolled his shoulders, "I'm going back home. I need to meditate a little bit."

"I'll swing by for dinner." Wendy smiled.

"Sounds good." Joshua smiled back before quickly leaving.

Wendy smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry about him," She told Luke, "It takes a while for him to fully trust someone."

"Why's that?" Luke asked innocently.

Wendy's face darkened a little, "He had… a very rough childhood."

"Rough?"

"I think if you want to know anything about it you should ask him." Wendy said, "I know all about it. But… it may be a little too personal for me to talk about with Joshua saying it's ok."

Luke nodded then remembered Joshua's comment about his missing hand, "What did he mean by he'd attach 'it' in acouple days?"

"You aren't the only one who has lost a limb in our guild. Joshua lost his entire left arm in a battle when he was ten." Wendy explained. Luke gaped at her as she told him this. The guy had lost his whole arm when he was just a kid!? Suddenly, Luke's injuries didn't seem so bad to him, "He said he has some spare parts that he can use to fashion a new hand for you, once the wound is fully healed of course."

"That's a relief." Luke breathed.

"I bet." Wendy smiled before changing the bandages around his right wrist. She tightly tied a knot and nodded to herself before backing away from the infirmary bed, "Alright, that is good to go. You need to rest now. I'll be back tomorrow to check up on you."

Wendy turned on her heel and walked over to the door. As she opened the door she heard Luke call out to her.

"Thank you!" Luke called.

Wendy smiled, "No problem."

….

The skies soon turned dark over Fiore and the stars appeared in the sky as night descended. It was a moonless night, only the stars twinkled high over the Fiore countryside. But if one were to look up at the sky and stargaze, they would notice some stars suddenly wink out of existence for a brief moment before reappearing. The cause was a dark cube shape slowly floating through the sky.

The cube was like a miniature Earthland. There was large lakes and several small islands dotting the cube structure. It even had it's own gravity. Sitting on the very top of the cube, like a sinister sentinel, was a decrepit castle. It's towers and spires went high into the sky from the cube like snowless mountain peaks.

A loud creaking echoed through the night sky. A wooden drawbridge slowly descended from the castle walls revealing an entryway that was as dark as the deepest cave. As soon as the drawbridge tapped the dark ground, two humanoid figures shot out of the castle and jumped off the side of the cube. Both quickly descended and landed gracefully on the ground before sprinting through the night.

Both figures looked like human females. But there were some distinct differences for the two. The first figure that sprinted across the dark plains wore a purple skin tight suit that failed to cover her legs and revealed a generous amount of cleavage. Her arms were covered in what looked like sharp, scaly gray talons and her feet were like those of a hawk. Her head and face were covered by an intricate helmet that covered everything but her dark purple eyes and lips. A gem was embedded in the helmet near the forehead while two winglike ornaments jutted out to the side like along pair of ears, thus completing her half human, half bird appearance.

The second figure was just as curvaceous as her counterpart but much more human like in appearance. She wore a revealing beige-colored leopard printed kimono that exposed much of her large breasts. Long, black hair flowed freely around her like a dark ocean channel, only being held away from her face by a thin white head band. The figure would easily pass for a normal woman, if it wasn't for the large pair of horns that protruded from the top of her head and the strange black markings on her bare shoulders and forehead.

"Where did Mard Geer say it was again, Kyoka?" The second woman asked the first, her tone incredibly serene. To the untrained ear, it would've sounded like she was bored. But her companion knew better. Kyoka knew that her comrade was anything but bored, but rather curious. She also detected a hint of relief in her voice.

"Glad to be away from that bunny creature you created, Seilah?" Kyoka grinned.

"Don't remind of that wheezing abomination. She reminds me of a particularly dreadful book I once read. I'd prefer not to relive it." Seilah droned, "It's only use is to assist me with Hell's Core."

"At least it is useful for something." Kyoka replied, "I agree, the creature is rather annoying. As for your question, Mard Geer said that the object landed only a few miles north of here."

"Good. It means we won't be gone for long. I have a novel I am enjoying and I wish to get back to it." Seilah yawned.

"Tired Seilah?" Kyoka smirked.

"Somewhat." The horned woman replied, "It has been an exhausting few days, what with the planning for Operation Face almost finished."

Kyoka smiled widely now, "Yes… Operation Face. I look forward to it tremendously."

The pair sprinted through the grass. The wind picked up around them, making the grass looking like a rolling green sea. Eventually, the pair slowed their pace as a strange structure came into view. As they got closer, they dropped to a crouch and began to sneak closer through the tall grass.

"What is it Kyoka?" Seilah asked, her voice no longer sounding tired or bored.

Kyoka didn't know what it was. She was staring at a strange building or vehicle of some sort. It had a rectangular body with a smaller, angular portion attached to one of the ends. A large, tinted panel of glass lined the angular portion. On top of the structure were three tall metallic prongs. Kyoka could only compare the structure to a bird with folded wings.

Red light blinked at the end of the prongs and a loud whirring sound rang out. Both Kyoka and Seilah braced themselves as the whirring was replaced with a loud hiss. Both of their eyes widened as a ramp descended from the belly of the structure.

A wave of darkness and cold hit the two. The two were normally not put off by such feelings. They were two members of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros after all. Being part of such a sinister guild meant being surrounded by darkness daily. But this darkness was different. It felt denser and it was laced with fear. Kyoka heard Seilah gulp to her right.

"I sense something similar to an evil from a horror novel coming down that ramp."

Kyoka subtly nodded then watched as several figures marched down the ramp. First, four humanoid figures covered head to toe in white armor raced off. Each figure's head was covered by a strange helmet and each one carried a dark gun. The four figures fanned out as if they were securing the area. Then the source of the darkness marched off the ramp.

The first thing that hit Kyoka's ears was the breathing. The mechanical, rasping breaths that echoed around her and incessantly drummed against her ears, only adding to the fear she had felt crawling up her spine. Then she saw an incredibly imposing figure stomp down the ramp.

"He has to be the leader." Seilah breathed quietly.

Kyoka had to agree with her. To further Seilah's point, all four white soldiers turned and snapped to attention as the black clad giant stepped off of the ramp. The giant paused at the bottom of the ramp. He didn't even flinch as the ramp returned to place and a loud blast erupted through the air.

Kyoka's jaw dropped as the structure slowly ascended into the air, one side of it completely covered in a fiery light. The structure turned towards the sky then sped away, it's wings spreading as it raced away.

"I've never seen a magic airship like that before. Have you?" Seilah asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"You get out more."

Kyoka clasped a talon over Seilah's mouth. The black clad figure rasping breathing had stopped and it had grabbed a dark, silver cylinder from its belt. Then a booming baritone voice thundered out to them.

"I can sense you." the black clad warrior rumbled before a red blade of light emerged from the cylinder with a loud pop-hiss.

Kyoka sighed. No point in hiding. She glanced at Seilah and saw that her partner had the same thought. The two woman rose slowly and revealed themselves to the white armored soldiers and their black clad leader. The wind continued to whip through the area, making the black warrior's cape flap wildly behind him.

As soon as Kyoka and Seilah stood, the white soldiers trained their weapons on them. Kyoka smirked a little.

"Tell your soldiers to lower their weapons or we may have to hurt them." She grinned.

Vader glared at the two strange woman in front of him. They didn't seem human yet they looked so similar to humans. This must be Earthland's native species. They were a confident bunch weren't they.

"Do not presume that you can order me or my men." Vader growled, his tone causing both women to take a hesitant step back. "And do not assume," He reached out with force a gripped both of their throats, "That you could possibly defeat me."

Kyoka and Seilah's eyes both widened as they felt their throats squeeze shut. The two gasped for air and clutched their necks as they dropped to their knees. Vader strode up to them, his red blade loudly humming in his right hand as he calmly approached. Kyoka gulped and stared at the red blade as it was brought close to her face.

"You are going to tell me everything I need to know." Vader said, "And if I do not find your answer satisfactory, then I will destroy you."

Kyoka stared at the red blade. The blade's red light bathed her body in a sinister red glow and the loud hum in her ears only added to the fear she was feeling. The pressure around her throat lightened a little so she could speak.

"I am search for someone. I need to know where they are. I also need to know a way to defeat all wizards on this planet." Vader kept his bald steady near her face, only inches from her eye, "can you provide me with that information."

"Depends." Croaked Kyoka, "W-who are you, *ack*, looking for?"

The rhythmic breathing of Darth Vader pounded against her eardrums as stared at her through lidless lenses in his dark helmet.

"Three people. A man named Skywalker, and two siblings named Scarlet."

Despite the pressure on her throat Kyoka's lips spread into a slight smirk, "Then you are in luck. I may not know a Skywalker, but I definitely know both Scarlets." She croaked, "It appears our goals may be aligned, because my guild also seeks a way to eliminate all wizards from the world." Kyoka felt the pressure lighten a little more. Was this figure surprised by her response? "You know what they say. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And it would be more than beneficial for you to make friends with Tartaros." She smirked up at the dark warrior, "You do seem to be a man after my own heart after all- *ACK*"

"Where are they?" Vader growled, "And how will you destroy all wizards?"

"I-I -c-can't tell you that!" She gasped, "Only my guild's steward, M-Mard Geer, he knows! *ACK*. I c-can take you to him. He will answer you *ack* questions."

The pressure left both Seilah and Kyoka's throats instantly and the pair fell onto their elbows, gasping for air. After recovering a moment, both rose to their feet and saw that the red blade had disappeared from the warrior's grasp.

"You will take me to your steward." Vader ordered, "Now."

Seilah gulped a glanced over at Kyoka, "Are you sure about this Kyoka?"

Kyoka grinned, "more than. We cannot turn down a potential ally such as Mr-"

"Darth Vader." The black warrior replied.

"Mr. Darth Vader." Kyoka smiled then bowed, "It is an honor to meet you. Now then, follow us, we will take you to our guild hall." _And if you try to choke us again, Mard Geer and Master END will be there to crush you._

The two demons of Tartaros wove their way through the tall grass with Vader following closely behind them. Trudging in the back were the four stormtroopers. One of the stormtroopers turned to look at his squad mate.

"If all the woman on this planet look like that, I may choose to stay here."

"They are all out your league CT-1143."

 **And chapter! I apologize for the lack of action so far, but I am building this arc up a little bit. I also feel that I need to start building the relationships between Luke and the Fairy Tail members (particularly Joshua, Wendy, Erza, and Team Natsu). But it looks like Vader may be using Tartaros to assist him in finding Luke, Erza, and Joshua. That is not a good sign for our heroes. This is going to be one hell of a fight! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	73. Chapter 73: The Steward of Tartaros

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter but first quick announcement. I am going to start working full time as a server so the frequency with which I update may get a little wonky. I love writing this story so I will absolutely keep updating as often as I can, just giving you a heads up just in case I fail to update for several days. Work may tire me out a little bit. Alright, with that being said, let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 73

The sun's golden rays slowly peeked up from over the horizon, bathing the once dark sky with shades of orange and gold. Clouds went from shadowy to white as Earthland awoke from its nightly slumber. Floating in the path of the rising sun, was a massive cube structure that housed the last member of the Balam Alliance, Tartaros.

Three figures jumped from the ground up onto the floating cube. Two were members of Tartaros' elite Nine Demon Gates, Kyoka and Seilah. The third was a dark figure wearing black robes and armor. His head was covered in a black helmet and mask. And he towered over the two Tartaros members, easily a full head taller than both of them. This third figure was the Fist of the Empire, Darth Vader.

As his boots touched the cube, he couldn't help but marvel at the floating construct. It seemed to be powered purely on this magic energy that he had felt as soon as he arrived on the planetary surface. It felt so similar to the force, but at the same time, it felt distinctly different. The only thing he could compare it to was the magic of the Nightsisters of Dathomir. But even their magic had fragments of the force within it. This whole planet had a similar power, but it's differences were notable. And from what the dark lord had observed, Magic was a very key component to life on this planet.

"Welcome to our humble home." Kyoka smirked as she guided Vader to a large stone castle that towered on top of the cube.

Vader said nothing in return. His lone reply was his labored breathing as he marched behind the two women. His mind wasn't focused on entertaining these two. He was focused on any possible threats. Vader had to leave his stormtrooper guard on the surface. They were not capable of making the jump up to the cube. Even for Vader, the jump required a tremendous amount of power. That was mostly because his suit was extremely heavy though. If he could get rid of this cursed thing, he would've made the jump easily. The lack of any guards made Vader hyper alert. He had learned through his many years at war that going into an unknown location alone was never a wise decision. His robotic fingers continuously twitched ever so slightly over the lightsaber on his hip. In a moment's notice, he could bring the blade to life and annihilate these two in front of him.

A loud creaking sound came from the ancient castle and a wooden drawbridge slowly descended, allowing the three figures to pass into the castle's depths. At first, the interior of the castle was covered in dark shadows. But Vader failed to notice. His suit's ocular lenses compensated for the darkness, allowing him to see everything perfectly.

"Ugh," Kyoka grumbled, "You'd think Franmalth or Absolute Zero would light some torches in here."

"Franmalth is too much of a pig to notice the darkness." Seilah noted before a third voice entered the conversation.

"What is this about me not lighting any torches?"

Stepping down the hallway was a human man, roughly middle aged. He stood nearly equal in height with Vader and was powerfully built. His body was covered by a thick steel armor while he wore simple dark pants and boots to complete the look. His head was topped with spiky black hair while his face had dark stubble covering his chin. Vader then noted the hideous scar that ran from the top of his forehead, over his left eye, and ended at his left cheekbone. A somewhat playful smirk was etched on his face.

"Why is the place so dark right now Zero?" Kyoka asked.

"I figured since we are the nine demon gates we should act like it. Demons like darkness right?"

"Not if we can't see where we are going." Seilah grumbled.

"Is this you steward?" Vader boomed, inserting himself into the conversation.

Absolute Zero raised an eyebrow and glanced behind the two females to see a dark armored figure towering over them.

"Well shit, it may be a little too dark." Absolute Zero chuckled, "I didn't even see you there friend. And to answer your question, I am not the steward of Tartaros. But speaking of Mard Geer," He looked at Kyoka and Seilah, "he's getting pretty impatient. You better hurry up." And with those words, Absolute Zero began to lazily stroll down another corridor.

"Where is he off to now?" Kyoka growled.

"Probably to see Keyes. Those two are always chatting with each other." Seilah replied, "He is right though, we need to get to Mard Geer."

Kyoka sighed, "Yes, c'mon Darth Vader, we are almost there."

Vader said nothing in reply and simply followed the pair down several long corridors. Suddenly the pair turned and began to descend down a long staircase. Vader frowned.

 _As I thought, there is much more to this place than meets the eye._

The dark side of the force billowed out of him like a cloud as he began to sense the location of every living being in the cube construct. There were several battalions of armored soldiers, all of them with armor imprinted with the Tartaros symbol on them.

 _Nothing more than grunts._ Vader noted. But then he felt no other signs of life in the area which puzzled him. He couldn't sense the two women in front of him. And he couldn't sense Absolute Zero. _There is much more than meets the eye here._

Their descent ended at a large circular room buried deep in the depth of the cube. The room had several torches lighting the sides while a pair of flaming braziers sat beside a stone throne. Sitting on the stone throne was a new figure that Vader also could not sense. But upon seeing this man, Vader got a sense that this man was far stronger than his appearance would suggest.

The man was lanky and slight in his build. His face was pale and thin while his lips seemed to be constantly spread in a mischievous grin. His eyes were as dark as black holes. The hair on top of his head was dark, long and tied high up in a ponytail. The clothing he wore included a long black jacket with a light colored flame pattern; a simple light colored shirt that complimented the light inside of his jacket; and lastly, a pair of simple dark pants and boots. His slanted eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of Kyoka and Seilah.

"You two took much longer than Mard Geer expected." he said with a calm, collected voice that also held a hint of arrogance in it. Vader scowled beneath his mask. Yet another lower being thinking he was all powerful.

"Forgive us Mard Geer." Seilah bowed, "We were guiding someone here."

"Mard Geer has noticed." The man looked past the two and stared at Vader, "And you are?"

"Darth Vader." Vader replied, his baritone voice echoing around the circular chamber.

"Darth Vader…" Mard Geer rested his head on his right hand as he leaned back in his throne, "You are an impressive specimen aren't you?"

"I was told that you have a way of eliminating all wizards from this world." Vader said cutting straight to the point. His powerful arms folded over his chest, "I was also told that you could help me locate the Scarlet siblings."

The lean man sighed and tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling, "Mard Geer can do these things, but… Mard Geer needs something in return."

Vader growled and reached out with the force to choke the man. He had no problem doing that with his underlings. It would be a simple as grabbing his throat and slowly crushing it until he revealed what Vader wanted to know. Just as his grip wrapped around Mard Geers throat Vader felt thorny vines crawling up his suit. Surprised, the Dark Lord of the Sith glanced down and saw half a dozen thorny veins shooting up out of the ground and slowly constricting around him.

"It seems that Mard Geer and Darth Vader have the same opinion of each other." Mard Geer chuckled, his smirk only widening despite Vader's grip around his throat, "However… Mard Geer can be killed and be reborn. Can Vader do the same if Mard Geer punctures that suit with his thorns?"

Vader scowled deeply. He was choking the life out of this man, yet he simply smiled at him like the action tickled. Perhaps brute force was not the ideal strategy. Vader was barely using any power right now, and he was not going to unveil what he was capable of to a possible enemy until he was certain that he was in a winning situation. After completing his mental calculations, Vader released his grip on Mard Geer's throat. The man let out a long sigh before taking in a deep breath. The thorns around Vader slowly slipped back beneath the ground as if they never existed at all.

"So, can Mard Geer and Darth Vader talk business?" Mard Geer asked, leaning forward in his throne.

Vader lowered his arms to his sides, "We can."

"Good." Mard Geer grinned, "Mard Geer needs assistance with wiping out the Fairy Tail guild. They just so happen to be the guild that harbors the Scarlet siblings. They are also the largest obstacle to our guild's grand plan."

"That being?" Vader asked.

"Operation Face. But… before Mard Geer tells you anymore, Mard Geer needs to know that he can trust you."

Vader stood quietly.

"Kill Kyoka and Seilah." Mard Geer ordered.

"Mard Geer!" Kyoka exclaimed.

"Oh dear." Seilah sighed as she closed her eyes.

Without hesitation, Vader's lightsaber ignited in his hand and slashed through both Kyoka and Seilah before the pair had anytime to react. Their bodies flopped to the ground with a loud thud before disappearing into dark vapors. The missing bodies confused Vader. As he glared at the spot on the floor where Kyoka and Seilah once lay, he heard Mard Geer cackling loudly.

"Ah… Mard Geer is most pleased. They had that punishment coming to them for making me wait." Mard Geer grinned before rising from his throne and waving for Vader to follow him down a dark corridor behind his throne.

Vader cautiously followed, his lightsaber still ignited in his hand just in case. They eventually arrived at another circular chamber. This chamber was smaller than the throne room and was far emptier. Fiery braziers lined the walls and illuminated the lone occupier of the room, a book on a simple stone pedestal.

"This is our guild's master. The ultimate creation of Lord Zeref, E.N.D." Mard Geer explained, "He is in a slumber. A very, very long slumber." Mard Geer gingerly picked the book up off it's pedestal as if he was handling fragile relic, "We want to awaken him so that we can eliminate our creator. To awaken our master, requires the elimination of magic from Earthland so that his power can grow from within his book."

Vader stared at the man. Was this person insane? His master was a simple book. Vader was half tempted to turn and leave.

"We are not what we appear to be Darth Vader." Mard Geer gently replaced the book on it's pedestal, his hand slowly brushing along the beaten leather cover before returning to his side. "The nine demon gates are all Zeref's creations. To be more specific, we are known as the Demons of Zeref." Mard Geer glanced back at Zeref, "It has been a great many years since Mard Geer has seen his creator, but Mard Geer can recognize his power… and any that are similar."

Vader's eyes narrowed behind his mask.

"Your powers, when you were choking Mard Geer, are very similar to my creators. Could it be that you are one of the Sith like he was?"

That statement shocked Vader. What did this man, or demon as he called himself, know of the Sith? The Sith were not common knowledge in the galaxy anymore. They were merely myths. More of a myth than the Jedi were to those in the galaxy. Yet this demon on an unknown planet knew of them and claimed his creator was a Sith. Vader now understood his master's concern with this planet. If there was yet another Sith Lord out there, it was direct threat to their power.

"I am a Sith, yes." Vader replied.

"Mard Geer thought so," Mard Geer replied, "Mard Geer has studied the forbidden writings hidden deep within Tartaros about your culture and religion. The only other one to read such texts is Seilah. But she reads them for entertainment, not for knowledge." Mard Geer smirked, "Shows how intelligent she is."

"Forbidden texts?"

Mard Geer nodded, "Written by our Lord Zeref, his master, and the many dark lords before that."

"Who was this Zeref's master?" Vader asked, probing for as much information as he could.

Mard Geer smirked as he searched his extensive memory, "He was called Ramage. My creator killed him over four hundred years ago."

Vader's eyes widened. Was Mard Geer insinuating that Darth Ramage, the master of Darth Tenebrous's master, had a secret apprentice? Does that mean that the rule of two had been compromised for centuries? If so, then the Sith were no where near their full potential in the force.

"Worry not, Mard Geer's ultimate goal is to slay Zeref. But in order to stand a chance, we need to awaken Master END."

"You said Zeref slayed Ramage four hundred years ago." Vader interupted, "That would make Zeref long dead, correct?"

"Incorrect." Mard Geer smirked, "Mard Geer is intelligent and knows much. Mard Geer knows of his creator's curse, unlike those beneath him."

"Curse?"

"The curse of God Ankserham. The curse of duality and immortality." Mard Geer stated, "Such a curse allowed Lord Zeref to become incredibly powerful. Mard Geer wishes he was strong enough to slay him, but Mard Geer is unable. And therefore, Mard Geer is considered a failed experiment. But… Mard Geer does not need strength to slay Zeref. Mard Geer only needs Master END."

Vader was beginning to form a basic understanding of what was going on now. The Sith Lord named Zeref was cursed with immortality. In order to fix this, he must have created the demons to kill him. That is why Mard Geer referred to himself as a failed experiment.

"And what makes you believe that END is not a failed experiment?" Vader questioned.

Mard Geer chuckled, "Master END has never fought Lord Zeref. Their battle was thwarted by the Fire Dragon King Igneel, and as a result, Master END was sealed in his book."

Vader nodded, "And how does this relate to finding the Scarlet siblings and eliminate all wizards on the planet?"

"Mard Geer was getting to that." The steward of Tartaros smirked, "Mard Geer has learned of a device created by the Magic Council. This device is called Face. It is a magic pulse bomb. This pulse bomb will eliminate all ethernanos in the air. Ethernanos are what give a wizard magic. So if all ethernanos are destroyed, a wizard is rendered powerless."

Vader had what he needed now. This magic pulse bomb called Face would incapacitate all wizards on the planet. Once all of the wizards were eliminated he could call the Imperial fleet here and the planet would be conquered. Then he would have the Scarlet siblings and Skywalker in his grasp.

"How do we activate this magic pulse bomb?" Vader asked.

Mard Geer began to snicker, "Jackal is already putting our plan into motion. All Mard Geer needs is your assistance in eliminating Fairy Tail."

Vader crossed his arms. There was always much more to these deals than the opposing party let on. But Vader also knew that Mard Geer would not relent any more information to him. He could see it on his face. But something was bugging Vader's mind.

"If you activate the bomb," Vader started, "Won't you be rendered powerless as well."

Mard laughed, "Not at all. The demons of Tartaros do not use magic. We use curses. Such things are like oil and water, they are not compatible. The demons of Tartaros will be unaffected by Face."

 _Then I will have to make sure you are eliminated in this battle with Fairy Tail._ Vader thought.

"Very well." Vader rumbled, "But one more condition."

"Mard Geer is listening."

"If any of the Scarlet siblings or a man named Skywalker are captured, they will be brought to me…" Vader began to stride out of the room, "Alive."

Mard Geer watched as the Sith Lord exited the room of Master END. His crazed grin only widened.

"Of course, Darth Vader."

….

The morning sun streamed through the thin white curtains in the room. It's bright golden rays landed on Leia's face causing her eyes to stir and slowly open. With a groan, she stretched her body and sat up in the bed. Outside, she heard unfamiliar birds chirping cheerily. Nearby, in a plush chair, Leia saw Chewbacca snoozing peacefully while Lando lay beneath a warm blanket on the floor. The two droids, R2D2 and C-3PO were leaning up against the wall beneath the large window, powered down. A small smile came over Leia's lips. It was so peaceful on this planet. The distinct scent of smoke then hit her nose.

 _Is something burning?_

*CRASH*

"HOW COULD YOU BURN THEM!" shouted a woman's angry voice that made Leia practically jump out of the bed.

"I NEVER SAID I WAS GOOD AT BAKING!" shouted a voice Leia recognized as Joshua.

"You lived on your own for how many years and you can't bake!"

"Hey! I lived off of beef and potatoes, not muffins!" Joshua shouted back.

As they continued shouting, Chewbacca jumped awake and let out a long, annoyed bark. Lando stirred on the floor and groaned as he sat up.

"They are so loud…" he groaned sleepily before flopping back onto the floor and curling up again.

A few bleeps and boops echoed around the room from Artoo while Threepio powered on.

"Oh my," The polite protocol droid stated, "I seem to have been awoken before the intended cycle."

"PUT THAT FIRE OUT!" Erza shouted in the kitchen.

"I'M TRYING!" Joshua exclaimed back.

"ARGH! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Wait! Erza don't-"

"REQUIP!"

The door to the bedroom burst open and Joshua rushed in.

"TAKE COVER!" He shouted as he jumped behind the chair Chewbacca was sitting in.

"Huh?" Leia replied sleepily before she heard Erza roared. Suddenly a massive rush of water blasted through Erza and Joshua's home. Leia screamed, immediately waking up Lando.

"What is it?" Lando said sleepily before looking down the short hallway and seeing a massive flood of water surging towards the door. "BY THE FORCE!"

The wave of water slammed into Lando and pressed him up against the far wall above the lone bed in the room along with everyone else in the bedroom. The water churned rapidly for several moments before slowly sinking away through the floorboards. Lando's head was spinning as he flopped back down onto the floor, his entire body and clothes completely soaked. Leia groaned and held her head as her eyes spun.

"What was that?" she mumbled.

"Erza being Erza." Joshua groaned as he picked himself up off of the floor, "That was the power of her Sea Empress Armor."

"Her what?" Leia asked as she picked herself up off of the wet floor.

"Erza's magic is requip magic. It's also called The Knight." Joshua explained as he shook his head back and forth, sending droplets of water through the air. "It allows her to access a special dimension where she stores weapons, armor, anything really."

Leia stared stunned at Joshua, "Seriously?"

Joshua nodded, "Seriously. I can do it too, but I'm nowhere near as good at it as Erza is." A golden light then enveloped his right hand and a towel appeared in his hand out of nowhere. Before Leia could react to what she just saw, Joshua tossed her the towel.

"Go ahead and dry off."

Armored footsteps entered the room causing everyone inside to freeze. Leia gulped and glanced at the doorway to see the red head Erza wearing incredibly revealing turquoise colored armor (if she could even call it armor). The only parts of her body that were remotely covered were her sides, parts of her breasts, shoulders, and arms. A fin shaped crown rested on her head while her legs were bare except for a black pair of underwear.

"Joshua!" She growled.

"Aye sir?"

"Try to cook the muffins again. And please don't burn them this time."

"Aye sir!"

Joshua scrambled back to the kitchen leaving Leia and her friends alone with the crazy red head. Out of the corner of her eye, Leia saw Lando practically drooling at Erza's appearance.

"Dear me," C-3PO stated, "My circuits were almost fried."

Erza blinked and finally noticed everyone else's condition in the room. She quickly requiped back into her normal armor and bowed to Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca.

"Forgive me, I forgot you all were in the dorm." she said politely, "Please hit me as my punishment."

"Uh… what?" Leia mumbled.

"We aren't going to hit you Lady Erza." Lando said smoothly as he rose to his feet, "However…" he raised his arms and water dripped from his blue shirt, "A fresh set of clothes would be nice."

Erza blinked then turned back to the kitchen, "Joshua! Find an outfit that can fit Lando!" Chewbacca barked, "And the hair dryer for the rug!" Chewbacca howled at being called a rug yet again. Erza then looked over at Leia and smiled, "You might be my size, I'll grab you something. The shower is down the hall to the right if you want to freshen up. And… if he doesn't burn them _again_ , breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

"Th-thank you." Leia replied as Erza left the room.

….

The steam of the hot shower billowed in thick white clouds around Leia as she stood beneath the steady stream of water. Normally, she didn't take this long to clean herself. She had grown accustomed to the limited resources of the Rebellion and was known to take very quick showers. But her mind was still trying to comprehend everything that had happened in the past thirty six hours. After the little water display this morning, it was clear that there was more power to the wizards on this planet than she originally thought. Leia's eyes widened.

 _What if they allied with the Rebellion!_ She thought, _We could destroy the Empire with Earthland's help! The Emperor's legions would be no match for their power._

A filling of hope filled Leia. The rebellion was at it's darkest moment currently. They had just lost their last secret base on the ice moon of Hoth. They had lost most of their fleet in the aftermath of the Death Star's destruction. They had lost one of their best generals in Han Solo. Leia's gulped and let out a shaky breath as she thought of the smuggler turned rebel. She could see him still, his determined face as he was slowly lowered into the carbon freezing chamber. Her brown eyes closed and she shook her head.

 _I cannot dwell on that. We will get Han back!_ Leia twisted the nozzle in front of her and the shower turned off. _And we will defeat the Empire!_

As she stepped out of the shower she heard a small knock on the door. Leia quickly grabbed one of the clean towels from the sink counter and wrapped it around herself.

"Come in." She said.

The door opened and Erza quickly stepped inside with an outfit for her.

"It may be a little um… girly for you but it's the only one I really have."

Leia stared at the white blouse and blue skirt before smiling.

"It'll do just fine, thank you." She replied.

Erza then exited just as quickly as she entered. Erza sighed and looked over at the pile of soaking laundry.

 _I'll ask Natsu to dry it later._ She thought before she heard a series of crashes and thuds coming from Joshua's room.

"Where is it!?" she heard Joshua exclaim.

Erza raised an eyebrow and edged her way over to Joshua's closed doorway. She grabbed the doorknob and quickly peeked in to see Joshua rumuging through his closet then through a small trunk at the foot of his bed.

"It's gotta be here somewhere." he mumbled to himself as he tossed some books to the side.

Erza sighed, "What are you looking for?"

"Spare parts." Joshua replied.

"Spare parts for what?"

Joshua raised his left hand and Erza instantly understood.

"Is it malfunctioning again?" she asked.

"No, Wendy stopped by this morning. She said Luke had healed up faster than she thought and was ready for a cybernetic hand. If I could just find the damn parts then I can fashion one for him in a couple hours."

"I thought you didn't like Luke." Erza commented.

"I never said I didn't like him." Joshua replied, "I'm just not very happy he is here."

"Sound the same to me." Erza shrugged as she entered his room and quietly shut the door behind her.

"Well, it's not." Joshua replied, "There are… lots of complicated reasons for why I'm keeping my distance from him."

Erza frowned, "Keeping your distance?"

Joshua sighed, "I'm gonna have to tell you everything now huh?"

"We agreed after the Eclipse Gate incident, no more secrets between us." Erza said sternly.

"I know, I know. You don't have to remind me." Joshua sighed and shut the trunk's lid. He turned around and sat down on the trunk, his back leaning up against the end of his bed, "Luke is my opposite."

"Opposite?"

Joshua nodded, "Remember our meeting directly after the Eclipse Gate incident with Gramps?" Erza nodded, "And remember how I said others were trying to determine my destiny for me?" Again Erza nodded, "Well, Master Revan, old man Qui Gon, and Master Mavis all told me in a vision that the Force is out of balance. So out of balance in fact, that it could lead to catastrophe if it is not fixed. Originally, the force's solution was a chosen one that would embody both sides of the force, light and dark. But that plan failed horribly. So, the force has instead chosen two to bring balance to the force. One to represent the light and the other to represent the dark. I'm sure you can guess which I am."

Erza frowned, "You need to stop calling yourself dark. You are not dark. You are you. There is nothing dark about that."

"But my signature in the force is dark." Joshua replied, "Luke's is...very bright. Too damn bright."

Erza's eyes widened in realization, "He's the light half."

"Precisely." Joshua replied, "And guess who wants to prevent the light and dark halves from uniting and balancing the force?"

Erza gulped, "The Sith."

Joshua nodded, "I want to avoid that. I could care less about the force and it's balance. What I care about keeping those I love safe. And that means, not being the Force's pawn."

Outside the room, Leia had her ear pressed to the door. She was enthralled by the conversation she was hearing.

"But you just said that the Force being out of balance could lead to some great calamity."

"I know, and if the Force wanted to, it could find a different dark side vessel." Joshua replied before blinked and snapping his fingers, "I remember where I put it now!"

"Joshua…" Erza sighed, "Are you sure you are doing all of this to protect us? Or are you doing this because you hate the fact that something may be controlling you?"

Joshua froze before he could access his requip.

Erza closed her eyes, "It's ok. I get it. After all of those times you were bound by chains as a kid, I get it. You can't stand being controlled by something. It must drive you insane."

Joshua frowned then pulled a spare cybernetic palm along with a bunch of wires, tools, and metal plates out of his requip space. He then stood up and quickly exited the room just as Leia backed away from the door.

"I got a hand to make." he mumbled before leaving Fairy Hills entirely.

Leia watched as Erza exited the room as well. The redhead let out a sigh before shaking her head and glancing over at Leia.

"Lando and Chewbacca already left for the guildhall with your robots. Wanna go too?"

Leia nodded, "Sure."

As the two women exited Fairy Hills, Leia's sense of hope began to fade. She had intended to ask Erza and Master Makarov about possibly assisting the rebellion. But after hearing Joshua's opinion of Luke, she wasn't so sure they would say yes. They seemed like great people filled with a high sense of justice. But it was also apparent the each guild member's priority was protecting their comrades. And if that meant not getting involved in a just conflict then they may just do that. Leia gulped.

 _The rebellion needs help._ She thought. _I have to try and convince them all. The Empire must be overthrown. And in order to do that,_ Leia looked over at Erza, _We will need their help._

….

Wendy laughed again, "So, so, what did Han do after Leia kissed you?"

"Well he had the biggest look of disbelief I had ever seen on his face," Luke laughed with her, "And that is saying something."

Wendy shook her head, "So… he was first called a scruffy looking nerf herder, then the girl he has a crush on kisses you, in front of him." Wendy smirked, "That must've quite the scene."

"I enjoyed it." Luke smiled.

The door to the infirmary opened and Joshua quickly entered. Wendy's head whipped over and she smiled widely over at the brown haired man. She then saw the contraption he was carrying and her smile only grew wider.

"Oh good! You made one!"

Joshua simply nodded and pulled up a wooden chair to Luke's right.

"Numb his body." he told Wendy.

"Why?"

"Cause this is going to hurt if you don't." Joshua replied.

Wendy's smile faded. He was in a mood today wasn't he? She'd have to talk to him later. Maybe at dinner? Wendy moved her hands over Luke and muttered an chant that Luke couldn't understand. The effects of Wendy's spell were instant though. Luke felt like he lost all feeling in his body. He couldn't feel anything around him, not even the air brushing against his skin.

"Alright Skywalker." Joshua grumbled as he began to work on his wrist stump, "If you feel any pain tell me and I will stop."

"You shouldn't have to stop." Wendy said.

Joshua shook his head, "The pain of doing this is tremendous. I will be literally pulling and attaching nerves to a cybernetic machine. Plus… I know what it's like to have one attached without any sort of spells blocking out the pain. I don't want anyone else feeling something like that."

He lined up the end of the hand with a metal socket he sealed onto Luke's wrist. Blue sparks began to fly as he began to attached the wires and nerves. The doctor side of Wendy took over and she glanced over to see what this type of procedure was like. She gulped and her face paled a little as she saw Joshua working with a now bloody stump. Small, fibrous strands coming from the stump were being carefully attached to the cybernetic workings of the hand before Joshua smirked triumphantly.

"That's way easier than a whole arm." He then sealed the rest of the cybernetic limb onto Luke. Taking a rag, Joshua quickly wiped away any blood or oil from the limb and nodded to himself, "It's a bit crude, but it will have to do until you can get yourself a better one." he looked over at Wendy. The sky dragon slayer spread her hands over Luke and the numbing sensation was gone from his body, allowing him to feel once again.

"That felt strange." Luke mumbled before bringing his right hand up to his jaw and massaging it, "I feel like I was frozen." The blonde blinked. His eyes darted down to look at a metal, cybernetic hand attached to his right wrist. He slowly wiggled the fingers then repeatedly opened and closed his new hand, "This is incredible." he breathed.

"Your welcome." Joshua stated, "Alright, Wendy."

"Hm?"

"Wanna go get some lunch?"

Wendy smiled, "I'd love to-"

The infirmary door burst open and Cana sprinted in. The brunette looked like she was in an absolute panic. Her brown eyes were wide and her skin had sweat dripping down it.

"You guys! Bad news! Really bad news!"

"What is it Cana?" Wendy asked.

Cana took a few deep breaths before gulping, "The magic council… has been destroyed."

 **And chapter! LET THE TARTAROS ARC BEGIN! Vader has aligned himself with Tartaros in order to fulfill his mission while Luke, Leia, and Lando are all caught in the middle. This is going to be one heck of an arc. Also, Seilah and Kyoka are not dead. The nine demon gates regenerate inside of the Hell's Core laboratory. Just wanted to clear that up just in case. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	74. Chapter 74: Warning

**Hey everyone! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Stuck inside because of a damn snowstorm so I cranked this one out. Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 74

At first he was sleeping peacefully inside of the small canvas tent. A sense of calm washed over him as he relished the deep sleep his body was in. Then his mind began to wander into the endless realm of dreams. The dreams were harmless enough. Strange musings of the mind that made no sense and didn't require any sort of comprehension. The sleeping man paid it no mind. Then something switched. The dream he was in went from a field of green pastures to a jet black room. He couldn't see anything in front of him or behind him. The man's brown eyes glanced through the shadows of the dream.

 _What is this?_ He thought as his body was incapable of movement.

Every hair on his body stood on end as he heard a low, mechanical breath echo through the darkness. The back of his neck tingled as an overwhelming sense of danger spread over his body. Then he heard it again. Another rasping mechanical breath thundering through the darkness. The man's jaw was clenched tightly and he gulped back his fear.

 _Where is he?_ He thought, _Where is Vader?_

"I am here, my former apprentice." Vader boomed.

A loud pop hiss filled Galen's ears before he felt the searing pain of a red lightsaber slash through him.

With a loud cry he sat straight up from his mat in the canvass tent. His body was drenched in sweat and his chest heaved up and down. Daylight streamed in through a small hole in the roof of his small tent. He blinked at the light, forcing his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in brightness. Galen's heart was still racing. What the hell did that whole experience mean? He wasn't foolish enough to believe that was a nightmare. He had nightmares of Vader before, but they were never that vivid. They were never that terrifying.

He ran a hand over his face, wiping droplets of sweat away from his eyes. The flap to his tent opened.

"Are you ok, Starboy?" A woman with bright pink hair asked, concern etched on her face, "You started shouting a lot."

Galen sighed, "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?"

Meldy smirked and crawled into the tent, leaning up beside Galen, "It's your pet name, you better learn to like it."

"I refuse." He grumbled.

Meldy's smirk faded. Galen was usually a grouch, she had grown used to that. But his normally sour demeanor always had a very slight playfulness to it. At least in the three months the pair had been working and living together as a part of Crime Sorciere. The attitude Galen had now was very different from normal. It was much colder, something that Meldy didn't like to see.

"What's wrong Galen?" Meldy asked, dropping the Starboy name.

Galen raised an eyebrow. He knew what that signaled. Whenever Meldy dropped the nicknames it meant she was genuinely worried about something.

"Am I that easy to read?" he grumbled.

Meldy smirked, "We've been traveling Fiore for three months now. I probably know your thoughts at this point." she looked worriedly at Galen as he started staring off past the outside of his tent, "Bad dream?"

"It wasn't a dream." Galen stated sharply, "It was a warning."

Meldy's eyes widened, "Jellal said something about how Joshua was prone to visions because of his powers. Are you the same?"

Galen nodded, "I've heard Jellal discuss those as well. I'm nowhere near as sensitive to the future at Scarlet is. So if I had one… we should not ignore it."

Galen patted Meldy on the shoulder signaling for her to exit the tent with him. The pair quickly clambered out. Leaning against a tree outside of their tent was a tall man with long brown dreadlocks. His body was built like a tank and he wore dark green leather armor over his torso with brown pants over his legs. A wide smirk was on his face as he watched the pair crawl out of the small tent.

"What were you two up to?" he smirked.

"Not now Azuma." Meldy stated as she wrapped her purple cloak around her tightly. The air was surprisingly cold this morning.

"Where is Jellal?" Galen asked.

Azuma's smirk faded, "He's up near the cliffs." he thumbed towards a dirt trail that led deeper into the forest around them.

Galen nodded then quickly strode towards the trail leaving Azuma alone with Meldy.

"So Meldy… what were you two doing?"

"N-nothing!" Meldy defended.

Azuma laughed a little, "It wouldn't be the first time I caught you two. There was one time a couple nights ago when you snuck out of your tent and-"

"BE QUIET!" Meldy screeched, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"How long?" Azuma asked.

"What?" Meldy asked.

"How long have you two been… you know."

"Um… uh… uh…" Meldy stammered then bowed her head, face redder than Erza's hair, "T-two months."

Azuma's eyes widened, "Woah… you got busy quick."

"SHUT UP!"

Azuma merely shook his head and chuckled as he walked back to the remnants of the fire they had last night and began to light it once again. Breakfast wouldn't cook itself after all.

….

The air felt different today. It was cold. For this time of year, that was abnormal. The blue haired man wearing a dark purple cloak gazed out over the sprawling land from the edge of the cliffs. His mind was far away right now. There was so much to do to prepare for the arrival of the Sith. Galen had basically told them that it was a guarantee they would come. He felt Crime Sorciere was more than prepared thanks to Galen's help. But he knew Fiore was nowhere near ready. The world was nowhere near ready. The stories Galen told him of the Sith's power, specifically the power of his former Master made Jellal tremble. And he thought Imperius was dangerous during the Grand Magic Games. They seemed like children when put next to the warrior in black, Darth Vader. His brown eyes scanned over the land again, drifting from the edge of the sprawling woods to the shimmering town miles away.

 _Magnolia…_ He thought before his mind drifted to a beautiful scarlet haired woman that resided in the town. His face spread into a small smile. She could always cheer him up.

"Jellal."

The blue haired man turned his head to see Galen trudging up the trail to him, his black cloak flapping in the cold wind.

"Galen, you're up early."

"You won't like why." Galen replied.

Jellal's small smile disappeared. In the three months since he had enlisted Galen Marek's help, he had grown to trust the former Sith apprentice and assassin greatly. He had been instrumental in the destruction of several powerful dark guilds. His techniques on avoiding detection also assisted the small independent guild when it came to the Magic Council. Galen had told the group early on that when he was Vader's apprentice it was imperative that he remained hidden. The Sith operated by a code called the Rule of Two. To break that rule meant certain death. So he had to hide himself from both the Empire and the Rebellion unless Vader deemed it absolutely necessary for him to reveal himself. Along the way, the young man had gained invaluable experience in the art of concealment. This was something that Jellal greatly appreciated and only deepened the trust he had in the man.

"What is it?" Jellal asked as Galen stopped to stand beside him.

"I had a vision."

Jellal stiffened, "You mean like Joshua?"

Galen nodded, "Yes, like Scarlet." he gulped then looked at Jellal, "We are out of time." Jellal's brown eyes widened in fear. The world was not ready. They would be smashed by the might of the Sith, "Vader has arrived."

"How can you be sure?" Jellal asked, desperately hoping that Galen would doubt such a claim.

Galen sighed, "I just know. I can sense it now. The cold in the wind… it's the result of a great darkness descending upon this world. Only one person I have ever know can cast a shadow like this."

Jellal closed his eyes, "Then we are out of time." he turned back to the trail and began to quickly walk back to the encampment with Galen, "You and Meldy will go warn Fairy Tail."

Galen raised an eyebrow, "What about you and Azuma?"

"We will go and recruit some new members."

Galen frowned, "You really think they will actually say yes?"

"Only one way to find out," Jellal replied, "Either way, we will get the Oracion Seis to help us. Whether that is through negotiation or force. They will help."

As they neared the camp, the scent of eggs sizzling on a skillet filled their nostrils. Galen's mouth watered a little as his stomach growled. Despite his short time on Earthland, he had grown to love the cuisine. It was so simple yet at the same time delicious. Much better the nutrition paste.

"Alright, you get those dark wizards on our side." Galen glanced over at Meldy, "And me and Meldy will pay a visit to Fairy Tail." He then grabbed a wooden plate from the large backpack that Azuma always carried, "But first… breakfast."

….

The entire Fairy Tail guild sat inside of the main hall. Every wizard was murmuring and muttering to each other, wondering what exactly was going on? Most had heard that the Magic Council had somehow been destroyed. Few actually believed it. But those doubts were being quelled as their short statured guild master slowly got up onto the stage that lined the far wall of the guild. Sitting in a far corner booth was Leia Organa.

She had stayed behind today while Lando and Chewbacca went with a wild haired, gruff man named Gajeel, and a meek, book worm girl named Levy to go repaire the Millennium Falcon. Apparently those two were deemed best for the task. She quickly found out why. It appears that magic on this world was incredibly diverse. Gajeel was something called an Iron Dragon Slayer. To summarize in her mind, he could produce iron at will. Something that they could easily use to make some crude repairs to the ship. Levy was the most intelligent person in the guild, so she would easily understand the inner workings of the Falcon and how each tool and part connected together. It sounded like they sent her as a guide to help Gajeel in the repairs. Whatever her role was, Leia was grateful for the help. She was anxious to get back to the rebellion. Hopefully they didn't think that she and the others were all dead.

The short old man cleared his throat as he stood quietly on stage. His bushy mustache sagged as his old face sighed.

"What you have all heard is true…" He started, "The Fiore Magic Council has been destroyed."

The murmurs turned to gasps of shock and horror. Leia had no idea what this magic council was, but she assumed it was some form of governing body for the wizards in this world.

"Who did it!?" People began shouting frantically.

"Was it a dark guild!?"

"How many survivors!?"

"What kind of aid should we send!?"

Master Makarov raised his hands and settled the afraid crowd down. Behind him stood the two of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards, Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss. Laxus Dreyer, the lightning wizard Leia had met yesterday, left with some of his comrades for a contract in a port city called Hargeon. Leia scanned the crowd for some more familiar faces. She saw the kind healer Wendy sitting nervously next to the bane of Leia's existence, Joshua Scarlet. Her mouth frowned as she stared at the young man in the long sleeved blue shirt.

 _I don't think I've ever met a more irritating human being._ She scowled. Leia then noticed how close Wendy was sitting beside him. Then she saw that their hands were intertwined and her eyes widened slightly, _Are they!? No… she's too good for him._

"I WILL ROAST WHOEVER DID IT TO A CRISP!" roared a pink haired young man named Natsu. Leia jumped as fire leapt out of his mouth and formed a small pillar in the air.

"Sit down flame brain!" Said a level headed voice that belonged to a shirtless, raven haired man, "We have no idea who did it yet."

 _Those two are always fighting… at least that's what Wendy told me._

Shockingly, Natsu just glared at Gray before sitting back down and waiting for more of an explanation from Master Makarov.

"The lone survivor of the attack is leading an investigation." Makarov started.

"Who was the lone survivor?" Joshua's voice rose above the muttering crowd.

"Council Officer Doranbolt was the lone survivor."

Leia noted a look of relief pass over Joshua's face and a small smile appeared on Wendy's lips. _So, you aren't a completely cold person are you?_

"Now then, we have reason to believe, that whoever was responsible for these attacks are specifically targeting current and former Magic Council members." Makarov explained, "Doranbolt has asked out guild to protect the council members remaining and-"

"AGH!"

Liea jumped to her feet as she saw Joshua grab his forehead and fall to the floor.

"Joshua!" Wendy cried as she fell to his side.

 _Is he having some sort of seizure?_ Leia wondered as she tried to see above the throngs of wizards blocking her view. _No, he's not shaking. He's sweating like crazy but not shaking. What-_

An intense cold filled the guild hall. A cold Leia had come to associate with only one being in the entire galaxy. Her spine began to crawl and her hairs stood on end. Leia's brown eyes darted through the crowd searching for the black clad monster. But there was no sign of him. As suddenly as the cold came, it went. At the same exact time, Joshua slowly pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. She could see his chest heaving and his hazel eyes were wide.

"What happened my boy?" Makarov asked as he strode quickly up to the young man.

Joshua gulped and stared at Makarov with fear filled eyes, "Vader." He breathed to Makarov, just loud enough for only Wendy and the old man to hear him.

Makarov's eyes widened. The Sith Lord that Joshua warned them of. What did this have to do with the Magic Council? Just as the tensions were rising to their highest point, the guild hall doors flew inwards causing everyone to jump and rev up their magic power. Leia turned to the door and her blood turned to ice in her veins.

There he stood. A young man, older than Leia remembered him. He still had very short black hair and his eyes still bore the same intensity that made her fear him. His apparel had changed though. The man no longer wore black and grey robes and armor. Instead he wore simple gray robes with a dark cloak thrown over his shoulders. An intricate symbol that looked like a classic fairy tail depiction of a witch was sewn into the back of his cloak with red thread. But despite the change in attire, it was unmistakable who this person was.

"Starkiller…" She growled, her hand edging towards the blaster on her hip.

"Galen?" She heard Joshua say in confusion.

The young man shakily got to his feet while Galen slowly entered. Leia then noticed his companion. It was a young woman, maybe a year younger than herself. She had bright pink hair and a constant bright smile on her face. She wore a red dress with a purple cloak over her shoulders. The same symbol was sewn in red on the back of the cloak. And, was it just Leia's eyes deceiving her, or did the woman's belly seem to protrude a little bit.

"What are you doing here?" Joshua asked as he rubbed his forehead.

"I see you had the same vision." Galen stated calmly.

Joshua glared over at Galen, "You had it too. Then there is no mistaking it. He's here isn't he."

"Um.. do mind filling us in Joshua?" A older man with a balding head ringed with purple hair asked.

"Not now Macao." Master said sharply, "I want to speak to the both of them, as well as Erza and Mira before we do anything else."

Joshua nodded in agreement and waved for Galen and Wendy to follow them up to Makarov's office. Leia was tense for the entire time Galen was in the same room. He hadn't noticed her. Leia silently thanked any deity in existence for that. She never wanted to come across that assassin ever again. As soon as the office door shut behind Makarov, the guild's tension ebbed away slightly. That was mostly thanks to the pink haired woman's infectious smile.

"Hi Meldy!" Juvia waved as she jumped to her feet and raced over to embrace the woman.

"Hello Juvia." the pink haired woman replied as she hugged a blue haired woman that Leia vaguely remembered was notorious for stalking the raven haired boy named Gray Fullbuster.

"Hey it's Meldy!" Natsu exclaimed with a smile, "It's been a while."

"Holy crap he actually remembered a name correctly." A blond named Lucy Heartfilia gaped.

Leia quietly watched the conversation unfold as she sat in her booth.

"How's Jellal and um… Ozman?" Natsu asked, struggling with the second name.

"You mean Azuma?" Meldy laughed, "They are both doing fine. They are actually on their way to recruit some new guild members. Me and Starboy came here to say hello."

Natsu then raised an eyebrow. He didn't remember Meldy having a slightly round stomach.

"Um… have you put on a little weight?" Natsu asked innocently.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, "You don't ask a girl that!"

"Well you don't seem to mind when we comment on your weight." Happy, the blue flying, talking cat shrugged.

"I DO MIND!" Lucy roared. She then blinked and looked at Meldy, "And yeah, what's the-" Lucy's eyes widened like saucers as did Juvia's.

"I guess you could say I found my fish." Meldy smiled.

"A FISH DID THAT!" Happy exclaimed.

"REALLY!?" Natsu cried.

Leia was dumbstruck by the pair. Were they that dull?

"Where can I find that kind of fish. I want my belly to be that full!" Happy exclaimed.

"You idiots!" Lucy yelled again, "So…" She looked at Meldy, "Which one was it?"

"Um…" Meldy's cheeks reddened, "Galen."

It was Leia's turn to be shocked. Did she just say Starkiller was… _IMPOSSIBLE! He's a heartless killer!_

"Oh my gosh!" Lucy squealed while Juvia just stared back and forth between Meldy and the office door, "When!?" Lucy continued, "How long!? What will you name him!? Or is it a her!?"

"Um… well, I don't know if Galen has even noticed." Meldy said her smile fading a little bit, "No one really noticed actually. I guess Jellal, Azuma, and Galen thought I have just been overeating."

 _This world is full of naive idiots._ Leia mentally facepalmed.

"Wait…" Lucy narrowed her eyes, "Has Galen not been treating you right?"

"I'm confused." Natsu muttered, "Did she eat a fish or not?"

"NO DUMBASS!" Cana shouted from the bar, "Meldy's got a baby in her belly."

"EH!" Natsu and Happy both exclaimed.

"He's been treating me fine Lucy." Meldy replied, "He's just… very distant sometimes. I don't think he likes being close to people." Meldy smiled, "He can be a bit of a grouch too. But once you get past the rough exterior, he's a really sweet guy."

 _I doubt that._ Leia thought.

Lucy frowned, "What is with people who have powers like Joshua and being grouchy or distant?"

"I dunno." Meldy shrugged.

As the Lucy freaked out over Meldy, the atmosphere in Makarov's office was far less joyful. Both Galen and Joshua had just finished recounting their visions to the wizards in the small room. Makarov sat quietly on his desk, deep in thought while Erza clenched her teeth. Mira had a determined look her face but behind the thin veil of determination was fear that was being felt by everyone.

"So… he's on Earthland now." Makarov stated.

Galen nodded, "I have no doubts about that. But… I have no idea where he could be."

"Master," Erza interjected, "Do you think this Sith Lord is behind the Magic Council attack?"

"Not his style." Galen stated, "Vader is the hammer of the Empire. But he prefers to personally lead attacks and drag out his victim's suffering. A true sith lord if I've ever seen one. He wouldn't end it quickly with an explosion. Unless he felt that combating your magic council wasn't worth his time. Which again, I doubt. Vader would see them as a valuable source of intelligence on this planet. He wouldn't just kill them outright."

"So we are still in the dark about who is responsible for the attacks." Erza growled before punching the wall with her fist, "Dammit!"

"What do you suggest we do Master?" Mira asked, her dainty voice laced with some fear.

"Hm…" Makarov sighed, "Our priority must be to protect the remaining magic council members. We don't know what this Sith Lord plans to do yet. It would be reckless for us to try to combat him without knowing his capabilities or his goals. For now, we focus on assisting Doranbolt. Erza, Mira, I want you two to head for Crawford Seam's. He is the former chairman, which means whoever is behind this will absolutely target him. I'll send other guild members to protect the other councilmen."

"Gramps," Joshua started, "I want your permission to go to Hargeon and fetch Laxus."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. Why would Joshua want to go get Laxus? As far as he knew, those two still had a very strained relationship.

"Why?" Makarov asked.

"A feeling in the force."

Galen nodded, "I sense it too. I'll go with."

"No." Joshua said firmly, "Luke Skywalker is here."

"Who?" Galen asked.

"He's a Jedi." Joshua said, "And if Vader was going to target anyone, it would be him. He crash landed with some friends on this planet and they've been recovering under Wendy's care while Gajeel, Levy help repair their ship."

Galen's face hardened, "You want me to protect the Jedi?"

"No, I want you to protect the guild for me while I grab Laxus."

"Why don't you do the protecting and I grab the lightning wizard?"

"Because, he might not trust you." Joshua replied, "And while me and him aren't on great terms, we are guild mates. If I say there is a problem, he'll believe me."

Galen frowned but he knew better than to question the judgement of Joshua. He had been on this planet longer and knew the people much more than he could hope to. If Joshua felt that Laxus Dreyer wouldn't trust him, then it'd be best to listen. He didn't have to like it though.

"I think this will be the first time I've ever guarded a Jedi before." Galen grumbled, his arms folding over his chest as he leaned back against the wall.

"Guild, not Jedi." Joshua replied, "Well Gramps?"

Makarov nodded, "Go, Laxus is on a job at Eight Island. Yajima is there and he is a former council member. Evacuate him as well."

Joshua nodded, "Will do."

Just before he could pull the door open a small knock was heard and Makarov called for the person on the other side of the door to come in. It was Leia.

Joshua frowned, "What do you want?"

Galen's eyes widened as he recognized the woman. She was older now and much more regal in appearance. But the fiery attitude she displayed was unmistakable as she glared back at Joshua.

"Leia Organa?" he questioned as he stared at her.

Leia's gaze shot away from her stare down with Joshua and turned to Galen. She visibly gulped then pushed her fears down.

"I need to talk to all of you about something."

"Well make it quick." Joshua closed the door, "We all have urgent business."

Erza's gauntleted hand smacked Joshua upside the head.

"OUCH!"

"Be respectful to our guests!" Erza growled, "God, the fact that you are eighteen and I have to tell you that…"

 _Thank you Erza._ Leia thought with a smirk. She was beginning to really like the red haired wizard. "I couldn't help but overhear a snippet of your conversation. Something about…" Leia took a deep breath, "Darth Vader. I feel like I could help put things into perspective. I also want to ask you something after I finish."

Makarov looked at Leia, "Anything you have will be most helpful."

Leia nodded in reply then began.

"Darth Vader is one of the most evil monsters in the Empire." She said firmly, "He has slaughtered thousands… perhaps millions of beings. Whether by his own hand or by his orders, countless have died for senseless reasons." The inner senator in her came bursting forth as she made her plea to Fairy Tail, "I helped lead the Rebel Alliance in an attempt to end the tyranny and carnage brought on by Vader and the Emperor. But… our rebellion… it's failing. We had one great victory. We destroyed a space station called the Death Star, a super weapon capable of destroying planets." Everyone's eyes widened except for Galen's, "But since then, the Empire has smashed us. We have lost every major engagement since. To put it simply, we are outgunned and out manned. I don't easily ask this of anyone, but… would you help us. Your power is tremendous. Your guild could be the tipping point that allows the Rebellion a chance for victory. A chance to end the tyranny."

Silence hung in the air.

"Spoken like a true politician." Galen grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Makarov," Galen stated, "It'd be wise to avoid the conflict. You are currently an uncharted system and the Empire has yet to send a fleet-"

"And once they do, what then?" Leia practically shouted, "You can't just sit on the sideline and hope that the enemy doesn't see you!"

"Earthland has not made enemies of the Empire yet." Joshua said firmly, "It is still possible that we can avoid the whole war and not have to sacrifice any lives in a conflict we have no business in."

"You do have business in it! Don't you see!?" Leia exclaimed, "Vader is here! On the surface of this planet! If that doesn't constitute an invasion by the Empire then I don't know what does?"

"You are here on the planet's surface." Joshua rebutted, "How do we know this isn't an invasion by the Rebel Alliance?"

"Why you-" Leia snarled.

"Enough!" Makarov barked, "I will consider all the options. For now, the magic council is our priority. Joshua go to Hargeon immediately. Galen, if you would like to stay you are more than welcome to. Kinana will get you anything to eat or drink, on the house. Erza, Mira, to Crawford Seam's. I'll send Natsu and his team to Councilor Michello. Does everyone understand the plan?"

"Yes master." All of the Fairy Tail wizards replied.

Leia felt the flame of hope burning so faintly in her that she felt like it would get snuffed out by a single puff of trouble.

"Then go!" Makarov ordered.

And with that, the wizards raced out to their assignments.

….

Erza and Mira quietly walked along the road to Crawford Seam's house. It, surprisingly, wasn't very far from Magnolia. Although, it took the pair forever to find the information needed in order to locate the small cottage that sat at the edge of a massive forest. As the two approached the cottage, Mira glanced at Erza.

"I've been meaning to ask, but what is up with Joshua lately?"

"Hm?"

"I mean," Mira continued, "He seems so… mean spirited as of late."

Erza sighed, "There is so much more going on than many of us realize Mira." she explained, "He isn't particularly happy to have Leia and Luke around."

"Understatement of the year there." Mira replied, "What have they done to get under his skin like this?"

"The situation with Luke is... complicated." Erza dodged, " He doesn't dislike Luke, he just dislikes the situation. As for Leia, I think their personalities just clash violently."

"I'll say. They act like they hate each other's guts." Mira said with a slight smile.

"It sure looks like they do." Erza replied, "But both have their reasons. Joshua wants to protect us from what is out beyond our atmosphere. Leia wants to save the galaxy. Both are noble goals, but neither can be achieved without sacrificing the other."

Mira looked at Erza in shock, "That's surprisingly deep for you."

"I've had a lot of time to think lately." Erza replied.

"Yeah, you haven't gone on many jobs lately. Is something bothering you as well?"

"When did you get so friendly with me Mira?" Erza asked, somewhat bewildered that her longtime rival was being so kind.

"We've grown up too Erza." Mira replied, "And well, I've grown to respect you. And besides, why continue a petty feud."

"Petty feud?" Erza scoffed, "I always thought of it as a glorious rivalry." A tick mark formed on Erza's head, "Was I not good enough to be considered a rival!?"

"Oh look there is the cottage." Mira dodged.

"ANSWER MY QUESTION!"

Mira held a finger to her lips, "We are about to speak to a former chairman. We can settle this later."

Erza's eye twitched then she huffed, "Fine."

Mira smiled and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

The white haired mage twisted the doorknob and stepped in with Erza. As soon as they stepped inside they were hit by a wave of cold and fear that grabbed them by their hearts and held them paralyzed in place. Both of their eyes stared forward at a terrifying sight.

A round wooden table was perfectly set for a dining occasion. Small dishes made of shining porcelain were laid in neat setups that displayed pure elegance. There were four chairs. One was occupied by a large man with a massive white beard that covered most of his face. The man wore robes that were tightly wrapped around his large form and was covered in a thick coat. His droopy eyes seemed to gleam with menace as he looked over at the two Fairy Tail wizards.

Then Mira and Erza saw the second person. The second figure was standing behind his chair. He wore a dark suit with dark robes laying over several portions of the suit. A heavy set of armor covered his upper chest and shoulders while a strange plate with blinking lights and switches was attached to his chest. A dark cape was draped over his shoulders and a terrifying black mask with large, sloped helmet covered his head. Loud, rasping, artificial breathing sounded in Mira and Erza's eardrums.

"Erza Scarlet… and Mirajane Strauss." The figure boomed, his baritone voice only adding to the fear that had curdled Erza and Mira's blood.

"I assume you two don't know who this is." Crawford Seam grinned, "This is-"

"Darth Vader." Erza breathed, shaking herself free of her terrified trance. There was no way it wasn't him. This was the feeling she felt when she battle Darth Sanguine and the weakened being that was Darth Plagueis. It was a cold feeling that seemingly sucked the life out of everything nearby and replaced it with intense terror.

Her magic power began to build up around her as did Mira's. Erza quickly requpied a sword into her hands. But just as soon as it appeared it was wrenched free from her grasp and sent clattering along the floor near Vader. Mira was about to attempt her takeover when she felt a sharp pain hit her entire body before her mind blacked out.

"She's been stunned sir." Said a white armored soldier that now appeared in the back doorway of the cottage.

"Mira!" Erza exclaimed.

"Please," Vader thundered as he held out a hand to an open chair, "We would be honored, if you would join us."

Erza grit her teeth. Her face contorting into a snarl.

"Take the meal, Ms. Scarlet." Crawford Seam smirked, "It's most likely going to be the last one you'll have. I made sure it was delicious."

Erza glared at Vader. He had ripped her sword free without even moving. His power was awesome. Even Joshua hand to at least move his hand and concentrate when using his force powers. Vader used his like it was second nature. And judging from the slight uptick in power she was feeling around her, that little display was nowhere near his full strength. If she wanted to get out of this alive, she'd have to play along and hope one of her guildmates noticed something was wrong.

 _Joshua! Please find me and Mira!_ She thought desperately.

Erza let out a shaky breath before walking over to a simple wooden chair, pulling it out from under the table, and joining Darth Vader for a meal.

 **And chapter! Oh hoh hoh! Vader has made a move! Erza is in trouble and Mira is down and out. Joshua meanwhile is heading in the opposite direction towards Laxus and Yajima while everyone else is occupied at the guild hall. Has Vader captured his prey? We will find out soon won't we? I always thought one of Vader's most badass moments was that scene in Empire where he tells Han and Leia to join him for a meal. It was always so intimidating and just made me feel like some serious stuff was about to go down. So I wanted to try to replicate that feeling here.**

 **Also, Meldy found her fish! Not sure if Ultear would be thrilled about the fish, but she found one! Kinda funny how Starkiller kinda doesn't notice though. It may seem out of the blue, but the two have also been working, traveling, and basically living together for a while before this point. Both are technically fugitives and well… stuff happens. I'm sure we will get a good explanation from Jellal or Azuma as to what went down. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	75. Chapter 75: Tempester's Attack

**Hey everyone! New chapter ready to go! Let's begin!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 75

Joshua raced through the streets of Hargeon as the sounds of an explosion carried through the air. Every townsperson paused and stared in the direction of the restaurant known as Eight Island. A black column of smoke was rising from the restaurant's location. Joshua remembered doing several jobs with Wendy, Erza, and Natsu at the restaurant. He actually enjoyed it very much. And the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Yajima, was a kind old man who always treated the Fairy Tail wizards very well. To see massive plumes of smoke billowing into the sky from where the restaurant was worried Joshua greatly.

 _Am I too late?_

His pace picked up and his feet slammed into the ground and shoved his body forward at a speed few could match. The force coursed through his body, allowing him to move quickly through the crowds of people that were retreating from the explosions. Soon, the crowds thinned out and the city around Joshua grew quiet. He paused his running, sensing out the area with the force before a violent cyclone sprung up where the black smoke was, causing more destruction and sending debris flying in all directions.

 _Dammit! I am too late!_

Joshua summoned the force around him and used it to boost his speed once again. He had been practicing this technique in the months since the Eclipse Gate incident. Since then, he had somewhat gotten the hang of it. But using the force to alter his own physical capabilities was never his strong suit. He preferred using the force to attack or defend, not alter his body or cause illusions.

His body skid to a stop as he rounded the last turn that led to the restaurant. All that was left of the cheery establishment were splinters of wood piled up randomly along the ruined street. Joshua scowled and cautiously walked towards the ruins. His eyes were quickly scanning the area as he evaluated the situation.

A large trench had replaced where the restaurant had once been. And it was a fairly linear trench too.

 _An explosion didn't cause this._ He observed, _So this is a different attacker than the one who assaulted the magic council headquarters._ He remembered the large tornado that had sprung up nearby, _Was that the cause? A natural disaster._

Heavy footsteps echoed around Joshua. Immediately he sensed danger and ducked beneath a whirling tornado that crashed into the ground in front of him. Before Joshua could even think about what to do next, the tornado pulled off an impossible change in direction and plowed into his chest, sending Joshua flying into a nearby building.

"Ok…" Joshua groaned. He rubbed his chest and winced, "Ouch…"

His body was then enveloped in his requip magic. His blue shirt and tan pants were quickly replaced by what he considered his battle attire, the black robes of a Sith Warrior. He shoved a wooden beam out of his way as he stepped out from the hole in the building created when he was shoved through the house's wall.

"How did you survive?" asked a cold voice that held a hint of surprise as Joshua stepped back out onto the battlefield.

Joshua narrowed his eyes as he finally got to see his opponent. The man was covered in a thick cape and hood that hid his face. But Joshua could still see a dark snout beneath the hood's shadows along with a thick chin curtain beard cradling the creature's jaw. The attire he wore left his chest and stomach exposed while his hips and shoulders were covered by a second cape the lay beneath the first. His powerfully built legs were covered in thick pants and heavy boots enclosed his feet.

"I'm a lot tougher than I look." Joshua replied.

"Noted." The man's cold voice replied, "Then I shall not hold back."

Joshua frowned, "Where are my guild mates?"

"Do you mean those weaklings protecting the magic councilman?" The man questioned, "I disposed of them." His finger pointed over to a pile at the center of the destruction.

Joshua's eyes widened as he saw Bickslow, Evergreen and Yajima lying in an unconscious heap on the ground. He then saw Freed slowly getting back up to his feet, his body covered in dirt and bruises. Laxus was nowhere to be found.

"Freed!" Joshua called, "Are you alright!?"

"Another survivor?" The enemy grumbled, "Curious, you all are much stronger than you appear. But no matter."

"Joshua look out!" Freed shouted before doubling over and coughing violently.

The wind whipped up around Joshua and his eyes widened as the enemy's strange tornado-esque magic neared him. Just as the tornado was about to plow into Joshua yet again, a bright flash of lightning slammed into the spell causing it to careen of course and miss Joshua by a hairs breadth. Joshua exhaled and shook his head.

"Took you long enough, Sparky."

"I don't get a thank you for saving your life?" Laxus asked as he appeared with a bolt of lighting beside Joshua.

"I still don't like you enough for that."

"Whatever kid." Laxus shrugged.

"Another Fairy." The enemy growled as he got back up to his feet, rubbing a burn on his cheek from Laxus' lightning bolt, "I seem to have miscalculated my opponent's capabilities."

"How do you want to play this Laxus?" Joshua asked.

"You hold him. I fry him." Laxus proposed.

"Simple and it gets the job done. I like it." Joshua smirked.

Joshua right hand stretched out towards the enemy and the force enveloped his opponent. The mysterious figure's eyes widened in shock as he realized that he wasn't able to move.

"Fry him!" Joshua barked.

" **RAGING BOLT!"** Laxus roared as a massive ball of yellow lightning launched from his body towards the enemy.

The mysterious creature let out a cry of pain as lightning coursed through his body, burning his skin and hair and blackened sections of his clothing. After several more moments, the lightning died away. But Joshua maintained his grip on the enemy. He wasn't taking any chances with this one.

"Mind if I interrogate him real quick?" Joshua asked Laxus.

"Don't mind at all. But one question, what exactly is going on?"

"Right, you weren't at the guild hall." Joshua replied, "Someone is trying to assassinate all current and former magic council members. We don't know why yet, but we've been asked to protect the magic council members until we can confront the ones responsible. And I plan of figuring out who is responsible for all of this right now." He marched towards the electrocuted enemy, "Go check on the others."

"Already on it."

"Heh… heh… heh." Joshua and Laxus froze as the mysterious creature shakily moved his head so he could glare at both of them, "What is your name… kid?"

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "Joshua Scarlet."

"So you are one of the Scarlet siblings. I thought so." The creature's face remained blank, showing no sign of emotion, "A new acquaintance of mine is looking for you and your sister. Can you guess his name."

Joshua's blood froze and his eyes glinted crimson, "What?" he growled.

The figure glared at Joshua, "I am Tempester, one of the nine demon gates of Tartaros. And I will be you death."

Tempester's body began to shimmer then he violently exploded. Joshua raised his arms over his face, shielding himself from the small blast.

"What the hell!?" Joshua exclaimed before he suddenly felt very weak. He gasped for air and dropped to a knee before noticing the black mist swirling all around the area.

 _Poison!_

"Laxus! *Cough* Cover your mouth!" Joshua followed his own advice and held his breath while racing over to the fallen forms of Evergreen, Bickslow, and Yajima. He quickly heaved Bickslow onto his shoulders before using the force to pick up Yajima and suspend the old man in the air beside him.

"LAXUS DON'T!" Joshua heard Freed yell.

"These are anti-magic particles." Laxus coughed, "They will kill us all if they don't go away." Joshua's eyes widened as Laxus' opened his jaw as wide as he could, "I will make them disappear."

A loud sucking sound, like a vacuum devouring dust, filled the air as Laxus consumed the black mist thanks to his dragon slayer lungs. Joshua felt the effects on his body through the force. The lightning mage began to physically deteriorate and his once strong muscles turned frail.

 _Dammit all Laxus!_ Joshua thought as the last of the anti-magic particles disappeared into Laxus. The blonde gasped and wheezed before dropping to his knees and collapsing onto the ground.

"LAXUS!" Freed bellowed, rushing to his comrade's side.

Joshua grimaced. Laxus was barely hanging onto to life right now. They'd have to get him to Wendy or Porlyusica fast. But Wendy went with Natsu and Lucy to Councillor Michello. And Magnolia was a couple hours away from Hargeon by foot. He didn't know when the train would arrive again. Joshua quickly called a small lacrima orb out of his requip space.

It was a communications lacrima. Master Makarov had ordered all of the wizards to carry one if they went out to rescue magic council members. The purpose was to send any information back to Makarov quickly. Joshua closed his eyes and poured what was left of his magic into the lacrima. An image began to shimmer inside of the glossy orb.

"Joshua!" Kinana, the purple haired bar maid exclaimed, "Are you-"

"No time to chat Kinana. It's bad here in Hargeon. I need Jet to get here as fast as he can. Laxus is badly injured and I won't be able to move him fast enough."

Kinana's widened, "R-right! But…"

"But what?"

"Jet went with Droy to find Levy and Gajeel."

"Of course they did." Joshua groaned.

"We could send Lily to get you."

Joshua blinked. How could he have forgotten about the third exceed.

"Do that quickly! Also, get Gramps on the line."

Kinana nodded and rushed over to Makarov who was sitting in his usual spot on the bar. She quickly handed the communications lacrima to the old man. Joshua watched the image shift and the Master's aged face appeared in the orb.

"Joshua, what news do you have?"

"Laxus and the Thunder God tribe are down." Joshua replied, "Freed is barely standing."

"And Yajima?"

"Alive, but in rough shape." Joshua replied, "Master, I may have some information as to who did this. But I need some confirmation."

"Tell me."

"What do you know about Tartaros?"

Makarov's face went ashen behind the lacrima, "Tartaros? Do you mean to tell me-"

Joshua nodded and the Master's face grew grim.

"The man behind the attack here in Hargeon called himself one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros. Tempester was his name." Joshua stated, "His magic was… unknown to me. It behaved very differently from normal magic. And, he exploded his body to unleash anti-ethernano particles into the air."

Makarov's eyes widened, "How are you still standing!?"

"The Force." Joshua replied, "That's the only thing I can think of. I think we are about to lose connection the last of my magic power is-"

Makarov's lacrima turned to static. He swallowed and set the orb down, allowing it to return to its opaque state. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

"Tartaros." He shuddered.

"Who is Tartaros?" A young man's voice asked.

Makarov glanced over to the infirmary door and saw Luke Skywalker slowly stepping out of the room. He wore simple clothes that Joshua had found for him. A normal T-shirt covered his torso while jeans covered his legs and simple shoes enveloped his feet.

"You shouldn't be up and about boy." Makarov stated calmly, "Porlyusica wants you to rest."

"I feel fine." Luke shrugged as he pulled up a seat at the bar. Makarov notice the boy wince as he sat.

"You don't look fine to me."

"I've been worse." Luke replied, "I was once attacked by a Wampa."

"A Wampa?"

"Big hairy beast, bigger than Chewie. The thing tried to eat me." Luke replied, "He left some nasty gashes in me. But I gave as good as I got." Luke glanced around the room and saw Leia quickly walking up to him. He flashed her a smile as she approached.

"I'm glad you're ok, Leia."

"You need to be resting." Leia said firmly as she sat down beside Luke.

"I feel fine, really." Luke replied before looking back at Makarov, "Now, what is Tartaros. Maybe we can help."

Makarov frowned and crossed his arms, "Not much is known about the Dark Guild Tartaros. They are the last of the Balam Alliance, a treaty that united the three strongest Dark Guilds and prevented them from destroying each other. We destroyed the other two, Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart, but Tartaros has proven elusive. Until now of course."

Luke frowned, "I have no idea what a Dark Guild is, I'm assuming it's like this but… dark, obviously. I take it they are not the good guys."

Makarov nodded, "They are as evil as it gets."

"So why has Tartaros proven so elusive?" Leia asked, deciding to involved herself in the conversation and distract herself from the fact that she was now under the protection of Starkiller of all people.

"No one has ever truly seen a member of Tartaros. Most people assume they are a myth. In fact, if it wasn't for the Balam Alliance, we wouldn't even know they existed." Makarov explained, "But we believe, that they are not only a dark guild, but might be some sort of cult. Demon Worshipers. More specifically, worshipers of the demons written in the Books of Zeref." Makarov looked over at the communications lacrima, "Joshua just battled one of their members who called himself one of the Nine Demon Gates. And that member was able to take down Laxus and one of Fairy Tail's most powerful teams." Makarov glanced back at Luke, "This is not going to end well."

"MASTER!" Kinana shouted, "You need to see this!"

"What is it Kinana?" Makarov replied as he rushed over to the barmaid who was cradling a second lacrima.

"It's Natsu's team. They have Councilor Michello. And he has... Some really terrifying things to say."

Makarov peered into the orb while Luke and Leia watched from afar.

"What is it Councillor? Why is Tartaros attacking like this?" Makarov demanded.

The old Magic council member was on the verge of tears. His small, frail body was trembling and his eyes were wide and bloodshot.

"T-tell me, Makarov." He trembled, "H-have you ever heard of Face?"

….

Leia sat in her stool, horrified at what she was hearing. This magic council member had just finished describing a weapon that the council created many years ago. Apparently, it's purpose was to purge the entire continent of magic by launching anti-ethernano particles into the air. These particles would destroy any ethernanos and therefore render a wizard weak and powerless, crippled by Magic Deficiency Disease. The young rebel leader felt anger build up in her as she listened to Makarov and Michello's conversation. How could the leader's of this world build a weapon that could cause such devastation.

 _Then again, I've witnessed that first hand._ Leia thought as she recalled the Death Star.

Luke's face was no longer cheerful, but grim as he listened in the conversation. He didn't know much about this planet or the magic that was a vital part of life on this world. But he could tell by how pale Makarov's face became, that this Face weapon was incredibly deadly. Both of his hands contracted and balled up into fists as he listened to the cowering Michello cringe at Makarov's anger filled remarks.

"Where is it Michello?" Makarov fumed, "We need to prevent Tartaros from activating it!"

"I-I dont' know. No one knows where it is. T-the only thing I know, is that there are three locks on the weapon. The locks are sealed with body link magic."

"That's why Tartaros is killing magic council members!" exclaimed Macao, "Body link magic is dispelled when the user is killed."

Michello nodded.

"Who are the keys to these locks Michello?" Makarov asked, trying to calm his burning rage at the man.

"Only the chairman knows." Michello replied, "Crawford Seam, he knows."

Luke's eyes widened, "Master Makarov, if this Chairman is the only one who knows about this… then how does Tartaros know who to kill?"

Makarov's face blanched as did Michello's.

"You don't think the chairman is a traitor do you?" Michello trembled, "If he is…. Oh god! We are doomed!"

"And I send Erza and Mira to him." Makarov muttered, fear building up inside of him, "Natsu! You and Happy fly to Crawford Seam's as fast as you can!" he barked into the Lacrima, "Get Erza and Mira out of there. I'll send help as soon as I can!"

"Aye sir!" Luke heard two voices reply before the lacrima switched off.

Master Makarov's shoulders sagged and he took a shaky breath.

"Makarov," Luke saw a young man with short black hair and a black cloak over his shoulders walk up to the old man, "I will go make sure that Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss are alright."

Makarov shook his head, "Joshua wanted-"

"I don't give a damn what Scarlet thinks." Galen Marek replied before taking a deep breath, "Did I ever tell you who the targets of Imperius were once we began transmitting data back to out commander?"

Makarov slowly shook his head.

"Our targets became Joshua Scarlet and Erza Scarlet." Makarov's eyes shot open and he stared shocked at Galen, "Now, Vader is on this planet," Luke's blood went cold in his veins, "And he wants not only Skywalker, but both Scarlets. If I were a betting man, I'd say Vader has some sort of hand in all of this. I can feel it in the force."

"Then go! Quickly!" Makarov said, "Make sure my children are alright!"

"Do you really trust him to do that?" Leia remarked, "After he just admitted who his targets once were? How do you know he won't turn on you and get back into Vader's good graces?"

"Joshua trusts him." Makarov replied, "And I've learned that his trust is not earned easily. So if he trusts him, then I will as well."

Galen nodded and began to race out of the guildhall. Leia shook her head in disbelief. These people were naive to think that Starkiller would help them. If Makarov was so intent on protecting everyone, then he wouldn't let a monster like that anywhere near this place. She couldn't help but think that Makarov's trust was given far too easily.

"I don't believe this." She muttered, "Do you Luke?"

No reply. Just silence. Leia glanced over at where Luke was sitting and saw an empty chair. Then she heard the guildhall doors swing open the slam closed. Her eyes shut and she let out a long breath.

"Luke!" She shouted before racing towards the doors after him. She threw them open and saw Luke racing after Galen, catching up to the other man. The two glanced at each other, nodded then sprinted towards the town's exit.

"He's with Galen." Leia's gaze snapped left to see the pink haired woman named Meldy quietly sitting on the stone steps that led up to the guild hall, "In my opinion, Luke couldn't be in a safer position."

"You have no idea what Starkiller is do you?" Leia remarked causing the young girl to glance over at her, "He's a monster. An assassin. He's-"

"He's the love of my life." Meldy interrupted, "And he has been nothing but good to me and the people of Earthland. He has saved countless lives on this planet and helped my guild defeat many dark guilds who would want to kill innocent people. I don't care what happened in his past. That is exactly what it is. The past. People can change Leia."

"But can monsters change?"

Meldy frowned, "You have a prejudice problem."

"And you have a trust problem."

Meldy's eyes narrowed before she shrugged, "Fine… a thousand jewel says I'm right. I think Galen is going to help save us all."

Leia shook her head again. The amount of naive trust she was seeing today!

"What would you know about monster's changing anyways?"

"I was one." Meldy replied instantly causing Leia to pause as she started heading back into the guild hall, "I was once one of the seven strongest wizards in the dark guild known as Grimoire Heart. They were one of the pillars of the Balam Alliance." Leia stared stunned at the young woman, "My best friend, the person who was practically my mother, she was the strongest of the Seven Kin in that guild. And she was also one of the founding members of Crime Sorciere." A small sad smile appeared on Meldy's face, "She died saving my life as well as Galen, Joshua's, and everyone else in Fairy Tail." she turned to look back at Leia, "So like I said, people can change. You just got to give them a chance to."

Leia's expression softened as Meldy looked back out at the horizon, her gaze following the path that Galen and Luke took to get to Crawford Seam's.

….

Natsu sniffed the air as he approached the unexceptional cottage that was nestled near a forest several dozen miles away from any town or village. No one would pay this cottage any mind if they walked by it. It had an quaint little garden that bordered the west wall of the house while the perimeter was lined with flower beds. Butterflies and bees lazily danced around the lush area. The entire place was completely normal. An unassuming hideaway for a former magic council chairman.

 _And traitor._ Natsu thought as he sniffed the air again. He picked up the thick scent of flowers and tea leaves in the air. His nose wrinkled in frustration. He couldn't smell Erza or Mira's scents.

"Natsu," Happy said quietly, "Do you smell anything?"

"A bunch of herbs. But no people." he replied as he cautiously approached the round cottage.

His warm hand pressed against the heavy wooden door. As soon as he applied some pressure, the door creaked open.

"It's unlocked." Happy stated.

"Yeah, but why?" Natsu carefully pushed the door open.

The inside of the house was brightly lit by the sunlight that streamed through the wide windows. Everything seemed to be in normal order inside too. There was no signs of any struggle. The furniture was impeccably clean, as was the floor. The dining table was set neatly for four people. Small porcelain dishes sat on a cloth table cover, waiting to be filled with food and drink. Again, Natsu sniffed the air.

"It's so herby in here." He grumbled.

"Here's why!" Happy waved Natsu over to the small fireplace on the far end of the room. Inside, Natsu saw the burning embers of a large pile of herbs and leaves.

"Someone is trying to mask their scent." Natsu commented, his expression only growing more serious. He then quickly pressed his nose to the floor and took a long whiff. The scent of burning herbs was still thick, but then he smelled it… strawberries and expensive perfume. The kind of smells only two people had.

"They were here Happy." Natsu said quickly, "I got their scent."

He kept his face pressed against the floorboards as he picked up two more strange scents. The first took awhile for him to recognize. But no one can fool a dragon slayer's nose. He recalled the smell, it was the earthy scent of Crawford Seam. But the second scent raised some questions in Natsu's head. It smelled human, yet not human. It smelled like a horrifying mixture of burnt flesh and metal. Old burnt flesh at that. Natsu's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"There were two others. One was the former chairman and the other-"

"What the hell are you doing Dragneel?"

Natsu's jumped at least five feet in the air before spinning around and readying himself for a fight. The flames in his hands quickly dissapeared though as he saw who was in the doorway.

"Oh, hey um…" He put a finger to his chin, "Gale Marcik and Luke Starkiller!"

"Um…" Luke was about to correct him when Galen just shook his head.

"It's as close as he's going to get." Galen looked back at Natsu, "Have you found anything?"

"Well yeah." Natsu replied, "I was trying to smell who was here when you guys showed up. I can tell you, Erza and Mira were defintely here. I can smell the strawberries and perfume."

"All I smell is herbs." Luke commented.

"Natsu is a dragon slayer. He has hypersensitive senses." Galen explained to Luke, "Where you smell herbs and flowers, Natsu smells people."

"Right," Natsu replied, "I got two other scents as well. One is the former chairman, but the other… I don't recognize it."

Galen frowned, "What does it smell like?"

"Half human half metal."

Galen paled slightly while Luke gulped.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"It's just as we feared." Galen glanced at Luke, "Vader has them. And he is working with Tartaros." Galen walked around the room, using the force to sense out any remnants of Vader's unmistakable presence. The Sith Lord had done a magnificent job of masking his presence, but Galen was very attuned to it. He did spend most of his life as Vader's apprentice after all. In no time, Galen confirmed what Natsu's nose already told them.

"Luke, you need to get Leia and get to your ship outside of Onibus town." Galen ordered, "Vader is after you as well. I don't know why, but it can't be anything good. So we need to keep you as far away from him as possible. If your ship is repair, then takeoff and get out of this system. We will handle this then."

"I can't just let you all take on Vader alone!" Luke exclaimed, "He'll kill you all."

"Who's Vader?" Natsu asked.

"I'd like to see him try. Me and Scarlet will put up one hell of a fight before he can kill us." Galen replied, ignoring Natsu.

"But… it wouldn't' be right for you to fight him alone. I brought him here, I should help."

"Who is Vader?"

"You are what he wants Skywalker. No sense in handing you to him on a silver platter."

"HEY!" Natsu shouted, "WHO THE HELL IS VADER!?"

Galen sighed and looked over at the fire dragon slayer, "Vader is a Sith Lord. He uses the same powers as me and Scarlet. Only he is far more adept at them. Our use of the force is child's play compared to what he can do." Natsu's eyes slowly widened, "Vader caused Luke's injuries. And Vader was also the one who taught me everything I know. So when I say he is powerful, you better believe it."

"And now he has your friends, Erza and Mira. And he's working with Tartaros, but why?" Luke wondered.

Galen frowned and rubbed his chin.

"Good question... why?" Galen then felt a pit form in his stomach, "Face, it's a magic pulse bomb. It'll wipe out all ethernanos and destroy all wizards." Galen glanced at Luke, "He plans on using Tartaros to get wizards out of the way before he launches a full scale invasion of the planet. He also wants to capture you, Erza, and Scarlet then deliver all three of you to the Emperor."

"And now he's completed one of his objectives. Now he just needs me and Joshua then he can have Tartaros activate Face." Luke's own face paled, "We have to warn you friends!"

"No, Me and Natsu have to alert everyone. You have to get off planet."

"WHY!?"

"If Vader and the Emperor want you alive then it means that you are more than a threat to them. You are significant is some way or another." Galen explained, "We can't allow Vader to get you."

Natsu eyes darted back and forth between Luke and Galen before he finally spoke up.

"What will Vader do to Erza and Mira?"

Galen glanced over at Natsu. The fire dragon slayer gulped as he saw an expression he hadn't seen from Galen yet, sympathy.

"Most likely… Vader will have them tortured in order to get information on Skywalker and Scarlet."

"NO!" Bellowed Natsu, "I won't allow that! Happy!"

"AYE SIR!" Happy grabbed Natsu's back and sprouted his angelic wings.

"C'mon, we're following that scent!"

Before either Galen or Luke could protest, Natsu shot off into the sky.

"There he goes." Luke said before looking at Galen, "Do you think-"

"No, anyone who goes to face Vader now… is as good as dead." Galen took a deep breath, "And I have the misfortune of having to inform Scarlet that his sister has been capture by a dark lord of the Sith and is most likely being tortured by him."

"How bad of a reaction are we talking?" Luke asked.

The pair began to quickly exit the cottage and race back to Magnolia.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the guild hall gets leveled."

 **And chapter! The battle is coming! And it's going to be a good one! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	76. Chapter 76: My Prisoner, My Methods

**Ok! Two chapters in one day folks! Since I've got a crap ton of work coming up I decided to get a new one out now! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 76

The first thing she felt was the frigid air brushing against her bare skin. It was the first indication to her that something was horribly wrong. Her armor was missing, as was the clothes she wore underneath. She never took those off. The only time they were removed was when she was bathing, switching armors in battle, or sleeping (Which she had another outfit for). Then she felt the cold iron on her wrists and ankles that bit into her skin like fangs, forcing her eyes open. As soon as her eyelids snapped open she saw a cold face masked behind an intricate helmet that only revealed sinister eyes and thin lips. The redhead jumped and attempted to swing a fist at the face in front of her only to be resisted by heavy iron chains that held her arms high over her head.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" The face in front of her said.

"Where am I?" Erza barked at the woman, if you could even call her that, in front of her.

"You are in my guildhall, Titania." The woman in the mask replied.

Erza's eyes widened as one of the woman's arms rose to reveal sharp talons instead of fingers on her hands. Each talon glinted in the cold torchlight of the room. Patterns of flame flickered and reflected back at Erza's face from the metal talon.

 _Guildhall?_ Erza thought before the memories came back to her. She remembered entering Crawford Seam's unassuming cottage, she remembered Mira being knocked out by a strange blast, then being forced to eat a meal with… Erza's pulse quickened.

"Where is he?" Erza asked, her hands clenching into fists above her head.

"Who?"

"Vader? Where is he?"

"Oh… him." The woman replied, "He brought you here, to my guild hall. My good comrade Franmalth whisked you away to my…funhouse… before he could have any say in the matter. The information he's after isn't' the same as what we are after. And I don't want that man getting in the way."

Erza glared at the woman. But her intense stare was met by an amused smirk.

"You are thinking of ways to get out of this aren't you?" the woman asked, "You are thinking of how you can get out of here and beat me?" She laughed at Erza, a small chuckle that was barely audible to the requip mage, "Oh Titania, I hope you realize that you are not getting out of here. If you do, it'll make breaking you," The metal talon drifted closer to Erza's right bicep, "So much easier."

A single sharp talon dug into her flesh like a knife. Erza bit her tongue, fighting back a scream as she felt the metal twist in her arm before being dragged out.

"Did that hurt?"

Erza squeezed her eyes shut, taking a few quick breaths before staring resolutely back at her captor.

"LET ME GO!" She roared.

"Hmm… it obviously didn't hurt enough." The woman mused, "Perhaps I should make this more painful. Maybe drag my talons across your stomach… or maybe I should stab your knee caps." The woman chuckled evilly, "So many different ways to deliver pain, I haven't even put my curse on you yet and I'm giddy with excitement. But first… I'm going to ask you a question. Answer correctly, and maybe I won't continue and I'll just hand you over to our new ally."

Erza's brown eyes gave the woman a piercing stare as she struggled to free her arms and summon her magic.

 _Why can't I summon my weapons! My armor!_

"Where is Jellal Fernandes?"

Erza froze in place. She had been struggling to free herself this entire time that she had forgotten the purpose behind her capture. The enemy, the ones responsible for destroying the magic council, they were hunting for something. But what did the magic council's destruction have to do with Jellal?

"I won't tell you anything!" Erza snarled.

The woman laughed, "I knew you would say that. Good… it means I'll have some entertainment."

The metal talon poked Erza's bare chest and quickly slashed across, leaving a shallow red gash in her skin. The redhead bit her tongue again, fighting off the scream. She didn't want to give this monster the satisfaction.

"You know, most torturers would try to do as much damage as they could in as little time as possible. You know… to get the information more quickly." The woman stated as she walked around Erza's naked form, "But… I find that way of torture to not only be boring, but surprisingly inefficient. Tell me Titania, what do you think is more painful? To be stabbed in the heart, or to step on a thorn."

Erza let out a heavy breath and glared at the woman while blood dripped down her right arm.

"Not going to answer me… very well." The woman growled before giving Erza another shallow gash across her chest. This time Erza let out a pained yell. "I'll answer for you. Getting stabbed in the heart is painful, but it is quick. Death comes fast that way, and no information can be obtained. But step on a thorn multiple times… and you quickly wish for a way to end the pain. Therefore..."

*SLASH*

A third shallow slash went across Erza's body. The red head jerked away from the talon as it dug into her skin.

"...information can be obtained. It takes more time, but it is far more effective."

Erza bowed her head and huffed as the sharp pain became a constant burning pain.

"I'll ask again now." The woman said as her metal talons gently lifted Erza's chin so she was looking her in the eye, "Where is Jellal Fernandes?"

*Splat*

A burning fury erupted in her captor's eyes as Erza spat in her face.

"I won't tell you anything." She snarled.

"You say that now. But pain can be a convincing motivator."

"Not if the one being tortured is expecting to be in pain." Thundered a deep voice that entered the prison cell. The torturer's eyes widened before she turned around to see Darth Vader stoop into the room through the low doorway, "What are you doing with my prisoner?"

"Gleaning information." The woman replied as the torchlight made Vader look more like a shadow than a physical being, "She has information as to where the last key to open Face is. And I plan to get it."

"Then you will have to find another way." Vader boomed.

"Do you plan on stopping me?" The woman snarled, "Do you plan on stopping Tartaros?" Vader just glowered at Kyoka, "I would love to see you try. My curse makes it so that I can put you in physical pain so intense that you won't be able to function. Shall I… demonstrate?" She turned back to Erza, " **Enhancement… pain."**

Just as Kyoka said this she slashed Erza's naked body across the stomach. This time, no amount of willpower could prevent Erza from screaming out in agony. Kyoka reached back with her other arm and was about to cut into Erza again when her talon was caught by Vader's left hand.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"She is my prisoner." Vader thundered, "And I do not want her to die."

Erza gasped for breath as the pain from the slash lingered over her form. Blood dripped from her gashes down her legs and onto the cold stone floor.

"Why not? You have two others you want after all. What could losing one do?"

Vader's grip suddenly tightened, crushing Kyoka's metal talons like it was nothing more than aluminum foil. This time, it was Kyoka's turn to gasp in pain.

"My prisoner… my methods." Vader then let go of Kyoka's hand.

The demon of Tartaros glared hatefully at Vader as the dark warrior sidestepped around her and towered in front of Erza.

"You have information that I seek."

"You… *gasp*... will get the same… answer… as she did." Erza huffed before staring defiantly up at Vader.

"I wasn't asking. I was stating a fact. Now you will provide me with that information."

"I won't!" Erza snarled, wincing in pain, "I won't. I-"

Erza's eyes widened and her pupils dilated. The color in her face disappeared as she stared vacantly at Vader's gloved right hand. In that moment, Erza Scarlet felt fear unlike any other before. Her entire body began to tremble as invisible tendrils wrapped around her then entered her mind. On the side of the room, Kyoka watched. The demon of Tartaros was no longer angry at Vader, but fascinated. Titania had only been defiant when she had questioned her. Now, Titania was silent and terrified. The pair stayed in the same position for several moments before Vader lowered his hand. Erza's pupils contracted and the color returned to her face. Her body sagged and she hung limply from the chains.

"She does not know where Jellal Fernandes is." Vader boomed, "She hasn't seen him in months."

Kyoka narrowed her eyes, "How do I know you are telling me the truth?"

Vader's rhythmic breathing was the only reply.

"Are you going to answer me?"

"There is an intruder." Vader stated calmly before a loud explosion rocked the ancient castle, causing small dust clouds to fall from the old stone ceiling.

"ERZA! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Shouted a rowdy voice before another explosion violently shook the building.

"It seems a fire dragon has decided to interrupt our fun." Kyoka frowned, "I'll handle this."

Kyoka quickly exited, passing by the four white armored soldiers that accompanied Vader at all times now. As she exited she saw the four enter. One of them was carrying a circular machine with a syringe attached to the side. Another was carrying a peculiar metal staff with small electrical shocks arcing from both ends. The demon sighed as another fiery explosion made the castle shuddered.

"I swear if I have to do any sort of construction work, someone is going to die."

….

Joshua paused as he ran back to Magnolia. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. He could feel it in the force. It was calling to him in agony. But why? He closed his eyes and exhaled, focusing all of his efforts on the disturbance that he felt. That was when he felt a familiar sharp pain enter his head. He gasped, eyes shooting open as his left hand jumped to the side of his head. Sweat began to bead down his forehead and his legs grew shaky. His knees knocked together before he finally fell backwards against a tree on the side of the road.

 _What… what is going on?_ Joshua winced before he raised his right arm to see pale green markings on his skin. His hazel eyes widened in shock.

"Talzin's hex?" More pain shot through his head, "Gah!"

His head snapped back and slammed against the tree's trunk with a loud thwack. Joshua saw spots in his vision before he fell to his side. His eyes remained open and he was still conscious. But he wasn't on Earthland anymore. He was on a strange planet.

It was a marshy world with a thick green canopy of trees over his head, and soft wet ground beneath his collapsed body. He tried to push himself up to his feet but his body wouldn't respond. He was just lying there, like a rag doll. A rough hand grabbed him back the back of his shirt and tossed him at one of the large trees that rested near a stagnant pond. His body cracked against the tree and the rotting bark sank inward before his body was allowed to fall limply to the ground.

" _You caused this!"_ he heard a woman's distorted voice say in his vision before the rough hand grabbed him by the throat and pinned him violently against the tree, " _You made me into this! You left me!"_

Joshua gasped for air as his eyes cracked open. Shock filled his body as he saw red hair flowing beneath him while a hand covered in black, durasteel armor hoisted him high over her head.

"Erza?" he croaked.

What he thought was Erza shook her head, "No," A red lightsaber ignited in her left hand, "I'm one of the Emperor's hands."

That was when the lights went out and Joshua returned to his roadside resting place. He gasped for air and his eyes glanced quickly back and forth. The green markings on his skin were gone. But the remnants of a violent vision remained. His body was slick with cold sweat and he had a pounding headache. Everything ached and his mind still felt like it was in a haze. A thread in the force tugged at him. A thread that he was so familiar with.

"Erza!"

His head snapped up as the bond he felt through the force with her sent waves of pain through him. He quickly disconnected from their link in the force and jumped to his feet, utilizing the force to make him run as fast as he could back to Magnolia. The sun had begun to set. The night was here.

 _I'm coming Erza._ Joshua thought, _I'm coming!_

….

"Well… on the plus side of all of this." Galen muttered to Luke as the two observed the scene in front of them along with the rest of a large crowd of Magnolia's citizens, "Joshua doesn't have a chance to level the guild hall now."

"LEIA!" Luke shouted as he rushed towards the burning pile of rubble that was once the Fairy Tail guild hall. "LEIA!"

Galen closed his eyes and sighed. The two had just returned to Magnolia when the explosion happened. It was one hell of an explosion too. Galen had seen a few in his young life but the explosion that claimed Fairy Tail was up there as one of the most violent he had ever seen. Rubble had rained down over Magnolia as far as the city gates that he and Luke had entered through. In his mind, no one could have survived that explosion. His eyes opened again and he swallowed hard.

 _Meldy…_ he thought before silently praying that maybe he was wrong. But he wasn't an optimist. Galen Marek was a realist. The size and power of the explosion left no room for doubt. Everyone in the guild hall was gone. Luke dropped to his knees in the rubble while Galen walked up to him.

"Skywalker…"

"She's gone." Luke lamented, tears beginning to stain his cheeks, "T-they are all gone."

Galen took another step forward, "I know. I-"

"GET YOUR DAMN FOOT OFF OF MY CARD!" roared a woman's voice that made both Luke and Galen jump.

"HAHA!" Galen heard Meldy's voice pipe up, "You just scared Galen, Cana! I'm gonna remember that forever."

"What the-"

Galen moved his foot and saw a pile of cards underneath his right foot. At the very top was Cana, the resident drunk of Fairy Tail. She huffed before the stack of cards was enveloped in a golden light. The cards flew through the air and each shimmered before bursting into a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, every person who was in the guild hall at the time of the explosion reappeared.

"Hey Starboy." Cana called over to Galen, "You've got gum on the bottom of your boot."

A tick mark formed on Galen's head and he glared over at the pink haired member of Crime Sorciere who appeared next to Meldy.

"I told you to stop using that name!"

"Oh wow!" Meldy remarked, "I almost die and then reappear and the first thing you say is stop using the pet name I came up for you."

"I don't like the name." Galen stated as he crossed his arms.

"Too bad Starboy." Meldy said back, "Cause I like it."

"Grrr…"

"Ooo you're making him mad." Cana laughed, "He's adorable when he's angry."

"WOULD YOU STOP AND TELL US WHAT JUST HAPPENED!" Galen roared, his patience finally running out as Luke silently stared at the wizards, awestruck that they even survived.

Cana's laughter ended abruptly and her eyes narrowed, "Oh right. Where is Elfman?"

"Over here Cana!" Macao called as he helped the giant of the Strauss siblings to his feet. Galen saw tears flowing freely from his eyes as he rose to his feet.

"I'm so sorry." Elfman sobbed, "I'm so sorry! I'm a coward! I'm a-"

"What happened?" Cana asked softly, "C'mon big guy, just talk."

"T-tartaros, they killed the council member we were protecting. Then-then they took Lissanna. They said they would kill her if I didn't do exactly as they ordered."

Galen's kept his arms folded as he silently fumed. He wasn't just angry about Elfman being manipulated like that by a group of cowards. No, he was still pissed about that damn nickname.

"The cowards!" Luke shouted as he rose to his feet.

"I agree." Leia said firmly as she walked over to Luke's side, folding her hand into his.

"So you blew up the guild hall?" Cana stated.

Elfman shakily nodded, "I couldn't control myself. A-and I had to save Lissanna?"

"It's ok Elfman." Master Makarov said gently as he placed a small hand on Elfman's massive shoulder, "You did what any brother would do to save a his sister. You are not at fault for this." His old eyes became determined, "This is Tartaros fault. And we shall make them pay!"

The rest of the guild roared in agreement. Their cries made the ground shake as they all raised a fist into the air. Galen's irritation subsided and he glanced over at Meldy who quietly walked up next to him.

"I'm glad you're ok." Galen muttered.

"Thanks… Starboy."

"I-You-Insufferable…" Galen sighed, "I give up."

"About time." Meldy grinned.

"I SAY WE FIND TARTAROS AND TAKE THE FIGHT TO THEM!" shouted Romeo, Macao's son.

Shouts of approval rang out from the rest of the guild. Leia stared at the wizards as she felt pressure build up around her. She glanced at Luke and saw his mouth hanging open.

"What is it?"

"The power they all have is amazing." Luke breathed, "Don't you feel it?"

Leia felt the pressure rising even higher, "A little bit. Imagine if they joined the rebellion. We would crush the Empire with their help."

Luke nodded, "Have you proposed that?"

Leia nodded but then sighed, "I think that damn Joshua kid persuaded them out of helping though."

"Why?"

"Well-"

"Guys! I don't think we have to find Tartaros!" Kinana exclaimed to the other wizards.

"Why?" Cana asked.

Leia and Luke looked over at the purple haired woman who was pointing at something in the sky. Both of their heads craned up to see a large cube floating in the sky. The cube was covered in water with small islands floating on its six sides. At the very top of the cube, rested a large stone castle.

"I think they've found us!"

Luke gulped as he sensed a very familiar presence on the cube.

 _Vader._ He thought before glancing at his right hand.

"Skywalker!" Luke looked over at Galen and saw the man toss him a silver cylinder. Luke instantly recognized what it was. His thumb brushed over a red activation button and a crimson blade burst to life from the hilt with a loud pop-hiss, "You're going to need that. It looks like Tartaros is bringing the fight to us."

Luke nodded, "What should we do if we run into Vader?"

"Don't fight him alone!" Galen shouted back as the wind began to pick up around everyone, "If you run into him, try to lure him to me, and I'll help out."

"THE GRAVITY IS SHIFTING!" someone screamed.

Luke's eyes widened as he was sucked up into the air with Leia. The pair rocketed towards the cube along with the other wizards of Fairy Tail, Galen, and Meldy. They all roughly landed on the cube's underbelly.

"Head count! Everyone ok?" Cana called out.

"My head hurts!" Some shouted back.

"A-ok Cana!"

"Let's get em!"

"Well they certainly having fighting spirit don't they." Leia smirked.

"Definitely." Luke smiled back before they heard the loud clanking of armor. A battle cry erupted to their right. Luke turned to see a large army clad in dark grey and black armor charging at them.

"Ready for some fun Skywalker?" Galen grinned before being the fist to charge at the oncoming Tartaros army.

"More than ready!" Luke replied before chasing after Galen. The rest of Fairy Tail followed behind them. The battle of Tartaros had begun.

….

Erza was gasping for air as she hung from the chains. Her body was incredibly damaged. Blood dripped from the gashes given to her by Kyoka while burns covered her from the electrostaff one of the stormtroopers wielded. Little red droplets plopped against the stone floor as her chest heaved. She shakily looked up at Vader once again. Was it her, or was there three of him now? And that breathing. It was like another method of torture. It was now a constant ringing in her ears, incessantly banging against her eardrums. Every rasping, rhythmic breath set her on edge as she waited for the next round of pain.

"Where is Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker?" Vader asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

He hadn't moved from the spot he was standing in the entire time. For hours, he had watched as the IT-O Interrogator droid filled Erza Scarlet with it's hallucinogenic drugs so that he could question her. He had been gentle at first. The drugs injected into her made her very vulnerable to suggestion. They also made it so that Vader could say anything and Erza would think it was actually happening. At first, Vader posed as a friend. He said that he needed to know where Joshua and Luke were so he could save them from danger. Erza only replied with incoherent mumbling. He then posed as a family member, only for Erza to snap back saying that Joshua and Fairy Tail were her only family. After that, Vader lost his patience. He suggested that Erza was in the worst pain she could imagine. And the drugs made it so. The screaming lasted for hours and echoed throughout the entire castle. Some of the stormtroopers had even shifted uncomfortably as they watched Vader conduct the torture session.

Vader was both angry and impressed with Erza Scarlet. Her resistance to the mind probe was considerable. It would take several sessions for her to finally break. But he didn't have the time to let her recovered from the first dose of drugs. He needed the location of Joshua and Luke now. So he decided to resort to his favorite method of torture. A method he himself had experience decades ago.

 _No… Anakin Skywalker experienced that._ He reminded himself.

An hour of being shocked by the electrostaff had left Erza battered and broken. Yet she had refused to say anything. Not a single syllable left her mouth. Only screams of agony.

"Where is Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker?"

"I… won't… GWAAAAAAH!" Blue electrical shocks coursed through her body. Erza's body twitched and convulsed before sagging as the shocks ended. Her breaths were ragged and she was barely conscious. How she hadn't lost consciousness yet still boggled her mind.

"I'm losing my patience." Vader boomed, "There are those far less gentle than I am, Erza Scarlet. Would you like me to deliver you to them?"

Erza weakly raised her head, "I will die, before I tell you anything about my little brother." she snarled.

Vader stared back down at the wounded red head. He then sensed a familiar presence in the force. Two familiar presences in fact.

 _Starkiller and Skywalker. Both have come to me._

"Um sir, our scanners are getting multiple life form readings on the cube." A Stormtrooper reported.

Vader glanced at the soldier then back at Erza.

"Take her back to the Executor. Inform Thrawn that she is a maximum security prisoner and that those iron cuffs are to remain on her wrists and ankles." Vader ordered.

"What about you sir?"

"I will remain here. I have to greet Skywalker and Scarlet." Vader then removed a small disc from his belt and placed it on the floor. _Both shall come to me._

"Yes sir." The stormtroopers cut Erza down from the ceiling. One of them heaved her broken body onto his shoulders before all four sprinted out of the cell towards Vader's' shuttle which was docked just above the fortress.

Once all of the stormtroopers had left, Vader reached out with the force and snuffed out the torchlight in the entire cell block. He blended in perfectly with the dark. The only things visible were the blinking lights of his chest piece. He sucked in a quick breath before activating a switch on his life support panel that silenced his loud breathing and deactivated the flashing lights.

 _I have one. Two more to go._

 **And chapter! The battle has begun! I am going to tell you guys, I'm not going to rehash any of the battles in the Fairy Tail manga. So you won't see Wendy vs. Ezel, or Natsu vs. Franmalth in this. If I just rehashed all of those battles then I might as well just tell you guys to go read the manga or watch the anime. I want my arcs to be unpredictable and different. And I also want them to focus on a select few characters, mainly Joshua, Erza, Wendy, Natsu, and maybe Galen and Gray (At least for this arc). It keeps the story nice and streamlined so it doesn't get all confusing and convoluted. Anyways, just thought I'd let you guys know so there isn't any confusion going forward. Let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	77. Chapter 77: The Battle of Tartaros

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update, been crazy busy with work lately. Trying to make money and get back to school. But I have a day off now, so I'm gonna write! Here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 77

"LET ME OUTTA THIS DAMN CELL!" roared Natsu as he threw his whole body at the iron bars in front of him.

*CLANK*

"Natsu…"

The pink haired dragon slayer swayed in place for a moment before falling backwards, a large pulsing bump adorning his forehead. His cellmate, Lissanna Strauss, simply shook her head and sat back against the stone wall at the back of the cell. Her white hair was matted down by sweat and her mouth felt as dry as sandpaper. She moved her cuffed hands up to her forehead and wiped away some more sweat.

"It's so hot…" She complained.

"Really?" Natsu asked as he sat back up and rubbed the lump on his head, "I don't feel any different."

"You're used to heat." Lissanna replied.

"Oh… yeah, forgot about that." Natsu grinned, his onyx eyes narrowed again and he braced his muscles before throwing himself at the bars of their cell again, "I WANT OUT!"

"Natsu, you won't be able to rip those bars free." Lissanna stated, "You'll just hurt yourself."

"Maybe, but I won't quit trying!"

Lissanna just shook her head again. She had to admire her old friend's tenacity, but now was not the time for this. He needed to sit back and take in the situation. Think things through and figure out a plan with her. But, then again this was Natsu. She wasn't sure that the word plan was even in his vocabulary. Especially when it came to fighting. The pink haired dragon slayer always seemed to act on instinct. She heard the sound of metal creaking. Her head whipped up as a flutter of hope entered her. Did Natsu bend the bars?

No, he didn't. He was tugging on the metal bars, but that wasn't wear the noise came from. The creaking came from the iron door at the end of the dungeon hallway. Lissanna held her breath as she heard the heavy door loudly shut. The sound of boot heels clicking against the stone floor rang out through the dungeon as four sets of footsteps strode down the hallways. Natsu instantly stiffened. His muscles tensed and his grip around the irons bars tightened. His knuckles turned white. And if it wasn't for the cuff filled with Bane Particles, the heat in the room would've been scorching.

"Natsu?" Lissanna started before her own blue eyes widened in shock.

Striding down the hallway were four people wearing armor white as snow. Their helmets had strange black face masks on them and on their hips were guns that Lissanna had never seen before. Her heart stopped in her chest as she saw the last two armored men walk by. Their arms were hooked around two slender bleeding arms. Red hair streamed down the bare body of the prisoner as they dragged her along the stone floor.

"ERZA!" Natsu yelled before violently tugging on the bars, "PUT HER DOWN!"

Lissanna covered her mouth as she got a better look at Erza when the stormtroopers strode by. She was covered in bloody gashes and burns. Some of the burns had blue sparks shooting from them. Black and blue bruises riddled the rest of her body.

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING HER!?" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs.

The stormtroopers ignored him. They just continued walking. Suddenly the castle shuddered and sounds of battle rang through the dark corridors. The stormtroopers stopped in their tracks. One craned his head to the ceiling then nodded to his three comrades. One of the soldiers heaved Erza onto his shoulders and the squad began to sprint away from the dungeon.

"GET BACK HERE WITH HER!" Natsu screamed, veins pulsed beneath the skin on his arms as he desperately yanked on the iron bars, "DAMMIT!" He stopped tugging and slowly slid down the bars and onto his knees, his hands never losing their place. "Dammit…" He shuddered.

….

"Skywalker! Duck!"

Luke instantly dropped to the ground as a magical blast rocketed over his head and exploded violently against the ground several feet away. The blast sent heat and rubble flying in all directions. The young jedi shook his head, clearing some fog from his mind before rising to his feet again and activating the crimson blade in his hands.

He had been in some battles since he joined the rebellion. But they mostly consisted of him being inside of a cockpit. He hadn't really been in the trenches for a battle before. To say being on the front lines like this was intense would be an understatement. The black armored soldiers with the insignia shaped like crossed hammers were constantly firing magic filled blasts from staffs at the charging wizards. Luke and Galen stood at the front of the charge. Galen's red blade danced elegantly in his hands. Each magical blast was deftly deflected right back at it's origin. Meanwhile, Luke was thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't been shot yet. He was still somewhat weak from the battle on Bespin and he was nowhere near as skilled with a lightsaber as Galen was.

"There's so many of them!" Luke shouted as he raised his blade and deflected a blue blast into the ground.

"Try taking on a division of stormtroopers!" Galen shouted back before sending three blasts back at their shooters, "C'mon, we need to reach the Tartaros headquarters."

Luke nodded and glanced behind him. Leia was assisting Wendy with the wounded. She didn't have any blaster to use in the battle. The two gun wizards of Fairy Tail, Alzack and Bisca Connell had offered her a rifle to use. But the gun required an understanding of magic to wield and well, the first shot backfired badly for Leia. So she just handed the gun back and set out to assist the Sky Dragon Slayer with her work.

"They'll be fine Skywalker!" Galen shouted over the sounds of battle, "Focus on the battle!"

Luke nodded and raced after Galen as the Crime Sorciere member slashed his way through the throngs of Tartaros grunts. Soon the Tartaros guild hall came into view.

"Be ready Skywalker. No doubt we will find more powerful enemies here." Galen warned as the two force wielders raced towards the closed castle.

A warning rang out through the force. Luke felt it and instantly reacted. He shoved Galen to the side before rolling away from an oncoming hail of ice shards.

" **ICE DEVIL'S RAGE!"**

Luke jumped out of his somersault and twisted to face his newest opponent. Galen got to his feet as well. He quickly nodded his thanks to Luke before facing the new enemy.

"Damn kid." Said a calm voice, "Those are some reflexes you got. I thought for sure I would hit you."

The dust settled from the attack and a man wearing heavy steel armor was revealed. He had shorty spiky hair and a large scar that marred his face. An excited smirk was on his lips as he widened his feet and settled into a fighting stance.

"Just who are you?" Galen asked as he reversed his grip on his lightsaber.

The enemy glanced at the two glowing red blades.

"I was going to ask the same question. I've never seen magic weapons like that before."

"Magic?" Luke questioned as his eyes glanced down at his lightsaber, "This isn't magic."

"Shut up Skywalker!" Galen hissed, "He doesn't know that."

"Not magic eh?" The armored ice wielder rubbed his stubbled chin, "Then that's a heck of a tool. How'd you make it?"

"We won't be answering any of your questions." Galen snarled, "But I do have a question for you."

"Hm? Why should I answer your questions if you won't satisfy my own curiosity."

Galen ignored the statement, "Where is Darth Vader?"

That troubled the calm facade on the man's face. His eyes widened ever so slightly and his jaw clenched behind his cheeks.

"Oh I see." The man said, "You two must be the people he is looking for. I remember Mard Geer informing the Nine Demons about that." His smirk was gone and he was staring intensly at the two force wielders, "I'm warning you both. Don't go into the castle. He's waiting for you there."

That caught Galen off guard. "Why would you warn us?"

"I'm not exactly on good terms with someone who tortures a girl the way he did."

Galen's eyes widened while Luke's narrowed.

"What do you mean tortures a girl!?" Luke demanded.

"Erza Scarlet. He personally captured then tortured her to get information on you two. I saw those soldiers of his dragging her away to a weird magic airship." The man's eyes look furious as he spoke, "The girl looked half dead when he was done."

"Wait, magic airship?" Galen started.

Just as he said this, the roar of engines bursting to life echoed over the cube. Both Galen and Luke looked on as an imperial shuttle rose in the air and shot towards the atmosphere at breakneck speeds.

"Oh no." Galen muttered, "Luke! We need to get you out of here!

"What? Why?"

"I'd listen to your friend." The armored man commented, "You may survive this if you leave now. I don't sense any magic coming from you two. So Face won't harm you."

"He's after you Skywalker!" Galen barked, "We cannot allow Vader to capture you. If he does, he will take you to the Emperor. Then the Jedi will definitely be extinct. Only a Jedi can take down those two Sith. And I have a feeling that Jedi is you. But you are not ready yet. We need to buy you time to become strong enough." Luke looked wide eyed at Galen, "Get back to the rear with Meldy, Wendy, and Leia. I'll handle anything coming out of the castle."

The armored man shook his head, "Joshua Scarlet, you should leave too."

Galen looked back at the armored man, "I'm not Joshua Scarlet." He snarled.

"Oh… well in that case, go right on into the castle." The armored man stepped aside, "I won't stop you."

Galen and Luke looked uncertainly at each other, "Why not?" Galen asked.

"Well… it's… it's a long story." The man almost looked sad as he said this, "I'd rather not get into it. I'm waiting for someone specific to fight. And that person is not you two."

Galen kept his lightsaber activated. He took a step forward then glared back at Luke, "Why are you still here? Get back to the rear!"

"I'm going to help." Luke protested.

"You won't help with Vader!" Galen barked, "With your skill level, you'll only get in the way." Galen then reached out with the force and yanked Luke's lightsaber away from his hands, "If I could do that to you then you are definitely no match for Vader when he gets serious. Now go!"

Luke hesitated then nodded before sprinting back towards the main battle where Fairy Tail was in a massive engagement with Tartaros' soldiers. Once Galen was certain that Luke had left, he strode past the armored ice mage. The man's hand darted out and grabbed Galen by the shoulder.

"Hey kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"Well you are to me." The armored man said, "Can you actually beat Darth Vader?"

Galen exhaled, "No, I can't. I can only buy some time for Skywalker and Scarlet to get off planet."

"So you are-"

Galen nodded, "I don't plan on coming back from this."

The man shook his head, "Today, too many young lives will be lost. As a parting gift, I'll answer your question."

"My question?"

"My identity. You inquired about it." The man replied with a smirk, "My name… is Silver Fullbuster. But, don't go shouting that from the rooftops. Things could get kinda complicated if you do that."

"Fullbuster? You're related to Gray then." Galen realized, "You're waiting to fight your son!"

Silver nodded, "I want to… test him I guess. It's gonna be interesting."

"That's an understatement." Galen replied shrugging Silver's hand away from his shoulder, "If you'll excuse me. Me and my Master have an appointment."

Silver watched at Galen Marek strode towards the castle. The drawbridge slowly lowered and the young man with the red lightsaber marched inside. Darkness embraced his form as he disappeared from Silver's view. The older Fullbuster sighed and shook his head.

 _Too many young lives will be lost today._

….

Joshua stood on a hilltop overlooking his home. Smoke billowed up from the ruins of the Fairy Tail guild hall while a dark, cube shaped shadow hovered high over the town of Magnolia. His face was grim and his eyes heavy. He had been running for so long that he felt like he could just fall over and pass out on the cold ground. He felt spent. The force was weak in him right now. So much of his power had gone to making him run faster than any normal human could achieve. He probably could've given Jet a run for his money. But now, his body felt gassed.

His exhausted hazel eyes looked up at the cube. Explosions leapt from the six sides of the floating structure as the battle of Tartaros took place high over Magnolia. He closed his eyes and felt the force weakly flow around him as he attempted to sense out the situation on the cube.

Everything look fuzzy and unclear. It was like trying to look at the world from behind a white blanket. Nothing appeared solid and colors blended together in awkward patterns that only confused Joshua. His hazel eyes opened again.

 _Damn it all. I used too much power getting here._

A tug in the force snapped his eyes wide open. There it was again. It was Erza. The pain he was feeling through the force was tremendous. The desperation hanging over him from her thread in the force was heavy. It felt like an elephant was standing on his shoulders. His hands began to tremble as the pain he sensed only grew in intensity.

 _ERZA!_

Joshua shoved all feelings of exhaustion to the side and continued his mad run towards Magnolia. In a flash, the gates of Magnolia came into view. He burst through the archway and sprinted through the empty stone streets until he was directly under the cube. That was when he felt himself get yanked up by a new source of gravity.

The cube was pulling him into its clutches. Directly above him, rested a dark, decrepit castle that towered over the land and seas that spanned the entire cube. The sounds of wizards casting spells and people falling to the ground in mortal pain filled his ears as he neared the cube's surface. Joshua willed the force around him and used it as a buffer to lessen his impact into the cube. Instead of hitting like a freight train, he landed like a elegant bird. His feet gently tapped against the dirt and his body quickly became accustomed to this sense of being upside down.

He took a deep breath and summoned his requip magic. Golden light covered his entire body as his normal street clothes were replaced by the black robes of a Sith Warrior. His left hand grasped a T-shaped lightsaber hilt and his cybernetic thumb rested over the activation button as he bent his legs. His boots sank into the earth as he built power up around him. In a massive burst of energy, he shot across the ground. He weaved his way through the multiple battles occurring on the surface of the cube. Occasionally he heard a spell he recognized, like a Water Slicer or Card Magic. It sounded like Fairy Tail was fighting well. But no smile of pride came over his face. Only determination remained as he finally saw the Tartaros castle come into view.

The loud roar of engines filled his ears and he saw a shuttle rise into the air. It's wings unfolded and it sped off towards the outer atmosphere of Earthland. The sight of the shuttle only confirmed to Joshua that the Sith were here. And they were waiting for him.

Off in the distance, he saw ice spells being viciously cast between two opponents. But he paid it no mind. His legs carried him up to the castle entry. The drawbridge lowered, welcoming in yet another soul into Tartaros. Joshua took a deep breath and stomped inside of the darkness.

 _Hang on Erza. I'm almost there!_

"So! Another victim has come to Tartaros!" Cackled a bronze shaped monster with a single yellow and black eye. His noodle shaped arms spread out wide as if to embrace Joshua. "And I have the opportunity to claim your soul! I'm excited! I wonder… how much is your soul worth?"

"Out of my way." Joshua growled as he activated his lightsaber.

"Oh hohohoh!" Cackled the monster, "I look forward to wielding that kind of magic."

"This is not magic." Joshua snarled before charging at the creature.

A blur of red filled the demon's vision and he felt extreme heat chop through his body.

"Gah!" It shrieked as he was bisected by Joshua's red blade, "H-how many s-souls will this cost!" The body faded to dust.

Joshua narrowed his eyes. He could sense that cackling creature was still alive. But he wasn't nearby anymore. Which meant he was no longer his problem. Rescuing Erza was Joshua's priority. The young man picked up his pace and was soon sprinting through the labyrinth that made up Tartaros' guild hall. A set of stairs appeared in front of Joshua and he quickly descended them, his feet skipping several steps as he bounded down the stone stairs. At the bottom of the stairs rested an iron doorway.

"LET ME OUT!" Joshua heard a furious voice bellow from beyond the door.

 _Natsu?_

Joshua gripped the door with the force. His muscles tensed and his mind began to concentrate. The metal groaned then began to crumple like paper. His right hand made a fist. The force gripped the crumpled metal and he shoved it forward. The door flew several feet before landing on the stone floor with a loud wham.

"Natsu!?" Joshua called.

"JOSHUA! GET ME THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

Joshua raced towards the middle cell on the left. Sitting inside was Natsu and Lissanna. Both were sweating and Joshua did have to admit, it was a little warm down here.

"Stand back." Joshua ordered before sweeping his lightsaber through the iron bars. The lightsaber cut through the knife like butter and soon both Natsu and Lissanna were able to step out. Joshua then used his lightsaber to carefully cut their cuffs. Lissanna rubbed her wrists while Natsu glared around the corridor.

"Natsu! Have you seen Erza?" Joshua asked, snapping the dragon slayer's attention back to him.

"THOSE BASTARDS!" Natsu roared before taking off down the corridor.

"Natsu!" Lissanna cried before letting her shoulders sag. Joshua felt a pit form in his stomach. Natsu didn't react like that unless someone did something to really piss him off.

"Lissanna, have you seen Erza?" Joshua asked.

He saw some tears in the white haired girl's eyes, "E-erza she was in a cell down that way." She pointed at a closed iron door, "Four white soldiers took her through here. She-" Lissanna swallowed, struggling to even say what she saw, "She was tortured. Joshua… she looked barely alive."

The room began to shake. The slashed iron bars began to curl inward and rubble began to drip down from the cieling.

"Where did they take her?" Joshua asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know." Lissanna replied, "Galen came through here earlier. He said Vader was down here and he couldn't let us out until he took care of Vader. Then he rushed towards Erza's cell."

The shaking only intensified around Lissanna. She stared with wide eyes as Joshua turned and marched towards the closed iron door. She yelped in surprise as the iron door was ripped off of it's hinges and tossed to the side. This was a side of Joshua she had yet to see. The Joshua that some of the guild members spoke of in fearful whispers. The Joshua that was on the verge of going berserk. He stepped into the dark corridor beyond the doorway and was swallowed by shadows.

….

Sparks flew out around the man as he covered his face with a welding mask. Sweat dripped down his dark skin as he welded iron over the last gash in the hull of his baby, the Millennium Falcon. A series of barks and guttural growls rang out over the fiery sparks near the welder's face.

"What is it Chewie?" Lando asked as he stopped welding and raised his face shield.

The wookie barked over at Lando and pointed at the final welds he had put in place.

"It's fixed?" Lando said in disbelief.

Chewie nodded excitedly.

"That took no time at all! How did-"

His answer came in the form of metal being loudly chewed on. Lando cringed as a man with wild black hair munched on a set of nuts and bolts below them.

"I helped a little." Gajeel growled before shoveling another handful of screws into his mouth.

"A little? It would've taken us days to finish the repairs! What did you do exactly?"

"Thank the shrimp. It was her idea."

Just as Gajeel spoke, a petite blue haired woman poked her head out from the landing ramp. Her face was covered in black smoke from welding and hands were covered in grease.

"I studied the ship's schematics and used my Solid Script magic to help create new parts." Levy smiled, "All I had to do then was install them."

Lando's eyes widened, "You learned how my ship works in a day?"

Levy nodded, "It wasn't too difficult. Now then, I've got a couple bolts to tighten so give me a moment." The small girl disappeared beneath the Falcon.

Lando blinked and glanced back over at Gajeel.

"She's that smart buddy." Gajeel remarked.

"I thought you all were overselling her." Lando admitted.

"Why would we do that?"

Lando shrugged, "Dunno. But I am glad you all told the truth about her. She's amazing." He patted the metal hull of the Falcon, "Alright Chewie, let's get these tools cleaned up and then we'll swing by Fairy Tail. The old girl wants to run again."

Chewie let out a cheerful bark and began to clean all the tools up. Lando jumped down from the Falcon, a wide smile plastered on his face. He couldn't wait to see Fairy Tail's faces when they saw what the Falcon was capable of. Meanwhile, Gajeel and Levy smiled at each other and shared glasses of water, both blissfully unaware of the peril their guild was now in.

….

Joshua peered into the darkness of the last dungeon corridor. His hazel eyes darted from cell door to cell door as he carefully edged through the blackness. Unlike the last corridor, this part of the dungeon was ice cold. And Joshua knew exactly why. The cold was not like the cold one would experience during a winter storm. This was a cold that sucked the life out of the very air. It was the cold of the dark side of the force. It was a feeling few dark side users to generate. From this feeling alone, Joshua knew he was close.

The last set of cells appeared in front of Joshua. There was no more doors, no more corridors. Just these two cells. One was clearly empty. Dust and cobwebs covered the metal door. But the other was clean and polished.

 _It's this one._ Joshua stepped forward and felt his boot slosh into something wet. A lump formed in his throat. He glanced down and saw a pool of red liquid showing him his own reflection. His neck stiffened and he arms tensed.

 _It's not her blood._ Joshua tried to reassure himself, _It's not her blood._

His right hand shakily grabbed the door handle. He pulled and the door slowly swung open. The cell was unlocked. It was almost as if someone wanted him to enter. Joshua took a deep breath and stepped into the cell. The floor was slick with liquid both red and clear in color.

 _It's not her blood. It's not her-_

A blue light flashed, blinding Joshua momentarily. He squeezed his eyes shut and activated his lightsaber, raising it in front of him. He then heard a scream. It was a blood curdling wail that forced Joshua's eyes open.

A blue hologram was playing in front of him. His jaw slowly fell open. Both horror and unrelenting rage filled his core as he watched the hologram play. He saw Erza, chained up naked to the ceiling. Another female creature with long metal talons was slashing into her, laughing as she did so. Then the hologram switched and it showed a shadowed out figure towering over Erza.

" _Where is Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker?"_

Erza didn't reply. The dark figure waited a moment before nodded to a soldier in white. The soldier stepped forward and shoved an electrostaff into Erza's stomach. Joshua shook with fury as he watched his sister spasm in the hologram. Blue shafts of electricity sparked around her as her skin began to smoke.

Then he heard it. A low, rasping breath. It slowly inhaled, like the sound of air being sucked through a reed. Then it exhaled. Like the beat to a disturbing song, the artificial breathing echoed around the cell in a constant rhythm.

"You have finally arrived." A deep voice boomed as the hologram switched off and the red glow of a lightsaber replaced its blue light.

Joshua's eyes widened as he saw a figure towering in front of him. The thing wore dark robe and black armor. A long black cape rested on his shoulders while a control panel was plaster too his barrel shaped chest. On top of his head was a black helmet, polished to a finish so fine that Joshua could easily see his own horrified reflection in it. Then there was the mask. It was a hideous angular thing that had a triangular mouthpiece and large, lidless ovals for eyes.

"Although," The figure continued, "I am disappointed to see Skywalker didn't come with you." The dark figure's right hand yanked something from the shadows. Joshua's eyes widened in horror as he saw Galen's bloody and beaten body being dragged into the red light. "Instead, I got a disappointment in his place."

Joshua saw Galen's eyes crack open.

"Scarlet you idiot." he whispered weakly. "I did this to try and buy you some time."

"Did I teach you nothing my former apprentice?" Vader boomed before raising his lightsaber, "There is no try."

The red blade moved in slow motion for Joshua. It cut through the air down at Galen's neck. The sight of Galen about to die shook Joshua free of his paralysis. The young warrior raised his right hand and shot a surge of lightning at Vader.

Vader quickly raised his red blade away from Galen and used it's red beam of energy to catch the blast of lightning leaping at him from Joshua's fingertips. Joshua grit his teeth together.

 _He… tortured… Erza._ Flashes of what he saw in the hologram danced through his mind. Rage boiled to surface unlike any Joshua had ever felt before in his life. _He…. He… I…_

His vision turned red as the desire to destroy the Dark Lord overcame every other sensation. Joshua stopped his lightning attack. The dark side of the force swirled around him like a raging storm. He gathered it's energy into his right hand and launched a massive force push at Vader. The Sith Lord grunted in surprise as he was sent straight through the back wall of the cell and into a large cavern filled with large tubes and lab equipment. Vader slid along the smooth floor before slamming into a table. He let out a breath before slowly rising to his feet. This may yet be an interesting fight.

Joshua's eyes burned with crimson fury as he stormed into the laboratory. The room shook as Joshua unshackled all of his power and gave himself fully to the dark side of the force. It didn't have to whisper in his mind anymore. He was more than willing to let it fuel him.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Joshua roared before charging at Darth Vader.

 **Cliffhanger! Yes… we're stopping there. I know, I suck. This is gonna be one hell of a fight though. Starkiller was obviously no match for Vader in this story. So we will see how Joshua fares. And we will also see if Vader decides to toy with Joshua for a little bit, or decides to take him out right away. How he decides to fight could decide the fate of many people. As for Face, Natsu and the others have to try and stop it before it activates. Will they be able to do it? Or will Tartaros be victorious? These next few chapters are going to be so much fun to write! I'm so excited! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	78. Chapter 78: Joshua vs Darth Vader

**Alright! Two chapters in one day! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 78

The bridge of the Executor was abuzz with activity as multiple scanners picked up an Imperial shuttle slowly lumbering through Earthland's atmosphere. While multiple officers in grey and brown uniforms rushed to and fro, one officer in white remained above the panicked fray. His blue hands were folded elegantly behind his back as he stared out at the approached shuttle from the Executor's bridge.

"He's returning so soon?" wondered an officer in a grey uniform with an admiral's insignia on his left breast.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Replied the Chiss admiral in white, "You have worked with Lord Vader for only a brief period of time Admiral Piett. I have worked with Vader for many years. When he sets out to do something, the mission is always accomplished." Thrawn turned to an ensign at a terminal, "Order a squad of stormtroopers to receive Vader's shuttle and escort any possible prisoners to the brig."

"Yes sir!"

"Admiral, incoming message from the shuttle."

"Play it." Thrawn instantly replied.

A hologram of one of Vader's stormtroopers appeared on screen. The soldier instantly snapped to attention and saluted Thrawn.

"Sir, Vader asked us to return to the Executor with a prisoner. He has specific instructions for her detainment."

Thrawn raised an eyebrow, "Specific instructions? Tell me."

"She currently has iron restraint on both wrists and ankles. Lord Vader has ordered that those restraints remain in place. He has also ordered that she immediately be placed into maximum security custody."

"She?" _He captured Erza Scarlet so quickly!?_

Thrawn recalled the footage of Erza battling Starkiller during the Grand Magic Games. A small shiver ran up his spine as this whole situation reminded him of just how powerful Darth Vader truly was.

"Yes sir. And… well… she doesn't have any clothes sir." The stormtrooper stammered nervously.

"I don't see a problem with that." Thrawn heard a second soldier say in the background of the transmission.

"We will have a prisoner's uniform ready for her upon arrival. Inform Lord Vader that his instructions will be followed to the letter."

The stormtrooper snapped to attention and saluted again, "Yes sir." The hologram faded away.

Thrawn rubbed his sharp chin as he pondered the situation. Vader was still on the planet surface without any viable means of escape as of yet. There would only be one reason Vader would choose to remain behind instead of escorting the prisoner personally.

"He's found a way to eliminate the wizards." Thrawn mumbled to himself, his eyes widening in shock. Even he, the greatest military mind in the Galactic Empire, was unable to conceive a possible solution for the magical threat this planet posed. "Admiral."

"Yes sir?" Piett replied.

"The next transmission we receive from Lord Vader will be your signal to call the fleet. This planet will be ours."

Piett's eyes widened, "How can you be so certain."

Thrawn smirked a little, "Like I said before Admiral. You have very little experience working directly for Lord Vader. Give yourself a few years, and you will learn every move he will want to make." Thrawn's smile only widened as he watched the Imperial Shuttle dock with the Executor. He turned on his heel, "The bridge is yours Admiral. I'm going to go greet our newest resident."

….

To say Darth Vader was mildly surprised by the power on display would be an understatement. Thrawn had called Joshua Scarlet a true threat for any invasion plan. He had described his raw power as something awesome and terrifying to witness, even if it was through a hologram. Vader had doubted that intelligence. And once again, Thrawn had proven him wrong.

 _Never doubting the Chiss again._ Vader thought as he deflected a savage blow from Joshua's unstable blade.

The teen was incredibly powerful. Vader could feel the dark side of the force billowing like clouds around him as he viciously assaulted the dark lord. Vader hadn't had a challenge like this in some time. His battle with Luke on Bespin was more of an exercise in entertainment. He had simply toyed with the young Skywalker, testing his abilities and judging if the boy would be worthy of becoming his ally against the Emperor. His dueling sessions with Starkiller as his apprentice were of the same manner. He would push just enough to test his opponent and enjoy himself a little before he decided that he had enough.

But this fight was different. Vader was battling someone who was clearly well trained and constantly worked to improve and grow in the force. Unlike Luke, this boy was not a novice. Unlike Starkiller, he wasn't trained to just be a weapon. Vader could see that Joshua Scarlet was trained solely for the purpose of usurping the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. He could control the dark side and bend it to his will like a true Sith lord would.

 _Perhaps he would make an even greater ally?_ Vader thought calmly as he deflected a three strike barrage from the young force user.

"WHERE IS ERZA!?" Joshua roared as he swung wildly at Vader's head.

Vader's arms barely moved as he parried the chop and countered with a heavy overhand strike. Joshua quickly raised his own sword and caught the blow, engaging the monstrous Darth Vader in a blade lock.

"You did not notice?" Vader taunted as he began to answer Joshua's question, "That shuttle… was her shuttle." Joshua's crimson eyes widened. "You were too late to rescue your dear sister."

"RAAAAAAAAGH!"

Joshua shoved Vader's sword to the side and delivered a force infused kick to Vader's torso. The Sith Lord flew backwards and shattered a incubation tank inside of Tartaros' laboratory. Vader groaned a little as the green contents of the tank flowed over him and spilled onto the floor. That kick actually hurt a little. But instead of grimacing under his mask, Vader only grew more emboldened with this fight.

 _Good._ He thought to himself as Joshua charged at him and began to wildly attack Vader, _Become enraged. By doing so you become…_ There it was, the first opening in Joshua's flurry of attacks. Vader blocked a chop at his neck before using his right hand to blast Joshua with a massive force push. Joshua flew backwards and plowed into the stone walls, leaving a crater where he landed, _Undisciplined._

….

"Where did he go Luke?" Meldy demanded as she stared at the young Jedi.

Luke had arrived to the rear lines of the battle just moments ago. His chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath from sprinting back as well as dodging several random attacks from Tartaros's grunts. He winced as he fell back on his behind and bowed his head. Instantly, Wendy scurried over and placed her healing hands on his back.

"You shouldn't be running around like this!" Wendy scolded, "You aren't fully recovered from your injuries yet."

"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT!" Meldy shouted, "Where did Galen go!?"

Luke took several breaths, "He… he went into the Tartaros castle."

"By himself!?" Meldy cried.

Luke nodded, "I tried to go with him but… he took away my weapon and said I'd only get in the way."

"WHY THAT IDIOT OF A MAN!" Meldy roared, "Now I got to worry about patching him up… again!"

"You have that problem too huh?" Wendy muttered to Meldy as she thought of all the times she had to heal Joshua.

"Yes, but unlike you, healing Galen isnt' very easy. Between him and Jellal, I think I've used enough gauze to wrap around the planet." Meldy rose to her feet, "Do you still need my help?"

Wendy shook her head, "I have Leia helping me. You go with Luke to find Galen. If he's hurt bring him here."

"Will do." Meldy helped Luke to his feet, "C'mon Skyguy, we've got to go find my idiot boyfriend."

"Skyguy?" Luke mumbled as he ran after Meldy.

….

Lissanna had to admit, the past twenty four hours rivaled her near death experience as a child for worst day of her life. What with being captured and imprisoned by a guild literally comprised of demons. To realizing that her older sister was currently engaged in a heated battle with one of those demons (They could feel the entire castle shaking from that battle raging nearby). The icing on the cake, was the sudden reminder from Natsu that they still had to stop Face, a magic pulse bomb that could wipe out all magic on the continent. And the two literally had no idea where to start.

"There's got to be some sort of… uh…" Natsu muttered to himself as the two sprinted through the castle, "Um…"

"Command post." Lissanna finished for him.

"Yeah that!" Natsu exclaimed.

The two sharply turned a corner and Natsu ran headfirst into two pillows of softness. His eyes slowly closed and he sighed in relief.

"Oh wow…" He sighed as he moved his head between the two pillows, "So soft!"

*BAM*

"YOU PERVERT!" roared a blonde celestial spirit wizard as she uppercutted Natsu and sent the dragon slayer through the ceiling.

"Wow…" Muttered a blue cat that floated next to Lucy, "I didn't know you were that strong Lucy."

"Oh I can be very strong if I feel like I'm being assaulted!" Lucy roared as she shook a fist at the hole in the ceiling above them. Only Happy noticed the slight red tinge on her cheeks. Just as he was about to say his signature tease, Lissanna approached them.

"Lucy! Thank goodness!" Lissanna cried as she ran up to the blonde wizard.

"Lissanna! Thank god you're ok!" Lucy exclaimed, "Happy and I have been searching this entire castle for you, Erza, and Mira."

"And Natsu." Happy inputted.

"Yeah him too." Lucy grumbled as she rubbed her chest. "Have you seen…" She saw the sober look on Lissanna's face, "What happened?"

"Mira is battling one of Tartaros' demons right now." Lissanna explained, "And Erza…" Lissanna gulped, "Erza has been taken away. We don't' know where or by whom. Also, Galen came running by us as well. He muttering something about having to slow down someone named Vader. Whoever that is."

"Wierd." Lucy replied, "Well, we should find Erza."

"I hope we have time to do that." Lissanna replied, "We still have to figure out how to stop Face."

"HEY EVERYONE!" Natsu's head poked through the hole in the ceiling, a large purple bruise covered his chin, "You gotta see this!" He disappeared once again.

"Uh.." Lissanna raised an eyebrow.

"What did he get into this time?" Lucy muttered, "Happy!"

"Do I have to carry you. You are so heavy!" Happy moaned.

"I'M NOT FAT!" Lucy roared.

"Fine…" Happy admitted defeat and gripped Lucy's back, "At least I can carry Lissanna after. She's not super heavy."

"One of these days I will get you!" Lucy grumbled as she was slowly lifted up through the hole in the ceiling.

Lucy reached out and grabbed Natsu, who helped steady her as Happy dropped her on the floor. Once the blonde had her footing, she was able to finally look around and see what Natsu found. Her brown eyes widened as she saw the room they had accidentally stumbled upon.

The room was massive, easily as big as the common room in the guild hall. Maybe even bigger. It was shaped like a gigantic sphere with a lone catwalk that led out to a circular platform in the center. The platform had an incredibly powerful form of Archive magic active on it. Two figures stood in front of the many archive screens. One Lucy recognize as the former chairman of the magic council, Crawford Seam. The other was a very slim creature wearing form fitting robes covered in a checkerboard pattern. An ornate headpiece covered his head and chin. The headpiece went up into a fan shaped structure, similar to a crown. Finally, in his left hand, the figure grasped an ornate staff.

The figure in robes turned as he seemingly sense Lucy, Natsu, Lissanna, and Happy enter the cavernous room.

"Ah… intruders." The figure stated.

Lucy's eyes widened in fear as she saw that the figure did not have a human face. His face instead looked like a bone skull. His entire body seemed to be like a skeleton.

"Continue your work chairman." The skeletal figure instructed Crawford who only uttered a long groan in response. It was then that Lucy noticed the gaping hole in the chairman's back. "I shall handle these human pests."

"OH YEAH! JUST TRY TO BEAT ME!" Natsu bellowed as he lit his hands aflame and charged at the skeleton, " **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"**

Natsu swung a haymaker at the enemy. His opponent didn't move. Instead he stayed completely still as Natsu's hand simply passed through him like his body was made of mist. The skeletal figure chuckled a little.

"Very eager and wild. I'm not sure if I should raise you from the dead if I kill you or not." The skeleton chuckled.

"Raise from the dead!" Lucy silently gasped as her brown eyes widened.

"What the hell!?" Natsu looked at his fists, "I knew I hit him! So why didn't I hit anything?" he glared at the skeleton and pointed at him, "HEY! Just what the heck are you?"

"An intriguing question." Mumbled the skeleton, "Why would you want to know the identity of your enemy? Humans are so strange. If you must know, I am a demon from the books of Zeref. I am The Black Archbishop, Keyes."

"Keys? Like house keys?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"Hm… Humans, always trying to annoy me with their moronic questions." The wooden staff lashed out and smacked Natsu violently on the head.

"OUCH!" Natsu yelped as he fell backwards, "Grrr… YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

Natsu charged at Keyes once again, hands aflame. He wildly threw fists of fire at the demon, but failed to do any damage to the mist like body of the demon. Natsu grit his teeth and sucked in a large amount of air.

"TAKE THIS! **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

An incredible column of flame erupted from Natsu's mouth towards Keyes and the former chairman. Lucy eyes widened in shock as Keyes suddenly stepped in front of the dragon roar and shielded the chairman from the blast.

 _He shielded…_ A lightbulb went off in Lucy's head, _The chairman must be controlling face! And only he can activate it. So Keyes is attempting to buy time by protecting the chairman and distracting Natsu!_ Lucy leaned over to Lissanna.

"I have a plan." And she began to whisper into the takeover mage's ear.

….

Inside of the Tartaros Laboratory, the battle between Darth Vader and Joshua Scarlet was only growing in intensity. Vader was being pushed more than he thought he would be. The brat was quick but when enraged he had a fatal flaw. He had no discipline when angry. His fighting went from being incredibly elegant and effective, to barbaric and predictable. Vader had his strategy for this battle now perfectly in place. Unlike Vader, Joshua still had most of his living flesh, which meant he could tire out much more easily. All the dark lord had to do was make the brat exhausted before disarming and capturing him.

Joshua swung another savage blow at Vader's left side which the dark lord easily parried. He noticed that Joshua's strikes were growing more wide and heavy handed. His breathing was becoming labored as the brat struggled to keep the same intensity going. Every fighter has a fatal flaw. Vader had learned that very early on in his training. His own fatal flaw a long time ago, had been his overconfidence. That is what made him who he is today. Joshua Scarlet's fatal flaw, was his rage. Rage was essential for a dark side user, that much was true. It allowed the Dark Side to flow in ways many could not imagine. But uncontrolled rage could harm the user just as much as their opponent. Again, Vader was strategizing all of this from personal experience.

"Your sister was very strong willed." Vader's baritone voice snarled at Joshua, "I had to torture her for hours in order to get any sort of information."

"BASTARD!" Joshua bellowed as he swung at Vader's head.

His red blade missed badly and instead slashed through yet another incubation tank. The entire laboratory was destroyed at this point. Nearly every tank was shattered or slashed open, their contents spilled out onto the floor. A strange rabbit like creature was wheezing and sobbing in the corner muttering about lost work as the two force users battle in the laboratory.

"If you had never come into her life, then maybe she wouldn't be meeting the fate coming to her." Vader growled.

"RARRRGHH!" Joshua swung wildly again and slashed the last tank open.

Hell's core was destroyed. Vader actually smirked a little under his helmet. All was going according to plan. He had discovered Hell's Core while conducting his own personal tour of the Tartaros guild hall. The dark lord had correctly assumed that this was the place all of the demons of Tartaros regenerated if destroyed. This place quickly became one of his top objectives when he 'allied' with this dark guild. They were going to be the sole magical forces left after Face activates. And the last thing Vader wanted was for these powerful demons to regenerate every time they were killed. Now that problem was gone all thanks to Joshua Scarlet's rage.

"She will be tortured more. Until Luke Skywalker is captured she will be tortured endlessly." Vader threatened.

"SHUT UP!" Joshua slashed at Vader and the two engaged in a blade lock.

The muscles in Joshua's arms strained to hold up against Vader's stunning strength. If he had his composure, Joshua would've been wondering how this guy was so strong. But he had no composure left. All that was fueling him was pure hatred. He hated this monster who had taken Erza away from him. He had sworn to himself that he would never let Erza be taken again. And now, that promise was broken. All thanks to this Sith Lord.

 _I will kill him if it's the last thing I do!_

 __" _Joshua… calm yourself."_ A voice said in his head. It was Qui Gon Jinn, " _You must think clearly."_

Normally, Joshua would hear Qui Gon's voice and instantly respect it. After all, it was Qui Gon and Revan who had helped Joshua along his journey through the force the most. But this time, Joshua shrugged Qui Gon's wisdom aside. No amount of consoling or wisdom would calm the burning fire in him right now.

" _ **Give into your aggressive feelings boy. Let all of that hatred explode out of you."**_ a new sinister voice snarled in his head.

Joshua roared at Vader and removed his right hand from his sword.

"TAKE THIS!" Lightning jumped from Joshua's fingertips

Vader howled in surprise as the lightning coursed through his suit. The lightning smoked and around Vader making the Sith Lord fling himself away from Joshua. But the lightning followed him and continued to rip through his suit. Images of Vader's skeleton showed through the black robes and armor as the lightning shocked him.

"I WILL KILL YOU FOR TAKING HER!" Joshua ended his barrage of lightning and charged at Vader, ready to impale the Sith Lord with his lightsaber.

Vader groaned as he dropped to a knee. His breathing was now ragged and hollow. The insides of his suit were badly damaged and the protocols that helped him breath had been shut down. Fury built up inside the Sith Lord as the pain began to fill his body.

 _I've had enough!_ Vader thought.

Just as Joshua's red blade was about to pierce Vader's heart the Sith Lord moved blindingly fast. His right hand gripped Joshua's left wrist and began to squeeze. The metal casing of Joshua's cybernetic arm groaned and began to crimp under Vader's grip. Joshua shouted in pain he felt his arm being crushed. His right hand jumped out to shoot another salvo of lightning at Vader only for the Dark Lord to headbut Joshua. A loud pop filled the air and Joshua felt blood flowing freely from his nose. Then Vader's left elbow thunder down onto Joshua's right forearm. The bone snapped with a sickening crack.

"AAAAAAAGHHH!" Joshua screeched just before Vader's lightsaber slashed through his cybernetic arm, disarming him of both his lightsaber and limb.

Pain blinded Joshua and the rage was replaced by intense fear. He had underestimated Vader. When he was relentlessly attacking him, Joshua thought he had the dark lord on the run. He thought that all of the training Ventress and Dooku gave him was enough. Only now did he realize he was horribly mistaken.

Joshua scrambled back away from Vader as the Sith lord roared and savagely swung downward with his lightsaber, nearly cleaving Joshua in two. The crimson glow was still in Joshua's eyes, but they were not rage filled anymore. Vader could feel the fear coming from the boy. He had no control over the dark side anymore. It was all under Vader's command.

"You are beaten." Vader rasped, his voice modifier malfunctioning to reveal his true voice ever so slightly. "There is no escape." Vader stomped towards Joshua, who was slowly crawling away from the dark lord.

Joshua cradled his limp right arm near his chest and scratched against the ground with what remained of his cybernetic arm. Vader's right hand reached out and grabbed Joshua roughly by his hair. The young man cried out in pain as Vader hoisted him by the hair so that he was at eye level.

"You are now my prisoner. And just like your sister, you will suffer the same fate until Luke Skywalker is captured. Then all of you will be taken before the Emperor, and there your fate will be decided."

"Fuck.. you.." Joshua snarled, ignoring his fear and staring Vader in the eyes, "Anakin Skywalker."

Vader roared and tossed Joshua like a rag doll at a shattered incubator. Joshua flew through the air and landed on several shards of glass. He gasped in pain as glass dug through his robes and slashed the skin on his back.

"Anakin Skywalker is dead. I killed him myself."

Joshua groaned as he felt a shard of glass shift inside of his body, near his left lung.

 _Why is it always the left side?_ He thought through the haze that began to cloud his mind.

Vader's hand clasped Joshua's robes.

"You are now mine."

Vader felt something tap his shoulder unexpectedly,

" **SENSORY LINK!"**

Overwhelming pain entered Vader's system. He roared in agony as it felt like a lightsaber was going into his torso. The dark lord dropped to a knee, his breathing now incredibly uneven as he gasped for breath.

Joshua felt unconsciousness beginning to take him as the exhaustion of using the force to sprint back to Magnolia and his battle with Darth Vader began to overtake him.

"Grab Galen," Joshua head a voice say as his eyes began to close, "I've got him." He saw Luke's face as the young Jedi heaved him over his shoulders. "Hang in there Joshua. We'll get you to Wendy."

 _Wendy… she's here? She… she shouldn't be here… Vader is here and.._ His thoughts drifted to his big sister, _I've already… lost…_ His eyes closed, _Erza._

….

Deep inside of Tartaros a lone figure lounged on a stone throne. His long black hair was tied in a high pony tail while his face was covered in a frown.

"Hell's core is destroyed, which means Franmalth and Tempester are lost to us." His frown deepened as he felt another curse fall, "And now Torafuzar."

The lean man rose from his throne. And grabbed the ancient book that rested on the table beside his seat. He clutched close to his body as he walked towards a dark corridor, irritation evident on his face.

"As always, Mard Geer must do everything."

 **And chapter! Well Joshua got his ass kicked. Kinda saw that one coming. No way he'd beat Vader in his first go. It looks like Vader wasn't expecting the lightning though. Lucky for Joshua, Luke and Meldy arrived. Now Mard Geer is entering the fray which could put our heroes in even more danger. And Natsu, Lucy, and Lissanna are in a showdown with Keyes in the Tartaros command center. I wonder how that one will end?**

 **Now, I am going to address something real quick. Why did no one go after Erza when she was captured? Here is why for each character:**

 **Galen: Erza is not his priority. He respects her but doesn't consider her important enough when Vader is on the loose. His priority is stalling Vader long enough for Luke and Joshua to possibly escape.**

 **Luke: Luke wants to rescue her but Galen took away his lightsaber and basically told him to get lost. Luke had no way of fighting Vader in his state and they were both outside the castle when the shuttle took off. So they wouldn't have been able to reach her in time at all.**

 **Natsu: Natsu ran off in the direction of the stormtroopers but the shuttle had already taken off when he was set free by Joshua.**

 **Joshua: Alright, long explanation. Firstly, Joshua had no idea where Vader was in the first place. He knew he was possibly on the planetary surface but he didn't know his exact location. He wasn't with Starkiller and Luke when those two discovered Vader was working with Tartaros (he was battling Tempester along with Laxus in Hargeon), so he had no way of knowing that Vader was involved in Erza's capture and therefore no way of knowing that the shuttle he saw leaving the Tartaros headquarters had Erza on it. When he learned that Vader was in the dungeons and Galen had gone after him. He assumed that Vader would know where Erza might be and went after him. That's why he didn't go after the shuttle as it blasted away. Also, he wouldn't have been able to catch up to the shuttle. He was too far away to reach it in time and he doesn't have a spaceship to catch it. SO yeah. He wouldn't just abandon Erza, that's not in his character at all. He just had every possible card stacked against him in this situation.**

 **Ok… that is why each character did what they did. I felt like I had to explain that a little bit in order to avoid any confusion. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	79. Chapter 79: Fall of Earthland

**Hello everyone! Late update again! I try to write as often as I can but working full time has really taken up a lot of my time. But I've got a new chapter ready! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 79

Erza's body felt heavy like lead. Each muscle and joint groaned and stiffened whenever she tried to move. Her head pounded with one of the most intense headaches she had ever felt in her life. The bright lights of whatever room she was in didn't help either. It only made her head pound even more, to the point where it felt like a hammer was beating against the inside of her skull. She wearily opened her eyes and instantly closed them. A small groan escaped her cracked lips.

 _So bright…_

Her entire body itched and stung as well. She felt her skin rub against a thin, scratchy robe that covered her up. The article of clothing clung to her many gashes causing them to sting even more. Her face winced as she felt one gash on her

"Comfortable Ms. Scarlet?" A voice as calm as still water and smooth as glass asked nearby.

 _What?_ She carefully cracked her eyes open again. This time, the light didn't hurt nearly as much. But she still couldn't see properly. Everything had an intense glare to it.

 _Why am I like this? What? What is going on?_

Slowly her memory came back to her as she felt iron around her wrists and ankles. Her pulse quickened as she recalled the horrors she had just experienced. The pain curse, the soldiers in white, the drugs, the lightning staff, and… she gulped, Darth Vader. She had been tortured for information on her family.

"Vader said you were incredibly strong willed. I can see why now." The voice said, "You look half dead yet you didn't reveal a shred of information to him." The sound of a tongue clicking filled her ears, "We will fix that eventually. Soon, you will be another thrall of the Emperor. I'm sure that is what Vader has planned for you at least. If not… well, then you will be spaced."

"Spaced?" she croaked so softly that normal human ears wouldn't have heard.

"You can actually speak?" The voice sounded impressed, "After how much you went through, you are still capable of speech." A soft chuckle echoed through her throbbing head, "Oh we are going to have much fun breaking you Erza Scarlet."

Erza turned her head in the direction of the voice. Despite how painful the bright lights of the room were, her brown eyes still widened at the figure calmly sitting in a metal chair near the doorway of the room. The figure looked human. He had two legs, two arms, one head. Human enough in appearance. But his skin was blue, a very deep shade of blue. His eyes were as scarlet as her own hair. The hair on top of his head was black, neatly cropped and combed. Lastly, he wore a flawless white uniform complete with multi colored badges on his left breast and polished black boots over his feet.

"Who are you?" She croaked weakly.

"I am going to be… your interrogator when Vader is preoccupied with other matters." The creature said, My name is Mitth'raw'nuruodo. But you can call me Thrawn." The blue creature leaned forward in his seat, "Before I begin anything else Ms. Scarlet, I need you to tell me something."

Erza glared at Thrawn. Despite the overwhelming pain and exhaustion she was feeling, her spirit still had some fight in it.

"Can you tell me who this man is?"

A blue hologram appeared in the center of the room. Erza's eyes took a moment to adjust. But once they did, she saw a heavily forested valley with a large wreckage nestled deep in the forest thicket. A woman with a bald head and skin as pale as paper was resting up against the hull of the wreckage.

 _That woman!_ Erza remembered her from when she was reunited with Joshua. She was the one that trained Joshua, Asajj Ventress.

A second figure entered the hologram. This one was a man. He was about as tall as Natsu and had jet black hair that dipped down over his forehead. A small tuft of hair poked up on the crown of his head. His attire was strange, even for Earthland. He wore a black coat with gold trimmings over simple black and brown clothing. A white toga was knotted over his left shoulder. He was facing away from the hologram as the recording continued. Erza watched as the stranger and Ventress exchanged a few words before the entire wreckage was engulfed in a fiery, black explosion. Just as the explosions settled the stranger turned. Erza saw that his face was surprisingly young. And his eyes, they were crimson as the explosion died away. The crimson glow slowly faded to onyx as he stared at whatever was recording the scene. Then the hologram abruptly ended.

Erza stared blankly at where the hologram once was. Thrawn cleared his throat.

"Do you know who that man is?"

Erza glanced back up at Thrawn and slowly shook her head.

"How do I know you are not lying?"

She just glared back at him. It was a vicious stare that made Thrawn reconsider making the girl an enemy. But pity like that would not suffice in this situation.

"If you do not know him, then do you recognize the magic he used?"

Again, Erza shook her head.

"You aren't very useful are you? I wonder why Vader made you such a high priority target then?" Thrawn rose from his seat, "When he returns, you will be under his gentle care once again. Until then, enjoy your cell."

The cell door hissed open then quickly slid closed behind the Chiss. As soon as the doors closed the bright lights winked out leaving Erza in total darkness.

….

"STOP THAT!"

*WHACK*

"OUUUCH! DAMMIT!"

*WHACK* *WHACK* *WHACK*

" **FIRE DRAGON'S TALON!"**

 ****Natsu flipped and lashed out with a fiery kick at the skeletal form of Keyes. But once again, his kick hit nothing but disembodied mist. A small amused chuckle escaped Keyes mouth before he whacked Natsu once again with his staff.

"You are making this too easy human."

From afar, both Lissanna and Lucy watched dumbfounded as Natsu tried over and over to land a hit on the ghostly skeleton.

"He's insane." Lucy muttered as she sighed.

"I wouldn't say that." Lissanna muttered back.

"Do you even know the definition of insanity?" Lucy retorted.

Lissanna bit her lip, "He may just be… well…"

"He's insane."

"If you go by that definition then yes. But that isn't the dictionary definition." Lissanna said quickly as she tried to defend Natsu.

"It may as well be." Lucy sighed, "Right now, we just have to hope our plan works."

The white haired woman beside Lucy nodded.

"Summon her."

"Already on it." Lucy whipped out a key shaped like a mermaid, " **Open! Gate of the Waterbearer! Aquarius!"**

 ****A loud doorbell sound rang out through the circular chamber. Then, a small glowing portal emerged in front of Lucy's key and… a cow with a battleaxe popped out.

"WHA!" Lucy exclaimed.

"MOOOO! Sorry Ms. Luuuucy!" Taurus bellowed, "But Ms. Aquarius said she was on a date with her hot man." A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Lissanna's head while Lucy stared dumbstruck at the cow in front of her, "Speaking of hot can I get a smoooo-"

"NO!" Lucy roared before pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head, "It's ok Lucy, get it together." She mumbled to herself before looking back at the perverted bull, "Alright Taurus, we need you to attack the guy at the controls of this place with everything you have!"

"Mooo, the fat man with the big beard?" Taurus questioned.

"Yes, him." Lucy replied.

"If I do can I get a smoooch?"

"You will get two if you do it quickly." Lucy sighed.

"MOOO!" Taurus bellowed with hearts in his eyes, "Then it shall be done for yooou!"

The large cow lumbered swiftly towards the corpse of Crawford Seam, battleaxe grasped in both hands. Just as the large spirit raised his battle axe over his head, Keyes swooped in front of him and launched him away from the chairman with his staff. The bull spirit bounced hard against the ground once before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that." Keyes growled.

"Now Lissanna!" Lucy shouted.

If Keyes' skeletal eyes could widen, then they would've ballooned to the size of dinner platters. As fast as a cheetah, a streak of white hair and tiger stripes raced past Keyes and slammed into Crawford Seam. The corpse moaned as it flipped over the magical console and off of the platform down into the chambers depths.

"YES!" Lucy high fived Lissanna as she scampered back beside her, "Try activating Face now freak!"

" _FACE activation in ten minutes."_

 __Lucy's eyes widened and her pupils shrank.

"Eh?" she whimpered.

A low chuckled came from Keyes form, "It seems your actions came too late." Keyes turned to face the two women, "The chairman may have been killed by my overzealous colleague, Kyoka. But my necromancy curse brought his body back to life. He became my servant in body and spirit. Through his body, I was able to activate Face just before you rendered his weak form useless."

"No." Lissanna trembled.

"BASTARD!" Natsu roared as fire engulfed his fists, "I will end you."

"That is one option you have now." Keyes beamed, "The other is to try and escape the continent before Face activates. That is the only way any of you pitiful humans are going to survive the coming massacre." The digits on the archive clock changed, "You now have nine minutes humans… make your choice."

Natsu glared angrily at Keyes. Every fiber of him burned with the desire to light this guy up like a stack of firewood. But, his eyes glanced over to Lissanna and Lucy, Face was about to activate. Natsu may not be the brightest bulb in Fairy Tail. But he knew which things to prioritize first. A conversation he had seven years ago with Gildarts danced through his mind. A conversation with a lesson he would never forget. His fists lowered and his hands relaxed at his sides. This was an unwinnable fight.

"Lucy, Lissanna, get out to the rest of the guild. We need to retreat."

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped while Lissanna felt tears build up in her blue eyes.

"We have to focus on survival now." Natsu growled, veins bulging from beneath his skin as his own burning fury berated his choice. He began to sprint towards the exit with Happy, Lucy, and Lissanna in tow. "C'mon! Let's move!"

" _Face Activation in seven minutes!"_

….

Lando stared at the scene in front of him. His dark eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed.

"I've seen some strange things in my day. Once met a Lassat with the worst stench of all time. Fought alongside several ugnaughts. Lost a ship to my best friend in a game of cards. But a floating cube with a bunch of magical blasts coming from it is definitely up there as one of the strangest."

Next to him, a wookie groaned in agreement.

"OH NO!" a petite blue haired girl gasped, her hands held over her mouth as she stared at the battle over Magnolia with worry.

Next to her, a large man with wild black hair and iron studs in his face scowled before his cheeks puffed out and he leaned weakly against the wall.

"It looks like there's another enemy that needs to be beaten up." he growled as he punched an open palm with a black gloved fist, "Ready to rumble shrimp?" before he quickly covered his mouth, trying to keep himself from barfing.

The Millennium Falcon soared over the cube and Lando glanced down through the cockpit at the devastation below. Bodies littered the ground and craters covered the landscape around a large stone castle.

"You sure you two want to go down there?"

"We're wizards." Gajeel grunted, "We're made of tough stuff." His face then quickly turned green again.

Levy gulped beside him then nodded, "We can hold our own."

"I don't know. It's not like me to send a fair lady such as yourself down into a massacre like that." Lando responded.

"Massacre?" Gajeel glanced through the window down at the battle, his vision slightly hazy thanks to the motion sickness.

To his shock, Fairy Tail was in full retreat. Every wizard with his guild mark was sprinting away from the castle. Pursuing them was an army wielding many magical weapons. And at the front of that army were two females. One wore a tight, form fitting bodysuit with a strange mask and helmet over her head. The other wore a purple kimono and had horns protruding from her skull. Wizards fell to the oncoming swarm left and right.

"Why are we retreating!?" Gajeel exclaimed.

Chewbacca barked back at him.

"He says it's because you're losing." Lando replied in matter of fact tone, "I got a way to slow down the enemy advance though." He turned to look at Levy, "Remember the two turrets?"

Levy's eyes widened, "Yeah!"

"It may force them to stop and consider their movements." Lando reasoned, "Hopefully you two can figure out how to shoot those guns."

"Why can't you do it!" Gajeel moaned as he finally curled up on the floor.

"Cause I need to fly the ship." Lando replied, "And Chewie can't really fit in the turret seats."

"Just stop complaining Gajeel!" Levy barked, "Our friends need us."

Gajeel sighed then nodded as he trudged after Levy towards the Falcon's two turrets.

….

"I need some more bandages Leia!" Wendy barked over the loud sounds of battle around her.

Leia frowned as she wrapped a thick blanket of gauze around an arm that was easily as wide as she was.

"Kinda using them on the big guy here."

"My manly muscles hurt!" Elfman groaned as he lay in the dirt.

"I know, I know." Leia droned as she worked furiously to cover the many scrapes and burns on Elfman's torso, "Just be tough like a man now."

"JOSHUA!" Leia heard Wendy shriek at the top of her lungs.

Her head snapped away from Elfman and turned to see the blue haired dragon slayer sprinting full speed towards two figures. Leia breathed an enormous sigh of relief as she saw Luke was one of the figures sprinting through the battle towards them. She also saw the pink haired head of Meldy sprinting alongside of him. But a pit soon formed in her stomach as she saw the condition of the two warriors they were carrying.

On Luke's back was Joshua. His body was bruised and his skin was pale. Leia saw that his right forearm was snapped in half, part of the bone sticking out through the skin. His left arm was shooting sparks at the elbow where a lightsaber had cleaved through the durasteel prosthetic. Blood stained his dark robes and Leia saw some shards of glass resting on his torn cloak. On Meldy's back was Starkiller. He was in worse shape. A massive gash ran along his forehead while a large black circle marred his stomach. Leia gulped at the wound. That was no doubt cause by a lightsaber.

"Elfman, can you bandage yourself?" Leia asked.

"I can try."

"You'll have to. Your other friends are on death's door."

"Wait what!?"

Leia didn't stick around to explain as she raced after Wendy.

For the first time, the rebel leader got to witness the true destructive potential Wendy wielded. Cyclones and winds of hurricane force erupted from her hands and mouth as she demolished any enemy brave enough to get between her and her two friends racing towards her.

Leia skid to a stop beside Wendy, who was already kneeling down beside Joshua and Starkiller. The poor girl looked exhausted, but she still mustered up enough magic to perform her healing abilities on both of them. Meldy sat beside Galen, her hands wrapped around his left hand as she rocked back and forth, whispering for him to hold on.

Despite her dislike for the two wounded men in front of her, Leia still helped Wendy treat them. She may not like Joshua and she certainly disliked Starkiller, but they were allies and she couldn't stand seeing allies in this condition on the battlefield. Maybe she did have some sort of sympathy for the two, or maybe it was the military commander in her that caused her to care for any soldier on her side, she didn't know. But Leia would be damned if she let the two die today.

"How are you holding up Wendy?" She asked the sky dragon slayer as she strained her magical abilities.

"F-fine." She breathed heavily, "Joshua is stable. I'm trying… *Gasp* to focus on Galen." She tossed a brown leather bag over to Leia, "There are two red potions in there. P-pour them on the wound in his stomach."

"Right!" Leia replied instantly before digging into the pack, grabbing two red vials, and pouring their contents on Starkiller's gaping wound. The skin around the wound sizzled and the man audibly groaned as the liquid touched his skin.

"I don't understand!" Meldy shouted as the battle drew closer to them, "He's been stabbed by a lightsaber before, and he was able to walk after it! Why is he so wounded now?"

"Exhaustion." Luke interjected, "And… Vader's lightsaber may have some unique properties to it that make it more painful than other lightsabers."

A huge explosion sent dirt raining down on the group. The main battle was now just feet away from them as they desperately tried to save Joshua and Galen.

"They're getting closer!" Meldy shouted.

"I know!" Wendy barked back, "Leia, pour the blue one in Galen's mouth. Meldy! Make sure he swallows it."

Another explosion hit nearby and sent all four of them, Luke, Wendy, Leia, and Meldy sprawling in the dirt. But it didn't faze Wendy as she jumped up from the loose dirt that covered her and continued to work on Galen and Joshua.

"Wendy backup!" she heard Cana's voice ring out nearby, "You're too close to the battle!"

She ignored the card mage and kept working. A shadow covered her face and for a brief moment, Wendy looked up to see a spear streaking down at her. Leia was about to shout a warning when Wendy raised a wind covered hand and batted the spear away. The rebel leader was then about to suggest falling back when she heard the familiar sound of blaster fire raining down from the sky.

Red blaster bolts slammed into the black army in front of Fairy Tail's few wizards that remained standing. Bodies flew up in the air as fiery explosions engulfed sections of the army while more blaster bolts rained down on them. Leia's gaze shot up to the smoke filled sky and she saw a familiar hunk of junk streaking through the skies above them.

"What is that!?" Meldy screamed as she covered her head.

"My favorite piece of junk!" Leia smiled before looking over at Luke, their grins only widening.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A long column of scorching hot fire erupted in between the two combating forces, separating the two and giving Fairy Tail a much needed break.

"That's Natsu!" Meldy cheered.

Wendy said nothing. Her full attention was on the lightsaber wound in Galen's gut. The damn thing just refused to heal properly.

"Wendy! Meldy!" A loud voice shouted over the continuous sounds of blaster fire.

Leia saw a pink haired man racing up to the group with a blonde haired woman and a white haired woman in tow. A grim expression was on his face as he raced up to them.

"Natsu!" Meldy shouted back before noticing his facial expression, "What's wrong?"

"Face has been activated." Natsu gulped, "We have less than three minutes."

Wendy's hands froze and her face paled while Meldy's lips began to tremble. Leia and Luke both raised an eyebrow and stared at the wizards horrified expressions.

"What is Face?" Luke asked.

"I-it is a magic pulse bomb." Meldy stammered through shaky breaths, "It's p-purpose is to wipe out all ethernanos on the continent therefore rendering all wizards incapable of magic." She looked teary eyed at Leia, "Without magic, all wizards could die. Magic is directly tied to our life forces. That's why it's so dangerous when we develop magic deficiency disease."

Leia's eyes widened. The enemy had just activated a weapon that was basically capable of killing every wizard on the continent? Even she trembled a little at such a thing. It eerily reminded her of the Death Star. But Face's destruction was on a much more intimate and painful scale than the Empire's now destroyed planet killer.

"I-it could kill all of you?" Luke asked as the battle continued in front of them.

Meldy shakily nodded.

"I won't let… that happen. Not to you." A weak voice rasped at her. Meldy's eyes darted down to see Galen waking up, "Leia… call your ship… tell them to evacuate as many as possible. Face cannot be stopped."

Leia nodded and fumbled around for the comm link Lando gave her when he left to work on the Falcon. Hopefully it worked while he flew through the air above them. Once she found it, she told Lando to land at her location immediately and ready for passengers.

Galen looked back at Meldy's teary face, "When… when that ship lands, you get on it."

"You're coming with!" Meldy shouted back.

Galen shook his head, "I'll only slow you down. You need to help make sure Scarlet and Skywalker escape with… with as many as…. possible. We cannot afford for them to fall into Vader's hands."

Wind whipped up around the group as the Falcon descended several yards away from them. Leia shook Wendy's shoulder and helped the blue haired girl lift Joshua and carry him towards the Millennium Falcon where Gajeel and Levy were waiting.

"This is wrong!" Lucy trembled as she looked back at the battle, "We can't just leave!"

"We have to Luce." A voice she never expected to say that reply, "We…" Natsu's entire body shook with fury as he spoke, "We have to leave. We have to leave so we can get payback on the people who did this to us."

"He's right… Lucy." Galen gasped, "There is no other way. Face will… kill all of you if you don't run now!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Meldy screamed at him.

"Natsu take her!" Galen rasped.

Natsu's pink locks shadowed out his face as he quickly nodded and grabbed Meldy around the waist and heaved her over his shoulder.

"NO!" Meldy screamed, "PUT ME DOWN!"

Galen raised his head and smiled at Meldy, "I hope it's a boy." he said to her as Natsu turned to leave.

Meldy stopped thrashing in Natsu's arms and stared stunned at Galen, tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

"Y-you… you knew?"

Natsu began to sprint towards the Falcon's ramp as Galen Marek's head fell back down in the dirt, his chest heaving as he struggled to breath. Lucy was the last to step onto the Falcon. Lissanna stayed behind. She refused to leave her brother and sister.

"I will help fight this evil for you." Lissanna promised Wendy, Gajeel, Levy, Lucy, Natsu, and Meldy, "When you all return, Fairy Tail will be here to greet you. And we will win together!"

Bright white lights began to shine in the distance as the Falcon's landing ramp slowly closed. The pedestals the ship rested on retracted back into its metal hull as the engines roared to life. More explosions rang out in the battlefield and the Fairy Tail lines broke to the oncoming tide of demons, now spearheaded by a man with long black haired tied up into a high ponytail.

Inside of the cockpit of the Falcon, Lando and Chewie were joined by Lucy, Levy, and Gajeel. Lando's hands moved furiously over the ship's controls as he turned the Millennium Falcon up towards the atmosphere.

"How long do we have!?" he asked.

"Less than thirty seconds!" Levy replied as she sat down in the third seat in the cockpit and strapped herself in.

"Alright," Lando twisted a few knobs above him, "Let's hope we don't break apart as we exit the atmosphere. Chewie! Full speed ahead!"

The Wookie barked back at him and pushed the engines to their maximum speed.

….

A wide grin was plastered on Mard Geer's face as he marched through the hellscape around him. The battle was nearing its conclusion. A few Fairies were still standing and running for their lives, led of course by that old fool, Makarov. But he didn't care if a few humans escaped. After all, that is all they were about to be, normal humans. Maybe even dead humans if magic deficiency disease claimed them. He began to chuckle aloud as the pearl white pillars of Face shone brightly all around Fiore, casting a glow as bright as a second sun rising over the horizon.

"We have done it!" Mard Geer declared triumphantly, "Mard Geer has done it!"

The bright lights dimmed and a massive pulse exploded out over the continent of Fiore. Bane particles began to fill the air. Mard Geer smiled and took a deep breath of the black mist now beginning to swirl around him. Beside him, Kyoka, Ezel, and Seilah grinned. The last members of the nine demon gates were victorious. The age of humans was over. The age of demons had begun. They would soon hunt down the last of those wizards that escaped them and the world would be theirs. Then and only then, would they finally be reunited with their creator.

"Mard Geer has never breathed such air as this." He took another deep breath, "The air of victory. The air of destroying wizards. The air of Zeref's arrival!" He began to cackle madly.

*POP-HISS*

Mard Geer's mad laughter ended abruptly, cut off by him choking on his own breath. His eyes widened and he shakily looked down to see a red blade jutting out of his chest.

"Thank you for your assistance, Mard Geer." Darth Vader rasped in his ears, his voice no longer a deep baritone. Rather it was soft, almost like a whisper, "With the wizard's out of the way, and your regeneration chamber destroyed, no one will be able to stop the Empire." Vader retracted his lightsaber out of Mard Geer's chest.

The steward of Tartaros swayed in place then dropped to his knees. Before Kyoka, Seilah, or Ezel could react, Vader's lightsaber slashed through all of them. Their bodies fell into severed pieces all around Mard Geer.

"Why?" Mard Geer croaked.

"Like you said before, Mard Geer." Vader rasped, "We have the same opinions of each other. You were hoping I'd be destroyed in this battle. And in return, I made sure I destroyed you. Your guild shall fall. And so shall this Zeref that you worship."

Mard Geer turned his head to look hatefully at Vader, "If you think you can defeat Zeref. Y-you are h-hor-horribly mistaken."

Vader frowned behind his mask. In one swift motion, his lightsaber cut through Mard Geer's neck, ending the life of the leader of Tartaros. Out of his coat, a book labeled E.N.D fell into the dirt. Vader deactivated his lightsaber, knelt down and picked up the book. He grabbed the leather cover and decided to see what was the big deal about this book. Curiously, the book refused to open.

 _Interesting._ Vader carefully held the book in his right hand before coughing. He looked down at his life support panel and saw a series of red dots flashing at him, _I need to leave now._ He grabbed a disc from his belt and activated it. The hologram of Admiral Piett immediately appeared.

"Admiral I require a shuttle." Vader rasped as loudly as he could, "And… a medical crew."

The mention of a medical crew seemed to stun Piett. But, like any good officer in the Imperial Navy, he simply saluted.

"Yes Lord Vader."

"And Admiral."

"Yes my lord?"

"Send the fleet."

The hologram deactivated and Vader dropped to a knee, his breathing incredibly ragged. High above him, in the atmosphere, several large triangular ships appeared in the blue skies over Fiore. Earthland has fallen.

...

Night had fallen on the planet surface. There were no stars in the sky. They were all covered by either dark clouds or the silhouettes of Star Destroyers racing through the atmosphere. The town of Magnolia had been swiftly conquered by the Imperial Navy, with Twilight Ogre gathering as many civilians as it could and evacuating the city thanks to the ace named Michelangelo. The remaining Fairy Tail wizards who survived the initial battle with Tartaros and still had strength to move despite Magic Deficiency Disease, retreated into the deep forests and wilderness around the city. With the city taken over, Imperial shuttles regularly ascended and descended into Magnolia.

One such shuttle had just landed. It was a simple cargo shuttle, call sign Kyber. A small troop of four stormtroopers guarded its contents as it was slowly unloaded.

"I wonder what this planet is like?" one stormtrooper said to the other guarding the shuttle ramp.

"Eh, seems like any other temperate world to me." his comrade replied.

"There's gotta be something different about this place if Lord Vader wanted to invade it personally." The first stormtrooper reasoned.

The second just shrugged, "Who knows what that guy thinks. He practices that weird religion stuff. I don't really trust it."

"you doubt the Force exists?"

"I haven't seen it have you?"

The first stormtrooper snapped his blaster up and pointed it at a target behind the second.

"I-I see it now!" The first stammered as he shakily pointed his blaster at two floating stormtroopers.

The second stormtrooper wheeled around and turned the safety off of his blaster. He stared in stunned silence as their other two squad mates were lifted in the air. The both screamed momentarily before they were cut off by the sound of their throats being crushed.

"Believe in the force now?" A new voice asked, "Oh... and before I do anything else, thank you for the shuttle."

A man appeared form behind several large crates. He had jet black hair that drooped past his forehead. A small tuft of it poked up from the crown of his head. His skin was pale and his eyes crimson as he stared at the two remaining Stormtroopers. His attire consisted of a long black coat trimmed with gold and a white toga knotted at the left shoulder.

"F-Freeze!" The first stormtrooper stammered.

"Don't say that just shoot him!" The second yelled before both of their windpipes were crushed by the force.

 **AND CHAPTER! So ends the Tartaros arc! Fairy Tail loses the Tartaros arc in this story. And Acnologia and the dragons do not appear… yet. I have something special planned for their appearance that will take place further along in the story. Natsu, Lucy, Meldy, Levy, Gajeel, Joshua and Happy have escaped Face and Earthland thanks to Luke's friends and the Millennium Falcon. But now they are in the wide and terrifying galaxy. And they know nothing about it. Should make for some interesting situations. Erza is captured and the prisoner of Darth Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn. And Zeref remains mysteriously absent…. I wonder what he is up to?**

 **Now before going on, I will say. I struggled with how to wrap this arc up. I intended for Fairy Tail to lose from the start but I wasn't sure as to how to go about it entirely. It took a lot of planning and rewrites to come up with. Natsu's decision to retreat can be explained as him putting the lesson he learned from Gildarts on Tenrou island into practice, deciding to live to fight another day instead of losing his life and the lives of those closest to him for no reason when he knows he simply can't win no matter how hard he tries in this situation. Unfortunately, because Face activated so quickly and the battle was so intense, no one else was able to escape with our heroes.**

 **Lastly, this story will not jump straight to Return of the Jedi. There will be several arcs, yes arcs (not filler chapters, full blown fleshed out arcs), before that part of the story. Gotta get some relationship building, character development, story development in there before the awesomeness of ROTJ.**

 **Anyways, I just want to thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying the story. It is such a joy and thrill to see the reviews and to see that you guys like the story. I'm so happy to write it and I hope it continues to impress and entertain in the future. As always, let me know what you guys think about everything. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Have a nice day!**


	80. Chapter 80: Looking for a Bird

**Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! Been crazy busy with work but I've finally got the next few chapters planned out and ready to write. So here is the first one! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 80

The silence was deafening inside of the Millennium Falcon. Not a sound could be heard through the small corridors that criss crossed the corellian light freighter and led to the cockpit. Only four figures sat in the cockpit. None of them bore the emblem of Fairy Tail.

The first was gently guiding the ship through hyperspace. He was a dark skinned man with curly black hair on top of his head and a thin black mustache over his upper lip. His clothing was a simple blue shirt with dark pants. A sober expression was on his face as he concentrated on making sure the Falcon stayed in one piece during the jump to hyperspace. He could already tell that she was barely holding together as it was. During the escape from Earthland, the Imperial Navy had jumped into orbit and began blasting away at the fleeing ship. Several lasers did hit the Falcon and Lando had to mutter some silent prayers that the ship didn't completely break apart.

Sitting beside him in the co-pilot's seat was a massive wall of brown hair known as a Wookie. His name was Chewbacca. The massive creature was silently skimming over several instruments, monitoring the deflector shields and hull strength of the ship. He was especially paying close attention to the areas where Gajeel and Levy assisted with repairs. No one knew how well Dragon Slayer Iron would hold up in space.

In the third seat, behind the pilot, sat a young woman with dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes. Her face was somber and her eyes downcast as she sat with folded hands and stared down at the floor. Beside her, in the doorway, stood a young man with blonde hair. His visage was also one of sadness.

"We should've helped them more." The blonde haired man said wistfully, "We could've done more."

The woman shook her head, "I don't know Luke. You were powerless against Vader before and he was there. The proof is in Joshua's injuries that Wendy is still trying to heal."

Lando shook his head as he glanced at a monitor, "That poor girl." He mumbled, "She must be exhausted."

Chewbacca let out a low grunt in agreement.

"I can go back there and see if they need help." Luke suggested as he backed away from the door frame and prepared to exit the cockpit.

"It may be best if we let them have their space Luke." Leia sighed.

"I'm not so sure about that." Lando muttered before Chewie nudged his left arm and pointed at a blinking yellow light, "Damn."

"What is it?" Leia asked.

"One of those iron welds is coming loose. We can't stay in hyperspace much longer. Chewie check where we are on the charts." Lando ordered.

"How long do we have until it gives?" Luke asked.

Lando shrugged, "Dunno. I'm amazed it's held up as long as it has. But yeah… me and Chewie will work on finding a suitable place to put the Falcon down. You two should go back and update our friends."

Leia nodded and rose from her seat as she followed Luke out of the cockpit and down a long corridor that led to a small lounging area on the other side of the ship.

The mood inside of the lounge area was one of both anger and sorrow. The usually upbeat and cheerful group of Fairy Tail wizards were no longer bouncing off the walls with energy. Each and every one of them sat still in the chairs around the hologram board or leaned against the walls with their heads bowed. The only two that were absent were Wendy and Joshua.

"How are all of you?" Luke asked quietly as he entered.

Natsu's head was resting on the hologram board while his body trembled both from anger and motion sickness. Gajeel's face was noticeably paler than normal as he lay back in his seat with his face staring up at the ceiling. Lucy was shaking in her seat, hands clasping her thighs and her knuckles white due to the strain. Levy was flicking a pen on the holotable, making it spin in many circles. Then there was Meldy. The pink haired girl was bouncing from one person to another trying to cheer them up. Luke raised an eyebrow as the girl had a wide grin on her face.

"C'mon you guys. I-it could be worse."

"I'm motion sick and our home has practically been destroyed." Gajeel moaned before his cheeks puffed out, "I don't think it'd get much worse."

Leia cringed, "Well…"

Lucy raised her head, "What now?" She said sullenly.

"We have to make an emergency landing." Luke explained, "The repairs we made are not holding up in hyperspace very well."

Gajeel glanced over at Levy, "Told you we should've welded them."

"We didn't have any fire to do that with." Levy sighed while flicking the pen.

"Cheer up already!" Meldy snapped, "I mean, just smile for god's sake!" Every eye turned to her, "We're alive aren't we!? We… we may still have our magic power too! And at least you all have each other! You weren't separated from-" Her smile quivered ever so slightly before she caught herself, "You weren't separated from everyone forever. We'll reunite with our friends soon."

Happy sighed as he sat beside Natsu. His perky ears were drooping with his head as he sat depressed beside his motion sick friend.

"Do we know where we are landing?" A new voice entered the small room.

Both Luke and Leia turned to see Wendy walking into the lounge area. Leaning against her, with a broken prosthetic arm over her shoulders was Joshua.

"You shouldn't be walking." Leia warned, "You need to-"

Joshua waved his sparking prosthetic, "I've had worse." He said quickly.

"Remarkably, he isn't lying." Wendy muttered before helping him sit beside Lucy.

Joshua let out a long breath as he winced in his seat before looking back over at Luke and Leia, "What planet are we landing on?"

"We don't know yet. Chewie is scanning the star charts for a planet with as low an imperial presence as possible."

Joshua nodded and said nothing in return. The entire cabin returned to a depressed silence while Meldy kept a cheerful smile on her face. After a few moments, Wendy broke the silence.

"I… I just can't believe it." She said quietly, "Our home… it's gone. Our friends are-"

"Don't you dare say that!" Natsu snapped quickly before cringing from his motion sickness, "They aren't gone! When we get back we will find them. And I'm sure Erza will-"

The entire room instantly darkened and the temperature plummeted. Luke felt his skin began to crawl as he felt the force turn blacker the darkest void. His eyes drifted over to Joshua. Despite his right arm being broken and in a sling, he was still clenching his fist tightly. The happy hazel eyes faded away and were replaced by a burning crimson color.

"Joshua?" Levy asked.

"They took her." he snarled.

Natsu's eyes widened and he suddenly forgot about his motion sickness.

"Erza is Vader's prisoner." Joshua growled. The crimson in his eyes now glowed like burning coals, "He… he tortured her to try and get to me…" he glared at Luke, "And you."

You could hear a pin drop in the lounge area. Natsu stared wide eyed at Joshua, his whole body in complete disbelief while Gajeel grit his teeth and curled his lips into a hideous snarl. Levy had tears brimming her eyes while Lucy held back some sobs. Even Meldy's strangely out of place smile faded once again as they all began to feel the darkness in the room rise. Wendy gulped and looked at Joshua. She had seen him angry before. But… it was never like this. His anger was always like a violent eruption, and any enemy that dared harm his friends wouldn't survive. This anger was silent and simmering. To Wendy, it was far more terrifying. Joshua eyes darted over to Leia.

"You asked me if Fairy Tail would help you fight the Empire." Joshua clenched his fist even tighter, ignoring the sharp pain in his arm, "I told you no but now…" He shakily stood to his feet, "Consider Fairy Tail an ally." He looked at Luke, "And when we meet Vader again, he's mine."

Luke gulped as the crimson eyes practically bore a hole into him. Meanwhile Wendy gulped back her own anger and fear and pushed Joshua back down into his seat.

"Alright, enough theatrics. You need to rest." Wendy ordered.

There was no snarky reply, no sass back. He just nodded and lay his head back before slipping into the dark side of the force.

….

Lando pursed his lips, "You aren't going to like it Leia."

"What am I not going to like? What place did you find?"

Lando cringed, "The only planet with a known rebel presence nearby is…" he paused and winced.

"Is?" Leia pressed.

Lando sighed and rubbed his eyes, meanwhile Chewie pointed at a planetary outline that appeared on a small monitor. Leia gave the screen a quickly glance before closing her eyes and letting out a dissapointed sigh.

"Lothal…" She sighed, "It had to be Lothal."

"We have really bad luck." Lando admitted.

"You can say that again." Leia shook her head as she looked at the planet coming into view, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Lando gulped and nodded before looking out the cockpit window at the approaching planet. Criss crossing the planet's orbit was an entire fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers.

"Yeah…" Lando let out a shaky breath, "I got a bad feeling about this too."

"Are you certain there aren't any-"

"I've already checked three times." Lando interrupted, "The only planet that responded with the correct rebel codes was this one."

Leia pursed her lips and crossed her arms, "Where on the surface?"

Chewie let out a long groan.

"Capitol City." Lando winced.

Leia gave Lando a look that basically said, you've gotta be kidding me.

"Is there any good news from this?"

"Yeah… part of the rebel code included an old encryption. I haven't played it yet."

"Well play it!" Leia quickly demanded.

"What's the magic word?" Lando smirked.

Leia smacked his shoulder, "Not now."

"Wrong answer."

Chewbacca howled at Lando which caused the pilot to raise his hands defensively.

"Alright alright! I'm doing it." He pushed a button to his right and a hologram appeared on screen with an old symbol Leia instantly recognized. A slight smile graced her lips as she stared at the symbol, a tilted rebellion logo with the center spike shaped more like the head of a phoenix.

"My bad feeling has just gone away." Leia grinned, "I know who replied to us."

"Who?" Lando asked.

Leia began to race back to the lounge to ready the Fairy Tail wizards. Before she left the cabin she glanced back a Lando with a big grin on her face, "Phoenix squadron."

….

The two of them, Sith and Sky Dragon, sat quietly in the small bunk compartment that lined one of the Millennium Falcon's cramped corridors. Joshua was slumped against the wall as he sat on the lowest bunk. His right arm was hanging in a sling while his sides and back were wrapped in bandages. He glanced over to his left at the blue haired dragon slayer. Her tongue was sticking out a little as she focused hard on his left arm.

"Please be careful." Joshua winced, "Removing it in just the wrong way will hurt like hell."

Wendy pulled the tool away from what remained of his cybernetic arm and gave Joshua a nervous glance, "Are you sure you want me to be doing this?"

Joshua nodded, "I don't exactly have my other arm. And… my powers are still too exhausted to help. I just want to get this thing off, it's sparking and stuff."

"Ok then." Wendy carefully moved the tool towards the shoulder, "If you feel any pain-"

"Oh you will know if I am in any pain." Joshua tensed, "Trust me you will."

Wendy pursed her lips and carefully positioned the tool that began to unseal the edges of the arm around the shoulder socket. As she did this, she saw Joshua's eyes close and his breathing began to slow.

"Meditating?" She asked.

"I can't really do anything else."

Wendy nodded, "You could talk about it."

Joshua's left eye cracked open, "Hm?"

Wendy moved the tool away and set it down on the bunk, "Come on, talk to me."

A heavy sigh escaped Joshua's lips, "I failed… I failed miserably." His shoulders sagged and he glanced over at Wendy, "When we found Erza on Tenrou Island, I swore to myself, that I would never be separated like that from Erza ever again. She's the only family I have ever had. When I lost her the first time… it broke me."

"I remember." Wendy replied as she rubbed his back, "I'm a little surprised right now though."

"Why?"

"Normally, when something like this happens, you get really angry. It's pretty scary actually." Wendy admitted, "But now… it's almost like you are holding it all in."

"Because of Plagueis." Joshua replied, "The amount of fury in me right now would break any sort of restraint on him." He stared directly into Wendy's eyes, "And as much as I miss Erza, I will not put you or anyone else in danger like that."

"You can't just hold it all in like that. It's not healthy." Wendy replied, "You got to vent it somehow."

"That's what the enemy will be for."

Wendy's eyes widened and some breath got caught in her throat, "What do you mean by that?"

"Anyone who stands in my way of rescuing Erza will receive no mercy. That's what I mean." The temperature slowly fell in the room, "I was trained to be a Sith. I'm going to put that training into practice until I find her and save her."

"What about-"

"Not killing." Joshua finished for her, "This is war now, Wendy. Not war in the sense of two guilds having a small spat. No, this is real war. A type of war that I studied with my Master during those years of training. A type of war where death is common and to be expected. The enemy will not pity us. They will no show us mercy. And they will not hesitated to kill me… or to kill you. And unlike some dark wizards we have crossed paths with over the years, a friendship speech won't shake a Sith Lord from their purpose."

Wendy sat silently next to him then jumped a little when she heard a small knock on the door frame that led into the bunk room.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Leia asked as she peaked in.

"No, not at all." Wendy replied.

Joshua's eyes slowly shifted to Leia as she entered, "Do we have a plan?"

Leia nodded, "We have found a planet we can land on."

"But…"

Leia frowned, "but, it's controlled by the Empire. They have a tight grip on everything where we are going. So things could get very interesting from here on out."

Joshua nodded, "Ok then. What planet and what do we do?"

"Straight to the point huh?" Leia remarked, "Alright, that's a nice change. The planet is called Lothal. It's a hotbed for rebel activity and imperial tyranny. We received a signal from a small rebel cell in the capitol city, a rebel cell I am familiar with. We will need to make contact with them then get their assistance to repair the ship."

"You make it sound like they won't just help us out of the goodness of their hearts." Joshua noted.

Leia sighed, "This particular cell left the main rebel force some time ago. They broke apart from within. A member turned traitor and disappeared. The fact that we got a reply at all is amazing in my opinion. But me, Chewie, and Luke can't risk going down there ourselves. We are fugitives after all. Meanwhile you two are unknowns. The Empire isn't hunting you…yet."

Joshua nodded, "Good plan. Get us wizards to make contact with your friends and avoid any suspicion in the process. But, how do we know that they will trust us? For that matter, how will we know who they are?"

Leia smirked a little, "Oh, you will know who they are. As for whether or not they will trust you, you'll just have to hope the force helps out. And maybe try to get a little charm into your personality."

Wendy stifled a laugh.

"I'm plenty charming." Joshua glanced at Wendy, "I'm charming right?"

"If brooding is charming then you got it nailed." Wendy giggled.

Joshua bowed his head and sighed, "I'll try. Is it just me and Wendy going? Cause in case you didn't know," He raised his broken right arm and destroyed left arm, "I'm kinda out of commission."

"I've already talked to the rest of your friends. Since subtlety is the name of the game here, I didn't tell Natsu or Gajeel."

"Smart." Joshua replied before Wendy smacked his cybernetic shoulder.

"So I asked Lucy and Meldy to go with you. They said yes. We will land on the outskirts of the city. After you disembark we will have to move away from our original LZ in order to shake any Imperial scanners." Leia tossed a comm to Wendy, "Use that to get in touch with us once you contact Phoenix squadron."

Joshua nodded, "Alright." he glanced at Wendy, "You ready to see a whole new planet?"

"Are you?" She smirked back.

"Not really, but I'll manage."

"You'll have to." Leia stated, "And please… don't draw attention to yourselves."

Joshua smiled, "Don't worry. We will be as cautious as possible."

….

"OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!" Screeched Meldy as she stared wide eyed at an alien with a large bulbous head, bulging black eyes, and three wet folds of pale skin covering it's mouth. The alien shot, what Joshua assumed, a nasty glance at Meldy before uttering some words in a strange language at her. It then stormed through the marketplace that the group of wizards had just entered.

"Meldy…" Joshua hissed from beneath his dark hood, "Please try to temper your excitement."

"That was not excitement that was horror. I mean… just what the hell was that?" The pinkette demanded as she walked alongside the others through the crowded Lothal marketplace.

"A Bith, now stop gawking at everything." He snapped back, "You are going to draw unwanted attention to us."

"Too late." Wendy tugged on Joshua's sleeve and pointed at a group of soldiers in white armor striding towards them. Joshua calmly nodded to all of them.

"Stay calm. I'll take care of this."

"How?" Lucy asked as she stared at another strange alien covered in gray fur.

"An old trick."

The lead stormtrooper approached the group.

"Are you residents of this city?" the soldier asked.

"Yes we are. These are just my cousins and girlfriend from out of town." Joshua subtly moved his fingers across his body as he reached out with the force.

"They are residents of this town." the stormtrooper repeated while Meldy and Lucy's eyes widened, "These are his cousins and girlfriend from out of town."

"You don't need to see any identification. We are just browsing the market."

"We don't need to see any identification. They are just browsing the market."

"Eh?" Meldy squeaked while Wendy smirked.

"Move along." Joshua nodded for everyone to start walking.

"Move along." The stormtrooper waved the by and then led his squad on their normal patrol.

Lucy stared wide eyed as the soldiers walked past and disappeared into the crowds of people moving through the streets. Her gaze whipped back over to Joshua.

"H-how did you do that!?" She asked quietly.

"Old mind trick." Joshua replied, "It only works on those with a weak mind. And by god, the Empire has some weak minded soldiers."

"Oooh." Lucy mouthed before the group continued weaving their way through the streets of the Capital City. This time everyone was much more careful about what they said and what they stared at.

On occasion, Joshua would purposefully stop in front of a stall or a store and browse through the items on display. When Lucy and Meldy questioned this, Joshua replied that in order to blend in you have to actually try. They were shoppers after all, the only thing missing from their disguise was money.

The group slowly turned a corner and Joshua suddenly began to pick up his pace. His stride lengthened and he glanced worriedly over at Wendy.

"What is it?"

"We're being followed." Joshua whispered back to the others, "Don't look back!" He hissed, "We don't want him noticing."

"Who?" Wendy asked.

The group entered a circular courtyard which allowed Joshua to turn the group so they could see the person following them.

"Old guy, basic shirt and pants. Bald head and white beard. Bulky build." Joshua said quickly.

Wendy scanned the crowd but didn't see what Joshua was seeing.

"I don't see anything."

"Yeah, me neither." Lucy added in.

"He's there alright." Joshua replied, "And- *oomph*."

Joshua hit something big, hairy, and muscular. He shook his head before looking up and seeing a new alien standing over him, a wide grin smothered across it's face. It had purple fur with a striped pattern over the arms and legs. It's head was large and had big yellow eyes with black pupils and enormous pointy ears. The jaw and chin were covered in thick fur that Joshua assumed was the equivalent of facial hair. Lastly, the strange alien wore a green shirt and pants that went down to his shins. A thick brown leather belt was wrapped around his thick waist.

"Well looky here." rasped the alien, "A group of strangers in town who have already had a run in with some bucket heads."

"Bucket heads?" Lucy muttered.

Joshua frowned up at the grinning, hairy alien, "we don't want any trouble."

"Oh of course you don't." The alien replied, "You are looking for some items to buy. Maybe something to repair that stump of a left arm." The aliens muscular finger pointed at Joshua's left shoulder.

Wendy gulped and looked worriedly at Joshua. To her amazement, Joshua stayed calm and played along.

"I actually am looking for something. My original cybernetic one broke. Accident on the job, you know how it is."

The alien nodded, "I do indeed. Accidents happen. Well, my shop is just behind me. Would you like to browse my wares?"

"Joshua, I think we could find some better arms somewhere else." Wendy muttered.

"Oh don't be shy. Just c'mon in."

"Zebb." A new voice entered the conversation that crisp compared to the rasping of the hairy alien. Joshua glanced past the tall creature and saw a human leaning against a doorway. He also wore a green colored shirt with brown pants and boots. A black belt wrapped around his waist. His hair was tied up high in a short ponytail. But that was barely visible past the visor he was wearing over his eyes. "Quit scaring the kids."

"Aw c'mon Kanan." Zebb grumbled, "I was just having a bit a fun."

"I am looking for something Mr. uh.. Zebb." Joshua replied, "You seem to be on bad terms with the Empire."

"You could say that." Zebb replied.

"I'm particularly interested in acquiring a bird. A fiery one at that. I like a little fight in a personality." Joshua stated. He instantly noticed the man's head tilt, "I need an upgrade compared to my falcon I already have."

Zebb took a step back and folded his arms, "Falcon eh? What's wrong with it."

"Broken wings." Joshua stated back.

"I'm missing something here." Lucy mumbled to Meldy.

"Me too."

The massive alien whistled lowly, "That'd be a problem alright." he glanced back at the human in the doorway. The man nodded and walked quietly into the shop, "I think we may have the bird you're looking for."

"A phoenix?"

"Possibly. But I want you to see it for yourself."

Joshua stared at the Lassat in front of him, "Fine." he looked behind him, "Lucy, Meldy, you two wait outside. C'mon Wendy."

'Why do we have to wait outside!" Lucy demanded.

A quick deathly stare silenced the blonde.

"Will do Joshua!" Meldy smiled before taking a seat beside the shop doorway while Lucy grumbled beside her.

"Thank you Meldy."

Both Wendy and Joshua quickly followed Zebb inside of the shop. The first thing Joshua noticed was that everything in the shop was impeccably clean. All of the parts on the shelves were perfectly organized and polished. The counter tops were so clean that he swore he could see his reflection in the smooth stone. The only thing marring the clean facade was the overwhelming stench.

"What is that smell!?" Wendy squeezed her nose shut and her eyes watered.

"I apologize kid." The human wearing the shield over his eyes said, "Lassat's can't help it."

"When will you ever stop insulting my smell?" Zeb asked as he stepped behind the counter.

"When you can actually get rid of it." Kanan replied before turning his head back to where Wendy and Joshua were standing, "First question for you two. Who are you?"

"My name is Joshua Scarlet. This is Wendy Marvell." Joshua replied, Wendy gave them a wave. Kanan didn't return the wave.

"He's not grumpy he just can't see too good." Zebb told Wendy reassuringly.

"I can't see at all Zebb." Kanan sighed, "And I will get grump if I don't find out why you are looking for phoenix squadron."

Joshua narrowed his eyes. There was something different about this guy. He was blind, yet he was perfectly facing him and Wendy. If it wasn't for the shield over his eyes, he would be making perfect eye contact. Before he continued the conversation, Joshua reached out with the force to investigate. As soon as he did a loud pop-hiss hummed through the air and a blue lightsaber ignited in Kanan's right hand.

"WHOA WHOA!" Zebb exclaimed, "What just happened!?"

"He's a dark side user Zebb." Kanan snarled.

Joshua smirked, "Probing me as I probed you, interesting."

Wendy glanced at Joshua, "That came out horribly wrong."

"It did." Joshua admitted with a sigh.

"Is he now?" Zebb cracked his knuckles, "Shall I toss them around or should I tell Rex to take the shot."

It was then that Joshua's senses finally alerted him to the danger that he was suspicious of. His sense stretched out instantly and he finally saw the bald man who was following them. He was now on a rooftop, a rifle in hand and his finger brushing over the trigger.

"That won't be necessary Zebb… Kanan." Joshua kept his voice calm while Wendy gulped and began to sweat nervously, "I am not your enemy. We are not your enemy. We are here looking for help."

"Doubt that." Kanan snarled, "How do I know you didn't just capture the Millennium Falcon?"

"How did you know we came from the Falcon?" Wendy asked.

"Your boyfriend heavily implied it sweetheart." Zebb replied, "Kanan, does Rex take the shot or not?"

"Kanan… just hear us out." Joshua pleaded, "Please. We can get you in contact with Leia Organa right now if you want."

"I've been fighting this war too long to fall for that." Kanan snapped back, "Rex!"

Wendy heard a loud bang as a blaster bolt rocketed towards Joshua. Her hesitation disappeared and she quickly gathered wing into her lungs.

 _Please work!_ She thought before shouting, " **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

 ****A tornado of wind rushed from Wendy's mouth and sent both Joshua and Kanan flying across the shop and into the far wall. A second later, a red blaster bolt impacted with the floor. Right where Joshua had been standing.

The tornado did it's job. But it was much weaker than Wendy thought it would be. Her Dragon Roar's were sometimes large enough to demolish entire buildings. This one just managed to send two people flying and cause a mess in the shop.

 _Why was it so much weaker?_

"WENDY GET DOWN!"

Wendy instantly dropped to the floor just as a blaster bolt zippe over her head and hit the base of the shop countertop. As she hit the ground the door burst open and Lucy and Meldy rushed in.

"Guys are you ok!?" Lucy asked.

Joshua groaned and got to his knees before being tackled by Kanan. Wendy quickly jumped to her feet and gather wind around her fist.

" **SKY DRAGON'S CYCLONE FIST!"**

Kanan cried out as the wind slammed into his right side, making him crater into the wall yet again. Before Zebb could intervene, Meldy tapped his shoulder.

" **Sensory link!"**

Zebb collapsed to the floor clutching his stomach.

"GAH!" he cried, "Why does it hurt!?"

"Cramps buddy!" Lucy snapped at the Lassat as she rushed at Kanan and pinned his arms behind his back. "I GOT HIM GUYS!"

Joshua winced as he slowly got to his feet again. He felt bones shift in his right arm and he let out an annoyed groan **.**

"You gotta be kidding!" He winced, "Wendy! You made it worse!"

"WHAT WORSE!?" Wendy roared back as she stooped over the Lassat, ready to deliver another strike.

"My arm!"

"Oh.." Wendy muttered, "Sorry. I'll fix that once we're done here."

"Thank you."

"What…" kanan wheezed as he tried to get air back into his lungs, "Was… that?"

"Magic. That's what that was." Joshua replied nonchalantly, "We are not from this planet. We are from a planet that the Millennium Falcon crash landed on after fleeing the Empire. Myself and a bunch of my friends helped your friends get back into the known galaxy. But the repairs we made aren't very good. So we need some expert help to fix them. Particularly from fellow rebels. I don't really want to go to an Imperial. It might get messy if I did that." he glanced around the now messy shop thanks to Wendy's roar, "Much messier than this situation has gotten already. So how about you stop being so suspicious and stubborn and listen for a change! For god's sake, if you Jedi just listened for a second then maybe you wouldn't be in the situation you all are in right now! Wendy! Communicator!"

"Right!" Wendy replied before pulling out the small device and activating it, "Leia, Luke, Lando? Are you there."

" _GWAAAAR!"_ A loud bark replied.

"Chewie! Great! Can you get me Leia or Luke please."

Another grunt and several seconds later, a new voice rang out from the communicator. A voice that Kanan clearly recognized as the tension in his muscles dissapeared.

" _Wendy! Thank goodness, you made contact with the remnants of pheonix squadron ok?"_

"We made contact. As for us being ok…" She looked around the shop, at Joshua, and at the groaning Lassat curled up on the floor, "That one is debateable."

" _They didn't trust you?"_

"Nope."

" _I apologize for that. They are just being careful."_ Leia replied, " _Please don't kill each other before you get to us. We are located several dozen miles east of the city. I'm sending you the coordinates now. And… if Kanan Jarrus is there. Tell him I said hello. And tell him that there is a new Jedi who needs teaching."_

The communicator clicked off.

"Believe us now?" Joshua glared at Kanan.

"I know that voice anywhere." Kanan replied, "That was Leia Organa alright. As to whether or not I trust you is still up for debate. But… I will go with Rex to this location. You four will stay here with Zebb and Chopper, once that kriffing droid gets back from his grocery run."

"Somebody make the cramps stop!" Zebb groaned.

"Sounds like a plan." Joshua replied to Kanan. He nodded to Lucy and the blonde released her hold on the Jedi Knight, "We will see you again soon."

Kanan ignored Joshua before he stormed out of the shop to go search for the Millennium Falcon. Joshua sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"Say Zebb."

"What?" he groaned, still curled up on the floor.

"Do you have anything that can replace my cybernetic arm?"

"Sure, but… OH KARABASTS THIS HURTS!"

"Meldy! Stop it already."

"I did." The pinkette replied, "Cramps take a while to go away. And he's just a big baby."

"I really don't like you girl!"

Meldy smiled back at Zebb.

"It's nice to meet you too!"

….

How many days had it been? How many nights? Was it day? Was it night? Was she alive? Was she dead? She didn't know anymore. The red haired woman laying on the cold durasteel bench had her mind in a constant foggy state. Her skin had started to grow deathly pale as she hadn't been exposed to any light for… for however long she had been locked in this cell. She had no visitors. No one had shown up since…

 _What was his name?_ Erza's exhausted mind thought as she recalled the blue skinned alien who visited her during her first moments in this cell. _I can't remember._

Her gashes and cuts had slowly begun to heal. But they hadn't healed nicely. Scars replaced the deepest wounds while her bruises remained black and blue on her body. She had also lost a considerable amount of weight. Only one meal was provided for her a day. And that meal consisted of gray paste and foul tasting liquid. She wasn't sure if it was water or something else, but whatever it was kept her alive.

 _How many days? How many nights?_

Her eyes snapped shut as the bright lights in her cell activated for the first time in what felt like forever. Hope fluttered inside of her as the lights shined through her cell. But that hope was quickly dashed by the mechanical breathing sound she had grown to fear greatly.

"Ms. Erza Scarlet." Boomed Darth Vader as he entered her cell with an escort of stormtroopers, "I hope your stay has been comfortable."

Erza's weary brown eyes glared at Vader hatefully. A small snarl crossed her lips as she stared at him.

"I felt I should inform you, that your country had surrendered to the Empire. Now your dear friends are fugitives and rebels who will be hunted without mercy." Erza's hatred only grew inside of her. A single question burned in her mind.

"How long?" She croaked.

Vader stared down at the weak woman.

"How.. long has it been?"

Vader stayed silent, "We are almost to Coruscant. The Emperor is most looking forward to meeting you. But until we arrive, we must conduct one more," A black orb floated into the room. Erza's eyes widened in horror and her whole body began to shake, "Session."

The droid zipped over and penetrated her arm with a long needled. Erza recoiled but was quickly held in place by Vader's force grip.

The drugs swept through her system and made her mind go blank. Her eyes drooped while her pupils dilated. Her entire body relaxed.

"Erza Scarlet, it appears Face did not wipe out all magic on Earthland. Only the magic on the continent known as Ishgar. I need to know, are there any other civilizations that we must worry about?"

Erza wanted to reply. Her mind was already trying to force the words out of her mouth. Only through sheer willpower was she able to keep herself from speaking. But that will was starting to wear thin.

"I will only ask nicely once more." Vader snarled, "Are there any other civilizations that can threaten the Empire on Earthland?"

Erza's forced her mouth to stay shut.

"Very well. Then perhaps you would like to be reacquainted with something."

Erza heard electricity arcing in the air and her eyes widened in fear as she saw a stormtrooper enter with an electrostaff. She tried to shrink away, to hide in the corner. She couldn't' fight back, the magic sealing cuffs were still on her body. Never to be removed until Vader saw fit.

"No… please…" Erza trembled, "No…"

"Answer my question, Ms. Scarlet."

Her mouth stayed shut.

"Do it."

"Yes sir." The stormtrooper replied.

"NO!" Erza shrieked before being stabbed by the electrostaff. Her body convulsed on the durasteel bench as electricity raced through her body. After several moments, Vader waved his hand and the stormtrooper backed away from Erza's smoking form.

"Ms. Scarlet? Will you answer me? Or shall we continue?"

Erza's lungs felt like they were on fire. She shakily looked up at Vader and stared at the lidless eyes of his black mask. Only a cold, unfeeling gaze was returned to her. Her brown eyes turned to the electrostaff and she felt her spine begin to crawl.

"Again then."

"NO!" Erza shouted, "ALVAREZ! ALVAREZ!"

The stormtrooper backed up.

"What?" Vader asked.

"The… the Alvarez Empire, on the western continent. They've been enemies of Ishgar for generations." Erza admitted.

"What is their magical strength?"

Erza gulped and took a shaky breath, "Significant." She croaked, "Rumor has it… that they have the most powerful wizards on the planet."

Vader nodded, "Very good Ms. Scarlet." He turned to leave when Erza's hoarse voice called out.

"Please... please tell me. Is my brother alive!" Erza begged, "Is Joshua-"

*Clank*

A t-shaped hilt hidden in Vader's robes fell to the floor. Erza's brown eyes widened and tears began to brim in her eyes. Her chest began to heave as her eyes clenched shut and her lips began to quiver.

"Our session is complete, Ms. Scarlet."

Erza's composure dissapeared and she began to loudly sob as she stared at the lightsaber hilt that lay on the floor in front of her. Vader turned away and closed the cell door behind him.

He was wholly satisfied now. After all, the main purpose of the session had been accomplished. It wasn't to find out about any more threats to the Empire, although that was a nice bit of information to learn. No, this session had one goal in mind. To break Erza Scarlet before she stepped foot in front of his Master. Vader stepped out of the cell and glanced back at Erza as she curled up in the fetal position, tears staining her cheeks as she began to sob for the first time since being captured.

"Make sure she is presentable for the Emperor when we arrive." Vader ordered to the cell guards before the marching down the corridor, his black cape sweeping the ground behind him. He had broken Erza Scarlet. It was now time for his Master to speak with her.

Inside her cell the lights went out again, blinding Erza with pitch black. She stayed on her bench, sobbing loudly. But racing through her mind was one thought.

 _How many days? How many nights?_

 **And chapter! I'm super sorry for the long wait you guys! I meant to update on Thursday but, you guy know what happens, life got in the way. Anyways, we have some members of the Ghost crew from Rebels making an appearance. But where is Sabine, Ezra, and Hera? And now Erza is being taken before Darth Sidious in her weakened state. Will she be able to resist him? Or will the dark lord of the Sith prove to be too much? Hmm… should be interesting to find out. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	81. Chapter 81: The Emperor's Hand

**Hey guys! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 81

Joshua stared down at his new cybernetic arm and gave the metal fingers a quick wiggle before clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Not bad." He muttered before looking up at the Lassat, "It's an old model but still not bad."

"It'll have to do until we get you to the rebellion. I'm sure they'll provide you with a proper replacement." Zebb replied as he continued putting away the tools and instruments he used to help attach Joshua's new arm, "The new models look like actual limbs you know. They even have artificial skin on them."

"Really!?" Joshua whistled, "That'd be kinda cool."

"Sounds a little creepy to me." Lucy muttered as she sat on a bench near a window.

"It's not like it's real skin." Joshua replied.

"Still, it isn't yours right? I don't know, seems weird." Lucy replied before gazing out the window at the night life of Lothal's capital city, "It's not very lively here is it?"

"Imperial curfew." Zebb replied, "The bucket heads don't have as firm a grip here as they used to, but they still have that in place. Supposedly it helps keep the general public in line."

"What happens if the curfew is broken?" Asked Wendy who was leaning against the shop counter top.

Zebb shrugged, "Most likely you'll get locked up for a few days."

"What happens if you or Kanan break the curfew?" Joshua asked, "I mean, doesn't the Empire know that you are rebels?"

"Oh they know. Especially here on Lothal." Zebb replied, "A few years back me, Kanan, and some of our other friends really raised some hell on this planet. But…" A heavy sigh escaped the Lassat's mouth, "Times change. Kanan, he was always our leader. And he just lost the will to keep going. Especially after…" Joshua noticed a faraway expression enter Zebb's eyes before the Lassat shook his head, "Karabasts, I shouldn't bore you with that stuff. Point is, we came back to Lothal, paid off a bunch of officials and agreed to stay within a certain zone and not cause trouble."

"So you aren't really rebels anymore?" Wendy asked.

Zebb shook his head as he closed his toolbox, "Not really. I follow Kanan, and if he wants the peaceful life, then I'll follow."

"Why follow him?" Joshua asked.

"Well for one, he's one of the last Jedi left alive. I figure his opinion carries a little extra weight in that regard. Second, he saved my life a long time ago. And in my mind I haven't paid off that debt yet. Would I like to keep up the fight. Of course! I love taking it to those bucket heads. But I'm not just going to abandon the people that have become my family."

Joshua nodded, "I understand that."

Zebb nodded before glancing out the window, "Kanan is taking a big risk right now though. If he's not back soon, the curfew will be broken and the Imperials could arrest him and Rex without any consequences."

"Prison?"

"That or they'll turn him over to someone worse." Zebb replied.

"Vader?" Joshua asked, his jaw clenching ever so slightly.

"Karabasts that'd be even worse. No, there is someone else on this planet right now. She's something called, The Emperor's Hand or something like that. Sounds to me like another version of the Inquisitors."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Kanan is a Jedi though. An inquisitor should be no problem."

"Kanan doesn't see it that way for some reason. He's hyper cautious whenever that woman comes through this part of town. Apparently she 'feels' way more dangerous than some inquisitor to him."

"Interesting." Joshua commented as Wendy walked over to him, sat down and began to work on healing his broken right arm. Zebb stared wide eyed as the healing pale green glow enveloped Wendy's hands.

"What is she doing?"

"Healing." Wendy replied, "There is a lot you don't know about us Zebb. It'll take a while to explain." Wendy's brow furrowed, "Although this is taking a lot more time and energy than it normally would."

"I've noticed that too." Lucy commented, "Whenever I touch my keys, they don't respond like they normally do. Do you think magic isn't strong here, kinda like Edolas?"

Zebb's gaze darted back and forth as the wizards began to talk nonsense about magic.

"It's possible." Joshua replied, "Earthland is a very unique planet. It could be that ethernanos do exist elsewhere in the galaxy but they aren't as concentrated as they are on Earthland. Therefore, it'd be more difficult for you guys to perform your spells because you wouldn't be able to refill your magical container as quickly as before." He heard Wendy let out a sigh as she stopped the healing spell, "It's just a theory of course."

"Theory or not, something is up with our magic." Wendy replied, "It's going to take a little bit for your arm to heal up." Her brown eyes looked out the window to see unfamiliar stars twinkling high overhead, "It's getting late. Why aren't they back yet?"

"Maybe they decided to stay at the Millennium Falcon?" Meldy suggested as she turned in circles on a stool.

Wendy shook her head, "Wouldn't we have gotten a call from Leia or someone that they arrived?"

"I would think so." Joshua replied, "It isn't like them to leave us in the dark like this."

"I agree." Zebb stated, "Kanan wouldn't worry us like this. He's too careful for us not to know where he and Rex are." As he spoke a series of warbled beeps rang through the room as a rust colored astromech with two arm like protrusions coming out of his dome. "Chopper agrees too."

Joshua frowned and looked at Wendy, "Give them a call."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Wendy asked.

"It's risky." Zebb stated, "Imperial's could intercept the call if they hit the right frequency."

"But we need to know what's going on." Joshua replied, "I'm starting to get a little worried that our friends may be in trouble."

Wendy nodded and dug out the comm link while Zebb glanced over at Joshua.

"You consider Kanan and Rex friends after what just happened?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Joshua replied, "I am not fond of the Jedi, just the way I was raised. And I'm definitely not fond of someone who shoots at me. But we are on the same side in the end, so they are my friends."

Wendy activated the comm link and received static for a few moments before hearing the warbled barks of a Wookie on the other end.

"Hey Chewie!" Wendy smiled, "Can you get me Leia?"

Another round of warbled barks followed by some shuffling rang through the comm before Leia's voice came through.

" _Wendy, is everything alright?"_

"Everything is fine on our end. But we haven't heard anything from Kanan Jarrus or Rex. Did they reach you or-"

" _No… they haven't reached us."_ Leia replied, " _Are you sure everything is ok?"_

Wendy's face paled a little and she glanced over at Joshua.

"I knew it." The young man sighed, "Zebb, what is the situation at this point?"

"Well, this most likely means they have been captured." Zebb replied, "The nearest imperial facility is on the northern edge of the city. From there they could be transported to any number of imperial labor camps."

" _They've been captured!"_ Leia yelled through the comm link.

"They've violated curfew. So yeah, I'd say they have been." Zebb growled, "Damn bucket heads!"

"Everyone calm down." Joshua said calmly, "We need to think this over. Zebb, this facility… how heavily defended is it?"

"Maybe a battalion of stormtroopers and then that Emperor's Hand and her personal guard. Beyond that, I think maybe one or two walkers and that's it." Zebb explained, "Like I said, the Empire is not as tight fisted here anymore."

Joshua rubbed his mouth, "Ok, Leia, are Natsu and Gajeel there?"

" _Where else would they be?"_

"Fair point." Joshua sighed, "Tell them to meet us on the northern outskirts. Zebb will lead us to the imperial facility and we will break Kanan and Rex out. After that we'll make for the Falcon and find a new location for repairs. With Zebb with us now, we may be able to make better repairs and get to the rebel base. Wherever that is."

" _Understood. I'll let them know. Falcon out."_

Wendy lowered the comm away from her lips and stored it in the pouch full of potions that she always had on her. Meanwhile, Lucy and Meldy jumped to their feet to get ready to leave when Joshua shook his head. Wendy's eyes narrowed at the boy and she frowned.

"Oh no! Hell no! You are not going alone!" she snapped.

"I'm the only one capable of sneaking past the patrols." Joshua replied, "You guys will be seen easily. Between our hair color and outfits, we stick out like a sore thumb. I can cloak myself and get out of the city without being seen."

"You are not going without me!" Wendy stomped her foot, "You are still hurt for pete's sake!"

"Wendy, I've had worse. I'll be fine. I don't plan on fighting anyone, I plan on getting Kanan and Rex out of jail while Natsu and Gajeel cause chaos."

"Still, even Kanan, who is… whatever a Jedi is, is hesitant to fight this Emperor's Hand lady!" Wendy snapped back, "You can't go in alone!"

"He won't go alone." Zebb got to his feet and raised his body up to it's towering height, "I'm going too." He saw the disapproving glance Joshua gave him and frowned, "They are my friends kid. And you'd be surprised by how stealthy us Lassat can be. And you need me to find the facility."

"Ok, but even with Zebb-"

"Wendy." Joshua brushed her cheek with his prosthetic, "I'll be ok. Once we reach the Falcon we'll call and give you our location. At that point, all three of you will rendezvous with us. Alright?"

Wendy frowned then sighed and shook her head, "You are so stubborn."

"So are you." Joshua smirked.

"Yeah well… ugh. Just don't get hurt again."

"I won't." He replied before turning to the Lassat. Zebb grabbed a large blaster rifle and slung it over his back before strutting over to the door. He turned to look at Joshua and nodded for him to hurry up. Joshua looked back at Wendy and quickly pecked her on the lips before racing after the Lassat into the dark shadows of Capital city.

….

How could he have been so damn stupid! In the words of a certain Lassat… Karabasts he and Rex were idiots! Kanan grit his teeth and shook his head as he shifted his wrists beneath the cuffs around them.

 _I had to leave a few hours before curfew! I just had to leave then! Damn it all Kanan Jarrus you idiot!_ The Jedi berated himself mentally.

Behind him, a door slid open with a small whoosh and a new presence in the force entered. Kanan stiffened in his metal chair for a brief second before quickly relaxing himself and acting like nothing was wrong. Even though he couldn't see properly, he could feel the presence in the room.

It felt like a lioness had just stalked into the room. A cunning predator seemed to be circling him as the sound of boot heels clicking against the shining, clean floor filled his sensitive ears. The click and clop of footsteps stopped on the other side of the table he was sitting at. Kanan's serene expression didn't change even as the sound of a durasteel chair scraping along the floor with a horribly grating sound filled his ears. There was then a brief moment of silence before a voice filled his ears that made Kanan curse mentally again.

"Kanan Jarrus." A female's voice said firmly as he sat at the interrogation table, "I didn't think I'd find you in my interrogation room today."

Kanan smirked, "I didn't really think I'd end up in here, milady."

"Drop the honorifics please. I'm not much of a fan of boot licking." The woman replied.

"That wasn't boot licking. That was a sign of respect." Kanan replied to his interrogator as he tried to see her through the force.

"Ha, sure it was." The woman replied as her visage started to become more clear in the force.

She was a young woman, several years younger than Kanan. She had fiery red hair and fair skin with some freckles dotting her face. Sharp emerald eyes glared at him from across the table as he lips were etched into a frown. She leaned forward in her seat and gave Kanan a hard stare.

"Just what were you doing outside of your restricted zone with old Captain Rex?" She asked.

"Meeting a customer." Kanan replied, "He has trouble getting around so I figured I'd meet him at his home."

"On the outskirts of the city?" the woman raised an eyebrow.

"People live in strange places." Kanan shrugged.

A slight smirk appeared on her lips, "Sure they do. But, you still violated your agreement with some of the officials on this planet. And well… I can't really turn a blind eye to you now." She then winced, "No offense to your-"

Kanan raised his hand, "None taken. People make sight references all the time around me. You get used to them after a little bit."

"I'm sure you do. Well… Kanan… I'm sure you know what this means."

Kanan nodded, "I understand."

"You are going to die."

"It's gotta happen at some point."

The woman raised her eyebrows, "You have a rather pessimistic view of the universe, for a Jedi."

"Life can do that sometimes."

She was silent for a moment before nodding, "Alright." She pressed a button on her wrist gauntlet and spoke, "Inform Lord Vader of the capture of Jedi Knight Kannan Jarrus on Lothal. Prepare to turn custody over to him once he arrives."

"Yes ma'am." Just before the comm cut off the woman thought she heard somewhat shouting something in the distance, "Hey! Is that a fireball!?"

Some screams then static. Kanan's jaw stiffened while the woman stared annoyed at her comm.

"Looks like you may have some friends here to break you out." she stated, "Don't go anywhere please."

"I'll try not to." Kanan replied sarcastically.

The door opened with a whoosh then quickly closed again.

 _I'm not the only idiot apparently._ Kanan groaned as he leaned back in his chair, _I've got idiot friends coming to rescue me._

….

The four figures crawled quietly through the tall grass that rolled in waves over the plains outside of Lothal's capital city. One was a young man with bright pink hair and narrow onyx eyes. Beside him crawled another young man with dark eyes and jet black hair that grew wildly around his head and neck. On the other side of the pink haired man was another young man wearing dark robes and a cloak with a deep hood hiding his facial features. Lastly, crawling beside the man in black was a massive creature with purple striped fur. The group crawled to the top of a small grassy bluff and gazed down at a series of buildings, tents, and towers that made up the Capitol City Imperial Base.

"There it is." The Lassat said as he pulled out a pair of binos, "The facility." he tossed the binos over to the dark robed man who quickly snatched them with his left hand and brought them to his eyes.

"You were right Zebb." Joshua said quietly, "I count maybe a hundred fifty to two hundred soldiers in there. Maybe more."

He passed the binoculars over to Natsu who in turn passed them over to the Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer let out a low whistle as he stared down at the facility.

"That's a lot of white armor."

"It makes them easy to pick out doesn't it?" Zebb chuckled.

"Yeah." Gajeel replied gruffly before tossing the binoculars back to Zebb and cracking his knuckles, "You ready Salamander?"

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu hissed as loudly as he could without drawing attention to them.

Joshua smirked, "Good. Remember, cause chaos. But be careful. Magic is not nearly as strong outside of Earthland. If you start running low retreat. I'll figure something out."

"We won't just leave you." Natsu snapped.

"You don't really have a choice. Better to leave me behind then for you to get captured too. I can take care of myself pretty easily. Zebb, your our eyes and ears. Keep them open for us."

"Will do." The Lassat replied.

"Alright!" Joshua glanced at the two dragon slayers then nodded, "See you back at the Falcon." And just like that he dissapeared.

Zebb's eyes widened, "Did he just-"

"Yeah." Gajeel nodded, "It takes some getting used to."

"What are we waiting for!" Natsu snarled before standing to his feet, "I'M READY TO DESTROY SOME STUFF!" he shouted at the top of his lungs before sucking in a large amount of air, " **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

Gajeel smiled widely before jumping to his feet as well and launching his own dragon roar at the facility. The fiery blaze and iron storm rushed towards the fence around the facility and impacted with a mighty explosion that shook the ground and sent dirt and smoke flying through the air. Alarms began to blare and soldiers began to rush to their posts down below. Natsu grinned widely as he lit his hands aflame.

"OH YEAH!" He bellowed with fire leaking from his lips, "I'M DEFINITELY FIRED UP NOW! LET'S GO!"

"Gihi!" Gajeel chuckled as the two dragon slayers charged at the stunned stormtroopers.

….

If you ever needed the perfect distraction, just tell two dragon slayers to start destroying stuff. That usually works pretty well. As soon as the two columns of fire and iron hit the facility, every soldier and imperial who could hold a blaster rifle rushed over to the explosions. Joshua could hardly believe his luck. The imperials were truly incompetent soldiers. They left the gate wide open for him. Even with his force cloak, he needed to be careful. And he figured that at least one guard would remain at the gate. But nope, they made it easy for him to slip into the facility and sprint towards the largest building where he could sense Kanan and Rex waiting patiently.

 _Well, Kanan is waiting patiently._ Joshua sensed as he calmed his breathing and paused for a moment in the shadow of one of the stations two legged walkers, _Rex on the other hand… he may have a few choice words for some people in a few moments._

The one armed warrior rushed towards the main building and pressed himself against the wall next to the doorway. He glanced at the door and saw that a pass code of some sort was required to get in. A silent curse escaped his lips before he began to formulate a plan.

 _Front door won't work._ Joshua's eyes scanned the rest of the building and came to rest on a small window at the very top of the structure. The window had a very small lip around the window sill. A sigh escaped Joshua's lips, _It's always the hard way. Ever since the Tower… it's always the hard way._

The force quickly gathered around his body and he used it's power to propel him up to the window with a quick jump. His cybernetic hand stretched out for the window lip. His fingers just barely grasped it. If his hand was flesh and blood, he almost certainly would've fallen back down. But thanks to the cybernetics, once he had a grip it held firm.

He dangled precariously from the window sill. The gears and motors in his new arm were whirring loudly as they strained to hold his weight up.

 _I really wish my other arm wasn't still broken!_ Joshua thought to himself before taking a few quick breaths and executing one of the most difficult pull ups he had ever done.

The window was easy to bypass. A quick punch shattered the glass and he slipped into the building as quiet as a mouse. At this point, he let the force cloak drop. He figured that every single guard was rushing towards the sound of two rampaging dragon slayers across the base. In the distance, he heard Natsu unleash another furious roar on the stormtroopers.

 _I almost pity them._ Joshua thought to himself as he slipped into a brightly lit hallway and began to slink through the corridors. As he turned a corner he bumped into an officer in a grey uniform. Before the officer could even cry out, Joshua slammed his head into the wall. The officer's eyes spun and he slumped to the floor. _Almost being the key word._

He paused and looked back at the officer.

 _Probably should've asked him where prisoners were detained. Karabasts!_ He blinked, _Did I seriously just use that term. Karabasts! No! Damn it! That's better!_ Joshua reached a small stairwell and casually looked down to make sure he wasn't going to run into any more unsuspecting Imperials, _If I were a betting man, I'd keep my prisoners in the basement._ He shot a glance at the stairs and grit his teeth, _I hate stairs!_

So instead, he jumped. The descent was quick and a route that he greatly preferred. Plus free falling was much for fun than sprinting up and down stairs. Just before he hit the ground, he let the force billow up around him and catch him so that his landing was as graceful as a dancer. When he landed he saw a doorway with red lettering above it.

 _Authorized personnel only._ Joshua read to himself with a smirk, _I'm going in the right direction!_

He reached out with the force and forced the locked door open. With quickness even a cat would envy he slipped into the restricted area of the building and shut the door behind him.

 _Perfect._

"Wow! I knew I should follow my instincts." A woman's voice rang through the one long corridor lined with steel doors.

Joshua cringed, _I need to work on my overconfidence._

He turned to see a young woman only a few years older than him. She had fiery red hair. Not as red as Erza's but still red. Her skin was fair with some freckles dotting her face. Piercing emerald eyes stared back at Joshua while her hands tightly gripped a silver cylinder in front of her body. Joshua instantly recognized the object in her hand and grimaced.

"So you are the one Zebb told me about." Joshua commented, "The Emperor's Hand, or something like that."

"I am." The woman replied, determination thick in her voice as she stared harshly at Joshua, "And you are here to break out my prisoners."

Joshua let out a sarcastic whistle, "You are a smart one aren't ya?"

The lightsaber hilt in her hands activated, unsheathing a crimson blade that glowed hideously in the tight white corridor.

"Surrender now, and I may end up sparing your life." The woman threatened.

The reaction she got was not what she was expecting. The man in front of her just chuckled a little, a slight grin on his face as he held his cybernetic hand out in front of his body.

"So this is how it's gonna go?" Joshua grinned, "Good, I needed to express some rage."

The Emperor's hand's eyes widened in surprise as a golden light enveloped Joshua's left hand. An archaic silver and black cylinder appeared in his grasp. The smirk on his face only widened as he palmed the familiar hilt before activating the white blade and pointing it at his opponent.

 _Is he a Jedi!?_ The woman thought internally, keeping her shock hidden from her opponent. _No, he's too young to be a true Jedi. He is most likely an impostor. But if he is an impostor… then why does he appear so confident?_

"Who exactly are you?" The woman demanded.

"I was going to ask you the same question." Joshua replied, "I prefer to know my opponents before I cut them to ribbons."

The woman smirked, "Is that confidence or arrogance?"

"Maybe a bit of both."

A small laugh escaped her lips, "Very well. If you must know, my name is Mara Jade. I have been personally trained by the Emperor himself to deal with threats such as you."

Joshua's smirk ran away from his lips, "Personally trained… by the Emperor?"

Mara Jade nodded. _He's intimidated!_ She thought triumphantly, _I may have already broken him mentally._ Shock returned to her as Joshua just began to laugh.

"Wow! I'm trying to believe you, but your stance screams amateur. What is this? A padawan learner lesson or something?" Joshua laughed aloud before returning to his fighting stance, "I don't have time for you lady. So how about you just get out of my way before I make you regret going up against me."

For the first time, Mara Jade's calm facade dropped and a snarl appeared on her lips. No one, absolutely no one, can make of mockery of her and live. She dropped the niceties of words and decided to let her sword do the talking for her. With several quick strides, she closed the gap between her and Joshua and raised her red blade high over her head.

He moved so quickly that Mara could barely register it. He moved to the side as slickly as water moving around a rock before deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to her stomach that sent her reeling. Anger built up in her as she wheeled around to swing at her opponent only for him to duck under her wild strike, deactivate his lightsaber and punch her in the gut before tripping her. She landed roughly on the hard floor and felt the breath briefly escape her body. Then she felt the familiar heat of a lightsaber near her neck.

"You need some practice." Joshua smirked before turning his lightsaber off again and striding away from her and proceeding down the corridor.

Mara's face curled into a snarl as she jumped back to her feet.

"Don't you walk away from me!" she shouted, tossing her normally calm demeanor aside.

A warning through the force rang out and Joshua activated his lightsaber and casually caught her red blade. He shook his head and sighed.

"You should've just stayed down."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Mara shouted as she pressed her blade against Joshua's.

"My name is Joshua Scarlet. Fairy Tail wizard, Sith apprentice… and in just a few more seconds, vanquisher of the feared Emperor's Hand."

"Why you-"

The white lightsaber darted out like a viper about to sink it's fangs into its prey. She barely had time to tilted her head to the side and dodge the white hot blade before batting it away with her own red one.

 _My training is being put to the test!_ She thought, _I must capture this man and bring him before the Emperor. He will want to meet this fool._

She gripped her lightsaber tightly in both hands and began to utilize every technique in her fighting form that she knew, starting with a series of acrobatic slashes and kicks that seemed to catch Joshua off guard.

On the other side, Joshua was slightly caught flat footed by her sudden acrobatics.

 _What is this fighting form?_ He thought as he deflected some heavy handed blows that were followed up by fists and kicks, _It's not form one, definitely not two or three. It's not as athletic or powerful at form seven._ The light bulb clicked on in Joshua's mind, _This is one of the three I don't know._ His playful smirk disappeared. It was time to take this fight seriously.

Mara was not convinced that she had him on the ropes. On the contrary, from her analysis of his fighting form, she was certain he was holding back to a certain degree. And he was fighting one handed due to an apparent injury to his right arm, making his true capabilities still an unknown to her. He was clearly a Makashi master. He was even using techniques and strikes that seemed to be variants of the form. She knew that eventually he was going to pierce through her Ataru fighting form. All she could hope for now was that she could overwhelm him enough to land a hit and knock him on his smug ass. Then she saw the smirk disappeared and a deadly seriousness washed over her opponent's face.

 _He's figured me out._ Mara realized.

The white blade quickly parried a quick three strike series from her red sword before the counter attack began. His movements were fluid like water and crisp like cold air. Not a single move was wasted, not a single twitch of muscle was meaningless in his strikes. The white blade went from a single bar of white in front of her, to a flurry of white light that she could only compare to a blizzard worthy of the moon of Hoth. It was impossible for her to keep up. Instead of knocking her on her back like he did last time, she saw Joshua's white blade suddenly dart at her leg immediately after she deflected an overhand strike. Mara had no time to deflect it. Intense burning pain seared through her thigh as the lightsaber bit into her flesh and cut through tendons and ligaments. Her right leg collapsed out from under her. Her emerald eyes closed before she winced in pain. Mara Jade had been thoroughly beaten and humiliated by someone she assumed to be some sort of Jedi imposter.

The white blade hovered over her neck while Joshua's right leg kicked her lightsaber out of her hands. Her green eyes stared up at the hazel eyes of her opponent.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, "Finish it."

For a brief second, she caught a flash of crimson in his irises before he pursed his lips and deactivated his lightsaber.

"I'm not gonna kill people at random just because they get in my way." Joshua stated, "Besides, I don't have any sort of hatred for you. So there is no point."

Now Mara Jade felt humiliated. In the eyes of her opponent, she wasn't even worthy of killing. She was the same as a dog, something to be beaten and left to lick the festering wounds that cut into both her leg and pride.

The mysterious man named Joshua Scarlet quickly moved over to two cells. He slashed them open with his saber and helped two figures out. One was a older man with a bald head and a ghost white beard. The other was the blind Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. The trio calmly stepped around her before exiting the same way he had come in. As the door shut, Mara let out a frustrated grunt before smacking her head against the floor and uttering a curse.

 **And chapter! That was a freaking fun chapter to write! Especially the fight at the end. It wasn't a serious fight, much more of a get to know you kind of fight. It was thoroughly entertaining to write! It's been a little bit since that's happened I'll admit. And yes, I'm including Mara Jade in this story! I'm doing a lot of research on her because I know she is a very beloved and important character so I hope I am portraying her correctly for you guys.**

 **As for why Joshua beat her so easily. Mara Jade from what I've read and researched was initially just trained to be a simple assassin and spy for Sidious. Never a true sith warrior. Joshua on the other hand has been trained to be a full blown Sith Lord. He's had the whole package thrown at him in order to ready him for any fight with Sidious or Vader. So people like the inquisitors and even Mara Jade (at this point in the story) are not very challenging for him. Whereas someone like Vader would absolutely crush him. So there's that explanation.**

 **This series of chapters we are going through right now is the first arc of fairy tail being in the large galaxy far far away. After the next chapter they will meet up with the bulk of the rebel alliance, I promise. Then we will definitely have some hijinks ensue (Ever thought about how well our fairy friends could fly an X wing?). It's going to be a lot of fun! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	82. Chapter 82: The Dark Lord of the Sith

**HOLY CRAP! It's been a while! I am very sorry for that you guys. I usually only get one or (if I'm lucky) two days off a week. Trying to save up enough money to get back to school. But I got a day off again, which means it's back to writing! I've got a new chapter ready for you guys! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy  
Chapter 82

To say Kanan was confused would be a major understatement. He wasn't confused about the rescue attempt. He knew that at the very least, his old friend Zebb would try some harebrained scheme to break him and Rex out. What confused the Jedi Knight was who exactly was rescuing him. He didn't see the white lightsaber slash through the door. He was facing the wrong way and being blind also didn't help. But, thanks to the force, he could feel who it was that was coming to grab him. He could feel the darkness swirling through the cell as his binds were slashed by the heat of a lightsaber. It took a moment before Kanan actually recognized the presence next to him as none other than that one kid he and Zebb met earlier that day. The kid that was dripping with the dark side of the force.

Just by that logic alone, this rescue didn't make sense to the Jedi Knight. Since when does a dark side user go out of his way to rescue a Jedi Knight? For that matter, since when does anyone other than a Jedi make absolute fools of the Emperor's force wielding minions? Kanan's murky eyes glanced over at Joshua as the kid hauled Rex out the cell opposite of Kanan's.

 _What kind of force user is this guy?_

Joshua didn't say a word, he just began to stride towards the exit, stepping around a humiliated Mara Jade as he went. Kanan could hear Rex snicker a little as the flame haired woman breathed a curse and smacked her head against the floor in frustration.

"I think our new friend put the Hand through the wringer." Rex muttered to Kanan.

"I noticed." Was Kanan's only reply.

He needed to get out of here. And not in the sense of going back to his junk shop. That part of his life was dead now. Being broken out of an imperial facility made sure of that. No, he needed to leave Lothal once again. And he was loathe to do so. That last time he left the comfort of this planet (if you could call how he was living comfortable) was with a young, brash, impatient boy who managed to steal a precious item from him then become part of his small rebel crew. That was years ago now. And in the end, leaving Lothal had only brought pain and suffering for him and those he cared about.

Cool air kissed Kanan's skin as they stepped out of the main facility compound and out into the yard. Before the Jedi Knight took another step forward, he heard Rex shout something.

"IS THAT A FIREBALL!?"

Kanan felt heat all around him as more fires erupted. A scowl crossed his face as he took in the situation.

"They are doing a great job." Joshua smirked, "Dragon slayers are sure good at making distractions." He smiled and urged both Kanan and Rex into a sprint across the burning facility.

"Your friend is responsible for turning this place into the surface of Mustafar!?" Rex shouted stunned.

"And he is way overdoing it too!" Kanan shouted as an Iron Dragon Roar impacted with an imperial walker, shredding away it's armor and rendering it useless, "I'm going to have a few choice words for your friends, kid! I thought you said they were only supposed to be a distraction."

Another fireball hit the compound causing an ammunition depot to violently explode. Debris rained down around the three fleeing companions as they sprinted towards the fence that encircled the imperial facility.

"I'd say they're doing a fine job!" Rex shouted, "The enemy doesn't notice us!"

"But after this Lothal will come under the eye of the Empire again." Kanan commented softly, "Things will get bad here again."

Joshua gulped and felt a sick feeling forming in his stomach. Was he about to be responsible for an increased Imperial presence on this planet. He hoped not.

The three finally reached the fence. Reaching out with the force, both Kanan and Joshua gripped the flimsy metal structure and ripped it apart, creating a small opening for all three of them to slip through. Joshua made sure that Kanan and Rex went through first before he slipped out of the compound. As soon as they were beyond the fence, Joshua pulled a comm from his belt and brought it to his lips.

"Zebb, we're out! Get that pyrotechnic idiot and metal mouth out of there! Do you have the Falcon's coordinates?"

Zebb's voice crackled through the comm, "I got em." He quickly relayed the Falcon's location to Joshua.

"Alright good!" Joshua responded, "Get moving, we'll meet you there. I'll contact Wendy and tell her."

"Roger." Zebb replied, ending the conversation.

Soon the roar of the burning imperial facility died away in the distance. The glow of raging fires could still be seen from miles away but eventually it became nothing more than a small light in the distance. The trek to the Millennium Falcon carried Rex, Kanan, and Joshua across the wide plains of Lothal for several dozen miles before they finally came across the hunk of junk resting peacefully in a grassy meadow. Waiting for them was Natsu, Wendy, and the others, all of whom had made better time getting to the Falcon.

Wendy immediately rushed up to Joshua and enveloped him in a warm hug while Kanan and Rex quietly met with Leia and Luke next to the Falcon's ramp.

"I'm glad you're ok." Wendy said as she wrapped her arms tightly around Joshua.

"I told you I would be." Joshua smirked as he rubbed her back.

"You always say that though. And we both know how you turn out most of the time."

Joshua laughed lightly, "I guess I should work on that then."

Natsu and Gajeel approached, big grins on their faces as they sauntered over.

"So, did you like our distraction?" Natsu grinned.

Joshua sighed, "It was memorable, that's for sure." Joshua glanced past them at Kanan who was now fervently arguing with Leia, "But he didn't care for it much."

"Ungrateful bastard. We rescue him and he doesn't even say thank you." Gajeel grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"Gajeel…" Joshua warned, "There is more to this than just a rescue. I'm sure he's grateful for it, but he cares deeply about this planet. And there are more consequences to our actions that I previously thought."

"Like what?" Natsu asked innocently.

"I get it." Gajeel sighed, "We caught the Empire's attention with our stunt, didn't we?"

Joshua nodded.

"Well good!" Natsu smacked his fists together, "I can't wait to take on more of those soldiers!"

As he said this, Rex approached the group. The older man quickly cleared his throat and patted Natsu's shoulder.

"I admire your enthusiasm kid. But sometimes, we need a little restraint."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man, "Who are you?"

"My name is Rex. I am a soldier, nothing more."

Joshua got the feeling that there was much more than that. But he decided not to press the old man on it. If he wanted to discuss who he was in time, so be it. They didn't press him on his past so he wouldn't press on theirs.

"So Rex, in your professional opinion," Joshua nodded at the Falcon, "How are we looking?"

Rex's eyes scanned over the Falcon's damaged, "It's superficial. A quick patch work will have her flying again. Then we can meet the rebels on Mon Calamari."

"Calamari!" Natsu's eyes widened, "You mean we get to eat some squid!"

"It's a place you idiot!" Gajeel groaned.

"What's a squid?" Rex asked.

"Ignore him." Joshua sighed, "He's just thinking about food. So, Mon Calamari eh? Um…" Joshua scratched his head, "What kinda world are we talking about?"

"Water world."

Joshua's eyes widened, "Oh… well, Natsu may not be far off then."

Natsu raised his fist in the air and uttered a triumphant, "YES!" before everyone laughed and boarded the Millennium Falcon.

….

This was different. Much different than the treatment she had quickly become accustomed to. One moment, Erza Scarlet was lying on the cold durasteel slab that served as her bed inside of the Executor's brig, her weakened, brittle body wrapped tightly in a thin, grey robe. The next moment, Admiral Thrawn was once again in her cell. The Chiss sat quietly in the corner, simply observing the Earthlander as she lay still on the durasteel slab. She knew he was there. But she also knew she couldn't do anything about it. So she did nothing but lay there, her arms cradling a T-shaped lightsaber hilt.

The hilt hadn't left her hands in the days since in clattered to the floor from Vader's suit. It stayed in her scraped palms. It was the last thing she had left of him, of her little brother. The fact that Vader had the weapon only proved to her what she never wanted to know. Her brother was dead. Vader had killed him and taken his weapon. The void she was feeling in her heart all but confirmed it.

She thought about using the sword. The thought of drawing it's blood red blade and breaking free from this prison had crossed her mind more than once. But, she knew what the end result would've been. Vader was still on board, and if Joshua wasn't able to stand up to him with all of the powers he had, then how could she? She didn't even know is she still had magic outside of Earthland.

As if to antagonize her sorrow further, Thrawn finally moved his lips.

"Do you still possess your strange powers Ms. Scarlet?"

She didn't answer him. Frankly, she could care less now. There was no escape, that had been established by Vader very early on. Erza desperately wanted to return to her friends, to her family. But that wasn't likely anymore. Not while Vader stood over her, watching her like a hawk.

Thrawn frowned and crossed his legs as he sat in the simple chair.

"They should be here soon." He mumbled to himself.

Erza's heart jumped to her throat and her body tensed. What did he mean by they should be here soon? Was it another… she gulped… session. Was the terrifying being that was Darth Vader coming to speak with her again? The mere thought of another encounter with the Sith Lord shot fear through her entire being.

 _Why am I like this?_ She thought, he jaw clenching. _Why do I feel as if I have given up? I would've never been like this before?_

"The Force has many effects, Erza Scarlet." A deep baritone voice boomed that made Erza's hair stand on end. She quickly spun around on her slab and stared wide eyed at the imposing Darth Vader. The Lord of the Sith stooped down into the cell and stood beside Thrawn as the Chiss admiral rose to his feet. "Many of the effects can be negative if one does not know how to control the Force. Many of the effects you feel now are the result of the Dark Side of the Force impacting you in ways you never thought possible."

 _Dark side?_ Erza's mind was racing with fear, anger, and confusion as she stared at the Sith Lord, _But the Dark Side was never like this with Joshua. He was always…_ her thoughts paused, _Was he hiding feelings like this? Was he suppressing the fears and pains he had? Is the Dark Side of the Force this overwhelming?_

"You may stand Erza Scarlet." Vader boomed.

Erza stared uncertainly at the dark warrior. This was a new command. Normally, she would be left to writhe on the slab for one of their sessions. Why was he commanding her to stand? Reluctantly, she obeyed, knowing better than to disobey the order. For all she knew, a soldier with an electrostaff was waiting outside. As she stood, she stumbled ever so slightly. The muscles in her legs had already degenerated severely. Shockingly, Vader reached out with the force and gently pushed her back up onto her feet. Her brown eyes darted to the dark lord, a defiant gleam in them that denied his assistance.

"She will need some formal attire." Thrawn muttered.

"The Emperor does not concern himself with appearances, Thrawn." Vader snarled, "Come now Erza Scarlet. The Emperor is expecting you."

Erza's eyes widened. This was it then. They had arrived on whatever planet the Emperor lived on. She was quickly escorted through the drab corridors of the Executor, earning passing glances from officers and stormtroopers alike. Through it all she tried to keep her head held high. But the weight of the past week had been crashing down on her like mighty waves.

 _Or has it been longer than a week?_ She really didn't know. The flow of time changes drastically when you are locked in a dark cell for god only knows how long.

Vader personally took her aboard an Imperial shuttle. As the ramp into the shuttle sealed closed behind her, Erza noticed something. She still had the lightsaber cradled in her shaking palms. She looked at Vader then at Thrawn. Both seemed completely relaxed, as if they were unaware that she had the weapon in her hands. Erza's mind initially roared at her, telling her to strike now. She could destroy the Sith Lord and the admiral and escape back home to Earthland. The temptation was tremendous. Vengeance for her brother was right in front of her. Vader's back was turned to her, his masked face concentrating on the planetary surface slowly growing larger in the shuttle's visual display. Thrawn would be no match for her. She may be severely injured and weakened, but her swordsman ship skills were still excellent. Her thumb hovered over the red activation button on the hilt. The small appendage trembled. She wanted to activate the saber. She wanted to slaughter Vader for what he did to her brother. But, she couldn't do it. Her thumb just stayed put, hovering precariously over the button, but never pressing down. Erza gulped and glanced back up at Vader before swallowing and moving her thumb away from the button.

 _Why can't I do it!? He's right here! Defenseless!_

But she knew better. There was no way Darth Vader was defenseless. His calm demeanor despite the weapon in her hand showed that he had one thing Erza would never have. He had complete and total control. He had control of not only the situation at hand, not only the soldiers, but her as well. The realization infuriated the scarlet haired woman.

"We are docking at our destination, Lord Vader."

"Good." Vader replied as the shuttle slowly shuddered to a stop.

Vader turned and Erza lowered her arms, the emitter of the lightsaber now pointing down at the floor. A slightly long, pleased sigh was heard in the shuttle. Erza at first thought that it was Vader who uttered it, or maybe Thrawn. But it wasn't them. There was something else here. She could finally sense it too. There was a dark presence standing among them as the ramp slowly descended.

Erza's eyes squeezed shut as blinding light streamed into the shuttle. She hissed in pain as a sudden headache gripped her. She wasn't accustomed to sunlight anymore. It took her several moments before she could blink her eyes open again. The light was still blinding and more than once it felt like she was just stumbling forward without any idea as to where she was going. Only the vice grip of Vader's hand on her shoulder kept her from wandering away from him.

After several more moments, Erza could make out the finer details of where she was. The floor beneath her switched from cold metal, to warm stone covered by rich carpet. Her brown eyes finally fully adjusted and her breath hitched as she recognized where she was. But it was a shell of what it once was.

"You recognize this place?" Vader asked, interested in her sudden reaction to entering the ruins of the Jedi Temple.

"I-I-" Erza couldn't respond. She just stared shocked at the devastation around her. The once peaceful facade replaced by scorch marks on the walls and toppled pillars on the floor.

"Come." Vader said calmly, "My master is waiting."

Erza walked ahead with Vader while Thrawn waited at the entrance. The pair swiftly passed by more ruins and rubble for reaching a lift. Erza hesitantly stepped onto it, not sure what it was. Vader stomped onto it and quickly punched in a code onto the console that sent the lift flying upwards.

Erza yelped and fell to the floor as the lift sped upwards, startling the Earthland wizard. She then glanced at Vader.

 _Did my ears deceive me, or did I hear an amused chuckle?_

The lift then slowly came to a stop and a pair of perfectly polished durasteel doors slid open in front of them.

This part of the temple was pristine. There was no scorch marks, no burns, no rubble. It was perfect in every way. The two stepped off of the lift and stopped in front of a set of smaller doors.

"Listen carefully Erza Scarlet." Vader warned, "My Master is beyond those doors. He is not as patient nor kind as I."

 _You're kind?_ Erza scoffed to herself.

"It'd be wise for you to speak only when you are addressed."

Vader placed a gloved hand on the door and pushed it open. Erza gasped and held her head as she felt an overwhelming tide of darkness slam into her. A sense of cold filled her unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Her breath misted in front of her face and her whole body trembled as she stood frozen in the spot. Vader however, seemed completely unaffected by the sudden change in atmosphere. His powerful legs carried him into the small, circular room while Erza remained at the entrance.

When Vader reached the center of the room he stopped and dropped to a knee, head bowed in reverence as he faced a large chair at the far end of the room. The back of the chair was turned to him as it's occupant stared out the panoramic windows of the room.

"Master." Vader stated lowly.

The chair slowly turned. As it did, the chill in the room only grew more intense to Erza who quickly fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the sheer power the room's occupant was exuding.

"Welcome home, Lord Vader." The man purred with a rasping voice that crawling into Erza's mind, "I trust your excursion into unknown space proved successful?"

"It did." Vader turned to look at Erza.

Erza's head shakily rose to look at the person in the chair. She quickly glanced over the man, but she could hardly see anything discernable about him. He was covered from head to toe in thick black robes. A deep hood enveloped his head, shadowing out his face. Only yellow eyes that burned like dying embers could be seen beneath the hood. Erza's own brown eyes stared directly into the eyes of the Emperor. She could see something in them. A spark of some sort. She originally assumed it was malice given the feeling in the air around her. But she slowly began to realize that the Emperor was not looking down at her evilly. No, he was looking at her as if she was some sort of curiosity.

The red haired woman saw a set of perfectly white teeth smile at her. A veiny, wrinkled hand rose from the armrest of the chair and pointed at her.

"Come child. You do not have anything to fear." He then waved a finger, "You won't be needing those any longer." The iron cuffs on Erza's wrists and ankles clattered to the floor.

Erza clenched her jaw. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to go into that room at all. The darkness inside of the room made her want to avoid it at all costs. Yet when the Emperor's croaking voice called out to her, it compelled her to move. Erza felt her legs shakily move forward. The process of entering the room was painful. The pain only grew as she resisted. The Emperor clicked his tongue.

"It would be less painful if you didn't resist. I have already told you, you have nothing to fear in here. This is a place of…" An ironic smirk crossed the Emperor's face, "Peace. It always has been."

Erza's breath came out in quick gasps as she came to a stop beside Darth Vader. Her knees were knocking together. She could feel dark tendrils enter her mind and begin to pry at the meager defenses that guarded her thoughts.

 _He's… he's in my… mind._ Erza breathed heavily before groaning in pain and dropping to her hands and knees.

"Do not resist child. I do not wish to harm you. I only wish to learn." The Emperor stated softly.

Erza's mental defenses crumbled. Memories and feelings long buried rushed to the surface. Her breath was stuck in her throat as she saw Grandpa Rob and the Tower of Heaven once again. She saw the betrayal of Jellal when they were children play out in vivid detail. Her pupils dilated as she relived every horrible event that ever happened in her life, culminating in Vader revealing to her that Joshua had died at his hands.

But then something switched. The good memories began playing. Feelings of happiness and pleasure began to fill her the Emperor combed through her mind. She relived her first meeting with Fairy Tail. Her conversation with Gray by the river when they were just kids. Her first job as an official wizard. Her triumph at the S-class exams. A small smile formed on her lips as she saw her first meeting with Joshua replay again in her mind.

 _He was so small and innocent. So happy._

The pain she originally felt when resisting the Emperor became pleasure as she succumbed to the feelings of these long cherished memories. She could still feel the darkness around her. But now it was no longer ice cold. It wasn't like Vader's darkness. This darkness was more like a fire. A heat that burned hot and bright, giving her life and strength once again.

"You have had quite the life already child." The Emperor stated calmly as he retreated from her mind.

A small whimper left Erza's lips as the joy of the memories ended. Her eyes briefly widened and she covered her mouth.

 _Did I enjoy that!?_

 __"Quite the life." The Emperor continued as he rose, a gnarled hand wrapping around a slender cane. He shuffled up to Erza, "You have been through so much pain, so much suffering. None could ever understand it could they? None but… but you brother."

The iciness returned to Erza and she shot a hateful glance at Vader. She felt some power well up inside of her and a triumphant expression crossed her face as she felt ethernanos stir inside of her. Then she heard the Emperor chuckle and breath in deeply.

"Good." He seemed to practically moan as he drank in the dark side of the force, "The force… it is strong with you. Very strong with you." He opened his yellow eyes again and looked down at Erza, "The thoughts of your dear brother, the pain of losing him, the pain of your whole life… it is what gives you great power. But not only that, your desire to prevent others from experiencing the same pain gives you incredible resolve. And those are two things I greatly admire."

Erza barely registered what the decrepit man was saying. Her only thoughts now were of Joshua. Her sweet little brother and how he was… butchered by Vader. Her thumb once again hovered over the lightsaber's button.

 _He did it on his orders!_ She thought as she glared at the Emperor now as well.

The Emperor's back was turned and he gazed out the panoramic windows.

"You want to kill me. You want to kill Lord Vader." he said in a matter of fact tone. Erza grit her teeth.

"I would certainly like too." She admitted.

"But killing… it is not the Fairy Tail way is it?" The Emperor replied before turning to look at her, "You have killed before though. You have tasted the power beings can have over life if they chose to wield it. You have tasted the power of playing god."

The lightsaber activated and hummed toward's Vader's neck, but it stopped short. Her arm quivered as she held it to Vader's throat. The armored warrior said nothing, did nothing. His breathing remained even and his calm visage remained in place.

"Give me a reason not to." Erza growled as the blade hummed closer to Vader, "I doubt you can."

The Emperor laughed softly and turned to look back at Erza, yellow eyes burning even brighter than before.

"I can actually." He approached Erza once again, "Tell me my dear. What do you believe caused all of this?"

Erza spat out, "You did!"

"Did I?" The Emperor replied, "I did not. I saved this galaxy. The former government was corrupt, stagnant. Billions died in a war because their own government had failed them. I rose to power and ended it all. I brought order, I brought stability." He smiled, "I brought peace. And… it would've stayed that way as well. And Earthland would've never come under my gaze if not for a certain faction in this galaxy that wishes to… undermine the peace that has been so carefully tended to. Tell me this, Erza Scarlet, do you believe Lord Vader would've arrived on Earthland and killed your brother if Luke Skywalker hadn't fooled you into friendship with a terrorist organization."

Erza grit her teeth and glared at the Emperor. Her resolve to kill the two though was now in doubt. She was no longer certain. She had learned early on her life that there were two sides to every conflict. To make a decision based on hearing one side would be rash, foolish even. Now that she heard the Emperor's side, she found herself wondering. Was Luke Skywalker tricking her and her guild? After all, everything was fine until Joshua started bringing up his name. Everything was fine until he and Leia arrived one day. Erza hand wavered but then she shook her head.

"You are a Sith!" she spat at the Emperor, "You are Darth Sidious! Joshua warned me about you! He said that you were evil! He said that you would try to kill us all!"

"And have I done those things?"

"You ordered Vader to activate Face which may have killed all of those I care about. Then you had Vader kill Joshua!"

"Was it Vader, or Tartaros that activated Face?" Sidious replied.

Again, Erza paused, her mind racing. It was Tartaros that did it, not Vader. He was there, but he was there for Skywalker. She remembered him saying that. He was there for her brother and for Skywalker. He never went there to kill anyone. In fact, he had only killed one person, Joshua. The doubt grew in her mind.

"Regardless of that!" Erza replied, doing her best to maintain her desire to slaughter these two, "You are evil! And he did kill my brother!"

"Out of self defense."

"Because he was torturing me and Joshua came to rescue me! I do not doubt that!"

"Oh but you should." Sidious replied, "How long did Joshua know you. Truly know you. A year, perhaps… maybe a little more. Then you were whisked away in frozen state on an island. After that, he became different.. Didn't he."

She couldn't' deny that. Joshua was completely different when she reunited with him. He wasn't the same cheery, naive kid anymore. He was cunning, powerful, brooding, and he hid all of that under layers and layers of optimism. He thought she didn't notice.

"Who was his Sith Master, Erza?"

"Why do you care?" Erza growled.

"Because, our assumptions on others are always based on the opinions of others." Sidious noted, "Who was his master?"

Erza gulped, "He said his name was Tyrannus."

"Ah, a reviled and scorned apprentice of mine." Sidious replied causing Erza's eyes to widen in shock, "I killed him after he threatened my plans to create peace in this galaxy. In fact, he helped start the war that led to the billions of deaths I mentioned earlier. Isn't that true Lord Vader?"

"It is master." Vader replied calmly.

"Now obviously he would hate me greatly for… ordering his execution for his crimes. So no doubt he poisoned your brother with notions that I was a great evil in order to get your brother to combat me and Vader without question. He had what was it… seven years to indoctrinate your brother. Seven years to turn him into his pawn. Seven years to train him in the a way of the force that is a perversion of the Dark Side. You had one year with the boy, Tyrannus had seven. Who do you think has more influence on your brother's actions in the end?" Erza was silent, "Was he there to save you from Vader? Or was he there to fulfill his master's desire for revenge? A true Sith Lord bides his time, he waits patiently, fooling all around him into believing he is dormant and non threatening. Then and only then does he strike. I will admit, if your brother desired what his master desired then he followed this rule to perfection. He even fooled you."

"YOU ARE LYING!" Erza screamed out.

"Am I?" Sidious drawled, "Search your feelings Erza. You know this to be true. The final push for Joshua to fulfill his master's desires was when the appearance of Skywalker gave him the opportunity to attack Vader, unprovoked. He was never there to rescue you."

"STOP IT! YOU ARE LYING TO ME! YOU ARE-"

"Do I have any reason to lie to you Erza Scarlet?" Sidious asked, causing Erza's trembling mouth to snap shut, "I could've very easily told Vader to kill you. I could've very easily ordered you to a labor camp. But instead, I brought you here, to me. I removed your chains, I let you keep your brother's sword, an action that should not be taken lightly. A sith's weapon is a powerful artifact after all." Sidious turned away once again and let out a sigh.

"I sense the conflict within you Erza." He said, using her name so casually that it actually sounded soothing to the redhead, "It only grows as you come to realize the truth. You have been alone all along. Ever since your return from Tenroujima you have been alone. Your guildmates, your friends, they pretended to understand your life, pretended to understand the pain. And then they attempted to make you forget it all, like it was nothing more than a bump in the road of life when in actuality all of that pain, suffering, anger and fear made you who you are today. Your brother may have loved you once, but Tyrannus ended that. And Skywalker drawing my apprentice to your planet led directly to his death. I never ordered his death. In fact, I only wished to speak to him, as I am speaking to you now. But… sometimes… the will of the force moves against our desires."

Erza's whole body was trembling and small tears began to drip from her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut.

 _He's lying to me! He's lying to me!_ She thought desperately. _But why does he make so much sense!?_ Another part of her mind replied.

"You look exhausted my dear." Sidious hand gently wrapped around her sword hand, helping her deactivate the red blade, "You need rest. Think on what I have said. When you are ready, we will speak again." He turned to his kneeling apprentice, "Lord Vader, have Thrawn escort Lady Erza to the palace. She is to have a clean, comfortable room and be given a hot meal. If she desires to cleanse herself and roam the grounds around the palace then I will allow it."

"Yes Master."

"And when this is done return to me. We have much to discuss."

Vader bowed and gently assisted Erza to her feet. The visibly shaken girl hobbled along with Vader out the door, back down the lift and into the waiting hands of Admiral Thrawn. As the shuttle lifted off and sped towards the Emperor's palace, she could only think of what the Emperor said. It replayed over and over in her mind. The entire conversation with every little detail filled her.

"I understand you enjoy a delicacy called… strawberry cake."

Erza perked up ever so slightly as Thrawn mentioned her favorite food.

"When we reach the palace, I may be able to acquire something similar." Thrawn stated smoothly.

"T-thank you." Erza stammered before withdrawing away once again.

….

Vader quickly returned to his master after delivering Erza Scarlet to Thrawn. When he arrived, the Dark Lord of the Sith's demeanor had drastically changed. And Vader knew what was coming. Currently, he was curled up on the floor in agony as lightning shot through his suit. Deep howls escaped his mask as he spasmed on the floor of the old Jedi High Council Chambers.

"You almost ruined this entire opportunity with your methods Lord Vader!" Sidious snarled as he paused his lightning barrage.

"I-I- intended to break her for you."

More lighting raked through Vader.

"Do not attempt to do anything that I wish to do myself!" Sidious snarled before sighed and finally allowing his apprentice to rise.

Vader's suit was smoldering and his breathing was hoarse. He'd have to go to the medical center immediately after this. His master was once again gazing out at the planetary surface. The bright sun of Coruscant was slowly descending beneath the horizon.

"Hopefully, I can salvage this situation." Sidious growled.

"Master, may I ask?"

Sidious glared at Vader, "Very well."

"Why her?"

It was a fair question. Sidious would give his befuddled apprentice that much.

"I always had a fascination with twisting pure things until they became unrecognizable." Sidious replied, "Between Joshua Scarlet, Skywalker, and Erza Scarlet, she was the most intriguing. She is the only force sensitive native to Earthland. Why is that? And why is she so naturally strong with the force yet so… ignorant of it at the same time? It is a puzzle Lord Vader. And I do enjoy a good puzzle."

"So you plan to turn her?"

"Of course." Sidious grinned, "Of course I do, my apprentice. I believe that now is time for the rule of two to come to an end. It has served it's purpose. Now the Sith rule the galaxy, that was it's goal. To maintain it however, we need more of us. Not too many, but more. She will be the first to come into the fold. Either through kindness or brutality, I will bring her into our line of thinking. Then we shall focus on Skywalker once again."

Vader was silent. His master was always ambitious, but this was absolutely astounding… and dangerous. Not just for Sidious but for Vader as well. If Sidious were to train Erza Scarlet and believe her to be stronger, he could cast Vader off to the wayside and continue to build the empire without him. That thought disturbed the Sith Lord tremendously.

"Did you truly kill Joshua Scarlet?" Sidious asked.

Vader gulped, "No. He escaped before I could."

Sidious hissed, but didn't turn to strike Vader. Instead, that same cunning gleam entered Sidious's eyes.

"This actually may work to our… advantage. But only if we can get Joshua Scarlet to truly fall and to embrace his heritage. That would certainly convince Erza Scarlet of our perspective on the matter."

"How do you plan to do that?" Vader asked.

Sidious chuckled, "Suggestion is a powerful tool to use with one prone to visions such as that boy. You should know that Lord Vader. The boy will fall, he will become a true Sith Lord and in turn, it will put Erza Scarlet on our side. We will make it seem as if her dear brother was that monster all along and that it was actually the rebellion that set him on that path." His eyes gleamed and he began to cackle, "It's will be glorious."

Vader nodded, that made some sense. But something still bugged him.

"Master, those two were incredibly close. Their bond in the force is strong. Stronger than most. Won't Erza Scarlet be able to sense something is off?"

Sidious again laughed, "I doubt it. Unlike her brother she is only untapped potential. She knows nothing of the Force's intricacies. And she doesn't know how to defend her mind from the powers of the Dark Side. I believe this approach will work."

"It didn't seem very convincing to me."

"You are not her Lord Vader. And... I'm giving her time to piece everything together herself. With these new 'facts' she will end up coming to the same conclusion that I implanted into her mind. And if that doesn't work, then I will simply break her. She won't be as powerful then, but," Sidious sighed, "She will still be useful."

 **And chapter! And enter THE Dark Lord of the Sith! I always felt Sidious's true powers were that of mind tricks and manipulation and I tried to put that on full display in this chapter. Hopefully it worked. Now Erza is beginning to doubt a lot of things. That's not good. And there is no one there to help her sort things out either. She just has the Emperor's words replaying in her mind over and over like a broken record. It should be interesting to see where her story arc goes from here. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	83. Chapter 83: Political Talk with Fish

**Hi everyone! I've got another rare day off, so I've got a new chapter ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 83

The streaks of light in the cockpit faded away and the Millennium Falcon screeched to a much slower pace as a massive blue orb appeared in the viewscreen. Lando Calrissian smirked and kicked his chair back as he relaxed in his chair. He shot a quick glance back at the young man standing in the cockpit doorway.

"There it is kid, Mon Cala, home of the Mon Calamari people."

Joshua's eyes widened as he took a step forward and surveyed the immense planet approaching them. The entire surface was practically one enormous ocean, although he could see some scattered specks of land on the planetary surface. The sight of it was breathtaking. Joshua had been on another planet already, but to see one from outer space was something else entirely. He could only describe it as something completely magical.

Lando noticed Joshua's jaw hanging open and his grin only widened, "Pretty amazing isn't it?"

"No kidding." Joshua breathed.

Lando nodded, "I remember my first time seeing another planet like this. Piloting a ship through its orbit and watching as each little detail slowly came into focus." he glanced back at Joshua again as the teen leaned forward to get a better view, "There is no feeling like this."

In the navigator's seat, Leia smiled a little as she watched Joshua's awestruck face light up with a genuine thrilled grin, something she thought he might've been incapable of.

"You should go get your girlfriend kid." Lando advised, "I don't know if you'll get another moment like this with her."

"I would but," Joshua glanced back down the corridor briefly before shaking his head, "She's kinda out of it."

Lando raised an eyebrow, "Out of it? You mean like Gajeel is?"

Joshua nodded, "Dragon slayers have immense power but their major weakness is transportation. They can't handle it for some reason. Wendy isn't as bad as Natsu and Gajeel but she has her… moments."

As if to answer his statement, a rush of wind whipped through the corridor and swirled around the cockpit before gently disappearing. Leia glanced wide eyed at Joshua who merely sighed.

"And there is a moment." Joshua reluctantly pushed himself away from the viewscreen, "I gotta go make sure she is ok. Let me know when we land."

"Will do."

Chewie barked in reply as well.

Joshua quickly strode down the Falcon's corridor and entered the small lounge area where everyone else waited. Lucy was sitting beside Levy, the two talking about the books they could possibly find in the new massive galaxy. Meldy was laughing at a joke Zebb told her while Rex quietly played Kanan in a game on the holotable. It was a completely different atmosphere than when the group had arrived at Lothal. Everyone seemed almost hopeful. And Joshua could feel it in the force too. The somberness of his friends had slowly faded and turned into a hardened determination.

Then… there were the three dragon slayers. Joshua sighed as he glanced over at Natsu and saw the pink haired man lying helplessly on the floor, cheeks puffed out to an enormous size and eyes pupil-less. He let out a pitiful moan before gulping and letting a small flame leak out of his mouth. Gajeel had his head resting back against the wall as he sat on a chair. His face was just as pale as Natsu's, but he was able to keep his sickness under control a little bit. Lastly there was Wendy. The Sky Dragon Slayer was curled up in a ball next to seats that lined the area around the holotable. Her entire body was trembling and her face looked greener than the dress she was wearing.

"How bad is it?" Joshua asked as he sat down beside her and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, gently stroking her arm as he tried to ease her sickness.

"Kill me now." Moaned Wendy as her cheeks puffed out.

"Can't, I like you too much." Joshua smiled before sending a small wave of the Force through her, calming her body and ending her shaking.

"Th-that's better." She shuddered.

"I thought that would help." He replied as Wendy's blue head rested on his shoulder and her brown eyes slowly closed.

At the holotable, Kanan finished his move against Rex then slowly eyed the two Earthlanders. His bearded face was a mask of indifference but years of working with Rex had allowed the old soldier to learn everything about the Jedi Knight.

"What's up with you Kanan?" Rex asked as his own dark eyes glanced back at Joshua and Wendy.

"I'm confused." Kanan replied quietly, trying to keep the conversation quiet in the crowded space.

"About what?" Rex replied before smirking, "Is it because you Jedi don't really understand relationships too well?"

"Rex." Kanan sighed, "I understand relationships just fine. I just don't understand that one."

"Why not?"

Kanan leaned closer to Rex after moving another piece on the game board, "He's a dark side user." Kanan whispered so softly that only Rex could possibly hear him, "Dark side users aren't supposed to be able to do… that."

Rex nodded, "I sorta understand, but maybe his position in the force is more complex than you are willing to believe right now."

Kanan blinked, "That was… rather insightful for you Rex."

The old soldier chuckled, "I have my moments. By the way," he moved a game piece and a loud bleep rang out from the holotable, "you just lost."

"KRIFF!" Kanan bellowed before laughing along with his old friend, "I'm a Jedi, and I still can't best you at this game."

"You will eventually." Rex chuckled before turning his head to look at the newcomer that had just entered the room.

It was the young boy he and Kanan had been introduced to earlier. His name was Luke Skywalker, an apparent Jedi learner. When Rex had originally heard Luke's surname, he was instantly filled with deep sadness as he recalled his former commander and friend. The boy's father and Rex had been very close friends during the clone wars. And he reminded Rex so much of General Skywalker. The boy seemed to be just as headstrong and reckless as his former commanding officer was. At the same time, he didn't have that same edge that Anakin Skywalker had. He seemed much more passive in his demeanor.

 _Probably got that from his mother… whoever that is._ Rex thought as the young boy sat down beside Kanan.

"So, you are really a Jedi Knight?" Luke asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I was once, yes." Kanan replied, "But… things change I suppose."

"Oh come on Kanan." Rex sighed, "You carry a lightsaber and you use the force. You are a Jedi Knight in my opinion."

"I'm only trying…" Kanan shook his head, "Look kid, I don't know if I'd be the ideal teacher for you right now. I-I already failed one apprentice. And I don't want that to happen to you as well."

Rex instantly saw the pain on Kanan's face as he recalled the memories. Rex's own face turned somber as well. But he quickly shook it off. That was over and done with now. Luke had to be trained. Even Rex, the old soldier of the dead Republic, could see that. Kanan had to see that as well.

"But… but I need to learn!" Luke exclaimed, "I-I'm not strong enough to fight against Vader and keep those around me safe. I'm not powerful enough to win this war. I need someone to teach me."

"If all you desire is power, then the path of the Jedi is not for you." Kanan rebutted calmly.

"I don't just desire power though. I want to learn about the Force." Luke pleaded, "I want to become a Jedi like my father. I want to bring peace back to the galaxy. And right now, I don't have anyone else who could teach me the right way other than you."

Kanan's blind eyes shifted as if he was staring at the boy. Rex could instantly tell what Kanan was doing. His old friend was sizing the boy up. He wasn't just gauging the boy physically, he was testing to see how strong he was in the force. After several short seconds, Kanan sighed and closed his eyes before slightly nodding.

"Very well." he breathed, "But I will not go easy on you."

Luke's lips parted into a wide smile, "Thank you Kanan!"

Kanan Jarrus nodded, "We'll see if you end up thanking me later." The ship shuddered and the sound of water rushing over the hull filled the lounge. On the floor, Natsu's moaning only grew worse.

"Boats…. I hate boats…" he muttered.

Kanan let out a heavy sigh, "I can't believe this is a weakness for them." he then returned to Luke, "When we get settled on Mon Cala, we will begin your training."

"Thank you, Master Kanan."

"Just Kanan kid." The Jedi Knight replied, "I don't deserve such a title."

Luke nodded before quickly returning to the cockpit. As he left, Joshua's hazel eyes followed him.

"You're tense." Wendy mumbled as she nestled into his side.

"It's just a natural reaction." Joshua whispered to her. He didn't want Luke or even worse, Kanan, to hear this, "I'm a Sith, and Luke wants to be a Jedi. The two side have never really coexisted together before."

Wendy glanced up at him, her face slightly clearer as the ship began to slowly come to a stop, "I'm sure you'll manage."

Joshua smiled and rubbed her shoulder, "I hope so."

….

"THAT IS THE BIGGEST FISH I HAVE EVER SEEN!" Happy crowed as he pressed his blue face against the pane of glass that allowed him to see outside of the towering underwater skyscraper.

"I know right!" Natsu replied, his grin widening as his stomach growled, "The fishing here has to be amazing!"

Off to the side, Joshua leaned against the wall of the skyscraper. His arms were crossed and head bowed as he silently stood still. Beside him was a small doorway that lead to a room full of what Leia called, very important people. And the Earthlanders were not allowed in… yet. Worst yet, Leia told the group that the rebel council may only want to speak to the leader of Earthland's group. And while Natsu and Happy oogled at the massive fish swimming outside of the building, the others were trying to formulate the best way to interact with these new galactic leaders and who could possibly be the spokesperson for Earthland. And they were getting nowhere fast.

"I sure as hell won't do it." Gajeel said gruffly, "Talking isn't my strong suit."

"And we should probably count Natsu out as well. He isn't very… diplomatic." Levy winced as Natsu and Happy shouted out their amazement at another massive creature lurking in the ocean depths of Mon Cala.

Lucy sighed, "Why is this so hard?"

"Maybe it's because…" Meldy hesitated and she glanced over at Joshua before whispering to the others, "Erza was always the leader of your group."

"She was?" Gajeel replied.

"Pretty much." Levy nodded.

"Well, if we want someone like Erza to lead us then maybe we should elect Joshua." Lucy suggested while Wendy stood quietly beside her.

"That may not be a bad idea." Gajeel nodded.

"No."

All of their heads turned to Joshua. The young man pushed himself away from the wall and finally joined the discussion.

"I won't be the leader."

"But you already are! I mean seriously, you are the only one that knows anything about this galaxy!" Meldy exclaimed.

"She has a fair point." Wendy agreed.

"I'm also not native to Earthland." Joshua noted, "I am from Serreno. And while I grew up on Earthland, that doesn't make me the best person to represent its people. Also, I'm… I'm a Sith. That's not something you want to be known as when you are trying to be diplomatic with other people in the galaxy."

"Why is that?" Levy asked.

"The Sith have a… rather complicated history with the galaxy at large. Thousands of years ago, the Sith were responsible for instigating multiple galaxy wide wars that slaughtered millions, maybe billions of people." Joshua explained, "And the evil reputation they have lingers. If I were to be named the leader of our group and representative of Earthland it would only bring scandal and make us untrustworthy in the eyes of the rebellion. That is something we cannot afford if we are to retake Earthland from the Empire and rescue Erza."

Levy nodded in understanding, "Well, I don't think I'd be a good fit. I'm way too nice and honestly, I don't have the instincts for something like this. I prefer my books."

"Me too." Wendy nodded, "I'm too nice. Even if these are the good guys, I wouldn't be able to gain much headway."

Joshua nodded, "I agree. You are too nice sometimes Wendy. That's what I love about you."

The blue haired girl smiled a little.

"Well it'd be a bad idea for me to lead us." Meldy noted, "First of all, I've got a bun in the oven. And second of all, I'm techincally a criminal and fugitive. I'm sure that wouldn't go over well at all."

"You're right, that wouldn't." Joshua replied then his eyes widened and pupils shrank, "That leaves us with… one… option." All eyes drifted over to the blonde who was standing quietly in the huddle with them.

It took Lucy a moment before she realized what exactly was going on. And once she did, she began to freak out in total Lucy fashion.

"Oh no! NO! NO! NO!" Lucy shook her head and waved her hands, "I'm not cut out for this!"

"You may be our only option." Levy stated, "You'd be great Lucy."

"I wouldn't though! I have no idea what this galaxy is like! Hell, I don't even know anything about politics at all! How in the world am I supposed to be our leader on this council thingy!?"

"Because you are the right person." Joshua replied firmly. He could feel it in the force. Ever since he had left Earthland, his body had become more attuned to it for some reason. And he could sense that Lucy was the right choice, "You have Erza's temper and determination mixed with Levy's thoughtfulness and Wendy's kindness. Lucy, you are perfect to interact with others."

"But-But-" Lucy sighed, "I don't know what to do."

Joshua placed his cybernetic hand on her shoulder, "I'll help you in any way I can. But you have to be our voice now. I know you can do it. I can feel it."

Lucy let out a heavy sigh, "If this backfires then I blame you."

"I'll take that blame."

The door hissed open and Leia stepped out with a huff. She smoothed out some ruffles in her formal gown and frowned before turning to the group from Earthland.

"Rough time?" Joshua asked.

"They think I'm absolutely crazy. If Kanan and Luke weren't there to vouch for me as Jedi, then I probably would've lost my spot on the Alliance council." Leia fumed.

"The Jedi hold that much sway?" Levy asked.

"Absolutely, and rightfully so." Leia replied, "But, I must put my current… feelings aside right now. The alliance council is ready to meet with your leader." Her eyes turned to Joshua but to her surprise, Lucy stepped forward.

"Alright, let's do this. But… Joshua is coming in with me."

Joshua hesitated, "I don't know if that is a good idea Lucy."

"I don't know anything about politics or the galaxy. You at least have some sort of knowledge on both."

"A bad side effect of my Master's teachings. I can tell you that." Joshua muttered as he recalled the political lectures Count Dooku gave him during his training. God those were so boring. But in this moment, he was glad he somewhat listened.

"I don't care." Lucy stomped, "You're coming in with me to be my…" she rubbed her chin then snapped her fingers, "Adviser! Yes, Joshua Scarlet, as the temporary ambassador of Earthland I appoint you to be my political adviser!"

"WHA!" Joshua exclaimed, "Lucy you've gone off the deep end."

"No I haven't."

"My approach to politics is the same as Erza, in that I despise it and would much rather bash someone's face in until they agreed with me than argue with them about a topic!"

"Don't care! I'm the leader, I decide. Now c'mon!" Lucy strode into the council room.

Joshua blinked then let out a frustrated sigh before muttering several curses under his breath as he followed Lucy into the council chambers.

….

The alliance council chambers were not at all what Joshua was expecting to see. He was expecting some grand space. A place so large and cavernous that the voices would echo and give each speaker a larger sense of power. Instead, the Rebel Alliance Council Chambers was a small room with roughly two to three dozen people huddled around a large table. Some were sitting in old chairs and others were standing. Some remained silent while others talked to their counterparts nearby. And to Joshua's even greater surprise, he saw that most of these 'politicians' wore military uniforms.

As soon as Leia reentered with Lucy and Joshua in tow, the entire gathering fell silent and stared at the two Earthlanders. Joshua could pick out several groups of other humans huddled together, but even they looked at him and Lucy as if they were complete and total aliens. He also recognized a few other species that were present. He did receive some cursory instruction on the many people and beings in the galaxy from Dooku. Joshua recognized the slim species of Twi'lek's from the planet Ryloth. He recognized the fish like species that called the planet they all were currently on, the Mon Calamari. He even noticed two Bith sitting in the corner, waiting patiently.

The many eyes staring at them instantly made Lucy's cheeks flush. Through the force, Joshua could sense her tension and nervousness rise. Just before she made her way to the circular table, Joshua placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Relax. It'll work out ok."

Lucy gulped then nodded as she took her place among the council. Out of the corner of his eye, Joshua saw Leia take a seat among the people he assumed were the true powers behind the Alliance. As soon as Leia sat, one woman wearing a long white dress over her incredibly slim form rose. Her red hair was cut short and her body seemed to be swallowed in the formal attire she was wearing.

"Welcome to the Rebel Alliance Council, Lady-" The woman began with a high pitched voice filled with firm authority.

"Um… Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy stammered.

The woman in white nodded, "And your companion?"

Lucy nodded over to Joshua, "He is my political adviser, Joshua Scarlet."

Joshua noticed that in the far back corner of the room two figures silently watched the proceedings. One wore a bright smile on his young face as he saw Joshua. Joshua nodded over to Luke but did not address the man standing beside him, Kanan Jarrus. Kannan was simply giving him the blind equivalent of a cold stare as he tried to study him.

"Greetings to both of you." The woman continued, "My name is Mon Mothma. I am the representative from the Chandrila System and a somewhat unofficial chairman of this council."

The comment earned a chorus of good natured chuckles from the other beings present. This action seemed to relax Lucy a little bit.

"Greetings to… uh… all of you too." Lucy smiled sheepishly. A hand shot up from a group of Togruta.

"Yes, Representative Shaama Tino?" Mon Mothma stated.

"I hope not to be rude, but what is a child doing leading the delegation from Earthland?"

Lucy's face reddened again. Not from embarrassment, but this time from irritation. Before she could speak up, Leia stood and addressed the Togruta woman.

"Earthland is it's own autonomous system under imperial tyranny. They have the right to delegate whoever they want to attend these proceedings, representative Tino. And need I remind you of my own age when I was named the delegate of Alderaan?" Leia seemed to say in a reminding tone that forced the Togrutan to return to her seat.

"They are tossing around a lot of big words, Joshua." Lucy whispered quickly.

"You don't need to remind me on that. I can barely make out what they mean too."

"You're supposed to help me with this!?"

"Just give me some time to piece some of this jargon together." Joshua hissed back.

As they finished whispering to each other, a webbed hand-maybe fin- rose in the air and a Mon Calamari in a white military uniform rose. His brown scaled skin seemed to shimmer as he stood in the room.

"Chairman, may I speak?"

Another chorus of chuckles and even the stoic faced Mon Mothma smirked a little.

"Of course Admiral. You are more than welcome to address our guests."

"Thank you." The fish like being turned to Lucy, his large bulbous eyes studying her for a moment before he cleared his throat, "Princess Leia told us many fantastical stories about what your people of capable of Lady Heartfilia. I would ask for a demonstration just so my people of Mon Cala may understand what we are housing within our walls."

Lucy steamed a little. Was this fish guys accusing her and her friends of being dangerous. Before she snapped back, Joshua nudged her and whispered in her ear. Lucy sighed and nodded.

"I would be more than happy too." Lucy said with a regal poise that shocked Joshua, "You have given us a roof over our heads. You have the right to understand what we may be capable of." Lucy reached to her belt and gripped one of her golden keys. She sighed and held it for a moment before holding it out in front of her, " **OPEN! GATE OF THE GOAT: CAPRICORN!"**

The loud doorbell sound that accompanied her spell startled the other delegates. Then a bright golden light filled the center of the table and soon a humanoid goat wearing a fancy butler's suit and shades was standing on the table.

"You have summoned me Lady Lu-" The goat paused and glanced around at the many strange beings in the room, "Lucy are we in any sort of danger?"

"Not at all." Lucy replied, "These people are here to help us. They just wanted me to demonstrate magic to them. I figured you'd be the best choice for people unfamiliar with magic to get acquainted with since you are very well… classy and smart."

"I thank you for the complete miady." The goat man bowed, "My name is Capricorn. I am one of the twelve zodiac spirits. And one of ten of such spirits voluntarily contracted to Lucy Heartfilia of the Heartfilia family. I have been her family long enough to have been contracted to her mother, Layla as well."

The many beings stared in awe and after a few moments, the stunned Mon Mothma regained her wits and spoke once again.

"Thank you very much, Lucy. And thank you as well, Capricorn."

"The pleasure was mine. Lucy, if you have no more need of me then I request to retire for the night."

"Sure, go ahead." Lucy said casually.

With another burst of golden light, Capricorn was gone.

"Well then, Princess Leia." The fish admiral remarked, "You aren't crazy after all!"

"I told you Admiral Ackbar. When have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Not often, that is for certain." Ackbar replied before turning back to Lucy, "Are all of your people capable of such feats?"

Lucy opened then closed her mouth, "Um… do you mean the friends that came with me? Or do you mean my planet as a whole?"

"We'll go with both." Mon Mothma stated.

Lucy took a deep breath, "All of my friends are capable of magic." She confirmed, "Each of us has unique abilities and spells. For example, my good friend Natsu, who is currently enthralled by the massive fish he is seeing outside," The Mon Calamari began to laugh loudly and Lucy's muscles relaxed a little more. Joshua nodded approvingly. She was getting the hang of this, "Is what is called a Fire Dragon Slayer. In layman's terms, he uses extremely powerful Fire Magic."

"And what about your advisor, Mr. Scarlet?"

Joshua snickered a little at being called Mr. Scarlet. He then stepped forward, "I am unique to Earthland. I am what you all refer to as a Force Wielder. I only recently discovered this," He lied earning a sharp glance from Lucy, "My other magic is requip, which allows me to store anything in a personal pocket dimension."

"So are you some sort of Jedi?" Mon Mothma asked, a slight tick of hopefulness in her voice.

"I am aware of the Jedi, but I am not one of them." Joshua stated, "I am simply capable of performing the same skills to a similar degree. Nothing more."

"Interesting." Admiral Ackbar nodded, "And what of the rest of your world?"

"Only a small percentage are what we call wizards." Lucy stated, "That would be those of us capable of containing and using magic within our very bodies. Most of the people in our world simply use magic as a tool of everyday life."

"Like?"

"Like communication lacrimas, vehicles, heck even candles." Lucy stated.

Some mutters came from various groups in the room but then Mon Mothma asked for silence and addressed Lucy again.

"I know this may be a sensitive subject but we need to know," Lucy gulped, "Is magic the reason your planet was invaded by the Empire?"

Lucy's eyes widened. In actuality, she had no idea why the Empire invaded. Her brown eyes darted over to Joshua for help.

"We were invaded because the Empire detected the arrival of Luke Skywalker on our planet." Joshua said bluntly, earning a harsh stare from Leia, "We were also invaded because the Empire learned of my existence and the existence of my sister. We were being monitored without our knowledge for some time. The Empire's goal is not our magic, at least not originally. Originally, their goal was the capture of Luke Skywalker, myself, and my sister, Erza Scarlet."

A lot of mutterings returned Joshua's declaration.

"How do you know this?" Mon Mothma asked sternly.

"I-" Joshua sighed, "I had an encounter on the planet with someone you know very well. In fact, he's responsible for this arm." he raised his broken right arm, "How many of you have heard of Darth Vader?"

A hush fell over the entire room and the shadows seemed to deepen as the dark name was spoken aloud.

"You mean to tell us that you faced off against the fist of the Empire and lived?" A Twi lek said stunned.

"I got very lucky." Joshua readily admitted, "In the end, the Empire was successful. They captured one of their three targets."

"Your sister, Erza Scarlet." Mon Mothma stated. Joshua nodded confirming what she said. Lucy glanced at Joshua and was amazed by how well he was containing his emotions right now. Every time Erza had been mentioned outside of this room his raw powers would leak out and disturb everyone around him. He seemed to be fighting to keep that from happening now.

"I am deeply sorry to hear that." Mon Mothma stated, "But we must continue on, can you please tell us how the Empire was able to subdue your forces. You are all very powerful in your own right obviously. So how was this possible?"

Lucy gulped and let out a shaky breath, "The Empire used a weapon of Earthland's making called Face." several audible gasps were heard around the room at the thought of the Empire having yet another super weapon, "Face was created by the Fiore magic council in order to cull any dark wizards that could've possibly taken over the continent. At least, that is the reason we were given upon it's discovery. A dark wizard guild called Tartaros used the weapon to annihilate all magic from the entire continent we lived on. They were assisted by Darth Vader. After the magic was wiped out, the Empire arrived. Beyond that, I don't know anything."

The debates among the various groups grew louder.

"Do you believe there is any resistance left on Earthland?" Admiral Ackbar asked.

"I guarantee it." Lucy said, "Face only affected one of the two major continents. The other continent, Alvarez, is powerful as well. The Empire will not find conquering Earthland to be easy. And there will be pockets of resistance in Ishgar as well."

Ackbar nodded and looked back at Mon Mothma. It was difficult for Joshua to read the Mon Calamari's expressions, but he seemed to be pleased with the answers Lucy was giving the council.

"So your people have plenty of motivation to fight the Empire."

Lucy nodded confidently, "Absolutely. We will not rest until we have rescued our friends and liberated Earthland."

"Are you willing to commit to the Rebel Alliance?"

"You will not find anyone more loyal than a Fairy Tail wizard from Earthland." Lucy exclaimed.

Mon Mothma smiled and she saw others around the room nodding in approval.

"All in favor of accepting the the sovereign planet of Earthland into the Rebel Alliance, say Aye."

A loud chorus of ayes filled the room from every delegation. Joshua could see Lucy beaming while Leia looked especially pleased in her seat as she shouted Aye.

"And all opposed?" Mon Mothma asked.

No one said nay at first. Then one voice piped up from the far corner of the room, stunning everyone.

"Nay!"

Stepping from his place was Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight. The shocked expressions on everyone's faces, especially Lucy, said more than any words could've.

Mon Mothma shoved past her initial surprise and returned to her stoic demeanor, "And why do you object Master Jedi?"

Kanan Jarrus glared at Joshua, "He is a force wielder, no doubt. But he is dripping in the Dark Side of the Force!" He accused, "I have sensed it. And as we all know, the Dark Side of the Force is not to be trusted!"

For the first time in the entire meaning, a flash of anger crossed Joshua's calm face.

"You question me Jedi!?" Joshua snarled, the room suddenly growing a little cold, "I have lost someone to this war and I haven't even become a part of it yet. And it wasn't just anyone! It was the person who raised me! It was the person who is the only family I have ever had! If you doubt my loyalty to this cause, then you are a poor judge in character. I want to see the empire crumble. I want to see it destroyed. I want Vader's skull beneath my boot for what he did to my sister!" Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he watched the Jedi stare down the young Sith, "If you reject my peoples assistance very well. But that will be your loss. We will still fight for our own. And we will liberate our people, with or without your help."

The room stayed silent for a moment before Admiral Ackbar spoke up again.

"Master Jedi, I believe that our best course of action is to allow Earthland into the alliance. We must put personal feelings and… prejudices aside in order to accomplish the greater goal of our alliance. The Empire must fall, any petty disputes must be put aside till a later date."

Joshua's hazel eyes stared violently at Kanan's opaque ones. Then to Kanan's great shock, he saw the hazel flicker crimson for just a brief moment. That moment though was enough to confirm his suspicions. But he knew better right now. The council was united against him, he couldn't accuse someone like Joshua of being a Sith if his cause was just.

"Very well." Kanan growled, "But you will stay away from Luke Skywalker. He is to be a Jedi, and I do not want the dark side corrupting him."

"You don't even have to say that twice." Joshua snarled back before Kanan walked away.

The temperature returned to normal in the room and it felt like a ton had been lifted from everyone's shoulders.

"Alright… excellent." Mon Mothma breathed, "Now, as to our next course of action," She looked at Lucy, "How would your friends feel about military training?"

….

An hour later, Lucy and Joshua finally exited the council chambers along with every other delegate. As soon as they exited, their friends rushed up to them, eager to hear about what happened.

"What's going on now?" Gajeel asked gruffly.

"Yeah! Who am I gonna punch? And do I get to fish here!?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Mmmm… fish." Happy smiled hungrily.

Lucy raised her hands trying to calm everyone down. Then Meldy piped up.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND LET HER TALK!"

The others fell silent.

"Thank you Meldy." Lucy muttered before turning back to the others, "We have been accepted into the Rebel Alliance. In exchange for fighting the Empire on their side, they will help us liberate Earthland and rescue Erza."

"WHOOOHOO!" Everyone cheered then Natsu paused.

"What's Liberiate?"

"Damn it now I'm using the big words!" Lucy exclaimed before letting out a long sigh and shuffling along with the others to their living quarters, "Politics is exhausting."

"Not as exhausting as what is about to happen." Joshua said.

"That being?" Wendy asked.

"They are going to teach you all how to fly starships." Joshua cringed.

Wendy and Gajeel's eyes widened and their pupils shrank to a pinpoint. Natsu on the other hand, naively cheered.

"You mean vehicles?" Wendy shuddered.

That forced Natsu to stop cheering.

"V-vehicles." He shook.

Joshua nodded and sighed, "Many mistakes are about to be made." He then pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "I've got a very bad feeling about this."

 **And chapter! That was a fun chapter! Slower, not a lot of action, but I felt that it was important to get Earthland officially part of the rebel alliance. And now, hijinks will ensue next chapter. It is going to be interesting and not pretty. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	84. Chapter 84: A Night at the Opera

**Hello again everyone! Back with a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 84

"DON'T PUT ME IN THAT THING!"

Natsu's long screams could be heard echoing loudly through the cavernous hangar on the outskirts of Mon Cala city. The dragon slayer had been thrashing around as he attempted to resist the multiple rebel pilots trying to shove him into a cube shaped machine that hovered atop a small pedestal. Needless to say, Natsu instantly figured that this thing was some sort of vehicle. And now he was doing everything in his power to keep away from the cursed object. In fact, his violent thrashing had attracted the attention of every engineer and pilot in the place. It dragged them all away from their work on their starfighters so that they could all watch the entertainment unfold before their eyes.

"You have to Natsu!" Lucy shouted back as she attempted to shove the fire dragon slayer through the small hatch, "This is part of the… *grunt* deal I made with the Alliance! You need to learn to fly!"

"I can fly with Happy!" Natsu protested loudly.

"Not in space, you can't!"

"Says who!?"

"Says nature!" Lucy shouted back.

"I'm gonna punch nature then!"

Off to the side Gajeel was doing his best to suppress his laughter while Levy looked on as the fiasco unfolded in front of them. To the left of Levy, Wendy was mumbling under her breath about the machine that Natsu was so desperate to avoid. She had just finished her time in it. Levy and Joshua were the only ones around to watch. When she entered the cube, it hovered several feet off the ground before twisting, turning, and twirling about randomly. The entire session for Wendy lasted two minutes before the emergency release was hit inside of the cube. The cube was instantly lowered and Wendy came falling out, her eyes spinning and mouth agape. Needless to say, that was the exact moment Natsu, Gajeel, Lucy, and Meldy entered the hangar.

"Oh for pete's sake!" Joshua muttered as he stood beside the traumatized Wendy, "Natsu needs to grow a pair and just get in the thing!"

"If it's that easy then why don't you do it?" Wendy mumbled.

Joshua glanced at her and nodded, "Alright I will!"

"NOPE! NOT GETTING IN!" Natsu roared loudly.

"You will and you'll like it!" Lucy scolded.

"LIAR!"

Joshua sighed and weaved through the many pilots until he reached the cube shaped flight simulator.

"I think I should show Natsu that this is safe." Joshua whispered to Lucy.

"That shouldn't be necessary." Lucy grumbled as she folded her arms.

"It might be now."

He then gently moved Natsu away from the hatch. As soon as Joshua moved towards the machine, more rebel pilots gathered around. Word had spread that the young eighteen year old from Earthland was a force sensitive. The legends of force sensitive pilots being unstoppable in combat was not lost on the many men in their orange flight suits. Some had even seen a force sensitive pilot expertly shoot down Tie Fighters with ease. That person of course being the famous Luke Skywalker. To say that the expectations were high for Joshua would've been an understatement.

His left hand clasped the overhead bar and Joshua tossed himself into the cube. He quickly strapped himself into the rough seat on the inside before shutting the door. Darkness engulfed him, then a large screen winked on in front of him.

"Loading…" Joshua read as green lettering crossed the screen. _Well, while the machine gets ready, may as well see where everything is at._

It was a basic simulator. A simple yoke rested in front of Joshua, just between his thighs. To his right was the accelerator where he could adjust the speed of his simulated fighter.

The loading screen blinked several more times before a space filled with small white dots that represented stars filled his screen. Then a voice called out overhead.

" _Greetings, welcome to… .Simulator. I am your guide, RFI."_

Joshua rolled his eyes. _Great! An annoying robot!_

" _Let's start with basic maneuvers…."_ A prompt appeared on screen, " _Bank right."_

Joshua read the instructions and heard the voice. But the meaning of it all escaped him. He blinked then cocked his head to the left.

"The fuck does that mean? Bank right?"

All of a sudden, the screen changed and new lettering came on the screen.

" _Battle simulation entered. Yavin-4 trench run… start."_

Joshua gulped, "Wait… what?"

Then the world began to rapidly spin out of control.

….

All was quiet in the hangar for a few moments as the cube stayed shockingly still. A rebel pilot that was standing next to Lucy raised an eyebrow then leaned over to her.

"What is he doing?"

"Are you seriously asking me, Pilot… uh…"

"Wedge." The dark haired man replied.

"Yeah. You are seriously asking me?"

Wedge thought about it for a moment then shrugged, "Fair point."

A new set of footsteps moved up next to Lucy. The blonde's eyes shifted to see the blind, bearded Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus stepping up beside her. His face was like stone, emotionless and unreadable. It put Lucy off just a little bit. Her opinion of him was also worsened by the fact that he was the only one to say nay to Earthland becoming a part of the Rebel Alliance. Lucy got the distinct impression that the reason behind that action was because Kanan didn't trust Joshua, even though Joshua had just rescued him from Imperial imprisonment.

"What do you want?" Lucy grumbled, not wanting to have anything to do with the ungrateful Jedi Knight.

"I want to observe." Kanan replied monotonously, "He's a force sensitive, so he should be a natural at flying."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Really." Kanan nodded, "Of course, some are better than others among Jedi and other force users. But all of us have an affinity for flying."

"Huh…" Lucy glanced back at the simulator, "Then the basics should be no problem for him."

"I agree… that's why I loaded a battle simulation."

Lucy's eyes widened and her gaze whipped back over to the grinning Jedi, "You. Did. What?"

"I loaded a battle simulation."

The cube then came alive. It began to spin uncontrollably before abruptly stopping and then flipping end over end several times. Then Lucy could hear a muffled voice coming from the cube.

"FUCK… THIS… SHIT!"

" _Emergency stop activated."_ An artificial voice sounded as the simulator stopped rolling and came back to it's resting position.

The hatch burst open and every pilot and wizard in the room held their breath. One, black boot stepped out onto the pedestal. It tapped the floor for a moment, as if testing if the floor was actually there before another boot appeared. This foot however, was shaking ever so slightly. Finally, Joshua pulled himself out of the simulator.

His face was ghostly pale and his eyes were out of focus. He carefully stood up out of the simulator, his right hand supporting him as he leaned against the cube. A long, heavy sigh escaped his lips before he rolled his shoulders and took one step forward.

*WHAM*

Lucy winced as Joshua face planted onto the cold, metal floor. The entire hangar was silent for a brief moment before every rebel pilot burst out into laughter. The only Earthlander laughing though, was Gajeel. The others just stared at the cube in absolute terror.

"What were the results?" Kanan asked a man at a console across from the cube.

The rebel wiped a tear away as he chuckled, "He… he crashed three times in under a minute. Those are the worst sim results we've ever seen!"

"Shut up…" Groaned Joshua on the floor as he struggled to regain his wits, "I could beat the crap outta you if I wanted too!"

"I'll just fly away then." The rebel laughed before walking away.

Even Kanan was shocked by what he had just heard. Joshua was a force sensitive, and he wasn't shot down in the battle sim… he crashed. He crashed three times in under a minute. That was what all the rolling and spinning was all about!

"So… he's a force user," Kanan muttered, "Yet a miserable pilot."

"Looks that way. Guess your belief is just a stereotype." Lucy sighed.

"Or he's just a rare exception."

Lucy gave Kanan a harsh glance that made the Jedi Knight take a half a step back. He then collected himself and bowed.

"If you'll excuse me, Luke wants to start training immediately." The Knight quickly left the room.

Lucy frowned as she watched Kanan leave.

"I don't like him." She mumbled.

"Yeah… *groan*..." Joshua finally got back up to his feet. His left hand rubbed a lump on his forehead as he looked over at Lucy, "Join the club."

"Was it really that bad?" Lucy asked.

Joshua's face paled a little bit again before he gulped, "I don't really wanna talk about it." he then looked back at the cube and clenched his fist, "And I am for damn sure, never… ever… getting back in that thing!"

"B-but the deal-"

"Can be burnt to a crisp by Natsu for all I care. I am not flying ever again!"

"Maybe real flying isn't so bad!" Lucy protested, "This was just a simulator."

Joshua began to storm out of the hangar, "Exactly! It was just a simulator, and I hated it!" The blast doors opened then quickly closed as he left.

Lucy bowed her head in defeat then glanced over at Natsu.

"There's no way you are getting in now is there?"

Natsu fervently shook his head. Lucy then looked over at Gajeel who also shook his head.

"I won't." Meldy stated, "I shouldn't." she rubbed her stomach, "I don't want things getting shaken up down there."

"Gross?" Gajeel mumbled.

"I'll do it!" Levy replied, "I'm always up for learning new stuff."

Lucy smiled anxiously, "Great! Thank you Levy." _Here's hoping this one goes better!_

Levy rushed to the simulator while Wendy staggered over to Lucy, still trying to recover from her few moments in the the cube.

"How are you feeling?"

Wendy moaned, "That's is more horrible than any train or boat in existence." Lucy sweatdropped, "I won't be getting in again." Wendy then glanced over at the blast doors along with Lucy.

"So, where'd your boyfriend storm off to this time?" Lucy asked.

"Knowing him, he's probably found a dark corner to sit and think in." Wendy replied, "I'll go make sure he doesn't hurt anyone."

"Thank you." Lucy replied before returning her attention to the simulator where Levy was slowly proving to be an absolute natural.

….

Her brown eyes quickly shot open and she fully expected to see the same shadow covered metal ceiling above her that she had grown used to. Instead, she saw a beautiful, ornately carved ceiling above her that was now illuminated by dim lights along the walls. Erza's panicked breathing slowly subsided as she realized that she was no longer in her cell on the Executor. She was now in an incredibly comfortable queen sized bed, wrapped up in soft, warm blankets. A shaky hand ran up to her forehead and rubbed it as she attempted to calm her racing mind.

 _Right…_ she thought, _I'm_ _in the Emperor's palace now._ She always had to remind herself of that. Even though she had been confined to this place for over a week now, she had not grown used to the sudden comforts that came with it.

Erza slowly sat up in the bed, supporting her weight on her elbows. She quickly studied her surroundings, noting the expensive looking furniture that lined the walls of the large bedroom. For a man that wore black robes and looked like a walking corpse, the Emperor had lavish taste. Her brown eyes turned to her left and she saw a massive, panoramic window that made up the entire wall. The view took the red head's breath away.

Coruscant was one of the few planets in the galaxy that actually looked better at night than during the day. During the day, the planet looked drab. It was a concrete and durasteel jungle with hardly any color. But at night, the city truly came to life. Erza looked out to see millions of light twinkling like stars in the Coruscant skyline. Speeders raced by at breathtaking speeds, like shooting stars across the dark city scape. Neon signs of all colors illuminated the lower levels hundreds of stories below Erza. Occasionally a large transport would slowly lumber down into the city from orbit, providing a bright flash of light that lit up the entire room she was in.

"Wow…" Erza breathed. The view always took her breath away. Especially at night.

She was so captured by the view that she didn't even notice when the door to her room hissed open.

"Amazing view, isn't it?" The melodic voice of Admiral Thrawn asked.

Erza's heart jumped to her throat and she spun around to see the Chiss admiral gracefully walking up to the window, his red eyes never breaking from the red head. He stared at her for a moment before tearing his eyes away and looking out at the city.

"Coruscant is an ugly planet usually. It's filthy, drab, and corrupt. But all of those things are covered up by the darkness." Thrawn noted, "The night then makes this metal covered rock shockingly marvelous. I would dare say, that if Coruscant's sun never existed I may actually take up residence on this planet." Thrawn looked back at the wary Erza then continued, "But… I much prefer my homeworld to this place."

"Homeworld?" Erza asked quietly.

"You think my home is a Star Destroyer?" Thrawn replied, "That assumption would be incorrect. While an admiral should be at home aboard his vessel, I always considered my ship to be a second home. Csillia is my true home. I much prefer it's barren glaciers to this concrete jungle."

"It's a planet made of ice?" Erza said stunned.

"You would be surprised by how many ice planets there are." Thrawn noted, "The galaxy is a big place, filled with many spectacular worlds. All of them are unique in their own way. I always found joy in studying what makes each new world I learn about unique. It is how I became such an effective commander?"

"Really?" Erza was now interested.

"Indeed, if one is to defeat their enemy, one must know their enemy." Thrawn said, "Not just their tactics and weapons. You must know their culture, their philosophy, their art. That will put you inside of their mindset. You acquire their way of thinking. Then you can predict what they will do and use that knowledge to your advantage." Thrawn turned away from the window and looked at Erza, "I have been assigned to bring Earthland under the domain of the Empire. But, as you told Lord Vader earlier… there is another civilization on the planet. Alvarez, I believe that is what you called them. I was wondering if you could… enlighten me on them. Tell me about your world."

Erza's eyes narrowed, "Why would I do that after what you just told me?"

"Because, I find knowing the enemy to also make negotiations much easier. It helps avoid further bloodshed." Thrawn replied.

Erza scowled, "If you think you will simply be able to negotiate with my friends then you are horribly mistaken. They will never speak to you. Not after what Vader did to them."

Thrawn nodded, "I understand that rationale. I strive to learn all I can about everything. I wil eventually come to understand the people of Earthland as well, with or without your help. I just figured it was worth a try talking to you." Thrawn folded his hands behind his back and walked to the door. As the door to the room hissed open Thrawn glanced back at Erza, "By the way, the Emperor wishes to speak with you once again. But… you will need some formal attire. He wants to attend an Opera with you. I will be your escort. A droid will stop by with some clothes for you while you freshen up."

The door closed, leaving Erza alone in the room. She rubbed her left arm and gulped as she stared out the window, looking for comfort in the incredible view. She knew that the Emperor would come calling for her, ever since they had first spoken at the top of the Jedi Temple. He had even told her that he would speak with her again soon. She just wished it wasn't this soon. She was still so conflicted about so much. Everything the Emperor had told her that day still lingered in her mind. It pestered and pulled on her thoughts, never leaving her alone. The time spent alone in the palace, confined to this room, made the doubt in her worse as the Emperor's words festered inside of her. She shook her head and stared at the reflection in the window.

Her face looked gaunter. Her cheekbones were far more pronounced now. It looked like she hadn't eaten in days, which was exactly the case when she was aboard the Executor. Even now, she struggled to eat. There was just too much going on for her to focus on herself. A heavy sigh escaped her pale lips.

"I need some strawberry cake." That always helped her mood. "And a hot shower." That would definitely help her mood.

….

The opera was in full swing when the speeder pulled up to the massive Coruscant opera house. Thrawn hissed as the doors to the speeder opened.

"We are very late!" he snarled at Erza as he not so gently pulled her out of the speeder.

"It's not my fault that this stupid dress is difficult to get into!" Erza snapped back.

Thrawn gave her a cold glance, "It would be best for you to watch your tongue. The Emperor is not a patient man."

Erza closed her mouth and silently followed the admiral into the opera house. Erza's wide eyes stared in wonder at the sights around her. She saw beings that not even her imagination could've come up with. And all of them wore lavish clothing and looked incredibly well off in life. All of them were blissfully unaware of the Empire's true nature. And they didn't care. As long as their life of luxury went uninterrupted, they were content. And this disgusted Erza. How could these people ignore what their ruler was doing to the billions of people in the galaxy? She couldn't wrap her head around it.

Thrawn stopped in front of a large balcony and pulled Erza into the auditorium. The balcony had six seats in it, but only one was occupied. Erza's breath got stuck in her throat as she saw the familiar hooded figure that had plagued her thoughts. A round of applause broke out through the auditorium as the Emperor turned to looked at Erza.

"Welcome Lady Scarlet." he smiled, face still completed shadowed out by the deep hood. Only his sickly, yellow eyes were visible, "I was beginning to think you would never arrive."

"The dress was a little difficult to fit into." Erza replied honestly.

The Emperor's eyes scanned over her form, "But you look ravishing in it." He held out a hand to the seat on his right, "Please… join me. This is a spectacular production."

Erza gulped and quickly sat down in the seat beside the Emperor, her right left crossing over her left. Being this close to the man allowed Erza to finally see some facial features. And it horrified her. The man looked scarred and deformed. His forehead was line with deep trenches while his eyes were ringed with wrinkles that etched long lines on his face. His lips were wrinkled and pale while his skin was so pale it was practically see through.

"It's not a pretty sight… is it?"

Erza averted her eyes and looked back at the opera as more applause broke out through the crowd.

"The Jedi did this to me." The Emperor continued, drawing Erza's attention once again, "I was merely doing my job as Chancellor at the time. Trying to end a war that had been drawn out by the corrupt governmental processes when they stormed into my office and attempted to assassinate me. What you see is the result. Although, being old has not helped much."

Erza remained silent.

"Did you know… that this is the same opera that I saw with my apprentice years ago."

Erza raised an eyebrow, "Which one?"

"Ah… I see your brother shared with you the tales of my teachings." The Sith Lord's lips curled into a smirk, "I actually saw this opera with Lord Vader, before he was imprisoned into that suit he wears now. We… we were both much younger then. Far more ambitious, far more powerful." His smirk faded away, "In speaking of your beloved brother… have you given any thought to what we discussed?"

Erza bit her lip and let out a long breath. She didn't realize it, but she was shaking. No one in her entire life had made her this afraid before. And she didn't even know why. The Emperor had been nothing but kind to her since she had met him. But it seemed like his very presence sent a cloud of terror over her that refused to go away. It was so thick that she struggled to form words to reply to him.

"I-um-"

"You are still very conflicted." The Emperor noted, "I sense as much. It is not easy to be exposed to the truth about a loved one. Especially if that truth is contrary to everything you believed about them."

Erza let out a shaky breath then shook her head, "I-" A sudden resolve took over her as she felt something tug in her heart. She had felt that tug before. Back at the Eclipse gate when she was battling Darth Sanguine, and back in Tartaros guild hall when she had desperately hoped Joshua would arrive to rescue her. She had no idea what this tug was, but it always occurred when her little brother was on her mind. A new resolve formed in her mind. Her brother would never betray her. She knew that. It wasn't in his character at all to do that. Joshua was the most caring, loving person she knew. Even if he had a tendency to have an explosive outburst. She gave the Emperor a cold stare that would've made the hardiest warrior shudder.

"You are lying to me." She snarled, "You are manipulating me." The Emperor's grin quickly disappeared, "My brother… is my family! That is a concept you obviously fail to understand. Family does not betray family. They stick together, through it all. And they would never abandon each other for some dead Sith Lord's revenge. I will not dishonor Joshua's memory by doubting his character!"

The Emperor's face contorted into a scowl, "That is… unfortunate to hear. I had such high hopes for you Erza. If you had given in willingly, then maybe you would have grown to rival Lord Vader. But now, I have two choices," The area grew so cold that Erza felt like she would freeze solid. Of to the side, Thrawn nervously gulped, "I could kill you. That would eliminate one threat very easily." Erza's blood turned to ice in her veins and her heart began to race, "Or… I could break you. I could turn you into a very valuable asset. Even if your full potential is never reached, you would still prove to be a wonderful ally." The Emperor nodded, "Yes… your potential is too great to toss away so callously."

Erza's eyes widened and her heart practically stopped as she felt dark tendrils enter her mind. Her defenses instantly crumbled to the sudden onslaught of the Dark Side of the Force. Her face contorted in pain as she bellowed a silent scream. The opera was reaching it's climax. Choruses of voices rose around her and the music grew louder and louder. Memories raced through her mind. It felt like she was reliving every moment of her life in vivid detail. All of it replayed to the sound of violins in her ears. As each memory came into her view, it disappeared and dissolved into nothingness as Sidious tore through her mind, ravaging it as he broke her mind and spirit. She tried to fight back, but the more she fought the more pain it brought her.

The final note was hit in the opera. The voice of the performers rose higher and higher, creating a cacophony of noise in the room the held everyone on the edge of their seats. Erza's silent scream became a full blown howl as her voice joined the final chorus. Her pupils dilated to the point that all the brown in her eyes had given way to the black void. Veins pulsed beneath her skin. Her strenght was gone. All fight in her was gone. The Emperor's frown was quickly turning into a triumphant grin and his yellow eyes glowed brighter and brighter as he tarnished the pure Erza Scarlet.

"The light is gone…" he croaked as he began the final assault on her, "Those bonds you hold so dear, they shall shatter beneath the might of the dark side," Erza's back arched and her hands gripped the armrests to tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her memories of her friends appeared before her. The ones she cherished the most came… then went in a flash.

"You have no friends." The last image of Natsu and Gray faded to nothing, "You have no family," Images of Grandpa Rob, Master Makarov, Jellal, and Joshua crumbled to dust, "You have nothing. You are nothing. You are simply mine." The Emperor rose from his seat, his yellow eyes never leaving Erza's paralyzed form. Finally the memory of Jellal giving Erza her last name appeared. "You are not Erza Scarlet." The memory disappeared, "You are no one." He growled lowly. The final note was almost done, "You are nothing. You are simply my… servant."

Erza's body went limp in the chair as the dark side of the force finally exited her destroyed mind. And the opera house was silent. Then there was an eruption of applause.

 **And chapter! I thought about mostly concentrating on the wizards learning to fly, but… I wasn't entirely sure how to go about that. I always did plan on Joshua being a miserable pilot though. I think bucking the trend that all force users are great pilots is just a fun thing to do. And while i wanted to show the dragon slayers in X wings, let's face it, the rebellion wouldn't let anyone into a starfighter that had never even operated a single advanced vehicle before. They don't have the resources to afford several crashed Xwings. So I cut that part a little short and instead decided to focus on Erza for the majority of this chapter. And things are not looking good for her. I wonder what's going to happen next? Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	85. Chapter 85: A Very Stupid Idea

**Hi again everyone! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 85

It had been over a week since the Millennium Falcon blasted off from Lothal and arrived on Mon Cala. Overall, it had been a fairly uneventful week for most of the rebel forces on the planet. Many went about their daily menial tasks; repairing fighters, updating droids, gathering data about the Empire from all corners of the galaxy. A few decided to hang around with the newest members of the Rebellion, the wizards of Earthland.

To the rebels, they were a very strange bunch. Physically they all stuck out like sore thumbs. Their hair color was incredibly vibrant ranging from pink to dark blue. Every one of them was in incredible physical condition and many of the male rebel soldiers were caught ogling at the Earthland women that had arrived on the planet with Princess Leia and General Skywalker. Personality wise, they were the life of the party among the rebel soldiers. Every night involved some sort of brawl between the Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox. It became so constant a thing that some of the soldiers began to place bets on who was going to win on that particular day. Meldy was always sharing a good laugh with the rebels, her cheerful attitude always helping to lift the mood of the watery world. Levy was always with the Rebel intelligence officers, absorbing facts about the galaxy from them like a sponge. And when she wasn't learning from the holonet (something she found to be absolutely amazing), she was practicing her piloting skills. In fact, the petite bluenette was a natural talent at flying and had earned praise from the Rebel's best pilots.

Wendy was often with the medical crews on Mon Cala. As a healer she wanted to learn more about how to help the sick and injured. The novelty of bacta was stunning to the Sky Dragon Slayer and she quickly adopted the treatments into her own repertoire of potions and remedies. Meanwhile, the Rebel doctors were stunned by her healing abilities that put many of their medical droids to absolute shame.

Poor Lucy was now constantly running back and forth between meetings and negotiations. After being selected as the leader of Earthland, she was finding out that there was a lot more to being a political figurehead than talking fancy. Thankfully she grew up rich. That upbringing allowed her to tap into mannerisms that she had repressed for a long time since she found her freedom in Fairy Tail. It only took a couple of meetings and high society dinners for her to grow accustomed once again to the nature of politics and elegance. Among the Rebellion, even though she had only been among their leaders for just over a week, she was being regarded as an admirable leader and shrewd individual.

Then finally, there was the one that every Rebel who was smart knew to avoid, Joshua Scarlet. There was something about him that made everyone in the base on Mon Cala nervous. His presence seemed to darken every room he entered. The only ones that seemed unaffected by it were the others from Earthland. But that was probably due to the fact that they were used to his overwhelming presence that made everyone else shiver a little. In fact, the only non-Earthland beings to interact with the enigmatic man were Leia Organa, Mon Mothma, Kanan Jarrus, and Luke Skywalker, although his interactions with the two Jedi were exceedingly rare. The strange man mostly kept to himself. He would stay in his quarters for hours on end. And when he wasn't in there, he was at the combat yard, drilling himself with his white lightsaber and incredible powers. The only person who almost always interacted with him was Wendy. The young healer was always beside him in the Mess Hall or when they weren't busy with their new activities. When they were together, the rebel soldiers thought they actually saw something that resembled a human in the brown haired man.

Currently, it was dinner time on Mon Cala. The sun that dimly shone through the deep waters was beginning to set and many soldiers began to file into the mess hall for their usual meal. The Earthland wizards had confined themselves to their own corner of the mess hall, although they were more than happy to let others join them in their rowdy feasts. And several did on this occasion, including rebel ace Wedge Antilles and the young Jedi, Luke Skywalker (much to the chagrin of his teacher, Kanan Jarrus, who was sitting on the far side of the hall).

Everyone was engaged in some form of conversation. Joshua and Wendy were quietly talking to each other, bright smiles on their faces. That was a strange sight for Wedge and Luke. Meldy was telling another tall tale about how her guild, Crime Sorciere, had taken down a massive monster a hundred feet tall. Despite some of the facts being exaggerated, it was still a thrilling story. Natsu and Gajeel weren't talking. They were having an eating contest. Whoever could eat the most would win. Finally, Levy was reading a datapad as she wore red glasses. Luke glanced over and saw the datapad scrolling at an unbelievably fast rate.

"Are you even reading that?" The young Jedi asked.

Levy paused and nodded, "These glasses are enchanted so that I can read and comprehend information at a much faster pace than normal. I find them especially helpful when I'm doing research on a topic I don't understand but find fascinating."

Luke nodded, "And what topic is it this time?"

"The Hutts and Hutt space." Levy glanced at Luke, "I don't get it… if the Empire is so powerful, then why can't they bring that section of space under foot. Why is it so difficult for them?"

Luke shrugged, "I always thought it was because the Hutts control most of the outer rim. And to be honest, no one, and I mean no one, really cares about the Outer Rim."

Levy nodded, "I guess that makes some sense. I just find it fascinating that a whole section of the galaxy is run pretty much by the mafia."

"What's a mafia?" Luke asked.

"It's what we call large criminal organizations on Earthland."

Luke made an oh expression and glanced away from Levy to see a weary blonde trudge over to the table, food piled up high on a small tray as she sat down at the table.

"You look tired." Luke said as he greeted Lucy.

"Amazing observation captain obvious." Lucy replied with weary sarcasm. She yawned loudly before digging into her food and taking a sip of blue milk, "God… politics is exhausting. So much talking and fake smiling. It reminds me of being rich again."

Luke arched an eyebrow, "You were rich?"

Lucy nodded as she chewed on a mouthful of food, "Uhuh, my family, the Heartfilias, we are one of the richest families in the country of Fiore."

"But not anymore?"

"I'm not anymore." Lucy corrected, "I left that all behind. I didn't want it." she took another swig of blue milk, "I wanted a life of adventure and magic. I ran away and found Fairy Tail." she smiled over at Natsu as he rubbed his incredibly full stomach, "I found my real family."

Luke smiled, "I can understand that. I always wanted to leave the farm back home on Tatooine. Live a life of adventure and action." he laughed lightly to himself, "I think now that I look back on it all, I bit off a little more than I could chew."

"Didn't we all." Lucy replied.

The light hearted mood was suddenly interrupted by a sudden chill that went through everyone. It crawled down Luke's spine and made his hair stand on end as fear filled his very being. At the far end of the room, Kanan had bolted to his feet and stared dead on at Joshua. Lucy instantly recognized the source and her brown eyes shot towards the young man as the mess hall fell silent.

Joshua had stopped eating. His hands were shaking and the fork in his left hand was crunching in his tight grip. The breaths coming out of his lungs were shallow and raspy and his eyes were wide. Wendy wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Joshua? Are you-"

"Erza…" Joshua gasped before dropping the mangled fork from his left hand and running his hand through his spiky hair, "She's… she's…" He shot up from his seat and quickly raced out of the mess hall towards his small quarters.

"Joshua!" Wendy called after him as she gave chase.

"What's going on?" Luke asked as the chill remained despite Joshua's exit.

Lucy gulped, "Something's gone wrong. Joshua is very sensitive to… the force I suppose. I don't really understand it much. None of us hear really do. But he is prone to… visions."

"Visions?" Luke muttered.

Lucy nodded, "They always seem to come true too. He had a vision of a dragon attacking us on an island when he was ten. He had a vision of the Grand Magic Games being attacked by an ungodly force. He even had a vision of you. Several of you actually. That's why he isn't very friendly too you. His visions are kinda painful for him."

"And you think this is another vision?"

"That's not what this is." Kanan Jarrus said firmly as he took a seat beside Luke, "This is different. If this were a vision, then this entire place wouldn't have felt evil."

Luke gulped, "Then what was it?"

"I'm not sure. He mentioned a name, his sister… Erza." Kanan turned to Lucy, "How close was he to Erza?"

"The two were practically inseparable." Lucy replied, "Erza taught Joshua almost everything he knows about fighting and being a Fairy Tail wizard. She helped raise him." Lucy then caught herself, "Well… I guess with Joshua having received other forms of training, Erza taught Joshua some of what he knows about fighting. She is the only family he has ever really had. And, I guess it's the same with Erza too. She had close friends, but family like Joshua was something new for her."

Kanan nodded and rubbed his chin, "I have a feeling something bad has just happened then." He rose from his seat, "C'mon Luke, we need to go speak with him."

"But you told me to avoid him?"

"And you haven't exactly been doing that have you?"

Luke frowned and sighed, "You got me there."

Kanan nodded, "I don't' know if you sensed it or not. But that chill did not come from Joshua, it came from something else and it impacted Joshua. We need to find out what is going on." The two quickly left the Mess hall.

….

Wendy raced after Joshua as he quickly turned the corner and entered his quarters. She slipped into the room before he could shut the door behind him.

The room was pretty basic. A simple cot lined the far wall with a small nightstand beside it. A lamp hung from the ceiling and lit up the small space with a soft glow. The nearest wall had a door in it that led to a small bathroom. A simple blue rug lined the floor. The entire place gave off a simple, yet peaceful feeling. It was why Joshua had chosen this room to stay in. But that peaceful feeling had been driven away today. Above Wendy, the lamp flickered and the furniture in the room began to shudder involuntarily as Joshua dropped to a knee and gasped for breath.

Wendy saw that his eyes were squeezed shut. His jaw was tightly clenched to the point where she could hear his teeth creaking as they ground together. The cot on the far end of the room began to rise in the air. Then the nightstand slowly floated up as well. The dark feeling in the room grew thicker and the air grew dense. Wendy at this point stopped observing and rushed up to Joshua. She quickly knelt down beside him and pulled him close to her. As soon as this happened, the cot and the nightstand dropped to the floor with a loud bam. The lights in the room stopped flickering and the air grew lighter once again.

"Josh, what's wrong?" Wendy asked softly.

"Erza…" She then heard droplets of water fall softly onto the rug below them. He was crying.

"What about Erza?" Wendy asked, terrified to know the answer.

Joshua rubbed his face and sniffled, "Um…" Some more tears dribbled down his face, "When you are really close to someone, you form something called a force bond. It's like the ultimate form of attachment." he explained through heavy gasps and sniffles, "That bond can weaken but it never truly breaks. It… it never can be broken. The only way a force bond can possibly break, is through… d-death."

Wendy's eyes widened and she stayed silent.

"I-I," Joshua shuddered and let out a long sigh, "I f-felt my b-bond with Erza sh-shatter."

Wendy's breath got stuck in her throat. What did he mean by that? Was Joshua saying that Erza is dead? Wendy let out a shaky breath.

"Joshua…"

"Don't-" He snapped before sobbing again, "I know what I sensed! I know what I sensed!" He let out a loud sob, "She's gone Wendy! Erza… Erza is gone!"

Wendy didn't exactly know what to say right now. What could she say? If Joshua was right, if what he sensed was true, then the only true family he ever had was dead now. Wendy had experienced something similar with Cait Shelter. But in that case, she at least had some closure with them. She had the chance to say goodbye. And then, she had a new family ready to embrace her. Joshua felt like he had none of that. And again, Wendy couldn't understand why. She knew that the guild had never taken a great liking to him, but she thought that all changed when he had returned from his seven years of training. Was there still some resentment between the two sides that she had not seen?

Wendy felt her own tears beginning to form as she two began to understand the gravity of what had just happened. Erza was like an older sister to her as well. She hadn't been as close to the woman nicknamed Titania as Joshua had, but she had admired her. Wendy had always wanted to grow up to be like Erza. To hear that her role model was dead shocked her.

"It's… it's ok Joshua."

He simply shook his head as she held him.

"You're not alone in this." Wendy rested against the side of the cot with Joshua, "You're not alone in this."

The door to the room hissed open. Joshua didn't look at the two newcomers. He wasn't in the mood for visitors. Wendy did though. Her eyes were red from tears but she was able to look up and see Kanan Jarrus enter with Luke Skywalker.

"Now's not a good time you two." Wendy muttered.

To her surprise, Kanan knelt down in front of her, "What happened?" he asked.

Wendy choked back a small sob as Joshua quietly cried in her arms, "Erza… Joshua felt his connection to her break."

The reaction from Kanan was stunning. His face seemed to sag and turn grim. He closed his blind eyes and shook his head.

"I'm… sorry to hear that." He looked over at Joshua, "That is a feeling no one should have to experience." He sighed then continued, "But, that feeling in the mess hall. That wasn't Joshua. That was something else. Something much darker." Wendy gulped realizing what Kanan might be trying to figure out, "Can you help me know what it was?"

Wendy hesitated then shook her head, "I don't know."

"No point in lying Wendy. N-not now." Joshua sniffled as he withdrew from her arms. He rubbed his eyes and let out a shaky sigh, "What you felt was a Sith Lord pushing against a seal inside of me."

Kanan's eyes widened, "What?"

"There is a Sith Lord inside of me. His name… is Darth Plagueis." Joshua explained, "When something traumatic happens to me or someone I care about, emotions flare and it weakens the seal allowing him to test its strength and try to get out. That is why I left the mess hall as quickly as I did. I wasn't going to put anyone in danger by losing control of myself in there."

"That's insane!" Luke gasped as he stood near the doorway, "Who did that to you?"

"I'm wondering the same thing." Kanan noted.

"Talzin." Joshua breathed, "Her name was Mother Talzin, of the Nightsisters."

Kanan winced, "Dathomir." he frowned, "Nightsister magic placed a Sith Lord inside of you. Do you know why?"

Joshua shrugged, "He says for revenge against the Emperor. I don't think that's the only reason. There is always another motivation for a Sith Lord. I haven't been able to figure it out yet."

Kanan nodded and placed a hand on Joshua's shoulder, "We can't have that thing inside of you anymore. It's a danger to the rebellion."

"I agree." Joshua breathed as he struggled to collect himself.

"So, we are going to get it out."

Joshua stared at Kanan like he was crazy, "How exactly are we going to do that?"

Kanan sighed, "I'm… i'm not too sure myself. But… the Jedi archives may have something on this subject."

"The Jedi archives?" Joshua questioned.

"Wait a moment!" Luke exclaimed, "You don't mean-"

Kanan nodded, "I need to go there anyways. You have been learning from Master Yoda, Luke. He is far more powerful and wise than I am. If I am going to be an effective teacher for you, I need some materials to help me. And the only place to get them is the Jedi Temple. And I think, we may find some answers about your problem there as well, Joshua."

Joshua stared at Kanan, "You're insane! The Jedi Temple is on Coruscant!"

"I know."

"The Emperor lives on Coruscant!"

"I know."

Wendy whipped her head back and forth between the two, "So… you two are about to go on a suicide mission to some temple in the heart of the Empire?"

Joshua groaned then glanced at her, "Yup."

"Without permission from the Rebel Alliance?"

"Yup." Kanan replied.

"All on the off chance that you may find whatever you all are looking for?"

All three force users were quiet before slightly nodding.

Wendy closed her eyes a let out an annoyed groan, "Joshua…"

"Wendy."

"You can't just stay put just once can you?"

"Not a chance." Joshua smirked a little.

"Fine." Wendy sighed, "But you are not going alone again! Not this time. If you all are going to the heart of the Empire, then you will need someone to patch you up in case things go wrong. So I'm going with."

Joshua's eyes widened, "Heck no! This is way too dangerous!"

"That doesn't stop you."

"I am a Sith!" Joshua blurted out.

"So! We all know how your escapades normally turn out."

"I'm not going to risk your life on this one Wendy!"

"My life isn't yours to control. I am risking my life of my own free will!" Wendy snapped back, causing Joshua to shut up, "I care too much about you to let you go off on a mission like this alone! I'm coming with and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" Wendy got to her feet and strode towards the door, "I'm going to pack, then I'll meet you at the hangar. And if you leave without me, there is no Sith Lord in the galaxy that will be able to match my anger with you." The door hissed shut behind her.

Kanan and Luke stared silently at the door for several moments before they both looked back at Joshua.

"That's some girl." Kanan commented.

"Yeah… she's got a lot of fight in her."

"I never pegged her to have that."

"You would be very surprised by how violent she can be." Joshua muttered as he got to his feet, "She could put…" He paused as he thought of Erza. He quickly gulped back some fresh sobs and wiped away a tear before taking a deep breath, "When are we going?"

"As soon as your girlfriend is ready." Kanan replied, "Oh, and on the flight there, you and I will be discussing your association with the Sith. C'mon Luke, we have to prep a ship."

….

To Joshua, the entire plan to go to Coruscant was a very bad idea. It was absolutely crazy to go directly to the heart of the Empire and break into a place that the Emperor surely kept under constant watch. But to Kanan and Luke, the plan was genius. In their minds, the Emperor would never expect the rebels, much less two Jedi, to break into a place so heavily watched. Still, the two Jedi exercised extreme caution in their choice of transportation to the heart of the Empire.

It was a simple cargo freighter commandeered by the Rebellion from Hutt Space. All markings had been removed and made neutral, just like a normal cargo ship would be. It was easy for Kanan to convince the council to allow him and Luke to use it. The fact that he said they would be going to a different planet not named Coruscant helped as well. Both he and Luke were outfitting and running final checks on the ship's systems when Joshua and Wendy arrived at the Mon Cala city spaceport.

"You two ready to go?" Luke called as he saw the two Earthlanders approach.

Joshua nodded as he reached the ramp and set his and Wendy's bags down, "Let's do this."

Kanan raised an eyebrow, "You seem a little more enthusiastic about this now."

Joshua shrugged his shoulders, "This whole plan gives me the chance to get rid of this parasite that's been living inside of my body. I'm more than happy to take the chance of going to the Temple." He nodded over to Wendy, "She's the one that worries me."

"I'm perfectly capable of looking out for myself." Wendy replied before marching up the ramp.

Luke glanced back at Joshua, "You two fighting?"

"A little bit." A heavy sigh escaped Joshua's lips, "I really think it is a bad idea for her to come along. But once she has her mind set on something, it's hard to convince her to abandon it." He hefted his bag into his cybernetic hand and walked up the ramp with Luke.

"Why do you think it's such a bad idea?" Luke asked as the ramp closed behind them and Kanan.

"Three force sensitives arrive on a planet that is home to the Emperor at the same time. One of us is very good at concealing his presence in the force." Joshua glanced at Kanan, "Meanwhile I'm decent and you are still a novice. The Emperor will no doubt sense our arrival on the planet. And if he is half as intelligent as the rebel council makes him out to be, he will be able to deduce our objective. That makes this mission exceptionally dangerous. And I hate putting Wendy at risk like this."

"You are not putting me at risk!" Wendy snapped from a seat in the cockpit as the three force sensitives entered.

"I feel like I am." Joshua replied defensively.

Wendy didn't reply and instead crossed her arms and gave Joshua the silent treatment. As he and Luke took their seats, Kanan began to get clearance for takeoff. As soon as he brought the ship's engines to life, Wendy's face went pale.

"Forgot about this part didn't you?" Joshua chuckled.

"I'm still-" The ship lurched forward and Wendy's cheeks puffed out, "Very… *Blurp*... mad at you."

"Too mad for me to help you right now?"

Wendy glared at Joshua before covering her mouth with her hands as she tried to prevent herself from vomiting, "I never said that." Her muffled voice groaned.

Without another word, Joshua hovered a hand over her head and she quickly fell asleep with some color returning to her pale face.

"What did you do?" Luke asked amazed.

"Used the force to help her relax." Joshua replied, "It helps her get through trips like this. Back home we have to use trains to get around. So I figured this trick out to help her."

Luke nodded while Kanan turned to look at all of them.

"We are going to make several random jumps before we jump to Coruscant. We don't want the Empire to track us back to Mon Cala. During that time, we will have our chat." Kanan grabbed a lever and slowly pulled on it.

The stars in front of the freighter became streaks of white light as the ship slipped into hyperspace. As soon as the ship was safely out of range of Mon Cala, Kanan engaged the autopilot and turned his seat to face both Luke and Joshua.

"Alright, let's talk." He stared hard at Joshua with his blind eyes, "What is your association with the Sith?"

Joshua paused and narrowed his eyes, "Can I ask you a question?"

Kanan was silent for a moment then nodded.

"How the heck did you just pilot this thing?"

That question Kanan did not see coming. It was totally innocent that he couldn't help but laugh a little.

"No seriously!" Joshua exclaimed, "How the heck did you just pilot this ship if you are blind."

Kanan took a breath, "The force allows me to see kid. I can't see stuff as clearly physically, but I can still _see._ It's a little complicated."

"More than a little I'd say." Joshua stated as he leaned back in his seat.

Kanan nodded, "Probably. But… don't try to change the subject. Answer my question."

"You don't have to be so rude about it." Joshua grumbled.

"I have every right to be rude with you Sith."

Luke raised a hand and Kanan let out an exhausted sigh, "Yes Luke."

"You keep saying that word, Sith. What exactly is that?"

Both Joshua and Kanan's eyes widened and they stared at Luke, their mouths hanging open.

"You're shitting me right?" Joshua gasped.

"What?"

"I don't think he is kidding." Kanan commented before running his hands over his face, "Who exactly was teaching you the past few years kid?"

Luke frowned, "Ben Kenobi and Master Yoda."

"WHAT!" Kanan exclaimed loudly while Joshua's face became very confused.

"Master Yoda?" He muttered before remembering where he heard that name from, "OH! The little green… thing."

"Uh… yeah." Luke replied.

"How do you know about Master Yoda?" Kanan exclaimed.

"Visions."

"Visions?"

Joshua nodded, "I'm kinda susceptible to them. Although I haven't had one in a little while." He frowned, "That's not a good sign in my opinion. It worries me."

"Back to the topic." Kanan interrupted, "You were trained by Yoda and Obi Wan, yet you don't know what a Sith is!?"

Luke nodded slowly.

"Force this is going to be interesting." Kanan muttered under his breath, "Alright, Luke, I'll just say this bluntly. The Sith are what Vader and The Emperor are."

Luke's eyes widened. Then Joshua leaned forward.

"To be more specific. The Sith are practitioners of the Dark Side of the Force. In fact, they are _the_ practitioners of the Dark Side of the Force. Any other Dark Side users are usually regarded as pretenders by the Sith Order and are quickly quelled. On top of all of that, they have been enemies of the Jedi Order for thousands of years."

Realization dawned on Luke, "And you are considered a Sith?"

"I was trained to be one yes." Joshua replied, "But… I don't really agree with most of their philosophy. I find their selfishness and lust for violence to be wrong and a major weakness of my order."

Kanan raised an eyebrow, surprised by what Joshua just said. He knew that violence and selfishness were so ingrained in the Sith ways that they had practically become tenets of the order. So he had assumed that Joshua surely thought the same way.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well… I was raised by someone who abhorred both of those things." Joshua said with a sad smile on his face, "And I grew up in an environment that nurtured friendship and peace. Not peace as in no conflict, but peace as in no violence just for violence sake. Where I grew up, you were only violent if you absolutely had to be violent. Of course, that rule was bent to its extreme sometimes but very few deliberately broke that rule. So when I did decide to follow the Sith Path, it was with knowledge that violence isn't acceptable unless absolutely necessary and that selfishness is generally a bad idea."

The explanation was so simple that it caught Kanan off balance. He was looking for any way to convict this kid of being a bad person, or even pure evil. After all, that was how he was raised to view the Sith. But Joshua was being so honest right now that it made it difficult for Kanan to think evil of him. If anything, it gave the Jedi Knight a reason to slightly respect him.

"But… you were trained to be a Sith?"

Joshua nodded, "My master was Darth Tyrannus. You might know him better as Count Dooku."

"But he's been dead for over twenty years!" Kanan cried in disbelief, "He died before the end of the Clone Wars!"

"There are ways to cheat death, Kanan." Joshua replied, "You just have to be creative about it. My master preserved some of his essence in a holocron. A holocron that I eventually found. Also… I have a rather… deep connection with him, even though I wish I didn't."

Kanan narrowed his eyes and Joshua sighed.

"He's my grandfather."

The milky eyes of Kanan widened and his jaw went slack, "Eh?"

"Yup." Joshua nodded.

"That's insane!"

"I know. I couldn't believe it when I found out either."

"I'm a little lost." Luke admitted as his eyes darted back and forth between Kanan and Joshua.

"You'll catch up eventually, don't worry." Joshua looked back at Kanan, "I am very well trained in the combative aspects of the force. I could probably kick your ass with a lightsaber and I do enjoy shoving things with the force. Those skills are what my Master focused on the most, because I was apparently meant to take revenge on the Emperor for him."

Now Kanan was getting a clearer understanding of Joshua. Other than the incidents in which he had antagonized the Earthlander, the boy had been an enigma in the force. But when provoked, that uncertainty turned into a thick fog filled with the Dark Side of the Force. But the reassurance of knowing that only occurred when provoked comforted Kanan. Now he knew not to anger the kid.

"Ok, let's say I believe you." Now was time for the hard question, "How do I know that you won't submit to Emperor and call him master?"

Joshua's carefree demeanor turned off instantly. His jaw tightened and his hands clenched into into fists.

"That bastard is responsible for killing my sister, that I have no doubts about." Joshua growled, "And he will pay for that."

It was all Joshua was willing to say. If he said anymore, he would've gone into a rage induced tirade. And to be honest, he was already exhausted from the past week, he didn't want to exhaust himself any further by throwing a tantrum.

That answer was good enough for Kanan. He was still suspicious of the young Earthlander, but he was no longer super worried about him possibly betraying the rebellion, and in turn him and Luke. The Jedi Knight nodded.

"I think I can work with that." Kanan said before a compute began to beep on dash, "We are nearing the end of our first jump. We will jump two more times then we will arrive at Coruscant."

"Sounds like a plan." Joshua replied as he tightened the restraint at his waist.

Just before they jumped out of hyperspace, Luke leaned over to Joshua.

"Are really that good with a lightsaber?"

"I like to think so." Joshua replied, "But… Vader did kick my ass."

Luke nodded. He stole a cautious glance at Kanan before looking back at Joshua, "Do you think you could teach me?"

"Huh?"

"Could you teach me to be a better fighter?"

Joshua was surprised by the request. "Um… you'll have to ask Kanan."

"I'll think about it." Was Kanan's reply, "For now, focus you two. When we arrive at Coruscant, we will have to be inconspicuous while we attempt to get to the lower levels of the planet. Once we reach the lower levels we will be safer than on the actual surface. For now, get some rest, we have a long trip ahead of us."

Both Luke and Joshua nodded before relaxing into their seats and chatting about the many adventures that they had in their short lives.

….

A imperial shuttle roared to life after slipping out of hyperspace. It's powerful engines slowed to a dull hum as the vessel slowly lumbered towards a large planet in an area of space so isolated, that the imperial pilot at the controls still had no idea where exactly his mysterious kidnapper had taken them. His once simple cargo pick up mission had turned into a situation where he had technically deserted his post and was now held hostage by a mysterious man from the new planet the Empire had discovered only a week earlier.

The young pilot gulped and tugged at his collar as the shuttle drew closer to the planet. There was something wrong with this place. He couldn't place what it was, but as they drew closer his apprehension grew. He hadn't noticed it, but his hands had begun to shake as he worked to controls of the shuttle.

"Are you alright pilot?" the young voice of his kidnapper asked as he remerged from the cargo hold and stood behind him.

The pilot gulped, "F-fine sir."

"Don't lie to me."

He wince, "I'm… I'm rather afraid sir."

"Of me?"

 _YES!_ He screamed in his mind. After all, he did witness this man kill two stormtroopers without laying a single finger on them. But he couldn't just say that. Who knows what would happen to him if he offended this man. And he really wanted to get out of this situation alive.

When he had first been capture by this man, the pilot thought he was absolutely insane. He would sometimes shift between two different personalities. One moment, he was a kind man who seemingly cared for the pilot's well being. He had even apologized for putting him in this situation. But on two occasions, the dark haired man from Earthland turned into a completely different person. His eye color would transition from onyx to crimson and he would become very hateful and violent. Those two moments terrified the pilot enough to not question the will of this man. Whatever he said goes. Anything to walk away from this alive. The pilot had the feeling that if this man felt like it, he could end his life without hesitation. It was only his usefulness as a pilot that kept him alive. And the young imperial pilot knew this. He glanced back at his captor and saw he was waiting for an answer still. He must be in a good mood today.

"I-it's this planet sir. There is something off about it."

The dark haired man nodded, "You are very observant." He complimented, "There most certainly is something off about it. But where you are afraid of it, I find it comforting." The man took a deep breath before wrapping a white toga over his body, "I will finally find my answers." He whispered under his breath so quietly that the pilot was barely able to hear it.

"If I might ask sir, what planet is this?"

The man said nothing at first. He seemed to be deep in thought as he stared at the planet's swampy surface.

"This planet at one time was a the capital of a mighty empire." He finally replied, "This is Dromund Kaas."

The pilot raised an eyebrow, "I've never heard of it."

"That's not unusual. It has been over a thousand years since said Empire existed." The young man replied, "Land on the planetary surface. When we do land you will remain on the planet and await my return. I have many questions, and this planet will provide me the answers."

The pilot nodded then looked back at his captor, "May I ask you a question sir?"

The man glanced over at the pilot, "You may."

"What do you hope to find here?"

"That's an excellent question." The man replied, "I have lived for over four hundred years pilot, and I still have yet to find the answer to that question myself. Is it power that I seek? Is it simply knowledge? Or do I seek something deeper than that?" The man stared wistfully out at planet that now took up the entire view screen of the shuttle, "Perhaps, I may find the answer to my goal in life."

The pilot raised an eyebrow as the shuttle passed into Dromund Kaas' atmosphere, "And what would that be sir?"

The young man replied in a voice so soft that the Imperial pilot strained to hear the words.

"How to die."

 **And Chapter! A slow chapter, mostly build up for the next few chapters. We have finally found out where Zeref disappeared to. Apparently, he is looking for something, but what it is we don't know yet. Meanwhile, Luke, Kanan, Wendy, and Joshua are on their way to Coruscant as they seek answers as well. Luke and Kanan are looking for ways to grow stronger as Jedi while Joshua hopes to find a way to get rid of Darth Plagueis. And Wendy is tagging along for the ride. But will their mission end in success or failure? And how do you think Joshua will react to Erza's situation when he does figure it out? It'll be interesting to find out! Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	86. Chapter 86: The Corrupt Capital

**Hello again everyone! Day off so it's time for a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 86

Everything was dark. And everything was cold. At first, he brushed it off as the result of being asleep on a freighter that was flying through space. After all, space was supposed to be really cold, right? And he doubted that a cargo freighter as cheap as the one the rebels commandeered was equipped with luxury heaters. So he brushed the feeling to the side. It was nothing to worry about.

 _Listen…_

A shrill voice said in his ear that made his eyes instantly open.

He could safely say, that he was no longer on a cargo freighter flying through hyperspace. Instead, he was on a planet that was the personification of hell.

The entire planet seemed to be cast in one enormous shadow. The light from its sun barely peaked through the dense, black clouds that blanketed the atmosphere. Long branches of brilliant lightning launched through the sky, dazzling Joshua with displays of power and light. It was the only light this planet was capable of receiving. The violent light of lightning. Every time a branch of blue lightning lit up the sky, more details of the planet were revealed to him.

It was a barren wasteland. There really was no other way to describe it. Deep crevasses gouged the ground like scars while gorges deeper than the darkest pit marred what remained of the planetary surface. The soil was black. Burned by the constant lightning. Then there was the slight haze that clung to the surface and caused Joshua to choke on his own breath more than once as he investigated his hellish surroundings.

His lungs began to burn once again and he erupted into a fit of coughs as he rested himself against the side of a dark stone spire.

"What is this place?" Joshua mumbled, "What kind of vision is this?"

 _Keep walking._ The shrill voice commanded.

And without any more questions, Joshua kept walking. It was like he was in a daze. His body moved according to the will of the voice. It beckoned him to one of the many gorges that pocketed the landscape. To Joshua's genuine surprise, there was an ancient stone staircase leading down the gorge. The entire thing looked like it was on the verge of crumbling to dust. Every footfall seemed to send more rock and rubble clattering down into the endless depths beside him as he carefully edged down the stone stairs.

As he descended into the planet's depths, the haze became thinner. But the shadows became all consuming until not even the lightning striking high above Joshua could illuminate his surroundings. He was being guided by nothing but the voice. His own sight was void here. And that made him extremely nervous.

 _To see… is to be deceived…_

Again the shrill voice scolded him.

 _Keep walking… you will find your way._

His hands clung to the jagged rock on his left as he continued his precarious descent. A quick gasp escaped his lungs as he took another step forward and stumbled before falling onto a cold slab of stone. He hadn't even noticed it, but the staircase had ended. Joshua took a deep breath as he tried to slow his racing heart before he jumped back up to his feet. His hands reached out in front of him, expecting to feel nothing but air. Instead, he felt cold metal against his fingertips. As soon as his fingers brushed the mysterious metal, several electric lamps came to life around him casting a pale glow around him. He blinked several times, not realizing that his eyes were no longer used to the light. When Joshua's vision finally cleared he could see a long dark tunnel in front of him.

 _Continue…_

"Like hell I will." Joshua muttered, "I want some answers first."

Pain ripped through his mind and sent him falling to his knees. His chest heaved as he fought off the urge to scream. The voice in his mind was screeching at him now in a language that he could not understand at all.

 _Tu valia akcij ax tu valia mrias!_ It screamed in his mind.

His muscles began to involuntary move themselves. Despite every attempt to stop himself, Joshua's legs carried him into the tunnel. The voice never stopped speaking now. The piercing voice continued to scream the same indecipherable phrase at him until it felt like his ears were beginning to bleed.

Finally, after what felt like hours he reached the end of the tunnel. At the very end was a door, tightly sealed shut. The voice ceased it's chanting, opting to remain utterly silent instead. Joshua gasped for air for several moments as his mind began to become clear once again. He rubbed his eyes and ears then recoiled as the voice spoke again. Only this time, it wasn't so earsplitting. Instead it almost sounded gentle, but still, the tone was very condescending.

 _You should have listened instead of resisting. It wouldn't have been so painful then._

"If you are talking to me in my visions, then you should know that I'm not very good at listening." Joshua snapped back before feeling his mind ripped open once again, the pain doubly as intense as before.

 _My former student was rather lax with you it seems. He has grown soft. And now… as you deny your destiny, he turns to me… a firm hand._ The gentle demeanor was gone now. It was clear to Joshua. Obey the disembodied voice or be punished.

 _You need guidance. You need instruction. And most of all you need discipline._

Joshua didn't reply. He didn't want to say anything he'd come to regret. Besides, he still had a piercing headache.

 _You will come to Malachor._

"Malachor?" Joshua repeated.

 _And you will come immediately._

Joshua shook his head, "Sorry, but I have a job to do at the moment."

He regretted saying that.

 _DO NOT DENY MY WILL!_

Joshua's mouth hung open and his eyes widened to the size of saucers as his entire body was wracked with unimaginable pain. As he remained in utter agony, the shrill voice began to cackle as the evil presence on this planet began to read his mind like it was a children's picture book.

 _You think that you will find answers at the Jedi Temple._ It laughed, thoroughly amused at the boy's thoughts. _There are no answers for a Sith at the ruined home of their enemy._

"I am not Sith." Joshua growled before writhing on the ground some more.

 _You are correct. You are not a Sith… yet._

"Yet?"

 _I will be expecting you at my academy._

The pain continued as Joshua's vision slowly faded to black.

….

"This is your captain speaking. We have arrived at the heart of corruption." Kanan said with a twinge of mock cheer in his voice as the cargo freighter left hyperspace.

Joshua quickly stirred from his slumber and blearily looked out the view screen to see a massive planet swiftly approaching them. A long yawn escaped his lips and he stretched his arms high above his head before again looking at the planet in front of him. Unlike Mon Cala, this planet did not take his breath away as they slowly entered orbit. Instead this planet made him feel very uncomfortable. He couldn't pin down why though. It wasn't the way it appeared. In fact, it's appearance was quite mesmerizing. His entire attention was focused on the many lights that dotted the dark surface of the world in front of them. It almost looked like a mini galaxy that was filled with bright stars all clustered in large circles that ran along the planet and intersected with other long luminous lines and circles.

"That's Coruscant?" Joshua asked.

Kanan nodded.

"But where is the planet?"

A slight laugh escaped the Jedi Knight, "That is the planet. The entire thing is one gigantic city. Heck, even the subterranean parts of the planet are a city. The phrase 'concrete jungle' is very literal here."

Joshua's eyes widened. And he thought Crocus was a big city.

"Well, that should make it easy for us to hide." Luke said as he gazed awestruck at the planet.

"It also makes it easy for us to get caught." Kanan retorted, "True, the more people there are, the easier it'll be to blend in. But that can also be said for any imperial informant itching to alert the Empire about rebel activity. So when we reach the surface, stay on your toes. And whatever you do, do not… and I repeat… do not, use the force while we are here. The last thing we need is the Emperor to be alerted to our presences."

"Gotcha." Both Joshua and Luke replied as the cargo freighter descended through Coruscant's atmosphere.

Kanan expertly guided the freighter to the largest loading dock that Luke had ever seen. It was a mammoth structure easily fifty levels high and capable of housing any model of freighter or cruiser in existence. Their ship slowly shuddered to a halt at a platform on the thirty sixth level. A long catwalk extended to the airlock and Kanan casually opened it, the seals hissing as the cabin was depressurized.

"Home sweet home." he muttered to himself.

"Home sweet home?" Joshua questioned.

"I grew up at the Jedi Temple." Kanan replied, "So yes… home sweet home."

Joshua simply nodded before turning to Wendy and rubbing her shoulder.

"Time to get up." he said softly.

Wendy groaned and curled up in her seat. "Five more minutes."

Joshua sighed and shook his head before unlatching her seat belt and using the force to lift her into the air.

"Last chance." he smirked.

The reply was a defiant snort.

"Ok then." Joshua twirled his finger and Wendy began to spin rapidly in the air.

"WAAAAAAH!" She screamed as she rotated, "PUT ME DOWN!"

"As you wish." Joshua chuckled as he gently set Wendy down on the ground, her eyes spinning and her equilibrium thrown completely off. "You know, if you would just wake up I wouldn't have to do that."

"You don't have to be so mean about waking me up!" Wendy cried as she held her head between her hands and attempted to steady herself.

"I wasn't mean at first."

"Rubbing my shoulder won't wake me up."

"So you're saying I have to spin you like Lamia Scale's master in order to wake you up?"

Wendy shot Joshua an irritated glance as he playfully antagonized her.

"Enough you two." Kanan barked as he glanced out the airlock doors to see an Imperial officer approaching with two stormtroopers, "We have company."

"Allow me." Joshua replied, cracking his knuckles before opening the door for the officer. He greeted the haughty officer with one of the fakest grins possible and reached out to shake the man's hand.

"Hello, the name is… Jellal Fernandes." In the background, Wendy shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, "This is my ship the uh…. Uh…. _Witch_."

"Indian?" The officer said perplexed, "What a peculiar name."

"I know right. The blind pilot named it."

"Joshua." Kanan snarled under his breath while the officer narrowed his eyes at Kanan.

"State your business please. I don't have time to waste dawdling with you."

"Oh right… well… we are here to pick up… cargo." Joshua said.

"Obviously! What kind of cargo?" The Officer replied, suspicion becoming evident in his voice.

"Um… big cargo."

Wendy smacked her face. They were doomed, they had to be. Her dragon senses then picked up the sound of the Stormtroopers subtly priming their weapons. Her entire body tensed. And it seems she wasn't the only one that noticed. Joshua's shoulders' suddenly drooped and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, I give up." He subtly waved a hand in front of the officer and Stormtroopers, "We are here to pick up cargo."

The officer stared hard at Joshua for a moment before his eyes glazed over.

"You are here to pick up cargo."

"We will be on the planet for a good while. Until me and my crew return, our ship is to remain undisturbed."

Wendy watched wide eyed as the officer and stormtroopers repeated the entire phrase back to Joshua.

"Go about your business."

"We shall go about our business." The officer and stormtroopers departed.

At first, Joshua had a wide grin on his face.

"That was easier than I thought."

*WHACK*

Kanan's hand smacked the back side of Joshua's head.

"OW!" Joshua exclaimed, "What was that for!?"

"You used the force!" Kanan snapped.

It took a second for Joshua to realize what that meant.

"Oh…. crap."

Kanan nodded, "We need to move now before anyone gets suspicious." Joshua nodded and they all quickly left the freighter and walked to a space where they could hail a taxi, "Also," Kanan looked at Joshua, "We are hauling _big_ cargo?"

"Oh like you could come up with something better!?" Joshua replied with a huff.

"I could've come up with something better." Luke replied.

"I doubt you could've farm boy!" Joshua snapped.

"Jellal Fernandes…" Wendy sighed causing Joshua to pause in his rant at Luke and Kanan, "And the _Witch_?"

He stared at Wendy's amused expression then crossed his arms, "It was the best I could come up with."

Wendy giggled and shook her head, "I think we should leave the fake backstories to the actual rebels here."

"Fine." Joshua grumbled as the group quickly exited the ship and silently weaved through the shipyard. All the while, Joshua and Wendy stared at their surroundings with wide eyes.

It had been one thing to see the shipyard from the view screen of the cargo freighter. But it was another to walk through it. Aliens and people of all different colors, shapes, and heights casually went about their business. A group of tall, thin aliens with stone grey skin and elongated skulls lounged near a luxurious speeder, all of them speaking in a tongue that Joshua couldn't understand at all. Beside them, was a run down taxi speeder. It's pilot was also a grayish colored alien with an elongated snout and fleshy tendrils on its face that looked similar to facial hair. The most unique thing Joshua noticed about this alien though, was it's interesting gait. The creature sat in it's cab on it's hands. It's feet were hovering in front of its small but muscular torso.

"Great… a Dug." Kanan muttered, "But he is probably the only cab driver willing to take us where we need to go."

"A Dug?" Joshua gazed at the creature, "Why do you think he will be the one to take us to the temple?"

"We aren't going directly to the Temple." Kanan replied back in a soft voice, "It'd be foolish to try that without any sort of plan or help. There is an old contact on this planet, he was once a friend of the Jedi Order. He lives in the lower levels of Coruscant nowadays. It's lawless down there, and a dug is more than capable of holding their own in a place like that. Which is why he may be one of the few pilots willing to taxi us to our destination." Kanan then quickly approached the Dug driver. The two exchanged a few words before the Dug nodded and waved with his foot for everyone to pile into his run down yellow speeder.

"More vehicles.." Wendy groaned as her skin turned clammy as soon as she sat down on the ripped seats inside the speeder.

"It's not a long ride." Kanan reassured her, "Don't worry." he turned to their driver, "Level 1313 please."

The Dug gave Kanan a look that was the equivalent of saying 'are you sure about this?' before shrugging and putting his speeder into gear. The speeder jerked away from the shipyard and raced down towards a deep hole in the surface of the planet.

….

Level 1313 was, as Kanan described it, a wretched hive of scum and villainy that few on Coruscant dared to go near. It was a haven for the criminal underworld that festered on the corrupt planet. Crimes were a regular occurrence this deep in the planet. Whether it was petty thievery or murder, you'd find it during a normal day on Level 1313. It was such a vile, disgusting place that few beings dared set up shop. But those who did start their business on this level and managed to survive made a tremendous amount of credits. The criminals and bounty hunters of the world preferred their seedy bars and dingy restaurants over the uptight luxury of the planetary surface.

The two Earthlanders, Joshua and Wendy, were shocked by the appearance of the level. Earthland had it's bad places to be sure. But none came close to equaling the stench or repulsive nature of this place. It set both of the young wizards on edge.

"Don't look so tense." Kanan advised not only to Joshua and Wendy, but to Luke as well, "If you look like you don't belong then we will easily become targets of people far worse than the Empire."

Wendy gulped and nodded slowly before taking a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Joshua meanwhile, withdrew a little into the dark side of the force. He wasn't using the force. He knew he couldn't' do that on this planet, otherwise the Emperor or his agents could detect him. But he still bathed in the force's waters and allowed the familiar embrace of the dark side be a calming hand to him in this strange place. He glanced over at Luke and saw that the farm boy was still looking anxious.

"Withdraw into the force." Joshua said calmly as the group walked along the filthy, trash covered street.

"What?" Luke asked back.

"Withdraw into the force. Let it flow into you and calm you." Joshua replied.

"How do I do that?"

Joshua glanced at Luke, "Just… hm… that's a good question. I don't know how a Jedi would do it. I'm a dark side user, so i rely on my negative emotions in order to access the force. I guess for you… try thinking about happy thoughts? Maybe?"

"Happy thoughts?" Luke stared at Joshua incredulously.

"I dunno. Ask Kanan."

A speeder zipped by and nearly ran over said blind Jedi, who whirled around and shouted a flurry of curses in huttese at the speeder as it disappeared down the road. Joshua and Luke stared wide eyed at Kanan.

"Or maybe not." Joshua finished.

Kanan abruptly stopped in front of a run down building. It's walls were a patchwork of many different metals while a red neon sign glowed above a faded red door.

"Here we are." Kanan said with a small smile.

Joshua looked up at the sign, "Dexter's Diner?"

"Yup. This is where our friend will be." Kanan replied, "Also, he makes really good food. Oh, and try not to stare at him, or he'll peg you for off worlders in a heartbeat."

"Whatever you say." Joshua replied as he, Luke, and Wendy quietly followed Kanan into the small diner.

A small bell chimed as the door opened then quietly shut behind them. Despite the dirty outside facade, the interior of the diner was impeccably clean. Booths with chrome tables and glossy red seats lined the walls. Several different patrons were quietly sipping drinks in the far corner while a unicycled service droid zipped around the small dining area. After setting a tray down, the droid zipped over to the door where the four off worlders were waiting.

"Hello there!" It said in a feminine voice filled with enthusiasm, "Welcome to Dexter's Diner! Four today?"

Kanan nodded and the droid quickly guided them over to a small booth along the left wall. Before the droid could speed away, Kanan grabbed it's attention.

"Hey FLO!"

"Yes honey." The droid replied with an artificially warm voice.

"Could you grab Dex please. Me and him are old friends."

"You're an old friend of the boss!" The droid squealed excitedly, "He hasn't had an old friend drop by in some time! I'll grab him for you!" She dissapeared by swinging chrome doors into the kitchen.

While they waited, Joshua quietly tapped his fingers on the chrome table and pursed his lips together. He should be focused on what was going on right now. But he couldn't help but disappear into his mind. The vision he had while flying to Coruscant was still plaguing his thoughts. In all of his time as a force wielder, he had never encountered anyone or anything that could literally break his mind and force him to do as they pleased. But that is what happened in his vision. And he hadn't even seen the person who did it either. It bugged him. He hated being controlled like that.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Wendy asked him.

"Hm?" Joshua replied not noticing the question until he saw Wendy staring at him, waiting for an answer, "Oh… nothing. I'll tell you later."

The doors to the kitchen burst open. Heavy footsteps slapped against the white tile floors, making the table shudder a little. Joshua narrowed his eyes and leaned out of the booth to see what was going on. His eyes then widened. Stomping towards their booth was a massive, brown alien. A dark, bony head crest adorned it's scalp while large yellow eyes scanned the area. What stunned Joshua the most was that this alien had four arms. Four! Each one was easily as thick as Joshua's entire body and undoubtedly muscular. The large alien stopped his march in front of their table. His large yellow eyes narrowed as he looked at the four patrons.

"I don't know you." The alien rumbled with a deep, baritone voice.

"No you don't." Kanan replied, his blind eyes still staring across the table at Joshua, "But we have a very close mutual friend. He said to me once, that if I ever wanted the best Ardees I should stop by your place."

"Oh really?" The aliens' features softened a little, "And who would that be?"

Kanan paused, hesitating with the name before quietly whispering it to the massive creature.

"Obi Wan Kenobi."

The yellow eyes shot wide open, "Obi Wan." The creature mumbled, "That… is a name I have not heard in a good many years." One of its thick arms reached over to a small, two top table and yanked a chrome chair over. His massive frame slowly descended down onto the seat. At first, Joshua thought the small chair would shatter into a million pieces beneath Dex's weight. He wasn't a thin person by any stretch of the imagination. The white shirt he wore barely covered his portly stomach. But surprisingly the chair stood strong and the four armed alien leaned forward so they could all speak in much more hushed tones.

"How do you know that name kid?" Dex rumbled.

"He and I were… acquaintances at work." Kanan replied, carefully sidestepping around the fact that he was a Jedi Knight.

"Acquaintances. Hm…" The large alien picked up on what Kanan was doing. A wide grin cross his thick lips, "Not often an old work friend of Obi Wan's comes strolling around here. Welcome!"

"Thank you!"

"And who are you exactly?"

"My name…" Kanan hesitated again, "Is Caleb Dume. I usually know as Kanan Jarrus but… that name is-"

"A name plastered on a bunch of bounties eh?" The beefy alien chuckled, "Don't worry Caleb. No one will try anything in my place if they know what's good for em." His neck jiggled as his gaze turned to Joshua and Wendy, "Who are the off worlders?"

"How-"

"He staring at me like he's never seen a Besalisk before." Dex said as he interrupted Kanan.

"Well… he hasn't." Kanan replied, "They are from a planet that is… well… ambiguous to the rest of the galaxy."

"In the unknown reaches?"

"More or less."

Dex whistled, "You two are a long way from home."

Joshua stayed quiet while Wendy simply nodded. Dex frowned and leaned closer to them.

"What's the matter kids, krayt dragon got your tongue?"

"There are dragons!? Where!?" Wendy blurted out excitedly.

Dex chortled, his pudgy torso jumping up and down as he laughed heartily, "I don't think you'd want to go up to a krayt dragon kid. Those are some nasty buggers. Barely survived one myself. But that was years ago." He took a breath between a couple more chuckles before slapping a large palm on the table and glancing back at Kanan, "So, what can I help you with?"

Kanan moved his head for the first time in this whole conversation so he could look at Luke, "He needs training."

Dex's brown skin turned a lighter shade of tan, "You want to… hmmm…. you are playing a very dangerous game Caleb." Dex eyed Luke, "He doesn't seem worth the trouble to me."

"He is though." Kanan looked over at Dex, his blind eyes staring directly at Dex's yellow eyes, "He's the son of Skywalker."

That got the fat Besalisk's attention, "Skywalker huh?" One of his arms rubbed his chin as he leaned back, "Skywalker… wow, never would've thought he'd have a kid. I mean, he was very unconventional for a Jedi but with Obi Wan watching him I thought he'd be just as stringent with your Jedi code as he was."

"Well, apparently not." Kanan replied, "He's come to me for training. But I never exactly completed my own Jedi training. I was a Padawan when Order 66 occurred."

"So you need some materials from the Temple in order to properly instruct him." The Besalisk sighed, "You'd be better off going to some backwater temple in the outer rim than risking this."

"We wouldn't be better off doing that. The Temple here on Coruscant has texts and teachings that cannot be found anywhere else. Also," Kanan's eyes darted over to Joshua before quickly looking back at Dex, "They are looking for answers on a personal matter. And those answers are in the Jedi Temple."

Dex's massive hands folded over his round belly and he sat quietly for several moments. His yellow eyes kept staring at the four rebels. "So, you are dead set on this?" He finally asked.

Everyone nodded. A heavy sigh escaped Dex's mouth.

"Fine… but only because you are Obi's old friends. In his memory, I will help you. But something like this will take some time to plan out. Give me a couple weeks to get in contact with some of my old associates and we will get an infiltration plan sorted out." the Besalisk rose from the metal chair with a groan. He quickly wiped all four of his hands on his dirty white shirt before nodding to Kanan, "Until then, enjoy the comforts of Coruscant. And whatever you do, avoid the surface."

"Will do." Kanan replied as the Besalisk stomped back to his kitchen.

As soon as the hulking alien disappeared behind his swinging doors, Joshua leaned closer to Kanan.

"A cook!? That is our help?"

"Dex is more than a cook. He is one of the earliest members of the Rebel Alliance." Kanan snapped back, "He was much more active early on. Now he uses this place as a sort of safe house. But he wasn't always a cook. That Besalisk is as well traveled as any bounty hunter or imperial soldier in the galaxy. He has friends… and lots of them. And in order to accomplish this mission, we will need his help."

Joshua shook his head and leaned back, "I'm not so sure about this."

Kanan sighed, "Neither am I. But this is our best shot. We'll stay at a motel nearby until the necessary logistics are taken care of."

Joshua nodded in agreement then turned his focus to the service droid that came wheeling up to their table.

"I haven't seen the boss that happy in quite some time! It's so nice to see friends of his. Can I get you anything to drink or eat?"

Kanan glanced at Luke who shrugged, then at Wendy who looked over at Joshua. The brown haired boy stared at all three before licking his lips and quickly snatching a menu from the end of the table.

….

The Emperor quietly sat in a large black chair and he gazed out the panoramic windows of his palace. His yellow eyes were calmly closed shut as he sat in his chair, meditating deeply in the dark side of the force. He could feel the currents of the force bending to his will as he demanded the Force to answer his call. And like a dog following the commands of its master, the Force obeyed. In this state, Sidious had complete and total clarity. The force had become muddled as of late, and it disturbed the paranoid autocrat. It all started with the vision of a young Joshua Scarlet engaged in a brutal duel with his failed former apprentice, the Nightbrother Zabrak, Maul. In that vision, he had felt a presence that had plagued his thoughts for the past seven years. And with that presence came a paranoia that turned the Great Darth Sidious from powerful politician to reclusive Emperor, devoting every waking moment to his studies on the nature not just of the Dark Side, but of the force itself.

He needed to know how it was even possible for him to be alive. It shouldn't be possible. His master was dead, Sidious killed him personally. Yet there he was in that vision seven years ago, speaking to him as one would speak to an overambitious child. Sidious ever since could feel a reckoning coming. But at the time, he took solace in the fact that his master had no physical form and therefore couldn't do him physical harm. At least, that is what he thought. Then he found the holocron of the great Sith Emperor, the one that had ruled the Sith for thousands of years.

The holocron had revealed something to him that made the already pale face of Sidious go ashen with fear. If there was one being that could've ever defeated Sidious, it was his master. That was why Sidious disposed of him in a most underhanded way. His master was never good at holding his liquor. A wry smile crossed Sidious' face as he recalled the memory. The thrill of butchering his Master with Sith Lightning so powerful it would've made the mighty Darth Bane tremble. But that smile turned to a deep scowl as he came to the realization that the lightning had not done the job. Plagueis had tricked him. And now, he seemed to be inhabiting an unknown child from an unknown planet. How that came to be, Sidious didn't know. But he would know soon. After all, he did have the boy's sister by his side now.

Still, he took comfort in his physical advantage. Then there was the knowledge that the boy was not as powerful as he was in the force. From what he sensed in the vision, the boy had potential but it was raw, like gold ore before being placed into the fire for refinement. But that potential had no way of eclipsing Sidious, not without a proper teacher. Something that Sidious was sure the boy would never have.

Then came a pulse in the dark side of the force that made Sidious' breath hitch and all his plans come under a new threat. He had felt the pulse just days ago. It was foreign and it was powerful. It didn't feel like a normal Sith Lord at all. The presence he felt was almost, corrupted in a strange way. Like there was something interfering with the vast amount of power. But Sidious could still feel that whoever this being was that was stirring the dark side was clearly a master of it. And with that revelation, Sidious began to feel his grip on the Dark Side slip. The Dark Side of the Force could only serve one master. And when a second appeared, the powers of the force became divided. It's loyalty was called into question and it now took more effort for Sidious to bring the force into submission.

And now, finally, after days of fruitless searching through the force, he was beginning to see the cause of the disturbance. And his fears of the boy possibly having a proper master were rekindled. What he saw in the force was unclear. It felt as if the force was making the vision he was having hazy. He could vaguely make out the attire of this second master. A black coat with a white toga knotted over the shoulder. But the location and physical features were hidden from him. The force didn't want to reveal anything to him despite the fact that it was his servant, not the other way around. Sidious lashed out at the force, demanding its obedience only for it to shockingly lash back at him, forcing his yellow eyes to snap open.

 _Interesting._ Sidious thought as he folded his wrinkled hands in front of his face, _Very interesting._

His entire being seethed with rage. He had unquestioned domain over the Dark Side for so many years. To have a challenger now was something he had not foreseen, let alone desired. He always anticipated Lord Vader to be the one to eventually challenge him, not some unknown being choosing to finally crawl out of whatever shadow he had been concealing himself in. The uncertainty of it all troubled the dark lord.

Behind him, the door to his private quarters hissed open and two sets of feet marched in. Sidious pushed the matter of the second master to the back of his mind. He would further meditate on the matter later. Now, his attention turned to two women kneeling before his throne as he slowly rotated to face them.

"You have finally arrived, Mara Jade."

The first woman, a fiery haired woman with stirking emerald eyes tensed at the Emperor's displeasure.

"Forgive me my lord. I was held up."

"By a certain force adept, I assume? On Lothal?"

Mara Jade gulped. It was so unnerving when the Emperor read her mind without her even knowing. But she knew better than to resist. To resist meant more pain than she was about to receive.

"Yes my lord." Mara Jade replied quietly, "I was bested by an unknown rebel asset."

"Unknown to you." The Emperor rose from his seat and stepped towards the two woman before placing a wrinkled hand in the hair of the young girl kneeling beside Mara, "But not to her."

Mara had been wondering just who this young woman was. She had appeared from out of nowhere and had not spoken a word to Mara Jade since she had arrived from Lothal. But when the Emperor summoned both of them, the woman immediately obliged.

"May I ask, you excellency?" Mara Jade braced herself then let out a relieved sigh when the Emperor nodded, "Who is she?"

"She… is your new sister." The Emperor said with a smirk as he removed his hand from the long red hair of the second woman, "The first sister in a new line of inquisitors that are to be led by you."

Mara blinked. She had just reported a failed mission on Lothal and she was now being promoted? There had to be a catch, there always was.

"I am disappointed about your failure on Lothal." The Emperor hissed to her, reminding Mara that he was still in her mind, "But… it was a negligible loss. One of the regional governors can clean up that mess. Besides, your failure has revealed the abilities of our new enemy. It has also revealed that you are in need of further instruction in order to combat this threat."

Mara bowed her head, "Thank you my lord."

"No." The Emperor croaked, "Not my lord." He turned to the second red head, "First Sister, what do you know me as?"

The woman beside Mara was silent for half a heartbeat before immediately replying.

"Master."

A wide grin spread across Sidious's thin lips, "I am no longer just your Emperor Mara Jade. I am now your master. You shall learn the ways of the Dark Side of the Force. You shall not only be a leader of the inquisitors, but you shall be the first in a long line of powerful acolytes." He stepped away form the two women.

Mara Jade was thrilled. She had wanted to learn more of the mysteries of the Force and she had feared that she would have to discover them herself. But now, the Emperor himself was going to be instructing her and her new subordinate. With the new powers she was bound to obtain, the rebels would easily be crushed. Anticipation built up in the young warrior.

"Thank you… Master."

Sidious nodded beneath his deep hood.

"Now then, for your first lesson Mara Jade." Static built up in Sidious' fingertips. A terrifying snarl was now etched on his decrepit face. Mara felt pain rip through her mind as images of her failure on Lothal raced by. Sidious' fingers pointed at Mara and blue lightning jumped from his hands and slammed into Mara. The woman shrieked in pain and crumpled into the fetal position on the floor of the Emperor's quarters. As this all occurred, the First Sister did not move a single muscle. She remained kneeling before her new master.

Sidious hovered over Mara Jade and growled, "Never fail your master!" before more lightning engulfed her.

 **And Chapter! We are building up some more. The Jedi Temple mission will be a heist of sorts. So it's going to be a fun few chapters to write. And we have now been introduced to the First Sister. But who is the First Sister really? I'm sure you all can guess but it's always fun to ask. This should make things very interesting, and very dangerous for our four rebels. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	87. Chapter 87: The Jedi Temple

**Hello again everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! Let's start!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 87

Joshua paced to and fro in the small motel room while Kanan silently meditated on the floor. It had been nearly two weeks since their small team had arrived on Coruscant and come into contact with the Besalisk cook, Dexter Jettster. Two weeks of waiting… and waiting… and waiting. It was too risky for the four of them to venture above Level 1313. If they did, no doubt they would've been recognized as Rebel sympathizers. Especially since news of the supposedly horrific firebomb attack on a Lothal Imperial Facility finally reached Coruscant along with descriptions of the supposed terrorists. It was even riskier to venture out into Level 1313. Especially for people like Joshua, Wendy, and Luke. Kanan had lived the life of a rogue for some time before joining the Rebellion. He could easily blend in with the seedy figures that populated the lower levels of Coruscant. But the three other members of his team were still young, still naive, and that made them very big targets. So, they had no choice but to hole up in this dusty motel until Dex came calling for them. And all of the waiting was tearing at Joshua's nerves. He turned on his heel and began to his march back to the other side of the room, hands clasped behind his back and head bowed.

"Pacing isn't going to make time go by any faster." Kanan breathed as he sat silently.

Joshua shot Kanan a glare before continuing his march. Meanwhile, Wendy watched with boredom from a small chair while Luke sat beside Kanan, doing his absolute best to meditate as well. Although, Joshua's footsteps always seemed to yank his focus away from the force and back to where he actually was.

Joshua twirled on his heel again, and marched towards the opposite wall once again when he paused beside Kanan.

"What is taking that fat alien so long!" He finally exclaimed.

"You've been asking that question for the past week Joshua. And I will give the same answer as before. I don't know." Kanan replied monotonously.

That did little to settle Joshua, who resumed his pacing. Kanan had been quietly observing the young man for the past two weeks. Previous days, when he wasn't pacing back and forth like a child, Kanan would find him in a deep meditative state. But it wasn't anything like Jedi meditation. The area he was occupying wouldn't feel at peace. It would instead feel like a raging storm, violent and unpredictable. Kanan's own connection to the force seemed to waver around such a dark aura. And it always set him on edge.

It was truly fascinating to the Jedi Knight. Everything about Joshua Scarlet became less concerning and more interesting. His connection to the force was tremendous, possibly as deep as Luke's own connection to the force. But Kanan also found that the boy's connection to the dark side of the force, though strong at times, seemed to waver based on his emotions. The more frustrated he became the greater his connection. But when he was suddenly afraid or, god forbid, happy, the connection to the dark side retreated, severely weakening the boy's presence. Most of the time, this happened when he was with Wendy. Kanan quickly deduced that the two were a couple but he hadn't mentioned anything yet. He hadn't deemed it important enough to mention. It seemed that Joshua's connection to Wendy tamed the dark side, turning it from a raging beast into a docile creature that would leave the boy and let him just live his life.

It was a strange relationship to the force. Kanan had been taught that a force sensitive should treat the force as a friend, a comrade, something you can turn to and rely on whenever you needed it. Yet in his conversations with the young boy, he found Joshua to be very anti-force. He almost treated his abilities like they were some sort of curse, though he never knew why the boy acted like this. He refused to share why and when he asked Wendy the girl said she wouldn't say anything that private without Joshua's permission. And the way Joshua interacted with the force was even more bizarre. He treated the force as if it was a prison, attempting to warp his way of thinking and constrain him to a set way.

Then finally, there was the most fascinating thing for Kanan. Despite Joshua's inherent dismissal of the force, he seemed to be constantly plagued by nightmares and visions. Every night, the boy awoke drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. He and Wendy would quietly discuss what had happened before Wendy used some of her magic to calm him down and help him fall back asleep. The subjects of the visions changed every so often but he never discussed them directly with Kanan. And this, in Kanan's opinion, was the reason for Joshua's restlessness. He wasn't bored, he was anxious.

Joshua abruptly stopped pacing and let out a heavy sigh as Kanan's blind eyes fixated on the boy.

"What?" Joshua growled.

"Why are you pacing?"

"You know why." Joshua replied before sitting down on the floor across from the two Jedi, "I'm bored."

"We all are bored, but you don't see us pacing." Kanan replied.

"Everyone deals with boredom differently. Besides, aren't Jedi used to being bored. After all, your code doesn't exactly allow you to do anything other than sit in chairs and meditate."

Luke's eyes opened and he glanced at Kanan, "There's a code?"

"There was a code." Kanan corrected causing Joshua to raise an eyebrow, "But you can see how well that philosophy served us. I'm a much more… unconventional Jedi when it comes to that sort of thing."

Joshua nodded, "I may just be able to get along with you then. You aren't a stick in the mud like that Obi Wan character."

Luke's face darkened while Joshua smirked back at him, "Admit it! He was a stick in the mud."

"Ben was a great man." Luke snarled back.

"Great at being dull." Joshua scoffed.

"Don't you do it!" Kanan said firmly as his arm held Luke back from pouncing on Joshua. His blind gaze turned back to Joshua, "And you… why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you antagonizing Luke?"

"I'm bored."

Kanan rolled his eyes, "Dammit all, I know that! But why specifically Luke? Why not me? Or Wendy?"

Joshua shrugged, "I've tried antagonizing you, but you are too… Jedi. My teasing doesn't faze you. And Wendy," Joshua glanced over at the now snoozing Sky Dragon Slayer, "I already antagonize her a lot. But I like her too."

"And you don't like Luke."

"No, I don't like the situation I'm in. Luke just happens to-" Joshua stopped and glared at Kanan, "Oh you are trying to get me to open up! Fat chance of that now!"

Kanan's shoulders sagged, "You know, maybe, just maybe, I could help you out. You think i don't hear you and Wendy at night after you wake up from a nightmare?" Joshua's eyes narrowed, "Look, I don't know the dark side very well, but I am a force sensitive. I've had visions too. I'm not very prone to them, but I've had them. Maybe I can help you make sense of it all."

It looked like Joshua was actually considering it as his abrasive look dissapeared. He glanced back at Wendy who mumbled a little in her sleep. A small smile appeared on Joshua's face before he looked back at Kanan.

"I owe her twenty jewel."

Kanan raised an eyebrow.

"We had a bet on how long it would take for me to talk to you about all of this. She's been pestering me about doing this for the past week. And she just won."

Kanan smirked, "So is that a yes."

Joshua nodded slightly.

"Alright good."

"But before we begin let's get one thing straight, you are not my psychologist. You are simply helping me out. Got it?" Joshua stated.

"Isn't that the point of a psychologist?" Luke muttered.

"Got it." Kanan replied, "So, what do you want to talk about first? The visions, or your _bad_ situation?"

Joshua sighed, "Let's do the visions."

"Alright, go ahead."

Joshua took a deep breath and leaned forward, "There have been two consistent ones. The first is of a planet with a very shrill voice commanding me to go there."

Kanan frowned, "What does this planet look like?"

"Dark, lightning bolts everywhere. I think the voice said a word too." Joshua strained to remember, "Malachor." He mumbled causing Kanan's eyes to widen.

"Malachor." Kanan rubbed his bearded chin, "Are you certain?"

"Positive." Joshua noticed how unsettled the Jedi was, "Does that bother you?"

"A great deal actually. I've been to Malachor before, several years ago. We…" Kanan hesitated then let out a heavy breath, "Me and my old team landed to try and find the key to destroying the Sith. There was another Jedi with us, her name was Ahsoka Tano. While there, we entered a Sith Temple and… we were found by Inquisitors and by a creature named Maul."

"That damned Zabrak." Joshua growled menacingly. Kanan could instantly feel the hatred coming from the boy at the mention of Maul. But as soon as the hatred arrived it left as Joshua quickly calmed himself. Kanan wanted to press about how Joshua knew the creature. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wendy slowly shake her head. It was a subject best left for another time. "So, what do you think, Jedi?" Joshua continued.

"I think, that there must be something calling you to Malachor. Your connection to the dark side of the force is tremendous. And that planet has a long, devastating history with the dark side of the force. Did the voice say anything else?"

"Yeah, it said to come to its Academy. There I will receive my answers and true power."

"Academy?" Kanan frowned, "I don't remember an academy being on Malachor. But it sounds like something or someone want to teach you on Malachor. But for what purpose?"

"That ties into why I antagonize Luke." Joshua explained.

"It does?"

Joshua nodded then he started to speak again, "When you embrace the force, what do you feel?"

"The light." kanan replied, "But there is a lot of darkness around it."

Joshua nodded, "Are they equal in strength?"

Kanan shook his head.

"That is why me and Luke exist." Joshua replied causing Luke's eyes to widen, "I have spoken to some force spirits through visions and through… other means." Joshua didn't want to mention Revan's holocron. He kept that little secret for himself for now, "The Force has been out of balance for centuries. And now, the Force seeks to correct that balance before anything cataclysmic can occur. Me and Luke are destined to embody the two opposite sides of the Force. Luke is the light, I'm the dark. And…" Joshua sighed, "And I hate that I have that destiny. Whatever thing on Malachor is calling me, wants to teach me so that I can fulfill this destiny, no doubt. And it severely pisses me off."

Kanan stayed silent for a moment, "Why do you fear your destiny Joshua?"

"I don't fear it." Joshua snapped back defensively, "I just," he leaned back against the cot behind him, "I don't like being controlled." He muttered very quietly.

"You don't like being controlled?"

Joshua slowly nodded.

"Why is that?"

"Because," It was the first time Kanan had ever seen this from Joshua. The boy didn't look angry or mischievous anymore. Instead, he looked wounded, "When I was a kid, I lost control of my powers. I let the dark side of the force engulf me. As a result, I went on a rampage and murdered twenty two wizards in a rival guild." Both Kanan and Luke's eyes widened, "Because of that, the Fiore magic council put restraints on my magic power and in turn, they restrained my connection to the Force. And those restraints," He subconsciously rubbed his wrists, "Were very painful. Those restraints kept me from becoming strong enough to protect those I cared about when they needed me. It stunted my growth as a wizard for a very long time."

Kanan closed his eyes. He was beginning to finally understand the boy. This wasn't just an angry child. No, if that were the case then Wendy wouldn't have become involved with him. He was certain of that. This was a young boy wounded by his past. This was a young boy who greatly fear being controlled. And when you have a predetermined destiny, Kanan could understand how that came across as being the most extreme version of control.

"So you do fear your destiny."

Joshua shot Kanan a nasty glare, "I said I did-"

"Let me finish." Kanan said calmly, "You fear your destiny because you fear being controlled. The greatest form of control on a person is for them to have some sort of destiny in the force. After everything you have been through, it is understandable to resent such a thing." Joshua's features softened a little as Kanan spoke, "But, I'm going to tell you this now Joshua. Listen to the will of the force."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "The will of the force?"

Kanan nodded, "Ignoring the will of the force leads to disaster. It is how the Jedi were wiped out. We ignored the will of the force, we ignored the warnings in the force and we became arrogant. We were overconfident in our abilities and we stopped serving the force in favor of serving a political system. And in the end, the Jedi were wiped out." Joshua stared stunned at Kanan, "You may not like your destiny Joshua. But to ignore it is to risk disaster."

There was no angry reply from Joshua. The boy seemed to withdraw into his own thoughts for a moment before slightly nodding and waving his hand, "Can we just get back to the visions."

Kanan smiled, "Sure, what was the second vision."

Joshua sighed, "This second… makes absolutely no sense to me." He sat up straight once again, "It is cloudy and unfocused, but always the same. I-" he paused and took a shaky breath, "I see Erza. I see the most kind, loving person I know with sith eyes." he gulped, "And I see two red sabers clashing behind those eyes. Then I see a green lightsaber clashing with a red lightsaber. Fire battling lightning, and dark magic unlike any I've ever seen combating force lighting so powerful that I swear I would burn to a crisp if I touched it. I then see Earthland with a second moon around it." Kanan listened intently to Joshua as the boy spoke, "All the while, I see Erza. Only it can't be her. Her presence in the vision is filled with malice. She was never like that."

Kanan grimaced, "I- I don't' know what to say about that one."

"How is it that I can see Erza when I felt her die." Joshua sniffled as tears started to brim in his eyes and he ran a hand through his hair, "What is the meaning of all of this?"

Kanan shook his head, "I don't know Joshua. The force can give us clear visions like the one of Malachor. Or it can give us visions that are clouded and unfocused. But, one thing you must know is," Kanan pointed at Joshua, "The future is ever changing. It is never set in stone. And that causes many visions to become unfocused, because that future is not set. Don't get consumed by worries of the future. Live in the present."

Joshua snorted, "You sound like an old man I know."

"Good, he is a wise old man then." Kanan replied, "Also, as painful as it may be. You may have to let go of Erza."

Joshua's face darkened, "What?" he snarled.

"Don't let go of her memory." Kanan advised, "Remember and cherish her. Know that she is one with the force and she will be forever with you. But don't dwell on her, don't let your grief consume you."

Joshua's face scrunched up into a snarl, "Says the one riddled with grief."

Kanan's calm facade dropped in surprise.

"C'mon Kanan." Joshua growled, "We are both force adepts. We can sense each other. We can comb through the minds of others, feel the emotions of others. You are telling me to let go of grief when you are clutching your own so tightly that you are liable to crush it in your grip."

Kanan glowered at Joshua.

"Don't be a hypocrite to me Kanan Jarrus." Joshua snarled as the motel door opened, "I don't tolerate hypocrites."

"Umm…" The low voice of Dexter Jettster interrupted, breaking the rising tension in the room as Joshua and Kanan stared each other down, "Am I interrupting something?"

Kanan sighed, "No."

"About damn time you showed up." Joshua muttered under his breath before rising back to his feet, "What's the plan Dex?"

The Besalisk quickly shut the door behind him and cleared his throat.

"I've got a pair of the best bounty hunters to help you break into the Temple." he explained, "It took a while to contact them but I finally got them here to Coruscant." He opened the door with one of his four hands and beckoned them in.

The first bounty hunter to step in was a middle aged humanoid woman with skin white as chalk. Dark green eyes contrasted with her abnormally pale skin while her head was mostly bald with a long auburn ponytail falling to the back of her neck. Slung over her shoulder was a sniper rifle. The most intriguing feature of the woman was the silver antennae that was implanted into the crown of her head. As soon as she entered, Kanan's muscles tensed and he subtly reached for his lightsaber.

"Aurra Sing." he snarled.

The pale woman glanced at Dex, "You didn't' tell me I would be working with a Jedi fugitive." she snarled as she instantly noticed the lightsaber clipped to Kanan's belt.

"I uh… well…"

"Working with a Jedi will not be a problem." A gravelly, muffled voice said.

The second bounty hunter entered. This time Kanan didn't hesitate. His blue lightsaber hissed to life in his hand as a man wearing green mandalorian armor entered. Aurra Sing drew a pistol from the holster on her thigh and pointed it at the Jedi while the mandalorian remained incredibly calm, his hands only slightly moving towards his blaster rifle.

"Dex! Are you insane!?" Kanan exclaimed as he stood between the two bounty hunters and Luke, "It's one thing to get Aurra Sing to help us. But," Kanan pointed his saber at the armored man, "Him!?"

Dex raised two of his hands defensively, "Easy now Kanan. I'm paying them a lot of credits to do this. And they like their credits. They won't betray you." Dex eyed the two bounty hunters, "Right… Fett?" He specifically eyed the armored Mandalorian.

"Affirmative." The man replied in a bored tone.

Aurra Sing crossed her arms, "I'm going to need more credits if I'm going to work with a Jedi."

"Sing." Boba Fett snapped causing the pale woman's eyes to widen. The man slowly shook his head and the woman relented.

"Fine." She grumbled.

As they spoke, Joshua slowly inched past Kanan and stared at the two bounty hunters.

"So, Aurra Sing and Boba Fett?" Joshua then held out his right hand, "Nice to meet you. My name is Joshua Scarlet." he finished with a friendly grin.

Aurra Sing looked at the hand then sighed, "How has this brat lived this long on this level Dex?" She asked as Joshua lowered his hand.

"The Jedi has kept him and his three friends cooped up in here for the past two weeks."

"Wise choice." Boba Fett said quickly, "Those three stick out like sore thumbs. They wouldn't last a day down here alone."

Joshua smirked and summoned his white lightsaber from his requip space, slowly igniting the ancient blade, "Care to test that out?"

Boba Fett slowly turned to look at the boy, "Another Jedi?" His tone not fearful or curious, but monotone. He was clearly unimpressed by the boy.

"Oh I'm no Jedi, Fett." Joshua replied deactivating his lightsaber, "But I'm just as skilled."

"Sure you are." Aurra Sing drawled, "Alright, let's discuss the infiltration plan as well as the objective. I want to complete this job then get the hell out of the core worlds. It's way to clean and stifling for me here. And I don't want to be in the company of a Jedi for too long. That is a certain way to meet death."

"Agreed." Boba Fett stated. He looked at Kanan, blue lightsaber still pointing at him, "What is the objective, Jedi?"

Kanan frowned but resigned himself to Dex's judgement. They would need all the help they could get for what they were about to do. His blue blade deactivated and he clipped the hilt back onto his belt.

"The target is the Holocron Vault in the Jedi archives." Kanan said.

A low whistle came from Aurra Sing, "Wow, you are ambitious for a Jedi. It's pretty much a known fact that the Emperor has that little area locked down tighter than Jabba's personal vault."

"It can be done." Boba replied.

"I didn't say it couldn't be done." Aurra snapped back at her companion, "but… it'll be difficult. The last thing we want to do is attract the attention of the Emperor."

"And we don't want that either." Kanan agreed.

"Ok, holocron vault." Joshua nodded, "Interesting, but how do we even get into the temple?"

"The Hall of Knighthood." Boba Fett replied causing Kanan's eyes to widen.

"That's just crazy!" Kanan exclaimed.

"Hall of Knighthood?" Joshua asked.

"It's at the top of the tallest spire on the Jedi Temple." Kanan replied, "It's gotta be the most heavily secured area. The storage for all of the Jedi's ancient texts were near there."

"We're talking about Imperial security." Aurra Sing smirked, "That means they are more concerned with the obvious points of entry. The hangars, main entrances, sewer system, those are all covered. But they won't be expecting a ship to fly straight at a spire and blast a window open."

"That will alert everyone in there to our presence." Joshua muttered.

"It will. Which means this has to be an in and out operation." Aurra replied, "No matter what, this was going to be an in and out operation. There is no way we can spend extended time in the Temple without anyone becoming aware of us being there. And you Jedi should know the layout of the temple by heart. It should take you no time at all to find your way to the Jedi archives and grab whatever you need."

"Once inside the temple." Boba continued, "I will keep my ship hovering close by, ready for pickup. Aurra will be on overwatch, keeping an eye on everything and making sure you don't get caught off guard by any imperials. Once you achieve the objective, return to the hall of knighthood for pickup. We will then fly off world to a random destination so the Empire cannot track us. After that, you are on your own."

Kanan shook his head, "This plan is crazy. It won't work."

"Got any other better ideas?" Joshua asked.

"No." Kanan replied, defeated.

"Are we all in agreement?" Aurra asked. When no one replied she took it as a yes, "Good! Meet at the spaceport tomorrow at dawn. Boba's ship will be waiting." As quickly as they came, the two bounty hunters left.

"I'll get you four something cooked up for dinner. Come on by whenever you're ready." Dex said as he lumbered out of the motel room.

"Thanks." Wendy called to the Besalisk while Joshua, Kanan, and Luke remained silent.

The door hissed shut behind the alien and finally Kanan broke the silence.

"This is bad." He muttered while running a hand over his face, "This is very bad."

"I agree." Luke commented, "That was _the_ Boba Fett. I thought he was loyal to the Empire?"

"Bounty hunters are loyal to money Luke." Joshua said reassuringly, "And nothing else."

"And the Empire has, guess what? A lot of money!" Luke replied, "What if they know about bounties on us and take them instead of this job?"

Wendy's face paled, "They'd do that?"

"They're bounty hunters, they have no qualms about betraying someone." Kanan grumbled, "And that possibility is very high." He groaned before rubbing his stomach, "I'm hungry, and I need a drink. Ready to eat?"

"I am." Luke said, "You guys?"

Joshua was about to enthusiastically reply yes when Wendy intervened.

"We will meet you there. I need to talk to Joshua about something."

Kanan glanced back at the girl and nodded, "Don't be too long."

"We won't be." Wendy replied before the two Jedi quickly left.

Joshua groaned and stomped a foot, "Wendy I'm hungry!" he whined.

"You're always hungry Joshua." Wendy replied as she sat down on her cot, "Besides, you and I need to talk, now."

Joshua sighed, "Fine…" he trudged over and sat down beside the sky dragon, "What about?"

"What the hell was that with Kanan?"

Joshua winced, "I… Um…"

"You crossed him Joshua. You may not see that, but you offended him and brought up some bad memories with your whole grief conversation. What the hell even was that?"

"He asked me to basically forget about Erza."

"No." Wendy replied, "He told you it'd be best to let go of your grief for her." Joshua looked down at the floor and Wendy edged closer to him, "This whole situation Joshua, I can see that it's tearing you apart. You are always angry, you snap easily, it's like… it's like you are losing control of yourself."

"I'm in complete control of myself." Joshua replied, not angrily but softly. It was almost like he was trying to reassure himself more than Wendy.

"Then why are you like this right now? Why all the pacing? Why are you so… tense?"

Joshua gulped, "Wendy… I'm very afraid."

Her brown eyes widened. It wasn't like Joshua to just come out and admit it like that. It usually took a good deal of poking for her to get him to finally say something.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

Joshua bowed his head, "This… this whole mission could go bad. We… we are in the Emperor's back yard. And where the Emperor is, Vader isn't far. And, that scares me. No… it terrifies me." he looked at Wendy, "You weren't there when I fought Vader, Wendy. You didn't see the raw power he had, the amount of focus he had. I was nothing to him. Erza… Erza was nothing to him. Which means...if he ran into you, you would be nothing to him. And, I don't think I could handle losing you both. Not like that."

Wendy cupped Joshua's face in her hands, "You need to stop worrying like that. Take it from me, the doctor." Joshua laughed a little, "I'm going to be ok. It's not healthy for you to always worry like this."

"Wendy…" Joshua reached up and brushed her hand, "Wendy, I love you." The Sky dragon's brown eyes widened and a blush spread over her face, "And because of that, it's practically my job to worry about you. I know you can handle yourself, but this is a big, terrifying galaxy. Let me protect you when I can."

Wendy smirked, "Fine, but only if I can do the same for you."

Joshua grinned, "Fine by me."

The two quickly kissed each other before getting up from the cot and walking towards the door.

"You know. That was the first time you've said those words." Wendy remarked as they exited the motel.

"What words?" Joshua asked with a grin.

"Those three little words." Wendy replied.

"What? Big, Terrifying, Galaxy?"

Wendy smacked his right arm, "You know what words I was talking about!"

Meanwhile, Joshua just laughed and held her hand as the two finally crossed the street and walked into Dexter's Diner.

...

The sun shone brightly over the surface of Coruscant today. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, though there was the usual smoggy haze that permeated every level of the city except for the tallest floors in the mammoth skyscrapers surrounding Joshua. He walked quickly beside Wendy, Luke, and Kanan, the four of them moving swiftly through thick crowd of people towards the enormous spaceport.

Once inside the spaceport, they set out for looking for Boba Fett's ship. All they knew about the thing was that it was called the Slave I. A fitting name for a bounty hunter's ship. It took them what felt like forever to find the kriffing thing, but eventually they found her docked on the highest level of the spaceport, her Mandalorian master gently running a brush along the hull as he scraped away the last of some carbon scoring. Boba Fett's head didn't even turn to look at the four approaching his beloved ship.

"Get in. We're ready to leave." He said curtly just as Aurra Sing poked her head up to look out the cockpit window.

The Slave I was an oddly shaped ship. To use Wendy's description, it looked like an upside down frying pan with the handle attached to the round bottom. Two wing like fins reached out from the side of the cockpit. Other than the odd structure of the craft, it wasn't much to look at. The four of them squeezed into the small cockpit along with Aura Sing and Boba Fett. The Mandalorian then quickly ignited the engines, got clearance to exit the spaceport and jetted across the Coruscant skyline towards three spires that jutted up out of the ground like daggers atop a pyramid.

"Is that it?" Luke asked as they drew closer to the three spires.

Kanan nodded, "That's the Jedi Temple. The middle tower there is where the Hall of Knighthood is located. Hundreds of thousands of Jedi were knighted in there before the Empire rose to power."

"Were you one of them?" Luke asked.

Kanan shook his head, "No. I was a padawan when the Jedi purge occurred. I never complete my training. That is the whole reason why we are doing this. So I can find holocrons that will assist with your instruction."

Luke nodded before his eyes glanced back at Boba Fett.

"You seem troubled." Kanan said quietly.

"He's responsible for delivering a friend of mine to Jabba the Hut." Luke snarled lowly.

"Easy Luke." Kanan placed a hand on the young Jedi's shoulder, "Do not let your anger get the better of you."

"Or do." Joshua interjected, "Then I could teach you."

Kanan rolled his eyes while the Slave I stealthily slipped towards the center spire. Behind the four, the entry ramp to the ship slowly opened. Aurra Sing jumped out of the co-pilot's seat with her large rifle and walked to the edge of the ramp, her weapons shouldered and pointing at a large, tinted window.

"Get ready to jump!" She called back over the howling wind around the ship.

"What!?" Luke yelled back just as the pale bounty hunter fired an explosive, slug round at the window.

As soon as the slug hit the glass, the tinted window was engulfed in a loud, concussive explosion that made Joshua's ears ring. To his left, he saw Wendy's eyes squeeze shut as she gripped her ears in pain.

"Go now!" Fett barked back at them.

"You heard the Mandalorian!" Kanan ran forward and made an impossible leap, easily entering the Hall of Knighthood. The blind Jedi turned to look at the others and saw Luke jump as well, though nowhere near as gracefully as Kanan had. The young Jedi stumbled as he landed roughly on the red carpeted floor.

Back on the Slave I, Wendy hesitated. She couldn't make this jump. She didn't have special powers like Joshua and Kanan to help her make it. Her face went as red as a tomato when she felt Joshua's arm wrap around her waist.

"Together it is!" He smiled before gathering the force around him and jumping out of the Slave I. Wendy screamed the entire time.

The pair landed roughly inside of the Jedi Temple, but thankfully Kanan and Luke reached out to steady them before they could fall onto the shards of glass that were scattered on the floor around them. Once they regained their wits, Joshua turned to Kanan.

"So where is the holocron vault?"

"Jedi archives, on the other side of the temple. Several floors down."

Joshua nodded and was about to follow Kanan when he stopped. This entire place was dripping in the dark side of the force. He knew the reason why. This temple was technically a wound in the force. A place filled with such a sudden influx of death that the force was literally blackened. He could see the effect it was having on both Kanan and Luke. Their movements were hesitant and their facial expressions were filled with concern and anxiety. He glanced over at Wendy and saw that her face was paler than normal. Even though she wasn't force sensitive, she felt the effects of this place too.

But there was a second thing Joshua was sensing. It was hiding within the darkness, a deeper shadow that could barely be distinguished from the sensation of death in the air. Joshua quickly closed his eyes and reached out, letting the force guide his conscious through the temple as he sensed his surroundings.

"Why do I feel a buzzing in my body?" Luke asked.

"Joshua is sensing his surroundings." Wendy explained, her voice higher than normal due to her own unease.

"That's an advanced technique." Kanan replied, impressed by what he was feeling.

"He was always very good at this sort of thing." Wendy said.

Joshua's eyes opened, "There is something else here."

They all stopped walking towards the turbolifts. Kanan turned to look at Joshua.

"What do you mean?"

"This place, it is… very dark. That's due to the amount of death that now calls this place home. It has stained the very building. But..." Joshua cocked his head to the side. The dark shadow he was sensing only seemed to grow as they drew closer to the turbolifts. He could see Kanan's face suddenly pale as he felt it too. Luke meanwhile remained more oblivious to the situation.

"What is that?" Kanan shuddered, the darkness making the force painful to reach for.

"I don't know." Joshua replied. He wasn't in pain like Kanan was. Instead he felt like he was at home. It was comfortable, almost pleasurable. The dark side of the force was whispering to him in his mind. Beckoning him to follow the darkness with a sweet voice that was music to his ears. It took everything in Joshua to not blindly follow, "I'm going to go find out though." He drew his lightsaber from his requip and held it at the ready in his cybernetic hand, "You three go to the holocron vault. I'll meet you back up here."

"You aren't coming with?" Wendy asked, "But you need to find-"

"If you find any holocrons that are red and shaped like a pyramid then grab them." Joshua replied swiftly, "Those will have the answers I'm looking for. Besides, a Jedi Holocron is useless to me. I can't open those." The whispering was getting louder in his mind, "I think I'm the only one who can investigate this Kanan."

The blind Jedi nodded, "Very well. Meet back here as soon as possible."

Joshua nodded back and stepped onto a separate turbolift from the others.

"May the Force be with you." Kanan called before their turbolift raced down.

Joshua watched as they disappeared into the temple depths.

"You as well." He muttered before closing his eyes and allowing himself to sink into the dark side of the force.

The whispers grew louder as he connected to a well of power that he had not previously noticed. Despite the fact that this was the Jedi's home, it was incredibly strong in the dark side of the force. So strong in fact, that when Joshua opened his eyes once again they were no longer hazel. Instead, they glowed a bright crimson due to the amount of dark side energy coursing through his body. And the seductress that was the Dark Side continued to tempt the boy with power. Joshua pounded the side of his head, trying to silence the whispers before he tapped a button that took the turbolift to the ground floor.

In a flash, the turbolift reached the bottom of the temple. Down here, the evidence of a massive battle were plain to see. Carbon scoring still scarred many of the walls and pillars. Some of the great stone columns that once held up the main hall's ceiling had collapsed, ripped apart by massive explosions. Deep gouges ran along the floor and walls from lightsabers that desperately deflected blaster bolts before their users were violently cut down. And the dark side only grew stronger as Joshua followed the paths of destruction into the bowels of the Temple.

When he reached the center of the temple he paused. There was nowhere else to go. It was just a blank wall in front of him. Yet he could feel the force in this wall… just this wall. It was darker and colder here, and it only fed Joshua's growing power. Subconsciously, Joshua reached out at the wall with the force. The wall shuddered under the weight of the dark side and slowly slid out of the way to reveal an ancient stone staircase that descended deep underground.

His thumb pressed down on his lightsaber and the white blade hissed to life, providing Joshua with some light as he slowly descended the spiraling staircase. Eventually, the staircase ended and Joshua was left alone in a large, cavern.

There was no light down here. Not just physical light, but no light in the force. At all. This was the blackest that Joshua had ever felt the force. This was even darker than the Sith Temple back home on Earthland. The dark side was not a tame animal in here. No, here the dark side was a raging beast, clawing at the cages and restraints that Joshua so carefully put in place in his mind. It howled and clawed, jaws snapping as the beast attempted to break free and unleash inside of this well of unlimited power. Joshua took a deep breath. He was actually savoring the feeling here. The power of the dark side tasted sweet as he breathed it in.

"Wow…" he breathed. He had never felt power like this before in his life. He slowly stepped forward only to pause and look back at the staircase. He felt like he was being watched. A brush of wind went by his cheek and the lightsaber whirled around his body.

I'm definitely being watched. He thought. Joshua dragged his thoughts away from the caged animal that was the dark side of the force and brought himself back to reality. And the reality was terrifying.

"This isn't a Jedi Temple." his breaths quickened as he realized what this was, "This is a Sith Shrine." his crimson eyes widened, "This is a trap!"

Never in his life had he ascended a staircase so quickly.

 **And chapter! One more peaceful chapter before our heroes finish their incredibly risky mission. (Made even riskier by those two bounty hunters). It's gonna be a fun chapter coming up! I can't wait to write it! Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	88. Chapter 88: It's a Trap

**Hello again everyone! With this chapter, The Dark Fairy will surpass 500,000 words! Holy smokes that's a lot! And it's all because of you guys. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this story would be like by so many. It's because of you guys that this story keeps on going and I just want to say thank you, thank you so much. This is just too much fun to write! With that being said, let's begin a new chapter!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 88

Heavy steps pounded against the lavish, thick red carpets that led into Emperor Palpatine's personal quarters. Labored mechanical breathing echoed in long drawn out gasps as the towering warrior in black moved past the open doors of the Emperor's room and knelt before the hooded figure gazing out the window.

"You have summoned me, my master." Lord Vader rumbled, head bowed in reverence to the hooded figure.

"I did Lord Vader." The Emperor croaked. His yellow eyes remained transfixed on a large pyramid building with spires rising from the top. "Have you felt anything recently?"

"Felt anything?" Vader questioned.

He could feel the Emperor's disappointment rush through the force at him.

"I thought you were more attuned than that, Lord Vader." The Emperor muttered. His yellow eyes were now gently closed and Vader could feel his Master's presence rise to immense heights as the dark side of the force bent to his will. Quickly, Vader reached out through the force. His mind began silently searching for any disturbances. But he still felt none.

"You are looking in the wrong place, my apprentice." Now Sidious was clearly dissapointed, "You are searching for a light in the darkness when you should actually be searching for a new shadow being cast over the force."

Vader's bowed head rose to look at his master, "A new shadow?"

The Emperor nodded as he looked out at the ruins of the Jedi Temple, "Do you remember the Shrine beneath the Jedi Temple?"

Vader paused, "I do."

"What was it's purpose?"

Vader's breathing remained steady as he answered his master's question, "To corrupt the Jedi from within. To cloud their sight and grasp of the force and make it easier to deceive them."

Sidious again only nodded, "And what would it's purpose be now?"

Vader thought for a moment, "It is a dark side nexus, master. It's sole purpose is to provide us with power."

"That is not it's only purpose." Sidious replied, "Such a powerful asset cannot simply have a lone purpose for existence."

"Then may I ask about it's other purpose?" Vader boomed.

"One other purpose is, quite simply, a way for me to keep an eye on the Temple. After all, eventually some Jedi were bound to come home." he said with a devious smirk, "Though, I never expected someone to actually step inside of the shrine."

Vader's eyes widened inside of his helmet, "Are you saying someone is at the Temple?"

"Of course that is what I'm saying Lord Vader. If you were attuned to your current surroundings you would have noticed immediately."

Vader recoiled at the lashing Sidious gave him. His master was of course correct. He should be in tune with Coruscant more. But Vader refused to. And it was for a foolish reason as well, but he couldn't bring himself to remain on this planet long enough to recognize any major disturbances. There was too much pain here, far too much regret for the Sith Lord. Even though a Sith Lord was supposed to feed off of that pain, and Vader regularly did, he always bolstered his power away from Coruscant. Even a Sith Lord could only handle so much pain and regret before the mind breaks from the misery of it all. But now that his master had scolded him and pointed out his shortcomings, Vader adjusted. And he felt the force shift almost instantly. Indeed, someone had managed to gain access to the Sith Shrine beneath the Jedi Temple.

"No one has access to the Temple but yourself master." Vader snarled, "Shall I go dispose of the intruders?"

Sidious turned his head slightly, "Perhaps. But," The Master looked back at the Jedi Temple, "I think this is the perfect opportunity to test our new agents. Send Grand Inquisitor Jade and the First Sister to handle this. You will observe from a distance. If it looks like they will fail, you will move in and eliminate the intruders." Sidious turned to look at his still kneeling apprentice, "Am I understood, Lord Vader?"

"Yes master."

Sidious nodded, "You are dismissed."

….

It didn't take the three of them long to find the Jedi archives. After all, Kanan Jarrus knew the way by heart. Even after more than twenty years of being away from the Jedi Temple, his mind could remember every twist and turn to the Jedi archives. But the way there wasn't the same as he remembered. His memories of the walk to the Jedi Archives were filled with warmth and excitement.

Kanan Jarrus, or Caleb Dume as he had been known all those years ago, was never much of a book learner. He much preferred a hands on approach to learning the force than burying himself in texts and holonet recordings. But he still enjoyed the Jedi archives. It was a quiet place filled with wisdom and knowledge. And with the help of the wise old Master Jocasta Nu, Caleb Dume had always found what he was searching for in the archives. But now, as he stood in the ruins of the once treasured place, he couldn't help but be at a loss as to what he was searching for.

He knew he had to find texts or holocrons in order to help train Luke. There was no way Kanan was able to train the boy without them. But he couldn't think of any specific ones to look for. Luke had proven to be incredibly capable and a stunningly fast learner in the few short weeks he had been learning for Kanan. It made the Jedi Knight's head spin with just how strong Luke's connection the force was. In a way it made training the boy easier. But then again, Kanan wasn't much of a teacher. More of a helper along the road of the force for Luke. If he wanted to be a true teacher, a true master, then he needed to get his hands on some Jedi Holocrons and restart his own training. He tried to train another without the holocrons and wisdom of other masters. But that approach ended in pain and heartache. It was wound that still bled for Kanan Jarrus as he recalled his first padawan.

 _Stop Kanan._ The blind Jedi berated himself, _Focus on the present. Don't get lost in the past._

With a heavy sigh he continued to silently walk alongside Luke Skywalker and Wendy Marvell through the Jedi Archives.

Wendy's eyes scanned the scorched remains of shelves that were once filled with books and recordings. Craters pocketed the once spotless floors of the Jedi Archives. Scorch marks from blaster fire and gashes from lightsabers still scarred the walls. Even though Wendy wasn't force sensitive, she could feel the pain in this place. This place was where many Jedi went from learner to master. This library was where Jedi brought their apprentices to discover the mysteries of the force. And it was also where many made their last stands.

Wendy's eyes fell on a skeleton leaning against a small desk. She gulped as she stared in horror. The aged bones were covered by loose, cream colored robes. The jaw bone was ajar in an everlasting scream of pain. The fingers were broken, bashed to bits as something or someone had tried to pry an object loose. Kanan paused in front of the corpse as well and Wendy could see him swallowing back tears.

"That was Jocasta Nu." he shivered, "She was," He took a deep breath, "She was the Jedi Master in charge of the archives."

"How do you know that is her?" Wendy asked.

Kanan closed his eyes, "She never left the library. Even in death, she hasn't left her precious library." He mumbled before stiffening and marching onwards, not another word leaving his lips.

They group passed by several more rows of charred shelves before reaching a large set of double doors that towered over every shelf in the library. Kanan stopped in front of the doors.

"This is it."

Wendy stared up at the doors. Dust sat on them in a thick layer showing that no one had attempted to open the doors in ages. They had remained sealed shut since the time of the Jedi order.

"How do we open it?" Luke asked.

"That's a good question." Kanan replied quietly, "Only a Master on the Jedi Council could open the Holocron Vault doors."

Luke glanced over at Kanan, "So, we came all this way without a way to open the doors?"

"Just give me a moment to think." Kanan snapped back before the comm on all of their belts buzzed.

" _It's Fett. You have ten minutes. Imperial Security is converging on your location."_

Wendy gulped and looked at Kanan, "Alright, so we have no choice but to force the doors open."

"Easier said than done." Kanan replied, "They are too heavy to move with the force. And they are far too thick to be able to cut through with a lightsaber." He looked over at Wendy, "And the last thing we want to do is leave this door open for Darth Sidious to finally go through and destroy what's left of the Jedi."

Wendy narrowed her eyes before walking up to the door and placing a hand on the cold metal. Just from the feel of it alone, she could tell that what Kanan said was true. The doors were enormous. From her experience with the Force, no one could possibly open the doors with it. From what Wendy had observed, the Force was a strange thing. It was a mystical presence, something that should've made sense to a wizard that practiced magic but also puzzled the medical expert of Fairy Tail. From her observations of Joshua's use of the force, it was similar to a muscle that must be exercised and cared for in order to grow. That being said, every muscle has a limit with what it can accomplish without failing.

"So the force isn't an option." Wendy stated, "And we don't have a council member to put the security codes in." Wendy rubbed her chin, "Do the doors swing inward or outward?"

Kanan shrugged, "I don't know. I've never seen them opened."

Wendy sighed, "Then we're just going to have to hope I'm right." She cracked her knuckles, "Stand back, I'm going to try something."

"Just what exactly are you-" Kanan was cut off as the air in the Jedi Temple began to swirl in a massive current around the blue haired girl.

His blind eyes widened as he watched Wendy. He knew the Earthlanders had special powers. He had seen it for himself. The fire abilities of Natsu Dragneel were awe inspiring and devastating. The Iron summoned by Gajeel Redfox was tough, durable, and destructive. Lucy Heartfilia's spirits were incredible to observe. Even Joshua's own magic, a type of magic he had described personally as a simple thing to accomplish, was fascinating to watch. But then there was Wendy. Her healing abilities were otherworldly. Kanan remembered the medical experts in the Alliance raving to him one morning about her powers.

He had thought that was the extent of her abilities. And that made sense to Kanan. Wendy was a quiet, meek girl who deeply cared about others. When it came to taking care of her patients, nothing was more important to her than their well being. The only times he had seen her be forceful with anyone was actually with Joshua. She was the archetypal healer if there ever was one. Kind, quiet, thoughtful, and patient. Healing magic suited her perfectly.

Which was why Kanan was so dumbfounded now as the air around Wendy grew from a gentle breeze to a cyclone. He had no idea Wendy was capable of something like this. This wind magic was nothing short of raw power. Not power in the sense of Natsu's fire which personified passion and fury. But power in an elegant form. It was quick, precise, and effective. Very much a surgical approach to magic. Perfect for a someone who practiced the healing arts.

The cyclonic winds became so powerful that Kanan felt his feet beginning to slip on the floors as the tornado in front of him and Luke began to suck them inwards. He couldn't even hear his own thoughts anymore. The howling winds were louder than any explosion he had ever heard in his life. And at the center of the small cyclone was the petite Wendy. She was utterly calm inside of the furious storm she was generating. She was the literal eye of the storm.

" **May the winds of the world collide!"** He heard Wendy's voice scream out, " **Sky Dragon's Secret Art: Hurricane Force!"**

The winds stopped swirling around Wendy and launched at the heavy doors in front of them. The explosion that resulted was ear splitting. Kanan clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut as debris flew all around the three of them. He could feel rubble tapping against his shoulders as it descended from the air around him. After a several moments of staying rooted in place, Kanan opened his blind eyes again, and his jaw dropped.

He had expected the doors to be completely destroyed. Instead, the doors were mostly intact. Only a small gap just big enough for all three of them to squeeze through had been created by the explosion of wind. And in front of the gap was Wendy, her shoulders sagging and her arms hanging limply at her sides.

"That was…" She gasped for breath, "A lot of effort."

Her knees buckled and Luke raced forward and caught her.

"H-how did you do that?" Luke asked, eyes still wide as he stared at the doors.

"That was my magic." Wendy mumbled.

"I thought you were a healer?" Luke said stunned.

"I am. But I am also the Sky Dragon Slayer. Wind magic is my other specialty. Although, it's not as strong as my healing magic. Mostly because I don't use it as often."

"Not as strong!" Luke exclaimed, "You just cut a hole through those doors. Lightsabers wouldn't even have been able to do that!"

"Thanks." Wendy smiled at the compliment, "But we don't' have time to stare at it do we?"

"No we don't." Kanan said firmly, "Luke get inside, we have to grab the holocrons."

Luke nodded and was about to walk through the gap when the doors to the archives burst open.

"WAIT!"

Kanan ignited his lightsaber and wheeled around only to see Joshua sprinting full speed towards them. Only there was something different about him. Kanan reached out with the force, attempting to feel Joshua's presence. But for some reason, he was struggling to do so. The force was being completely clouded out by the dark side. It was inhibiting his connection to it. But that shouldn't have been possible. Not in the home of the Jedi. Even if there was a wound in the force here, he still should be able to use the force to sense others. Why was he unable to now.

Then Kanan saw the eyes. Joshua's hazel colored eyes were gone, replaced by a blazing crimson color that glowed brightly in the dark archives. Kanan had seen those eyes before. Several inquisitors he had battled over the years had those eyes. Kanan tightly gripped his lightsaber and stepped between Joshua, Wendy and Luke.

"Stop right there." Kanan growled.

"Kanan what are you… doing?" Wendy looked at Joshua and saw the crimson in his eyes. A pit formed in her stomach and she tensed instantly, "J-Joshua?"

"You guys!" Joshua skidded to a stop as Kanan pointed his lightsaber at him. The teen cautiously eyed Kanan and held up his hands, "Whoa! Easy Jedi."

"Your eyes." Kanan growled.

"What about them?" Joshua asked innocently.

"Joshua…" Wendy whispered, "They are different."

"What?" Joshua then realized what they all meant. "Oh you gotta be kidding me. You think I've lost control!?"

"That's usually the first sign." Wendy said carefully.

"Well I haven't." Joshua replied before looking at Kanan, "The eyes you are seeing are a side effect."

"Bullshit." Kanan snapped. Before he could continue, Wendy interrupted him.

"A side effect of what?"

"The Sith Shrine beneath our feet!" Joshua exclaimed.

That made Kanan's heart stop, "What shrine beneath our feet?"

"That dark feeling you and I felt when we entered the Temple, remember? I tracked the source and it led me to a Sith shrine buried beneath the Temple." Kanan's lightsaber fell to his side and his eyes widened, "The shrine is so powerful that it induced a physical reaction from me because of my connection to the dark side of the force. And if there is a powerful shrine underneath us then guess who uses it?"

Now fear built up in Kanan, "The Emperor."

"Exactly!" Joshua cried, "We need to leave now!"  
"We can't though!" Luke exclaimed, "We can't leave when we are so close to our goal!"

"We don't have a choice!" Joshua yelled back, "The Emperor no doubt knows we are here. If we stay any longer we will be screwed!"

"But we came all this way!" Luke protested again.

" _Security forces are right on top of you! Get back here now or we are leaving."_ Fett snarled over the comlink.

Joshua raised an eyebrow and glanced around the archives. His crimson eyes shot from bookcase to bookcase, scanning every patch of rubble and upturned debris he could. But he didn't see any stormtroopers. There wasn't another soul with them at all.

"I don't see anyone." Wendy mumbled.

Joshua didn't reply. He quickly closed his eyes and reached out. At first he recoiled a little at how detailed everything appeared in his mind. The amount of power coursing through him amped up his senses to heights he never could've imagined. It was almost intoxicating to utilize this much power. Once again, the whispers crept into the back of his mind. He had to tone them out or else he couldn't focus.

Joshua felt a pulse coming from the main entry to the archives. Then another pulse. Two heartbeats thrummed in his mind as two newcomers entered the ruined Jedi Archives. Their footsteps echoed off of the walls in unison, giving the illusion that there was only one opponent.

"Joshua?" Wendy muttered.

"Luke, grab Wendy, then get the hell out of here." Joshua ordered before requiping his lightsaber into his left hand.

"What!? Don't send me away!" Luke cried, "I can help!"

"Do you have a weapon?"

Luke gulped, "N-no. I still need to get a new one."

"Then you will be of no help here. You can help me by getting Wendy to safety."

Wendy grit her teeth as she heard this, "I'm not leaving you Joshua Scarlet!"

"Listen to him, Wendy." Kanan replied as he too felt the newcomers in the force. And they were powerful. He could feel the dark side coming from them in waves as their boot heels clicked on the tile floors. Finally one of the two newcomers appeared. It was a woman clothed in black robes with a black hooded cloak covering her head. Her arms were folded inside the sleeves of her cloak. Underneath the hood, Kanan could make out wisps of fiery red hair swaying in the air. Kanan quickly looked at Luke and Wendy.

"Get moving you two." Kanan snapped, "This is our fight."

"Kanan." Luke started to argue before he was shut up by the furious look in Joshua's eyes.

"So help me Luke Skywalker, if Wendy gets hurt because you refused to listen I will gut you like a fish, feed you to Happy, and claim it was sushi!"

Luke swiftly nodded and uttered a quick, "Aye sir." Before grabbing Wendy by the wrist and weaving between several upturned bookcases.

Now only Joshua, Kanan, and the woman in black remained in the archives. Joshua could feel his pulse beginning to quicken as adrenaline rushed through his veins. This entire time he had been sensing his opponents, attempting to piece together their possible strengths and weaknesses in the force. Both were powerful. The dark side of the force covered them, their very movements causing the force to ripple around Joshua. But a sense of excitement clung to Joshua. He wasn't afraid of this opponent. The more he sensed about her, the more excited he was for this battle. She was powerful and might make things difficult for the blind Jedi to his left. But for Joshua, this could end up being a cake walk. He caught himself before he started to smirk. There was supposed to be a second person, but where were they? Before he could begin to search, the woman in black spoke.

"Hello boys," She said in an amused tone, her voice like silk as she spoke, "It feels like years since we last saw each other, doesn't it?"

Black gloved hands reached up and removed the hood from her head revealing pale freckled skin, fiery red hair, and crimson irises that burned like hot coals from a fire. A wide smirk was on her face as she stared down her two opponents.

Kanan's blue saber thrummed to life in his hands.

"Mara Jade." He snarled before readying himself.

"Hello sweetie." The woman cooed, "I wish we could've met in circumstances like last time. I did enjoy seeing you chained to a chair."

Joshua raised an eyebrow and looked at Kanan, "You got a thing with this chick or something?"

"Wha! No I-Um-she's making things up!" Kanan stammered, "I wasn't chained willingly if that's what you're thinking!"

Mara Jade laughed a loud, "Oh, Kanan and I have had plenty of moments together. Only one of which you have witnessed little boy. I remember one time when he captured me." she grinned widely flashing perfectly white teeth, "Oh that was a thrilling moment for me."

The blush on Kanan's cheeks was all Joshua needed. He snickered and lowered his lightsaber.

"She _loooves_ you." He teased using a particular blue cat's signature line.

"More like desires me." Kanan replied, "And not in the good way."

"Quite right. I do desire you… I desire you dead that is. I wish to add you to the pile of rebel scum that I have created with my sword."

Joshua leaned over to Kanan, "Ok, so if she doesn't love you then quit blushing like a twelve year old and realize she is trying to throw you off balance." he hissed.

"And why would I do that, little boy?"

Joshua's cheeks flushed red from irritation, "Because I remember you. And I remember our little fight on Lothal, if you could call it that since I did beat you like a drum." Mara Jade's smirk disappeared at being reminded of that duel, "And from what I remember during our brief encounter, you were a little more uptight than you are now. What changed? Someone finally loosen you up?"

Now it was Mara Jade's turn to snarl, "Now you are trying to throw me off balance, hm?"

Joshua grinned at her reaction, "And it seems to be working. Now then, let's make this quick shall we. Me and Kanan have a ship to catch and we don't want to be late."

That's when Joshua felt the second presence leap down from the second story balcony of the archives and land directly behind them. The sinister pop-hiss of two lightsabers being activated filled Joshua's ears followed by the dull, deadly hum that accompanied the deadly blades. Joshua's smirk disappeared and he slowly began to turn his head to look at his second opponent.

"If victory is about who is more balanced, Joshua Scarlet, then you will most likely lose this fight."

Joshua heard Mara Jade's voice as he turned to see his new opponent. The first emotion he felt was shock. Standing behind him, two red lightsabers in hand was a curvaceous woman wearing jet black armor with a black cloak over her shoulders. Scarlet hair cascaded down past her shoulders while her face remained emotionless as she stared back at Joshua. Then he felt joy build it up in him. A wide smile spread across his face before tears began to brim in his eyes.

"Erza?" He whispered so quietly that Kanan could barely hear him.

"Who?" Kanan glanced back at the second woman, then he glanced back at Joshua. Through the force he could feel the boy's elation at seeing this woman. It was then that Kanan pieced it all together. This second woman was Erza Scarlet. This was Joshua's older sister.

"Erza!" Joshua exclaimed. He was about to rush forward and embrace her when Kanan reached out and caught his arm.

"HEY!" Joshua roared, "What are you-"

"Look closely." Kanan hissed back, one eye on Erza, the other on Mara Jade as he tensely waited for one of them to make the first move.

"What's there to look at. She's-" Joshua caught his breath as he finally got a good look at Erza's face.

He always remembered her brown eyes. They were always so warm and kind. Even at her angriest, those eyes always remained something that comforted Joshua. But now, those brown eyes were gone. Taking their place, was a hideous crimson color that did not belong on his sister's face. They looked out of place, artificial, like someone made a copy of Erza's face and screwed up on the eyes.

He then felt her presence in the force. Whenever he did this back home, on Earthland, her presence was always so bright it threatened to blind him. She was one of the most pure beings in the force Joshua had ever felt. She was so steeped in the light side of the force that even Darth Sanguine couldn't stand against her when she finally tapped into her latent abilities. But now… now all Joshua felt was shadow. Cold, oppressive, an all encompassing darkness that snuffed out whatever light that was in Erza Scarlet.

His hands began to tremble. Then his arms. The tears coming from his eyes were not tears of joy anymore. Joshua's lips quivered as he suddenly realized the full extent of the situation.

"No…" he whimpered, "No, no." he rubbed a hand over his mouth before sniffling, "Erza look at me!"

Her crimson gaze burrowed into him, piercing his heart with more pain than any lightsaber could deal. This wasn't Erza, he could feel it. His brain was screaming the truth in his ears. But he refused to listen.

"She's gone Joshua." Kanan said softly.

"But… but she's standing right there." Joshua replied.

Kanan grimaced, "She's gone… to you."

Joshua looked at Kanan. Tears falling in rivers down his cheeks, "WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN!?" His gaze whipped back over to Erza, "Erza! It's me! Joshua! Your brother!"

Her expression remained emotionless. Meanwhile, Mara Jade laughed behind him.

"This is just one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have ever seen." She chuckled before igniting her own lightsaber, "A brother must now battle his beloved sister. How tragic?"

The room went ice cold. Kanan shivered as he felt the dark side become overwhelming around him. Joshua's hands continued to shake as he wrestled for control over the raging animal that was the dark side of the force. The whispers in his mind were now yelling at him to unleash, to give in to his hatred, to strike down Mara Jade and the imposter in front of him, to avenge his sister.

The raw power Kanan was feeling was terrifying. He could barely stand in the presence of the monster brewing beneath Joshua's surface. Rubble began to lazily rise in the air as the force gripped everything in sight.

"What have you done to her?" Joshua growled in a voice Kanan could barely recognize. It was filled with such venom and hatred. More than he ever thought the boy was capable of.

"Me?" Mara placed a hand over her heart, "I did nothing." She then made a crossing motion over her chest, "Cross my heart. This work of art you see in before you is the work of my master, Lord Sidious. Isn't that right… sister."

That word rang forever in Joshua's mind. His crimson eyes blazed furiously as his gaze slowly turned back to Mara Jade. This piece of filth, a woman who dared to call herself a force wielder, had just called Erza her sister! The rage was building up to a point where Joshua could physically rip Mara Jade limb for limb and not care at all in the end. Deep inside of his consciousness, Joshua could feel the monster shoving against the seal that Revan had so carefully put into place. Cracks were beginning to form and darkness seeped out of Joshua in a never ending fog so thick Kanan felt like he would begin choking soon.

The Jedi then finally felt the other presence inside of Joshua. It was faint, but it was there. When Kanan investigated further, it was like staring into a black hole in the force. There was no light, there was no good, there was only the darkness. And it was ready to be released. Kanan's blind eyes snapped between the amused Mara Jade, the silent Erza Scarlet, and the seething Joshua. He would never be able to take on all three at once, especially if what he was sensing from Joshua was only a taste of what could come. He needed Joshua on his side for this fight in order for the both of them to get out of here alive.

"Joshua, think of Wendy!" Kanan cried out of the blue.

The boy's body stiffened and the darkness seemed to slow for a moment.

"She needs you to be there. Don't give in… not yet." Kanan said cautiously, "We have no choice but to fight these two. We have to get out of here alive. I have to for Luke and for the future of the Jedi. You have to for Wendy."

The boy remained stiff but slowly his hands went from violent shaking to slight trembling as the dark side was rapidly released in. It was a testament to Joshua's willpower that he was able to reign in such raw fury in that moment. Kanan would've never been able to do that same in his situation. He realized that it must be only through years of containing such raw fury that Joshua was able to bring his anger to heel and focus himself. Joshua's eyes till blazed brightly but the rage was dissipating, replaced by grief.

"I can't fight her Kanan." he trembled, "I can't fight Erza."

"We don't have a choice right now." Kanan placed a hand on the grieving boy's shoulder, "I'm here for you kid. We'll get through this together."

" _Where the hell are you two! The girl and Skywalker have finally shown up!"_ Boba Fett's voice crackled over the comm.

Kanan placed the comm to his lips, "Get them back to the hideout. We'll meet you for dinner." He replied.

Silence from the other side, " _Very well Jedi."_

"Luke Skywalker is here." Mara licked her lips, "Very good. I'm glad to know that. My master will be most please to know that. Isn't that right… sister."

Joshua clenched his jaw.

"Yes, Grand Inquisitor." Erza replied.

Fresh waves of pain washed over Joshua as he heard her voice again. But he quickly blocked it out, his face returning to a blank expression.

"How do we do this Kanan?" Joshua asked quietly.

"We take them together."

"They won't give us that option." Joshua replied, "They've positioned themselves so that we will have to become separated. If they are smart, they won't advance until we do. And.." he choked up a little before recollecting himself, "I know my sister. I know how she fights. And she is the most intelligent fighter I know. She won't give us a chance to rely on each other."

Kanan nodded, "So what is your plan?"

Joshua looked hatefully at Mara Jade. His gaze softened when he looked at Erza.

"I can handle Erza."

"Joshua, you are unfocused and off balanced. Fighting her may not end well for you."

"Like I said, I know how she fights. I know her style of swordsmanship like the back of my hand. I know what tricks she may have up her sleeve. It'll give me a better chance to survive than if you fought her. No offense."

Kanan shrugged, "None taken." he then shook his head, "This is bad."

"I couldn't agree more. We need to move this fight away from here, towards one of the main entrances so we can lose them."

Kanan nodded, "Alright, meet you for dinner?"

"It better be a good damn dinner." Joshua growled before going back to back with Kanan. The Jedi facing off with the newly ordained Grand Inquisitor Mara Jade, and Joshua staring down the First Sister, "Huh," Joshua remarked, "Me and a Jedi fighting on the same side. I never would've guessed."

"Me either. Be careful, and don't lose your head."

Joshua swiftly nodded before leveling his saber and pointing it at the First Sister.

"Here goes nothing."

And they both charged.

 **And Chapter! Let the fight begin folks! Erza has turned, but if you been paying attention to earlier chapters, she didn't' do so voluntarily. The Emperor decided to force her to bend to his will. Still, it's not going to be a good fight for Joshua and Kanan. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	89. Chapter 89: Destiny's Control

**Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 89

Boba Fett was a man of many things. He was, to be completely honest, one of the greatest bounty hunters in the entire galaxy. And he was never regarded as arrogant when he said that. People knew who he was, they knew what he was capable of, and they never doubted that he was as dangerous as the various stories made him out to be. He had a reputation of being ruthless, cunning, and thorough. Every contract he had ever taken, whether it was for the Hutts, the Empire, or a private contract, was always completed to the letter. And there was never any loose ends.

The Mandalorian clone was normally never nervous about his bounty contracts. The only times he was even slightly put on edge was when he had to interact with Darth Vader or, force forbid, the Emperor. Those two exuded an aura that could set anyone on edge. And he was not afraid to admit that. But beyond his brief interactions with the two powerhouses of the Empire, contracts were simple, easy to accomplish, and paid well.

This contract though, this simple job as Dexter Jettster had explained, was not as simple as anyone had made it out to be. Break into the Jedi temple, the Besalisk had told him. It is a simple job, he said.

No one said anything about Jedi. No one said anything about whatever that brown haired boy with the dark aura around him. No one said anything about damn Inquisitors. This whole job went from an easy pick up, to a full blown disaster just waiting to happen. Boba Fett knew full well that where there were Inquisitors, Darth Vader was not far off. And the last place he wanted to be was at the business end of Vader's wicked red lightsaber.

He tapped the side of his helmet, checking to hear static in his comm before gently running a finger over the dent on the crown of his green helmet. Then he quickly checked his blaster once again. His eyes ran down the heart of the weapon and along the barrel until they reached the end. Off to his right sat Aurra Sing, the older of the two bounty hunters.

Where Boba Fett was silent with his anxiety, Aurra Sing was very vocal. And that irritated the Mandalorian. The near-human bounty hunter was nervously tapping her foot against the floor of the Slave I while muttering curses in Huttese under her breath.

"Keep saying stuff and the Empire will no doubt hear you." Boba Fett snarled.

"I don't like this!" Aurra Sing snapped back, "How many times have you contacted them?"

"Twice." Boba replied simply before checking his weapons load out again.

"Call them again then!"

His helmet tilted over to her ever so slightly making the near-human shut up instantly. It was clear that her partner was not in the mood. It was the only clue she had as to what was going on in his head right now. And that only made her more nervous. If the infamous Boba Fett was having second thoughts about a job, then you could bet Aurra Sing was ready to raise the ramp and jet off to the Outer Rim.

"Maybe we should get the hell out of here." Aurra chattered nervously, "Or…" An idea formulated in her head, "Maybe, we help the Empire. I'm sure they'd pay us way more credits than that diner owner."

"You don't know that." Boba Fett replied back.

"I sure do!" Aurra snapped back, "Capture of Luke Skywalker, a rogue Jedi, and two other rebels. That's gotta be…" she began counting her fingers before showing them to her colleague, "This many credits! In the millions!"

"Sing," Boba growled dangerously, "We will finish the mission."

"Ugh.. why?"

Boba was silent for a moment before his head snapped up to the hole they blasted in the Hall of Knighthood. The enhanced HUD inside of his helmet instantly detected the signatures of Luke Skywalker and the girl, Wendy Marvell, approaching. Once they were in sight, Boba rose from his seated position on the edge of the ramp.

"I always finish my contracts." Boba finally replied to Aurra, "Get us closer to the window."

Aurra shoulders sagged in defeat, "You'll be the death of me."

"Don't care."

"Fuck you!"

The Slave I jolted and threatened to throw Boba free from his precarious position on the edge of the ramp. But years of living aboard this ship had made the bounty hunter so comfortable that he knew it's many different jolts and jumps. He was confident that nothing was going to throw him off of this edge.

Aurra Sing carefully edged the ramp closer to the blasted window allowing both Luke and Wendy to leap onto the craft. When they landed the ship rocked to the side slightly causing both to claw for a handhold. The Mandalorian however, remained calmly entrenched in the same spot he had been in with his hands calmly holding his blaster.

"Only two?" Aurra asked as she glanced back at Luke and Wendy, "Where are the Jedi and the other rebel idiot?"

Luke gulped in air and shook his head, "They engaged the inquisitors. They are trying to buy us time."

Wendy meanwhile was silent and worriedly looking back at the Temple.

"Was your objective achieved?" Fett's growling voice asked.

Luke just shook his head, "They got to us before we could get it."

"Get what?"

"A holocron. A Jedi holocron."

Boba Fett raised his eyebrows. That was a surprising bit of information. He figured the Jedi was after something important in here. But only for a simple holocron? That didn't make much sense to Boba. He knew about holocrons. They were storage devices for force wielders. Objects that only they could open. And they could hold a near infinite amount of information. But beyond that, they were useless to non force users. So why did the Jedi drag two non force users and a rebel leader along with him on a small mission like that?

Fett's eyes fell back on Luke.

 _Skywalker?_

Memories flashed through his mind of his time as a young boy during the devastating clone wars. He had heard the stories of a General Skywalker. He was one of the most powerful Jedi in the entire old Jedi order. From what Boba knew, General Skywalker was the last Jedi standing during the sack of the Jedi Temple by Vader and the 501st legion of clones. Was it possible that this boy was related to the late Jedi.

It was the only explanation that made sense to Boba. Luke Skywalker had to be somehow related to the great Anakin Skywalker. Which meant that he was a possible Jedi as well. Or a Jedi in training at least. That would make Kanan Jarrus his master. No wonder they were here for a holocron. Luke Skywalker needed assistance with his training and Kanan Jarrus chose to risk coming to the source of the Jedi's once massive power. Ballsy decision.

Boba pressed a button on his left gauntlet before bringing it close to his head, "Where the hell are you two? The girl and Skywalker have finally shown up!" he snapped into his comm.

All he got was static in return.

"Do you think they're dead?" Aurra asked.

Wendy quickly shook her head, "Joshua wouldn't go down that easily."

"Against Vader, he most likely would." Boba sighed.

Wendy's face paled and she quickly slumped against the side of the Slave I. Boba felt sorry for the girl. It was clear as day that she was close to the Joshua boy. And now, if Vader was here, something Boba did not doubt, he was most likely dead. Another child that got in over his head. His helmet snapped back to Luke.

"You said your objective was a Jedi Holocron?"

Luke nodded, "Yeah."

Boba went over to a compartment towards the cockpit and yanked a second blaster out. He quickly tossed it over to Luke, who fumbled with it as it hit his hands.

"Take me to where those are. We aren't done until the contract is complete." Boba ordered.

"HOLD UP!" Aurra cried, "You aren't serious about this right?"

"The contract is not complete." Boba replied, "Incomplete contract means no credits. And I like my credits."

Aurra couldn't argue with that logic. She frowned as both Boba and Luke walked to the edge of the ramp.

"I'm going too!" Wendy exclaimed.

Boba frowned. This girl was an unknown variable in all of this. He didn't know her strengths, her weaknesses, he didn't even know if she knew her way around a blaster. To put it simply, she would be a liability.

"Stay here and watch my ship." Boba ordered Wendy.

Before Wendy could protest, Boba raised a hand.

"No arguing." he growled before priming his jetpack.

"If you aren't back here in ten minutes I'm leaving!" Aurra called.

"Steal my ship and there will be no place in the galaxy that you could hide in." Boba replied menacingly before using his jetpack to rocket into the Jedi Temple alongside Luke Skywalker.

When the two landed Boba instantly turned the safety off of his blaster and raised it. His HUD began scanning every corner of the room they were in. Once he was certain it was all clear he turned to Luke.

"Where are the holocrons?"

"In the Jedi Archives." Luke replied, "But I don't' think it'd be a good idea to go there. That is where the inquisitors found us."

Boba began to march towards the turbolift, "You said that the Jedi and Joshua engaged the inquisitors?"

"Um… yeah."

Boba nodded and motioned for Luke to get on the lift, "Then we will have no problem getting a holocron and getting out of here."

"How?"

Boba pressed a button labeled 'archives', "In my experience, lightsaber duels tend to change locations quickly."

The lift rocketed downwards.

….

Red and blue clashed in brilliant displays of light as Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus dueled with the ever aggressive Grand Inquisitor, Mara Jade. Their duel had been a grueling one so far. Kanan's body was being pushed to a point he hadn't felt in many years. His reflexes were slower than he was used to, forcing the Jedi to compensate by being on the defensive almost constantly. Meanwhile, Mara Jade had improved a great deal since Kanan Jarrus had last battled her.

Her blade work was far more refined yet still very athletic and violent. She had clearly been doing her homework on the Ataru form, something she heavily favored during her previous duels with the blind Jedi. But Kanan also got a sickening feeling that she now had a proper teacher. The first clue was her blade work. She could block every incoming strike without much effort expended on her part. The second clue was how she seemed to be fresh despite how taxing the Ataru fighting form was on the body. During previous encounters, Mara Jade would exhaust herself with Ataru's various force infused jumped, flips, and rolls within the first few minutes of the fight. This made their previous battles very brief. But now, this battle was dragging on forever. And Kanan couldn't seem to gain an advantage on the greatly improved enemy.

"Huh… I just noticed something." Mara smirked as they engaged in a tight blade lock.

"Oh really? What?" Kanan replied, gritting his teeth due to the exertion.

"We are a long ways from the archives aren't we?"

Kanan quickly glanced around. And she was right. They were nowhere near the Jedi archives. Instead, they were surrounded by overgrown gardens.

 _Huh, funny how a lightsaber duel can cause you to lose sight of your surroundings._ Kanan thought to himself before disengaging from Mara and parrying several heavy chops. _Thank the force I'm not as rusty as I once was._

Mara chuckled across from him as he parried several more strikes, "You seem to be having some trouble Jedi."

"What can I say? Seeing you in this romantic setting might be throwing me off." Kanan replied.

"Oh how cute." Mara grinned before nearly taking his head off.

It was only thanks to the force that Kanan was able ducked under the brutal slice. Mara Jade then quickly flipped over Kanan and attempted to jab her lightsaber through his back. A warning in the force echoed through the Jedi's mind and he quickly sidestepped before deflecting her lightsaber upwards. Despite her failed killing stroke, Mara Jade was remaining disturbingly calm during the fight. Although she did chuckle on occasion when she engaged in some 'friendly' banter.

"Why won't you just let me stab you?" Mara asked as the duel continued into a long corridor.

"I prefer to be alive." Kanan replied bluntly.

"But I prefer you dead. And you know what they say about us girls."

"What? That you all are complete psychopaths?"

"Ha. Ha." Mara dryly replied, "No."

"Then please." Their blades locked together again lighting both of their faces up in shades of blue and blood red, "Enlighten me, Grand Inquisitor."

Mara grinned, "We always get what we want."

Suddenly, Kanan felt his legs get swept out from under him. His blade clattered out of his hands and was swiftly kicked to the side by Mara Jade. The woman grinned victoriously as she stood over the blind Jedi.

"I'm surprised you didn't see that coming." She smirked.

Kanan groaned, "Blind… remember?"

"Oh right!" Mara grinned evilly, "How about I help give you a permanent fix for that."

She raised her lightsaber over her head. But just before she could plunge it down into Kanan's body, the Jedi raised a hand and shoved the woman hard up against the ceiling. He heard her head snap back and crack against the stone ceiling before she fell to the ground with a loud thump, her saber deactivating as it fell out of her grasp.

Kanan waited a moment before jumping back to his feet and calling his lightsaber to his hand. He quickly ignited the azure blade and slowly approached the fallen Grand Inquisitor. She was still breathing. He could see her chest rising in a slow rhythm. But her eyes were closed and her body was completely limp. Kanan blinked.

"I didn't know I shoved you that hard." Kanan muttered as he glanced up at the ceiling.

His lightsaber hummed to the side as he stood over Mara Jade.

"I should probably kill you." Kanan mumbled, "If I don't, you'll just keep coming back and others will die because of you." Kanan held the blue blade over the fiery haired woman's unconscious form, "But," He looked down the corridor and swore he saw the ghostly visage of an Chalactan human staring at him. His eyelids closed and he switched his lightsaber off, "I am a Jedi Knight now." He looked back down the corridor and saw only a dark hallway, "And killing you now, would not be the Jedi way."

Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight, stepped over his defeated opponent and sprinted towards the nearest turbolift.

….

It was several minutes before Joshua could say a single word again. All he could do as of this moment, was defend himself against a being that looked like his beloved sister, Erza Scarlet. She was her embodiment in every way. Her hair was the same deep scarlet color, her fighting style was the same hyper-aggressive form that alway perplexed Joshua when he was younger, and she still smelled like the sweetest strawberries. But beyond those similarities in physical appearance, this woman in front of Joshua was nothing like Erza. A wicked snarl was on her face as she hacked and slashed at Joshua's blade. Her eyes glowed like fiery coals as she battled her younger brother through the archives and eventually out into the maze like corridors of the Jedi Temple. All the while, Joshua was on the defensive and Erza was on the attack. Her twin red blades carved more scars into the temple, each swing left molten gashes in its wake along the walls and floors as she took long, powerful sweeps at Joshua's limbs and torso. But every single chop, slash, stab, or sweeping blow was quickly parried by the teen as he continued his steady retreat away from the archives.

Joshua absolutely refused to fight his sister. It wasn't that he wasn't capable. He knew he was more than capable of engaging her in a true duel. One that would leave both of them exhausted, gasping for breath and crawling on the floor due to exhaustion. But he just couldn't bring himself to attack her. Everytime he prepared himself to finally strike back at Erza, he would see that kind smile on her face instead of the evil snarl. The kind smile that he first saw when he woke up in Fairy Tail's infirmary over eight years ago now. That lone memory, made him hesitate and hold off on any sort of attack, which then made him drop back into Soresu's defensive posture, which then forced him to retreat some more.

In any other fight, the frustration of being pushed back would've made Joshua lash out. But not against Erza. Lashing out against her was a dangerous idea. As of now in this fight, she hadn't even drawn on her vast requip space, preferring instead to engage in an intimate duel with her younger brother. And being so close to her again yet on the other side of the battle was throwing Joshua off balance, just like Kanan said it would. He even noticed this. His parries were much less forceful than they normally would be. His footwork was flat and stiff, forcing him to block and dodge at awkward angles. And his focus was being challenged. He was used to the concept of fighting a duel bladed opponent. After all, Ventress had constantly drilled him personally when he had begun his training. And she preferred to use dual lightsabers. So that was not challenging his focus at all. It was simply his opponents known capabilities that was causing him so much grief.

He was constantly looking out for any bright golden flashes that would indicate a requip. Joshua knew that once Erza decided to tap into her incredible magic power, he wouldn't' last much longer. Especially given his desire to avoid striking her. That was what made Erza so dangerous after all. It wasn't just her expert swordsmanship, it was her ability to call upon armors or weapons and use their enhanced abilities to the nth degree. Right now, she was just in normal (Not normal for her by any stretch of the imagination, but unenchanted) armor and robes. Her weapons were simple red lightsabers. Nothing was noteworthy about their construction or blade. But as soon as Joshua saw that golden light of requip, he knew Erza would grab onto her strongest weapons and use them against him. It didn't help Joshua's confidence either that he had never beaten Erza in his life. Never.

Erza's two red blades came thundering down at Joshua's head forcing his attention to snap back to the present moment. He raised his own white blade and muscled against her chop, the heat of her twin sabers coming dangerously close to his scalp as he locked blades with the First Sister.

"Erza!" He breathed, sweat beading on his forehead as his body strained against her strikes, "Listen to me! I'm not your enemy!"

He had been saying that same combination of sentences for the entire duel. And once again, there was no response from the red head. She would only narrow her eyes and continue to viciously attack Joshua.

The First Sister yanked her blades out of the blade lock and lunged forwards with one. Joshua quickly sidestepped then parried the second blade as it swept towards his neck. Once again, he found himself quietly thanking Ventress for teaching him Soresu. This fight was an intense one. And it would only grow more intense as it dragged on. So Form III was perfect right now as he attempted to figure out just what the hell he was going to do.

"Erza! Please stop this and listen!" He shouted over the loud hum of their lightsabers as he blocked another three strike combination from the First Sister, "I will not fight you!"

"You have no choice!" she snarled lowly.

It was the first time she had spoken since they had begun dueling. And it was almost enough of a distraction to cause Joshua to get bisected. Only the force screaming at him in warning allowed him to leap backwards and just barely dodge her twin blades.

"I do have a choice!" Joshua yelled again, "And I will not fight you!"

The First Sister's face screwed into a sneer, "But you already are."

They exited a long corridor and entered the Jedi Temple's main hall. The wide open space was instantly bad news for Joshua. In a tight area, Erza's options for fighting him were limited. But in this open of space she could-

"Requip!"

Joshua's blood went icy in his veins as he saw a golden light shroud her entire body. The familiar armor of her Heaven's wheel requip appeared. Twin lightsabers still rested in her hands while twenty steel swords floated in a circle behind her.

"Heaven's Wheel." she snarled before pointed at Joshua, "Dance my swords!"

"SHIT!"

Joshua's blade became a white whirlwind as he slashed her swords into metal ribbons. But no matter how many he cut through, more kept coming as Erza tapped into her massive requip and called for swords, spears, axes, javelins, and knives before flinging them all randomly at Joshua. In between each volley Erza would dash in and strike with her lightsabers. She flew around Joshua with the assistance of her armor's abilities, challenging Joshua's own abilities to a point he had never thought possible. His focus was being pulled in literally fifty different directions. Only his incredible connection to the force allowed him to survive the onslaught he was battling.

Suddenly the raining swords ended. Joshua was finally allowed to catch his breath. That was when he felt the many different gashes on his body from parries that had missed the mark or dodges that were just a tad too slow. Blood was slowly beginning to stain his clothes while a gash scarred his right cheek, blood slowly trickling down to his chin.

 _This is insane._ He thought as he looked around at the many weapons scattered around the main hall. _I can't keep this up._ He felt exhausted. The speed and intensity of the duel had left him drained.

He heard slow clapping to his right. Joshua weakly raised his head and turned to look at the First Sister clapping her hands while her two red blades floated beside her.

"Impressive Joshua." His eyes widened as she spoke his name with uncharacteristic venom, "Very impressive. I see that Tyrannus taught you well."

Joshua gulped, "It wasn't Tyrannus who originally taught me. You did."

"Oh I know that." Erza began to circle him like a predator, "When I first encountered my Master, he removed my memories of everything. I didn't even know who I was for a long time. And the pain he put me through was… tremendous." She stopped so that Joshua's back was facing the doors of the Temple, "But when I proved myself worthy, he slowly began to restore my memories. And in return, he asked that I serve him and call him master."

"Erza," Joshua rasped, "This is Darth Sidious we are talking about. He is a Sith Lord. He is poisoning your mind!"

"And you are Sith Lord, aren't you?" Joshua gulped, "You have called yourself that before right, little brother? How do I know you aren't trying to poison my mind?"

"Why would I do that to you!?" Joshua cried, "You are my sister!"

"Correction," The First Sister folded her hands and the red blades began to rotated around Joshua in a tight circle, "I was your sister."

The stab of pain in Joshua's heart was tremendous.

"But now, I am nothing. I am my master's servant. I am an inquisitor. And my will is my master's will. My thoughts are my master's thoughts. And my actions are my master's actions. Only through him will I receive power. Only through him will I receive serenity and pleasure."

Joshua looked tearfully at The First Sister, "Erza, please come with me. Come home with me!"

The First Sister glared at him, hate evident in her eyes, "Home? Where is this home? From what I remember, you promised to defend that home from Darth Vader and my master. Look at where we are now."

"The Emperor is in your head Erza! He's forcing you to do things that you would never do!" Joshua screamed, "Come with me!" he held out his right hand, "I can help you! I know the dark side. I can break his hold!"

The First Sister laughed aloud, "You know the dark side!? You!? Joshua, you are a mere child compared to my master. You hold no power over me. And you certainly hold no power over the true Sith Lords in this galaxy. You are what they refer to as a pretender. And pretenders are crushed beneath their boots. You will never be powerful enough to defeat them. And soon, you will not be powerful enough to defeat me."

Joshua closed his eyes and felt the salty tears sting against the gash on his cheek.

"Erza... please don't make me do this."

"As I said before." The red blades formed a glowing red wall around Joshua as they spun around him faster and faster, "You have no choice."

He kept his eyes closed. He couldn't bring himself to watch what he was about to do. IF he did, he was certain his heart may break. Joshua sank deep into the dark side of the force and felt its cold embrace. He beat the feelings of love he had for Erza away and replaced it with cold, unfettered hatred for Sidious and Vader. They created the First Sister. They were responsible for this. The consequences were theirs and theirs alone. He knew that was true.

But still, guilt rushed through him as his once opened hand of friendship to Erza sparked with blue lightning, breaking through her lightsaber wall and launching the First Sister through the air. He couldn't help but think. What if he was more powerful then, when Vader had arrived on the planet? What if he had the power to stand toe to toe with Vader? Would he have been able to rescue Erza? Would she be by his side now? If he couldn't' even save her with his powers then how could he keep Wendy, Natsu, Lucy, or the others safe? How could he win back Earthland and save the guild? As the First Sister said, he was a child compared to Vader. A gnat then, compared to the Emperor. He was nothing now. And there was nothing he could do about it. There was no one to teach him. No one to give him guidance in his powers. He was alone on this journey, and the shortcomings of that were plain as day to him now. He had failed Erza because he was weak. And if that didn't change he would fail the others too. And, what he feared most of all, he would fail Wendy. Then the dark future shown to him by Darth Sanguine all those months ago at the Grand Magic Games would come true.

 _"_ _The future is not set."_

Those words echoed in Joshua's mind. They were Kanan's words. The future is not set. It never is set. It is always in motion, waiting until it becomes the present to be permanently entrenched into the past. He remembered Kanan's other words.

 _"_ _Listen to the will of the force."_

As the First Sister screamed from the force lightning arcing through her body, Joshua finally understood what Kanan meant by that. The phrase had confused him for the past day. The will of the force? How can a disembodied cosmic force have a will? But now he understood. The will of the force was his destiny. And his destiny was to be the darkness incarnate, just as Luke was to be the light. His destiny was to help bring balance to the force.

He thought back to every major event in his life. The massacre at Phantom Lord. That day he had taken matters into his own hands and in the end lost his magical freedom. The Tower of Heaven when he decided to stay on the tower and battle Jellal. He had nearly been killed then by ignoring Erza and all the other warnings he had heard. He ran it all through his mind. The Fairy Tail battle royale, Edolas, Tenroujima, and the battle at Tartaros all had examples of him failing to listen to the force. Failing to listen to others and instead taking matters into his own, incapable hands. And he had brutally failed in every instance. There were moments of success of course. His reckless rescue of Wendy from the Oracion Seis ended well, even though he had been poisoned. The Grand Magic Games had no such incidents either. But the bad far outweighed the good. He realized this now, as he electrocuted his sister, that he had been ignoring the force in favor of his own thoughts and actions. He had been recklessly moving through life, selfishly ignoring others all for fear of being controlled when in fact that control would've saved him so much pain and misery. That control would've given him the power to prevent all of this.

He ended the force lightning once he heard the screaming stop. Then, he finally opened his eyes and saw the First Sister curled up against a pillar, unconscious.

"I'm so sorry Erza." Joshua sobbed, his chest heaving, "I-I failed you. I-I failed everyone. I wasn't strong enough." He bowed his head before turning towards the exit, Coruscant's sun slowly setting outside casting deep shadows behind Joshua as he marched out into the twilight.

"But I will become strong enough." He stopped at the doors the last of the sunlight fading beneath the skyline, allowing Joshua's crimson eyes to glow brightly in the darkness around him.

Taking one last look back at The First Sister's smoking form he quietly whispered, "I will save you Erza. I will liberate Earthland. Force willing, I will do all of that…"

He marched out of the Temple and into the darkness.

"And so much more."

 **And chapter! Wow! We have reached the crossroads folks for Joshua, and he has chosen his path from the looks of things. Now some explanation. Have you guys noticed during the story that when Joshua tried to do things on his own he usually ended up getting his ass handed to him. Tower of Heaven: Jellal beats him; Oracion Seis: Poisoned by Cobra and Tyrannus took over; Edolas: Barely keeps up with Joshua Knightwalker and had to give control over to Tyrannus in order to survive; Tenroujima: His dark presence ended up summoning Aconologia and Maul to that place; GMG: Lost to Bacchus because he got cocky, couldn't' defeat Darth Sanguine; Tartaros: Lost Erza and was nearly killed by Vader. Only when he got help did he end up winning those fights. He never truly won a fight on his own against a major villain in this story. He was never strong enough to do it. And that is because, he has been rejecting who he is and is supposed to be and now, after realizing all of that, he is starting to see how he can become powerful enough to protect everything he cares about (At least according to his perspective on the situation.) It'll be interesting to see where the story goes from here. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	90. Chapter 90: Malachor

**Hello again everyone! Two chapters in two days! I haven't' done that in a long time! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 90

At first there was silence in the turbolift. Then the machinery powered on once again and the lift zipped down to the same level as the Jedi Archives. Within seconds, the platform came to a rest in front of sealed blast doors. An electronic bell chimed and the blast doors opened. Suddenly, red blaster bolts came screaming into the turbolift, scorching the interior walls. Within seconds of the blast doors opening, two figures dove onto the turbolift.

The first was a young man with blonde hair. His face was dripping with sweat as he turned back to face the blaster fire. His own blaster rifle rose to his shoulder and he began to fire sporadically into the thick fog of smoke that blanketed the area. Beside him was a man covered head to toe in green Mandalorian armor. While his comrade was firing randomly, the Mandalorian was firing precision shots. Each blaster bolt was carefully fired and each shot hit it's mark. As he calmly fired back at the many white armored soldiers chasing them, the Mandalorian jabbed his elbow into the lift's control panel, sealing the blast doors and sending the lift rocketing upwards.

"All of this for a damn holocron." Boba Fett muttered as he inspected his armor, noting the various patches of carbon scoring.

"But it was worth it in the end." Luke Skywalker breathed as he raised his hands over his head, trying his best to catch his breath.

"Do you have any idea how expensive this armor is?" Boba Fett replied as he brushed some debris from his left shoulder, "It'll cost a lot to repair it."

"Doesn't look that bad to me." Luke replied.

Boba's head turned ever so slightly so that his dark visor was staring directly at Luke, "Not that bad?" he growled, "There is carbon scoring everywhere!"

Luke winced, "Geez, didn't think that armor was that important to you."

"Well it is." Fett snarled before digging into a pouch on his belt and retrieving a glowing blue cube lined with gold, "Here is your damn cube."

He tossed it over to Luke who gingerly caught the delicate object.

"Thanks." Luke replied sarcastically.

"Don't get lippy with me kid."

"I'm not."

Boba's visor turned to Luke again, but the bounty hunter chose to remain silent. This brat was supposed to be a rebel general. Boba had a hard time believing that. Sure the kid knew how to handle himself in a fight. He did a good job covering the bounty hunter while Boba rushed into the holocron vault and snagged the closest blue cube he could find. But beyond that, the kid was irritating to him. He was so bright eyed and innocent. Completely unlike a general in any way. Boba knew generals. He had seen many in his years of life. And this kid was barely even a soldier.

"What's the plan now?" Luke asked.

Boba shrugged, "We get you back to Dex's. I have a feeling the Empire may have the spaceport on lockdown at the moment."

"Is that why we're going down and not up."

Boba nodded, "Aurra already knows to drop the girl off at Dex's. Our job is to slip out of here and make our way back to level 1313."

"But what about Kanan and Joshua!?"

The lift screeched to a halt and the blast doors opened revealing the main hall of the Jedi temple. What both of them saw stunned them. Luke's jaw was hanging open while Boba remained rooted in place.

Weapons were thrown all over the place. Axes, swords, spears, any weapon you could think of was impaled either in the floor, in the walls, or slashed to ribbons on the ground. Deep gashes lined the floors, still glowing orange from the heat of the lightsabers that were used to create them. Other than the many objects in the main hall, the place was empty.

"That's a lot of weapons." Boba remarked.

"I'll say." Luke replied as the two cautiously entered the dark main hall of the Jedi Temple. Luke could feel the pain in the force here. It ran deep into the stones of the Jedi temple. Hundreds of Jedi had died in this main hall. It stained the force black as Luke's senses probed the area.

"It's already dark out." Boba commented, "Good. It'll be easier for us to move unseen then."

Luke nodded as the two reached the exit, "I agree. But we better hurry, there's no telling when the inquisitors may show up again."

Boba glanced back at the many weapons scattered on the Temple floor, "You think an inquisitor did this?"

Luke shrugged, "I don't know who did this. None of those weapons are common in the galaxy right?"

Boba nodded.

"Then they could only be from one possible place." Luke shuddered. He knew Joshua's magic was requip. He knew it allowed him to access stored weapons if he needed to. But he never realized he could access that many. And if Joshua was forced to fight as hard as Luke suspected- a lump formed in Luke's throat, "We need to hurry back."

Boba nodded, "I agree."

He glanced out at the city lights of Coruscant, his shoulders sagging as the two wearily descended the hundreds of steps that led up to the temple. This job was so close to being botched. It amazed Boba that they had managed to achieve the objective. When the two of them arrived at the archives, the ancient library was crawling with stormtroopers, forcing him and Skywalker to fight for their lives in an attempt to grab a holocron. Although they were successful they did leave something that Boba hated to leave behind on a job. And that was loose ends. There were stormtroopers that had managed to avoid Boba's blaster fire which meant there were soldiers who knew he was at the Jedi Temple. A groan escaped the Mandalorian's mouth.

 _There goes any chance at more imperial jobs._

….

It was getting incredibly late at night. So late in fact, that the streets of Level 1313 were empty when Joshua finally managed to reach the subterranean district of Coruscant. His entire body was exhausted and he was pretty sure his clothes were ruined due to the number of slashes and cuts in his skin. After besting the First Sister he ran from the Jedi Temple and managed to run into a squad of stormtroopers. And of course, they knew what the situation was near the temple. That squad had chased Joshua through the streets of Coruscant for hours before he finally managed to lose them. Once he was certain he was alone, he quickly found a way to descend down into the depths of Coruscant.

The quiet streets gave him a chance to ponder what had just occurred today. Part of him was elated. Erza was alive, she wasn't dead like he thought she was. But then again, she wasn't Erza anymore. That much was evident. She was nothing more than the Emperor's thrall. A tool be used against him. The mere fact that Joshua had fought her made him sick to his stomach. Throw in the image of her smoking form curled up against a pillar, and Joshua felt like he was going to vomit. Only pure exhaustion kept him from getting sick right here in the middle of the street. He just wanted to get back to the diner and fall into a chair.

Relief flooded him as he finally got a glimpse of the red neon sign that read 'Dexter's Diner'. He had made it.

Joshua slowly trudged up to the metal doors of Dexter's Diner. He gently laid his cybernetic hand against the cold metal before giving the doors and soft nudge. With a quick whoosh, the doors hissed open allowing Joshua to enter the safety of the diner.

Only one of the dining room lights was on inside of the diner. That single bulb brightly lit up the lone booth where Joshua saw Kanan, Luke, Wendy, and the bounty hunters sitting. Wendy was the first to notice him enter the diner. As soon as her brown eyes saw him, she jumped out of her seat and rushed up to the exhausted teen. Joshua quickly caught her in a tight embrace as she clung to him.

"I was so worried!" Wendy gasped as she hugged Joshua.

"I'm ok, don't worry."

Wendy sniffled then caught the scent of blood on Joshua's clothes. The girl frowned and looked up at Joshua, "Liar." She muttered, "Shirt off, let's go."

"Here? Now?" Joshua said with a yawn.

"Yes, here and now."

"Kid, friendly advice." Aurra called, "If a girl tells you to take your shirt off. It may be a good idea to do it." Wendy and Joshua's cheeks instantly turned red, "Who knows what it may get ya."

"Y-you heard her." Wendy stuttered, "Shirt off."

Joshua sighed and quickly removed his shirt, revealing the many cuts along his arms and torso as well as the cybernetic arm that clung to the stump of his left shoulder. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight. Everyone except for Boba that is. The bounty hunter merely nodded to the boy. A sign of respect in the Mandalorians mind. The boy had obviously been battle tested. And in Mandalorian culture, that meant he was a man. Something Boba could readily respect.

Wendy forced Joshua to sit down in a cold metal chair before she began to work her magic. Soon the small cuts and deep gashes in Joshua's skin were closing up and the skin began to instantly regenerate where the wounds were. As Wendy healed him she noticed the anxious glances Kanan was giving him.

"What happened?" She asked as her brown eyes darted from Kanan to Joshua.

"Inquisitors." Joshua replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I know that." Wendy said firmly, "Kanan said that. But something else happened too." She gulped, "Was Vader there?"

Joshua shook his head, "If he was I didn't sense him."

"Then how are you this beat up?" Wendy asked, "You've fought inquisitors before. You fought four of them at once before, remember?" Joshua nodded, "And they couldn't even touch you then. So how are you-"

"It was Erza." Joshua suddenly blurted out.

Wendy's magic faded instantly and her eyes widened, "W-what?"

Joshua ran a shaky hand through his hair before wiping his mouth, "It was Erza." He said again, "She…" he took a shaky breath, "She's been corrupted by the Emperor."

A million different thoughts raced through Wendy's mind. How was it even possible for Erza to be alive if Joshua sensed her die? How could someone be corrupted and forced to fight against their friends, let alone family? Was the Emperor truly that powerful? But the last thought that hit Wendy's mind made her sad beyond belief.

"How could she do that?" Wendy asked.

"It wasn't her." Joshua sighed.

"But you just said it was."

"It wasn't her. It wasn't Erza up here." Joshua tapped the side of his head, "It was Erza physically but it wasn't her. She fought like Erza. Gave me an absolute thrashing like Erza would. But it wasn't her. She was hyper aggressive, hateful, angry. And she spoke in glowing terms of her Master, the Emperor." A snarl passed over Joshua's face as he said that before it was quickly replaced by melancholy, "And I couldn't' do anything to stop it."

"This isn't your fault!" Wendy admonished, "Stop blaming yourself!"

Joshua shook his head, "This was a wake up call." He muttered. Kanan leaned forward as he strained to hear the boy's weak voice, "This was a wake up call from the force. It showed me what would happen if I continued to ignore it's will." A heavy sigh escaped his lips, "I can no longer ignore it."

"What does that even mean Joshua?" Wendy asked.

"It means, that I must become what I was always intended to be. I need to stop denying what I am and instead embrace it. Only then will I be powerful enough to protect you, to liberate Earthland, and to save Erza."

Wendy listened in stunned silence as Joshua spoke. She had no idea what Joshua was trying to say.

"Again!" Wendy's voice rose, "What does that mean!?"

"It means he will become a Sith Lord." Kanan said bluntly. Wendy's eyes widened as she looked at the Jedi, "A true Sith Lord. One so steeped in the dark side of the force that he could become the very embodiment of it. A nexus of the dark side. No one, not even the Emperor would be able to stand up to that kind of power. He will follow the will of the force. And the force shall guide him."

Wendy gulped before Joshua spoke again.

"You know what that means then?" Joshua asked her.

"Y-yeah." Wendy breathed, "You're leaving again…. Aren't you?"

Joshua slowly nodded.

"And I can't come with you, can I?"

Joshua again, merely nodded.

"WHY NOT!?"

"It's too dangerous." Joshua replied calmly.

"You always say that!" Wendy argued back.

"Well this time I mean it!" Joshua shouted loudly, making Wendy shrink back ever so slightly, "Wendy, the path I'm about to go on would bring unimaginable pain to you if you followed me on it. I will not allow someone I love to be dragged down that path. Never! And that is final!"

Tears built up in Wendy's eyes and she began to sniffle a little, "D-don't go. Not again. The last time, that was seven years Joshua. And I didn't know if you would ever come back."

Joshua took and deep breath and closed his eyes, "I know." He then turned around in his chair and looked her in the eyes, "But this time I'm giving you a promise. I will be back for you. I will help save Earthland. And I will save Erza. I promise." He said forcefully.

Wendy closed her eyes, a tear dripping down from her face before she slowly nodded.

"Ok?" Joshua asked softly.

Wendy nodded before placing her hands on Joshua's face.

"If you break that promise-"

"I won't." Joshua replied before kissing her.

When they finally parted. Kanan cleared his throat and called to Joshua.

"Where will you be going?"

Joshua smiled then looked back at Kanan, "Malachor. Those visions I've been having are significant for some reason or another. I intend to find out why."

"And how will you get there?" Kanan asked.

Joshua narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin before glancing at Boba Fett, "How much to drop me off at Malachor?"

"I'm not a delivery droid." Boba snarled.

"I know. That's why I'm going to pay you." Joshua snapped back, "So how much?"

Boba Fett folded his arms, "One thousand, plus fuel costs."

Joshua nodded, "Alright then. We leave immediately."

The Mandalorian gave a curt nod before marching out of the Diner to prepare the Slave I. Joshua remained behind for several more moments.

"What will you need us to do on our end?" Luke asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had surrounded the group.

"You?" Joshua looked at Luke, "You need to focus on becoming the greatest Jedi the galaxy has ever seen. I'm sure Kanan will do a good job of helping with that." His eyes turned back to Wendy who still clung to him as if trying to force him to not leave, "Hey Wendy."

"What?" she sniffled.

"Stay strong ok?" The blue haired girl nodded, "And kick some ass with Natsu and the others for me."

Wendy snorted out a laugh before finally letting go of Joshua. With a final wave, he exited the diner and carefully followed Boba Fett and Aurra Sing to the spaceport.

"Quick question kid," Aurra Sing asked as she confidently walked the streets of Coruscant, "How are you going to pay us?"

"Hm?"

"That is a good question." Boba glared over at Joshua, "Do you even have any credits?"

 _Well, I forgot that minor detail._ Joshua winced then mentally snapped his fingers.

"After you drop me off, get in contact with Lucy Heartfilia of the Rebel Alliance. She'll get you your payment and maybe some more contracts seeing as how you can't really go to the Empire anymore."

"You don't have any credits on you!" Aurra roared, "Boba!"

"Deal." The Mandalorian replied, "More jobs, more credits. I'll take that offer. You said Lucy Heartfilia correct?"

Joshua nodded, "She's on the rebel council. So she can get you what you need." The three approached the Slave I and Boba activated the ship so the ramp would silently open. All three quickly jumped into the craft before Boba primed the engines.

" _Docking bay 113B, call sign Slave I. This is tower, you do not have clearance!"_ The comm channel barked before Boba muted it.

"I don't give a damn." he growled before rocketing the ship away from Coruscant's surface and towards old Sith Space.

….

Two figures stood quietly outside of the Jedi Temple. One was a giant of a man covered in black armor. His head and face were hidden behind a black mask and helmet. The other figure was ancient and crippled. His body was hidden under thick layers of black robes while his face was completely shadowed out by a deep hood. Kneeling before both of them were two women in black. One of the women was Grand Inquisitor Mara Jade. And she looked absolutely terrified. Her hands were clenched tightly by her sides while her head remained bowed. Her jaw was clenched shut so tightly that her teeth creaked as they ground together.

The other woman was silent. There was no expression on her face. No emotions were betrayed by her body. She simply kneeled before her masters and awaited the coming punishment. There was no avoiding it in her mind. So she might as well just accept it. Although, deep down, hidden under the calm facade, was a burning rage against the person who had caused this. The First Sister winced a little as she recalled the pain of being hit by the Force Lightning. It wasn't nearly as powerful as her master's by any means. But there was a different quality to it that made it far more painful. It was almost as if her opponent had channeled his own pain into the lightning and lashed out at her with it. If he was capable of that then the rebel scum was a far more dangerous opponent than Vader and her Master had said he was.

"Report." Sidious croaked.

Mara Jade gulped, "We… we lost them."

"Obviously." Sidious snarled causing Mara Jade to recoil, "How did this occur?"

"We-"

"We underestimated our opponents." The First Sister interrupted.

"Underestimated?" Sidious asked.

The First Sister nodded, "I do not know how the Grand Inquisitor was defeated by the Jedi. But my oppponent was far more powerful than I was led to believe."

The First Sister felt her throat involuntarily constrict causing her eyes to widen as she struggled for air.

"Or you are just far weaker than I thought." Sidious growled dangerously, "I have no use for weakness."

"He-" The First Sister gasped for air as she tried to speak, "Lightning! *Gasp* Used- lightning!"

The grip on her throat instantly ended. The First Sister pitched forward, her face nearly kissing the ground as she gasped for breath. She hesitated a moment before carefully looking up at her master. Curiousity was in his eyes as he stared down at her, awaiting her to finish what she was saying.

"Joshua Scarlet, used force lightning."

"We know he is capable of that." Sidious drawled, "This is not a new development."

"This was different. It felt… it felt like your lightning Master." That got Sidious' attention, "Or at least, a less powerful version."

Sidious glared down at the First Sister, "Explain."

"Before he conjured the lightning, I had him cornered. He was refusing to fight me. Then, out of nowhere, the dark side seemed to scream in agony before he reached out and launched the lightning at me. It broke through my lightsabers, deactivated them, then knocked me unconscious almost instantly."

Sidious stiffened a little before glancing over at his apprentice, "This is… an interesting development."

He could sense the concern in Lord Vader. Lightning was the one major weakness his suit had. And from what the First Sister had reported, it seemed that Joshua Scarlet had tapped into the dark side with such ease that it shocked even Darth Sidious. Sidious couldn't help but wonder just who exactly this boy was? What in the world was his significance? Every time they had the boy within their grasps, whether it was the Inquisitors on Earthland, Vader on Earthland, Mara Jade on Lothal, or here at the Jedi Temple; he always seemed to find a way out and escape. And Sidious knew one truth. There is no such thing as luck. The force has a will. And it obviously has a purpose for this brat, but for what end?

Sidious's lips curled into a frustrated snarl. He would have to meditate on this. It was now clear that there was something greater at work here than a simple Sith pretender causing him problems. The snarl faded into a slight smirk as he looked down at the First Sister.

"Will you be caught off guard like that again?"

She quickly shook her head, "No Master."

"Good. Next time you battle Joshua Scarlet, you are to crush him. Do not play with him, do not toy with him. He is not worth that kind of effort. End him… quickly."

"Yes master."

"In the meantime. I will meditate on what you have told me. It appears that the force has something greater at play than what I originally thought. Lord Vader, you will continue to instruct these two. I want them to be able to defeat any Jedi or pretender."

"Yes, master." Vader boomed.

Sidious almost added how the force's actions were concerning him, but decided not to. He now had three apprentices of a sort, although Vader was his one true apprentice. The last thing he wanted to do was show any sort of weakness in front of them. It wasn't that he was afraid of their power. Far from that. He knew he could handle all three of them now. It would just be such a nuisance if they thought they could overthrow him. A nuisance that he had no time for now. It was becoming clear that the force wanted to make Joshua Scarlet a true enemy. Now it was time to learn why.

….

The Slave I burst out of hyperspace and screeched to a halt just outside the orbit of a dead planet. Slowly, Boba Fett guided the Slave I forward as Joshua leaned over the ship's dash in order to get a better view of the oncoming giant.

Malachor was massive and clearly very unstable. The planet was covered in dark clouds that sparked with lightning so bright that the many lightning strikes could be seen from orbit. Joshua gripped the ship's console tightly as the Slave I was tossed back and forth by a mysterious force.

"Aurra, what are the scanners showing?" Boba asked calmly as he muscled with the controls.

Towards the back of the cockpit, Aurra Sing yanked her face away from a computer screen.

"The gravity is highly unstable Boba." She remarked, "We cannot stay here long. I doubt we'd be able to land on the planet."

"Don't risk your ship." Joshua stated, "Do you have escape pods."

Boba shook his head, "No. This isn't a cruiser."

Joshua pursed his lips, "Alright then. Looks like we are risking the ship."

Boba nodded before returning his attention to the approaching planet. He expertly worked the controls of his ship showing an intense familiarity with the vessel as he cautiously brought the Slave I into Malachor's atmosphere. But despite Boba Fett's expert piloting, the ride was still rough. Everyone was strapped into their seats and they were still being jostled back and forth violently.

"I have a very bad feeling about this!" Aurra shouted as she monitored the many instruments in the navigator's seat.

"Then ignore it." Boba growled as he powered the Slave I through the electric storm that engulfed Malachor's atmosphere.

After several minutes of being tossed around like a rag doll due to the planet's unstable gravity and perilous atmosphere, the Slave I broke through the thick clouds that blanketed the planet. Below them stretched blackened fields of rock, dirt, and dust that stretch for forever in every direction. Pocketing the black fields were deep craters and trenches that carved up the planet in massive sections. The sight made all three hesitate to land.

"You wanted to come here?" Aurra asked nervously.

"Apparently." Joshua said, unsure of what else to say. He knew from his visions that this place was inhospitable. But seeing it in much more detail like this made him wonder if this was supposed to be the planet at all. It looked like nothing could possibly live on the surface.

Boba glanced over at a flashing screen and frowned, "The atmosphere is barely breathable." he pressed a button and shuddered, "Poisonous gas is in the air."

"That explains the weird haze." Aurra remarked, "I'll go get a mask on." She patted Joshua's shoulder, "You'll need one too."

Joshua nodded and quickly followed Aurra to a compartment where she yanked two breathing masks with portable oxygen packs. The pair quickly fitted the masks over their mouths and noses while Boba sealed his armor. The ship shuddered as it came to a rest on the scorched earth. Then the ramp slowly began to lower.

The air that rushed into the Slave I made Joshua's skin sting. He could feel the static in it as well and watched as the hairs on his arm rose to stand on end. Before stepping out, Joshua requiped into the black robes he wore while training with Tyrannus. He then threw the hood over his head.

"You look intimidating." Aurra said as she looked at the kid, "Especially the eyes."

"Hm?"

"They're yellow."

"Oh."

 _Already!?_ Joshua thought as he said this.

He now knew he was in the right place. The dark side of the force was incredibly strong here. Even stronger than it was at the Jedi Temple. It was as if the dark side breathed life into the planet and claimed it as it's own. And that explanation made sense to Joshua. The turmoil in the atmosphere, the lack of light, the scorched world and poisonous fumes personified the power of the dark side as well as how deep it's corrupting touch could go corruption.

"Get off now!" Boba barked, "I don't want to breath gas while I'm on my ship!"

Joshua nodded back to Boba, "Thanks."

"Just get off. And if I don't get my credits, I'll be back to disintegrate you."

Joshua chuckled as he slowly strode down the ramp. Boba Fett could try that if he wanted to. As soon as Joshua's black boots crunched into the dirt he heard the Slave I jet off the ground and back up into orbit. He was now alone on one of the most inhospitable worlds in the galaxy.

 _Now to find the academy._

….

He walked for what felt like hours. His feet were sore and beginning to blister from the rough terrain and the oxygen pack for his mask was running dangerously low. Soon enough, he would have to take the mask off and breath the toxic fumes of the planet.

Several of the deep pits he had passed looked promising. But none of them had that stone staircase that he remembered from his visions. They were all just plain, dark, endless pits. And more than once, while exploring the boundaries of these gouges in the earth, Joshua was nearly struck by lightning. This entire trip was turning into one gigantic, dangerous mess. He had no idea where he was, no idea where the academy was, and he was about to run out of oxygen.

A red light flashed on Joshua's belt. His eyes glanced down and his blood froze. The oxygen was gone now. The mask over his mouth and nose was useless.

 _SHIT! Damn it all no! Not now!_

His breathing became rapid as panic built up in him. He then began to cough as the toxic fumes began to slowly trickle through the mask and into his lungs. His legs moved forwards two more steps towards the next pit before he dropped to his knees, strangling on the noxious fumes.

His body slumped forward and Joshua felt his consciousness leave him just as he thought he saw a strange alien emerge from the edge of the pit.

….

Every cell of his body felt like it was on fire. His skin wouldn't stop stinging and the pain made him curl up tighter on whatever soft surface he was lying on. His lungs burned and pained coughed erupted from his chest as he tried to breath in.

 _I'm dying._ Joshua thought as he squeezed his eyes tightly, _I'm dying._

"You are not dying." said a voice that made Joshua bolt upright.

His eyes shot open and he glanced around to see that he was in a simple room. There was a stone desk in the far corner with dim lamp illuminating the smooth surface. The stone floor was covered in a thick red rug that looked very expensive. Above Joshua was a small chandelier that slowly turned on as he woke up.

" Master Revan?" Joshua questioned as his eyes scanned the room, looking for anyone.

"Yes, it is me." At the door, a blue light shimmered. Joshua's eyes widened as a figure began to emerge from the blue light. Then, standing in front of Joshua, was none of than the great Revan, mask and all. He looked just how Joshua remembered him from their brief encounter in the Sith Temple on Earthland.

"Yup."Joshua nodded, "I'm dead."

"For force's sake you are not dead!" Revan scolded, "If you were dead, you wouldn't exactly be feeling anything right now."

"And how would you know that!?"

Revan just stared at Joshua.

"Oh… right." Joshua remembered, "You are dead."

"Ah, so you still possess your intelligence. That is good to know."

"Oh geez, you really hurt my feelings with that one." Joshua said as he put a hand to his chest.

" _WOULD YOU TWO BE SILENT!"_ screamed a shrill voice that made Joshua cringe. Meanwhile Revan sighed and shook his head.

"It appears we have awoken the other ghostly occupant of the Academy."

Just as Revan said this, a second ghostly figure appeared. Only this time, the figure was more like a shadow on the walls of the room than a glowing presence like Revan. And the shadow felt very evil.

" _As I said before Revan."_ The shrill voice screeched, " _You are too soft. The boy doesn't know who is superiors are. He has no discipline and he is one thing that a Sith should never be... afraid!"_

"I'm not afraid!" Joshua denied.

The shadow suddenly condensed and hovered closely towards Joshua's face. The Dark Side of the force was choking the air. Joshua could feel the weight of this creature's presence on him. Even though the shadow didn't have eyes, it felt like it was gazing directly into his soul. Which further terrified Joshua.

" _You are lying."_ The shadow growled, " _Never lie to me brat."_

Just the fear and power being exuded by this creature was enough to make Joshua instantly nod his head.

"Traya would you please stop scaring the boy." Revan asked, "We don't want him leaving now."

" _He won't leave."_ The Shadow named Traya replied before hovering towards Revan, " _I can sense it. He knows his purpose now. And he knows that he can achieve that purpose here, with my help."_

Joshua sat up straighter in the small bed he was in as he looked at the two ghostly figures.

"Wh-who is Traya?"

The shadow twisted towards Revan, " _Who was the boy's first master?"_

"Tyrannus."

The shadow hissed, " _A very poor master in the dark side. There was too much Jedi in him."_

"HEY!" Joshua shouted, "Who is Traya!?" he asked pointing at the shadow.

Suddenly, Joshua felt like a hand was clawing into his mind. And it was painful. His face screwed up into a pained expression as he grabbed his head with both hands and flopped onto his side.

" _Know who you speak to brat!"_ Traya growled, " _You will not be an impudent child with me!"_

"He was asking an honest question Traya." Revan stated flatly, "Is attacking his mind really necessary?"

The pain began to ease in Joshua's head.

" _It was more than necessary."_ The shadow's shrill voice snarled, " _If I am to teach this boy, then I will demand his respect, his attention, and his obedience. If I receive none of those things, then he will die. It is that simple."_

"Good grief you say Tyrannus was a poor master, but you sound just like him." Joshua groaned as he sat up on his elbows.

" _Tyrannus was a poor master,"_ The shadow started as it drew close to Joshua's face once again, " _Because he had no idea about the nature of what he was trying to teach. He was a pretender. An anointed pretender but nothing more. Compared to the Sith of old, he was not even an apprentice. He would've been a slave. From what I have observed, the only thing he was competent at teaching you was how to handle a lightsaber. But when it comes to the nature of the dark side, or even the nature of the force, he was a fool."_

"And Traya is not wrong on that one." Revan stated in the background, "Tyrannus was nothing more than a pawn. And a true Sith is never made into a pawn by anyone. Not even his master. Because of this, Tyrannus never received proper training in the dark side of the force. Sure he could manifest lighting, conjure dark side abilities, but that was due to his natural connection to the force and his own independent studies. He had no idea of the nature of the dark side of the force. Tell us Joshua, how did Tyrannus teach you to utilize the dark side?"

Joshua frowned, "The usual way. Pain, anger, hatred, fear."

" _Bah! He is more of a fool than I thought."_ Traya exclaimed, " _While those feelings can and should be utilized by the dark side, they are not how you should master the dark side of the force. They are quite simply, too narrow to properly tap the dark side. It is a very dogmatic approach to the dark side."_

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "I don't get it."

"You won't. Not right away at least. It is a difficult thing to learn." Revan replied, "Before we continue though, I think I should introduce you to your teachers. First of all, this lovely shadow is the great Darth Traya. She was at one time, a Jedi Master who taught me."

Joshua eyes widened as he looked from Revan over to the shadow that was the manifestation of Darth Traya.

"And," Revan continued, "This is her academy. In this academy, she trained many Sith Lords. Including the infamous Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus."

Joshua's mouth hung open for a moment before he snapped it shut and bowed his head to the shadow.

"Forgive me Master Traya. I was unaware of who you were."

The shadow seemingly glanced at Revan, " _He knows when he is wrong at least."_ The shadow encircled Joshua, " _Do you know why I called you here?"_

"To teach me?"

" _Obviously."_ Traya scoffed, " _But why must I teach you?"_

Joshua looked down at his hands as he sat in the bed, "I must fulfill my destiny. It is the will of the force that I do so."

" _And what is that destiny?"_

Joshua glanced up at the shadow, "To bring balance to the force. To be the dark side while another is the light. And even though I don't like it, it must be done."

The shadow retreated back to Revan, " _He is wiser than Tyrannus, thank the force for that."_

"I told you he would be worthy." Revan remarked as he folded his hands behind his back.

" _We shall see. He still needs to survive my instruction. And he needs to somehow comprehend your instruction."_

"Wait!" Joshua exclaimed, "Are you going to teach me as well, Master Revan?"

The ghost nodded, "I gave you my holocron for a reason Joshua. It's time you unlocked its secrets."

Joshua felt his heart racing. Never in his wildest dreams would've he have thought that the great Revan, the master of both light and dark sides of the force, would be the one to teach him what he needed to fulfill his destiny. Clearly the force wanted him to succeed if this was happening.

"There is one more of us Joshua. Although she is a not a ghost. And I do believe you owe her a thank you for saving your life not a couple hours ago."

The door to the room opened allowing an alien women to step in. She had a very slim and athletic figure and wore simple tan robes that loosely fit her. Her skin was a dark orange tinge and her face had white markings on it. Atop her head were white lekku with blue stripes, typical of her galactic species. Her blue eyes looked at Joshua kindly as she stepped into the room, a slight limp in her step.

"Welcome to the Academy on Malachor, Joshua." The Togrutan woman said with a gentle smile, "My name is Ahsoka Tano."

 **And Chapter! Big reveal there at the end! I hope you guys liked it! I finally decided to add Ahsoka into the story after seeing Dave Filoni wearing an Ahsoka Lives! shirt for Star Wars Celebration (No I wasn't' there. I saw a youtube video, but I wish I was there). So I think it's safe to assume she is alive after battling Vader. How, I don't know yet. I may get past the how part before rebels season 4 comes out so keep that in mind please. Anyways, Joshua is about to begin the most difficult training of his life and he will have three major teachers! It's going to be fun. The next few chapters will focus not only on his training, but also on our other characters. There will be chapters where Natsu is tearing apart Stormtrooper regiments along with Wendy, Gajeel and the others. There will be chapters where Lucy is doing political things trying to influence the rebellion to take back Earthland. And there will be a First Sister chapter. It's going to be fun! I can't wait to write it! Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	91. Chapter 91: Of Fear and The Force

**Ooooh I'm on a roll right now! Here's another chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 91

Joshua sat quietly across from the ghostly form of Revan, now maskless. When he had first removed the mask, Joshua was surprised by how he looked. Given how wise the man was, Joshua assumed that he would look ancient, or at least older than fifty. Instead, the master didn't look too much older than Joshua was. He wasn't very remarkable to look at. Plain, dark brown hair topped his head and ran down to his shoulders, although it was now highlighted by the ghostly blue hue that enveloped his whole body. He had fair skin and dark eyes. But beyond that, he looked like a normal man. Nothing like the absolute legend that Joshua had envisioned.

"You are supposed to be meditating." Revan said quietly with his eyes shut as he caught Joshua gawking at him.

"Sorry." Joshua quickly replied before shutting his eyes and breathing deeply.

But once again, his eyes cracked open to stare at the legend in front of him. He hadn't had the opportunity to just sit with Revan like this in a long time, not since his conversation with him atop the Sith Temple on Earthland. Joshua was simply giddy with excitement. He couldn't focus on anything else.

A heavy sigh escaped Revan's lips before he too opened his eyes and looked at Joshua wearily, "You aren't going to meditate are you?"

"I'm sorry." Joshua replied sheepishly, "I kinda have a problem with being around celebrities." Instantly, he thought of his several interactions with the wizard saint, Jura Neekis, when he was a kid.

Revan raised an eyebrow, "I can't be that interesting. I'm dead."

"But you are a legend!" Joshua exclaimed, "And it's… I am actually learning from you. It's hard to believe. And I've always wanted to have another conversation with you like the last one we had. Minus any lightsabers or deadly sith trial."

Revan chuckled a little, "I'm a legend am I? That's funny to hear. I find myself rather unremarkable to be honest." He looked at Joshua and folded his hands, "Well, I think we can still make our time productive until Traya decides to wake up again. So, instead of boring you to tears with meditations, we will talk."

Joshua's eyes lit up.

"We will talk, about a very difficult subject that you must learn." Joshua could barely keep still as he listened to Revan speak, "Tell me Joshua, what is the nature of the Dark Side of the Force?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Um… the nature?"

Revan nodded, "Yes the nature."

"Isn't it fear, anger, hatred-"

Revan raised a hand stopping him, "No, those are small themes of the dark side. But it is not what encompasses the nature of the dark side of the force. Perhaps I should rephrase the question. What fuels the dark side of the force?"

"Um… again, anger, fear hatred-"

"No, no." Revan replied a little exasperated, "No. You are only repeating what Tyrannus taught you. It's a very Jedi outlook on the dark side. Which means it is a very ignorant perspective." Joshua listened intently, trying to understand where Revan was going with this, "Let me ask you this now Joshua. When do you feel at your most powerful?"

Joshua rubbed his chin, thinking hard on the many fights he had been in during his short life, "When I've been angry beyond belief. When I've hated something so much that everything just goes red."

"Now is that you, or is that Plagueis and the dark side of the force taking over?"

That stumped Joshua, "Um…"

"When do you feel like you are the most focused in the force? When do you feel at your most balanced?"

Joshua again, thought for a moment.

 _When am I at my most focused and balanced?_ His thoughts strayed towards his friends and family. To his favorite moments with Erza. The times they went on jobs together and came home with smiles on their faces. Then they drifted to his moments with Wendy. The theatre job, the battle with the Oracion Seis, that particularly intimate moment on the balcony at the Palace Mercurius.

Revan nodded across from him, "I sense that. You are much more in tune with the force right now. Your focus should be sharper."

Joshua blinked, "I'm at my most focused and balanced when I'm fighting for those I care about. But also, when I'm not blinded by rage doing it."

Revan smiled, "Very good. Can you tell me the feelings you have when that happens?"

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "That is what confuses me now. It's never anger or hatred. It's not fear either. It's… it's love. But… isn't love against the dark side of the force. Isn't that counter to the very philosophy of the Sith?"

Revan raised a finger, "And this is where every Sith Lord since my time has erred. What are the first two lines of the Sith Code?"

"Peace is a lie; there is only passion. Through passion; I gain strength." Joshua recited immediately.

"And there lies the key to true power in the dark side of the force. It is not anger, fear, pain, or hatred. But rather, something else that encompasses it all." Revan leaned forward, "Passion. Passion is everything with the Dark Side of the Force. Both positive and negative passion. Love and hatred. Pleasure and pain. All of this is fuel for the dark side of the force. To limit yourself to only one side of the spectrum is to handicap yourself and your abilities. To rely only on negative passions such as hatred is to weaken yourself. You are denying yourself so much power when you do this."

Joshua stared wide eyed at Revan as the Master continued.

"Even basic biology shows us the limits of only one side of passion. The human body, more specifically, the brain, can only handle so much anger before it begins to slow down and at least try to recover. But if you deny yourself the necessary things to recover, such as love, kindness, and pleasure, then how can you remain strong? How can you regain your strength and allow the mind and body to recover? The answer quite simply, is that you can't. The body then begins to degrade. Something that you have seen with Sith Lords who fail to realize this."

"Sidious… and Malgus." Joshua breathed.

"Correct. Although they have taken it to the extreme in that regard." Revan continued, "Do you understand now?"

Joshua slowly nodded, "I think so. What you are saying, is that the true thing that powers the dark side of the force is not anger or anything like that. It's, in a way, passion. In all forms."

A rare smile spread across Revan's face, "Very good."

"So," Joshua shifted his weight as he tried to get into a more comfortable position on the stone floor, "How in the world do I tap into that?"

"You already do." Revan replied, "The true question is, how do you control and concentrate passion so that it does not consume you. Too little passion is debilitating. Too much can be blinding. For example, your hatred is a form of passion. You have a passionate rage for something. When your vision goes red with rage, that is an example of being consumed by the passion of the dark side of the force. Or, to use the oh so familiar expression, you are blinded by rage. And being blinded by passion, can be just as dangerous, if not more so, than having no passion at all. You lose all your focus and all of your control. You become a mindless tool of the dark side at that point. And Sith Masters such as Darth Sidious, are masters at manipulating such circumstances to their advantage."

Joshua slowly nodded, "So the purpose of this training now is to learn control and focus."

Revan nodded.

"Then how do we start?" Joshua said readily, a smile on his face, "I'm ready to go!"

"The best way to learn control, my apprentice." Revan's smile began to widen, "Is to look at the example of the masters of control, the Jedi."

"And what did they do!?" Joshua asked excitedly.

Revan's grin widened and a mischievous glint came into his eyes.

"They meditated."

"ARRRRGH!"

….

Joshua stood stiffly. His feet together and his back straight as he stared straight ahead. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as his eyes carefully followed the dark shadow slowly circling him. It was as if the shadow was evaluating him. Inspecting him for any sort of weakness or imperfection. And it was being very thorough. Every so often, Joshua's face would contort in pain as he felt Darth Traya's presence rip into his mind and begin to slowly probe through it. She would dance through his memories, waltz through his feelings, and laugh at the things he kept secret. It was total torture. And Joshua was beginning to greatly fear the next time her presence would enter her mind.

" _You are still failing."_ The shadow snarled as it slowly circled him in the dimly lit room.

"How can I succeed if I don't know what I am failing at!?" Joshua snarled back before he felt his throat slowly constrict.

" _I will not have any back talk."_ Traya growled before releasing her hold on Joshua's trachea, " _If you are incapable of learning your own weaknesses on your own then you will fail as my apprentice. And Sidious will undoubtedly destroy you."_

Joshua gasped a little for air before he grumbled under his breath.

"It's much easier with Master Revan."

The shadow suddenly churned and rushed up to his face.

" _What did you say?"_ Traya growled menacingly.

"N-nothing." Joshua replied fearfully.

He felt the shadow of Darth Traya roughly grab his jaw and squeeze.

" _What did I say about lying?"_

A couple croaks and snorts came out as Joshua tried to reply only to find that his jaw was being held closed. He then wanted to scream out in agony as he felt Traya enter his mind once again. Every time became more and more painful as she recreated his fears in his head and danced through his mind against his will. Then, after several agonizing minutes. She exited once again and began to circle him, like a lion circling it's prey.

Joshua's breathing was ragged as his mind and body attempted to recover. She had ordered him to remain standing for all of this. If he were to fall, or drop to his knees, or simply waver in any way. She would punish him far worse than merely forcing her way into his head. And Joshua didn't want to test that at all. So far, Traya was proving that she was the most cruel teacher Joshua had ever had in his life. And he had no doubts that she could easily make good on her threats despite being a simple shadowy presence. As this was all occuring, his weary mind was attempting to figure out what he was failing at?

 _What is it dammit all!?_ Joshua thought as he tensed when the shadow suddenly drifted a little closer before pulling away and circling again.

 _Why am I so terrified of a shadow!_ He screamed in his head, _Why-_ Joshua stopped thinking right then and there. He quickly recalled something Darth Traya had said when he had first met her.

" _He is one thing a Sith should never be… afraid."_

 __Fear! That was what this was all about. Master Traya was purposely making him terrified of her. She was forcing him, in the most painful way possible, to realize his greatest shortcoming. When afraid, he would lose himself. He would become ineffective and unfocused. And this allowed everything to slip out of his control around him. Every disaster in his life had been a product of being afraid. Joshua's worried expression disappeared as he realized this. The key to ending this torture and beginning his true instruction was proving to Traya that he was not afraid of her.

The shadow circled him longer than normal, as if trying to build on the suspense being created. It slowly surrounded him. This time, instead of Joshua standing rigid, he let his muscles relax. His eyes closed and he took several deep breaths before reopening his eyes to find the shadow staring him directly in the face.

It took every ounce of control Joshua had not to make the same mistakes he had been making. He refused to wince. He refused to flinch. He refused to be afraid of this long dead Dark Lady of the Sith. He kept his eyes peeled as he engaged in a stare down with the shadow. His jaw was stiff and his gaze unwavering. Then the shadow began to enter his mind once again. Only this time, it wasn't painful. Nothing hurt this time. Instead, it felt as if Traya was please with him and allowed peace and pleasure to flood his body. A sigh escaped Joshua's lips.

" _You finally figured it out."_ The shadow remarked as it exited his mind, " _It took you far too long."_

"I've always been a stubborn person when it comes to admitting stuff." Joshua smirked.

The shadow hummed disapprovingly, but didn't act on it, " _We must fix that then."_ Traya slowly collected her shadowy form into a small ball in front of Joshua, " _Sit."_

Joshua quickly dropped to the floor, silently thanking the force that he had finally been allowed to sit even if it was only for a moment.

" _Fear."_ Traya began, " _It is the great destroyer. Fear leads to one thing and one thing only. That thing is death. This is a certainty."_

Joshua raised an eyebrow as the lesson began, "I don't understand. Fear is part of a natural human response isn't it? It helps us survive."

" _But you are not a normal human being are you?"_ Traya replied, " _Fear is something that allows the dark side to channel through a being more easily. This also is true. But fear acts as an open connection. It allows others to sense you and therefore more easily enter and break your mind and body. If you were to confront Sidious now, no doubt your fear may end up consuming you. And he would use that fear to break you and mold you into a tool of his creation. Just as he has done to your sister."_

Joshua's face darkened at the reminder of what the Emperor had done to Erza. Traya hissed at him.

" _Focus!"_ Joshua took a calming breath before nodding to Traya, " _Now, Sidious is a perfect example of a Sith with no fear. Now can you tell me why he has no fear?"_

 __Joshua frowned, "He's the most powerful person in existence isn't he?"

" _A correct observation. That knowledge for him, makes him fearless. This mindset must not only apply to an individual, but it must apply to the Sith as a whole. A Sith is meant to be the most powerful being alive. They are meant to be the apex predator in a galaxy filled with prey. With that knowledge, a Sith can be always confident of their superiority."_

Joshua frowned, "But doesn't that give way to arrogance? Surely the Sith cannot be the most powerful force in the galaxy on their own. To use an expression from my world, there is always a bigger fish."

Traya chuckled a little, " _A wise response. I'm beginning to like you, even if it is only a little. You indulge my passion for debate very easily._ _To answer your question, only a fool becomes arrogant in his own power. A wise Sith is always very aware of the power of others. But they are also aware of the will of the force. If the will of the force is for them to die, or for one they care about to die, then they must not fear this but welcome that outcome as one welcomes an old friend. For the force is rarely, if ever wrong. To be afraid, is to not trust the force. And that, as you have learned, can be very damaging."_

Joshua gulped, "So, we must not fear the outcomes that come?"

" _Correct."_ Traya replied, " _For someone as young as you are, this is a very difficult concept to understand and even more difficult to put into practice. Young people after all, are very covetous. You like to keep your things. You like to keep those close to you. You don't want to lose them. But to truly be free of fear, is to let go of those and realize it is merely the will of the force."_

Joshua blinked, "I-isn't that a very Jedi view of it all? I thought a Sith was supposed to be very selfish."

" _I was once a Jedi remember. A Jedi master in fact. It is only natural that has influenced my perspective on the force. And I am actually in agreement with your natural reaction to this unfortunate reality in life. I hate how the will of the force takes those you care about just as much as you do. I hate how the force acts without any restriction and causes personal suffering such as what many have endured walking the road of the force. The Force is a cruel thing, unfeeling and unmoved by the feelings of others. Its plan is the only plan. And it will not deter from it unless an outside force so powerful bend the plan of the force."_

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Bends the plan of the force?" He thought of the warning Darth Sanguine gave him. How Wendy would die in a battle over Naboo and it would be caused by Erza and the Rebel Alliance, "Can someone be truly powerful enough to do such a thing?"

Traya hummed, " _It is a rare occurrence. But vergences and nexuses in the force can posses the power to do such a thing. Revan for example, was more than capable of doing such a thing when he was living. But wisely, he fell back on his Jedi training and realized that in the end you can only delay the inevitable. The force will just work around the control that you think you have."_

Joshua sighed and bowed his head, "This is a lot."

" _It truly is. But you must learn to understand this fact of life."_

Joshua nodded, "So, other than just accepting the will of the force, something you said is very difficult for someone like me to do; what other ways can I defeat fear?"

If shadows could smile, then Traya just did, " _You must confront your fears. Face them head on like a true Sith would. Do not hide from them like a coward. Do not bury them like a Jedi would. Bring them to the surface and stare it in the face. Bringing fear into the light is the first step into defeating it."_ Traya paused as she watched her young pupil consider what she said, " _Shall we try this?"_

Joshua sighed before nodding.

" _What is your worst fear?"_

"That has already come true." Joshua said as he thought of the First Sister.

" _Then it is no longer a fear but a reality. I will ask again, what is your worst fear?"_

Joshua gulped and thought long about what it could be. The possibilities ran through his mind. Everything from starving, being burned alive, and cat; to losing everyone he cared about came to his mind. But one thing continued to dominate all the other fears.

"Plagueis." Joshua whispered shakily, "I am afraid of Plagueis taking over and killing everyone I love using my hands."

The room grew slightly colders as his words echoed around him.

" _That is a legitimate fear if I have ever heard one. Darth Plagueis, I felt his presence in your mind as I investigated-"_

 __"Pillaged." Joshua corrected before feeling his throat tighten again.

" _Investigated,"_ Traya growled, " _your mind. And I can say this, this fear you have will be difficult to overcome. I must inform you. Plagueis cannot be held at bay forever. He has ensured that someday he will break free from Revan's shackles on him. Revan placed those bonds in a weakened state. He no longer has the reserves of power to restore them at all. In all honesty, it is no longer a matter of if Plagueis will break free, but a matter of when."_

Joshua clenched his jaw as a lump formed in his throat, "So… no matter what it will happen."

" _Yes."_ Traya said quietly, almost sympathetically, " _The question now becomes when this will occur. Will it be tomorrow? Or will it be when you are old and grey and he can no longer effectively use your body? That choice is up to you. To confront this fear of yours, you must confront Plagueis himself. When you do, you will have three options. Give in and let him take over completely, ending your suffering on the matter. Bargain with him, buy yourself some time with words. Or… create your own chains on him. You are only growing in your power. At your peak you could become the most powerful dark side user to ever exist. Bonds such as that can ensure that Plagueis is only able to break free when your body is useless."_

"I refuse to bargain with that monster." Joshua snarled.

" _Then you only have two ways to confront your fear. Either way, it means drawing Plagueis out and battling him in a way you could never imagine. It means doing away with the restrictions Revan has put in place and allowing that very fear to come out only for you to conquer it in the end. This cannot be done in a day. Nor a month. It may take years or even your entire lifetime to finally be ready. But time is not on your side. It is on Plagueis's side. Remeber that."_

Joshua nodded, "So… how do I create these force chains?"

" _You must build up your knowledge of the dark side and the force and grow in your power to the point where you can rival Plagueis."_

Joshua stared at the shadow, determination on his face, "And you can help me do this?"

" _Absolutely."_

….

Joshua's head still hurt. It wasn't just from the pillaging that Darth Kraya gave him, but from the philosophical discussions he had with both Masters Revan and Kraya. The concepts he had been attempting to learn and comprehend were mind boggling. Eventually, he just had to have a brain dump. And what better way to relax than to be engaged in a heated lightsaber duel with the sabers set to a training setting.

A white blade clashed with two other white blades before a slender leg kicked Joshua in the stomach, sending Joshua sprawling onto the cold stone floor.

"Got you again." Ahsoka Tano smirked as she waited for Joshua to get to his feet.

"How are you this good!?" Joshua exclaimed as he groaned and got back up to his feet, carefully holding his lightsaber in the traditional Makashi starting position.

A sad smile spread over Ahsoka's face, "I was taught by the best." She said before reversing her grip on both of her lightsabers, "Are you ready?"

A wide smile crossed Joshua's face as he pointed his own saber at Ahsoka, "More than ready."

Despite the limp in her gait, Ahsoka was incredibly swift and athletic. She would jump and flip around Joshua with grace that had originally surprised him. Now, it was the greatest cause for his frustration. Ahsoka was so unpredictable with her strikes. And it didn't help that Joshua had no idea what kind of fighting form she was using, thought it looked similar to Mara Jade's style of combat. However, Ahsoka's was far more developed and sophisticated. Joshua's usual precise and graceful stabs and slashes were useless against an opponent that could easily dodge out of the way.

He blocked a high chop from Ahsoka's right blade before returning the favor with an elegant sweep towards her lekku. The Togrutan easily deflected his strike then quickly rolled away from a follow up thrust. Her saber quickly lashed out and caught Joshua in the hamstring, sending him to his knees as a numbing pain washed over his leg.

"Got you again." Ahsoka laughed.

"Damn it all!" Joshua shouted in frustration, "I just can't catch you!"

"Well then," Ahsoka crossed her arms and smirked, "Maybe you should get faster."

Joshua groaned, "You are so damn snippy too!"

Ahsoka's smirk dropped instantly and a deeply saddened glance came over her face. She did her best to hide it but Joshua noticed before she could replace the sorrow with a force smile.

"Ok, something's up." Joshua remarked readying his saber again, "You get very sad out of nowhere with certain words."

"It's nothing." Ahsoka replied, "Just a lot of memories." She rushed at Joshua again, their white swords sparking and screeching as they clashed in a flurry of white light.

"Bad ones?"

Ahsoka shook her head as they continued, "No. Not all of them at least."

Their blades locked together. Ahsoka was suddenly surprised by the amount of strength Joshua possessed. He was pressing down on her blades with such force that it forced her to drop to a knee.

 _Did he just switch forms on me!?_

"Care to talk about it?" Joshua grunted, "I find talking helps for me."

Ahsoka frowned, "No, I'm fine."

"I doubt that. WHOA!"

Joshua's legs were swept out from underneath him by Ahsoka. Just before she could bring her sabers down, Joshua rolled to the side and jumped back to his feet. He quickly blocked a flurry of chops from Ahsoka as she flipped over his head, attempting to catch him from behind. The Togruta's eyes widened again as suddenly Joshua's attacks became very athletic and heavy handed instead of fluid and graceful.

 _Attempting to change the flow of the battle. Good move._ She thought as she deftly sidestepped or deflected heavy slashes from Joshua's blade, _But you are too reliant on using one form at a time._

Ahsoka quickly deduced Joshua was using form seven. She was vaguely familiar with it. She had fought maybe one or two opponents in her life who preferred the aggressive style of fighting. What perplexed Ahsoka right now was how Joshua even knew how to use it. It was clear that he was most comfortable using form II, Makashi, a style of fighting that is in direct contradiction to form VII, Juyo. Makashi was elegant, graceful. A true master looked like a dancer when fighting. Juyo was a very destructive, brutal form. It was a wrecking ball, meant to pulverize an opponent. The fact that he knew how to utilize such a difficult form was a testament to Joshua's raw ability.

Still, it was clear that he only knew the basics. And Ahsoka was taking full advantage of that.

"So seriously." Joshua asked as they continued to dart around the large room, lightsabers clashing together in white arcs, "What's making you so sad?"

"Would you please just stop asking!" Ahsoka snapped back at him.

Joshua snapped his mouth shut and decided to just focus on trying to finally beat Ahsoka. And at that he was as unsuccessful as he was in trying to get her to talk. Within a few more minutes, he was flat on his ass, a large welt forming on his chest, underneath his robes.

"Ouch!" Joshua winced before he heard Ahsoka's lightsaber hiss as they were sheathed, "Are we done or something?"

"Not quite." Ahsoka replied before sitting down across from Joshua, "I'm going to help you with your lightsaber skills a little bit."

Joshua smiled, "Really? That's generous of you."

"Well, you need it."

Joshua nodded, "Ok, so what are my problems."

Ahsoka leaned back, "You rely too much on the basics of the forms. You haven't built up on any of them."

Joshua took in the criticism then nodded, "Ok, but I haven't had anyone to properly teach me in a while."

"And that is not your fault. However, it is clear that you need a lot more drilling than I previously thought you would need."

Joshua gulped, "What does that mean?"

"Which fighting form do you prefer."

Joshua leaned back, letting his legs stretch out, "I think that is fairly obvious."

"Form II?"

Joshua nodded as he still tried to catch his breath.

"Alright, what are the strenghts of form II?"

Joshua grinned, "It's very quick and fluid. This makes it very difficult to defend against because it is unpredictable."

"Correct, but you however are very predictable when you do fight. Makashi is a very creative form of fighting. You are stuck in the basic movements. You are not taking risks and creating new ways to utilize the form. And that is limiting you." Ahsoka stated firmly, "The same goes for Juyo. It is a very aggressive form that require risk taking and creativity. You cannot hesitate with these two forms of fighting. You must commit. Or you will lose."

Joshua nodded, "So you are going to drill me and help me do that."

Ahsoka nodded, "Yes I am. Now get up, we're going to start now."

Joshua nodded and winced as he felt his muscles protest his movements.

"Now then, since you are most comfortable with Makashi. That is where we will start. Mind you, I'm no expert." Ahsoka said, "But I think Revan would be more than happy to assist if we needed it."

Ahsoka stood across from Joshua, both mirroring each other with Makashi's traditional starting position.

"Ready?" Ahsoka asked.

Joshua nodded, "Ready."

Both grinned as they charged and began their friendly duel once again. Only this time, Ahsoka was teaching all that she knew. And slowly, she found that she enjoyed it.

 **And chapter! Lots of talking in this chapter. Lots of building of characters and a lot of philosophy stuff. I hope it turned out well. There may be one more chapter of Joshua training but it won't be the next one. The next few will focus on our other fairies in the galaxy such as Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, and Wendy. And there may be a First Sister chapter too. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	92. Chapter 92: The Politician

**Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 92

"I bet I can eat way more of this…" Natsu paused as he eyed the pulsing mass of tentacles on his plate before pointing his fork at Gajeel once again, "Fish thing than you can!"

"I bet you can't salamander!" The Iron Dragon Slayer roared back before the two dug into the piles on their plates.

"You can do it Natsu!" A blue cat shouted as he sat down beside Natsu and munched on his own personal fish.

Beside the two dragon slayers, sat two women. One was a curvaceous girl with blonde hair and large brown eyes. Bags were under her eyes as she slumped in her seat inside of the mess hall designated for Rebel personnel on Mon Cala. Beside her was a petite blue haired woman with a red headband holding back her blue bangs. She looked exhausted as well. Her brown eyes were half closed as she smacked her lips wearily before gripping the steaming mug in front of her.

"You know… they used to gross me out." The blonde mumbled as she ignored the slurping sounds from the Dragon Slayers and flipped through multiple pages on a datapad. A long yawn escaped her lips, "But… I'm way too tired to care anymore."

"You're tired." Grumbled the bluenette as she rested on her elbows and kept her own mug close to her lips, "Try going through pilot training, Luce."

"It can't be as bad as dealing with politicians." Lucy yawned again before taking a long gulp from her mug, "This coffee tastes terrible."

"It's not technically coffee." Levy reminded her friend, "It's Caf… it's an artificial energy drink."

"I want my coffee." Lucy whined as she laid her head down on the table and let out a long breath, "Do you have any idea how many meetings I have today?"

"Nope." Levy replied, "But I know what I have today."

"What?"

"I'm getting assigned to a squadron today."

Lucy's weary eyes widened, "What!?" she repeated.

Levy smiled weakly, "Yup. I report to my training officer then they will give me my orders."

Lucy stared at her bookworm friend turned pilot, "Th-that's great Levy!" Lucy said, feigning excitement for her friend. But internally, she was very worried. The blonde had listened to testimonies and reports from multiple fighter wings in the meager rebel fleet. And to put it simply, the casualty rate for Rebel pilots was ridiculously high. Stories of pilots like Wedge Antilles, heck even Luke Skywalker, were not normal. They were the incredibly rare exception. The thought of sweet Levy piloting through a swarm of tie fighters made Lucy sick to her stomach.

"You don't sound very happy." Levy muttered.

"I am! I am!" Lucy quickly reiterated, "I just… I'm surprised I didn't hear about this until now. I wanted to have at least some say in where you will be placed."

"You didn't know?" Levy asked wide eyed.

Lucy shook her head, "This is the first time I'm hearing about this." Meanwhile, Lucy's inner self was through the greatest temper tantrum of all time. Curses flew through her mind as she began to simulate conversations she was about to have with the multiple generals, admirals, and diplomats within the rebel alliance. No one puts an Earthlander, let alone a close friend, in harm's way without her being the first to know about it. And it was time the rebel council learned that lesson. But for now, Lucy pushed away all angry thoughts and instead did her best to be happy for Levy.

"What squadron do you hope to get assigned to?" Lucy asked.

"Rogue squadron obviously!" Levy replied, her face no longer looking tired as she lit up talking about her dream assignment, "It used to be led by Luke himself. But now that he is focusing on his Jedi training, the squadron is commanded by Wedge Antilles."

"Wow!" _A true legend in his own right._ Lucy thought as she recounted multiple reports and recordings of the Rebel Ace.

"I know. He's one of the only pilots to be around since the rebel fleet was founded. He's fought in space battles all over the galaxy. He even helped destroy the Death Star!" Levy said, her excitement only growing. Meanwhile, off to the side, she could see Gajeel frowning as he listened to Levy gush over some rebel pilot, "Can you imagine learning from him! It'd be amazing!"

Lucy laughed a little. Then the little laugh turned into a loud chuckle.

"What is it?" Levy asked, oblivious to why Lucy was laughing, "What's so funny?"

Lucy rubbed her eyes, "It's just… you are about to join the fleet and put your life on the line in the most dangerous job in the fleet. And all you can say is that you are excited to learn more."

Levy raised an eyebrow, "And that's funny how?"

"Because it's so you!" Lucy replied, "Levy McGarden, Solid script mage of Fairy Tail, always putting knowledge ahead of herself!" Levy still looked confused. "Eh," Lucy waved a hand, "Forget about it. I must be way more tired than I thought."

"Maybe?" Levy replied before smirking, "I think your bags may have bags."

"They do!?" Lucy whipped a mirror out from a bag she had beside her, "Please tell me you're lying!"

This time Levy laughed.

"What's so funny!?" Lucy roared.

"Lucy Heartfilia, Celestial Spirit mage of Fairy Tail, always putting beauty ahead of everything else." Levy chuckled as she mocked Lucy's tone of voice that she had previously used.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "Oh ha ha. Very funny."

"It was."

The doors to the mess hall burst open and Meldy came running in as fast as he feet could carry her.

"Guys!" The pinkette shouted as she skidded to a stop beside their table, "They're back!"

Natsu and Gajeel chewing stopped almost immediately and they just stared at Meldy in stunned silence. Then Natsu, slurped up the last of his slimy food before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. A wide grin spread across his face.

"What are we waiting for!?" Natsu shouted before leaping over the table and rushing out the mess hall doors.

"And there he goes." Lucy mumbled as she watched Natsu sprint away. Meanwhile Gajeel finished his plate before loudly exclaiming, 'I WIN!'.

"Who's back Meldy?" Levy yawned as she sipped some more Caf.

Before the Crime Sorciere member could reply, Gajeel sniffled and his eyes widened.

"Damn, they are back!" And he took off after Natsu.

That was the only reply both Lucy and Levy needed. The two tired woman quickly took one last gulp from their steaming mugs before sprinting after Meldy and the dragon slayers.

It didn't take them all very long before they reached the main hangar. And apparently, they weren't the only ones being drawn towards the return of their friends. Engineers and deck officers were turning away from their work to watch as a small freighter carefully docked beside a row of X-Wing fighters. Steam hissed out of the craft as the interior cabin depressurized before the small ramp finally lowered. Natsu, Gajeel, and Meldy jumped from the platform they were standing on and raced over to the ship while Lucy and Levy quietly watched from a distance.

The first person to step out of the ship was Kanan Jarrus. His distinct brown hair tied back into a short ponytail was unmistakable. Next came Luke Skywalker, who seemed to be intently listening to Kanan as the older Jedi spoke. Then finally, Wendy Marvell stepped out of the craft. While Kanan had a calm expression on his face and Luke had excited expression on his own, Wendy was very melancholy. Her brown eyes were downcast and her lips seemed to be in a constant frown.

"Something's wrong." Levy noticed immediately.

"Yeah… where's Joshua?" Lucy watched as the ramp to the ship slowly ascended back into the freighter's belly. The blond gulped as a horrible feeling overtook her.

"Do you think-"

Lucy quickly shook her head, "No! Joshua is made of tougher stuff."

"But Vader-"

"The others wouldn't have made it back if they had run into Vader." Lucy noted, "There has to be another explanation."

"WHAT DO YA MEAN HE JUST LEFT!" Natsu bellowed angrily as he stood in front of Wendy, who stared at her feet.

Levy cringed, "There is the explanation."

And that explanation was the worst case scenario for Lucy. Joshua was not here. He wasn't dead, he wasn't missing, and he wasn't captured. He just up and left. Out of blue. First of all, that would not look good in the council. The rest of the rebellion was still very unsure about her friend's loyalties and abilities. For one of their own, possibly even the strongest of their own, to just up and leave like that without any warning, did not reflect well on anyone from Earthland. Adding to the panic was the fact that Lucy was banking on Joshua being the muscle in the council for her. She had named him her political adviser after all. Now she had to figure all of this craziness out on her own. A task that she felt completely unqualified and unprepared to for. Lucy took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart as she and Levy quickly descended the metal stairs down to the hangar floor in order to greet Kanan, Luke and Wendy.

"What I mean is exactly what I said. And I didn't say Joshua just left!" Wendy shouted back at Natsu, "He… he had a very good reason to do it."

Natsu crossed his arms, "Bullshit! This is the second time he's done that to you right?"

"Natsu!" Wendy snapped quickly, "Do not push me right now!" Her eyes burning with fury as she stared at her fellow dragon slayer.

"A-aye sir." Natsu quickly stammered as he cowed before Wendy's furious glare.

"Wendy!" Lucy smiled as she and Levy walked up to her. The three quickly embraced each other, "Thank goodness you all are ok. We were worried sick. That simple mission took far too long."

"I know it did. But timing was everything." Wendy replied while Luke and Kanan excused themselves. They had Jedi business to attend to.

Lucy nodded, "I understand. I'm just glad you all came home ok." She then frowned, "Almost all that is."

"Joshua is fine. He's very safe actually." Wendy replied.

Lucy nodded, "I can believe that. He is possibly the strongest wizard here after all. But where is he?"

Wendy pursed her lips then shook her head, "I cannot tell. It wouldn't be a good idea for me to do so."

Lucy sighed, "Wendy. I need to know, because the rebel council needs to know. Joshua is considered a very powerful asset to them. They see him as a Jedi almost. And they don't want to lose track of him like this."

"Joshua isn't some tool, Lucy!" Wendy growled.

Lucy wiped her eyes, "I-I know that. Believe me I do. Can we just-" Lucy let out a deep breath, "How about we go somewhere private real quick." She eyed Natsu and Gajeel, signaling to the two of them to leave her and Wendy alone for a little while.

Wendy looked around at the gawking rebel soldiers, some of whom had never laid eyes on the Earthlanders before. Others were just trying to get a good peak at the two gorgeous women. She nodded and waved for Lucy to lead the way. A voice crackled over the intercom system as the two walked towards the hangar exit.

" _Levy McGarden please report to deck thirty five for assignment. Levy McGarden please report to deck thirty five for assignment."_ Lucy heard the intercom rattle off a few more names before shutting off.

"What's that all about?" Wendy asked as the pair quickly strode down a brightly lit corridor.

"Assignments for pilots who have completed the training program." Lucy replied, "Levy is about to get assigned to a squadron."

Wendy's eyes widened, "That's great! Levy will be amazing!"

"I hope so." Lucy said cautiously, "I just worry about how dangerous flying for the fleet is. Especially when her craft is a snub fighter."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "Snub fighter?"

"Technical jargon." Lucy commented as they turned a corner, walking down a long corridor that led to Lucy's tiny office, "You learn a lot of it when you are part of the Alliance leadership structure. Honestly, sometimes it's difficult to wrap my head around it all. I'm half tempted to call every single thing that flies a spaceship. But appearances are everything in politics. And I can't look stupid around the others. It's caused me to have to undergo a steep learning curve on galactic technology, events, history, geography." Lucy paused, "Is learning about different places in the galaxy considered geography?"

Wendy shrugged, "I'd guess astronomy personally."

Lucy nodded, "Levy said that too."

"You must be glad she is here to help you out."

Lucy sighed, "Believe me I am! But we have so little time together in order to figure all of this stuff out. What between my constant meetings and her training, it makes studying very difficult." Lucy stopped in front of a small, windowless door.

Wendy took a glance at the unremarkable door and frowned. Lucy had a nameplate on the door as well as the title of Earthland Ambassador on a plaque underneath. But above both plaques were the words 'custodian closet' roughly scratched out. Wendy's brown eyes looked uncertainly at Lucy.

"It's the only space they had available." Lucy commented before opening the door and walking into the broom closet turned political office.

Wendy looked wide eyed at the cramp space. A small desk was crammed against the back wall while data pads were stacked up on the floor and desktop in a haphazard manner. A hologram communicator rested on the center of Lucy's minuscule desk. Two simple metal chairs sat across the desk from where Lucy would seat. And, to the rebellion's credit, at least they gave Lucy a very comfortable looking chair.

"Nice." Wendy said sarcastically.

"It isn't pretty I know. You have no idea how badly I want to tidy this place up." Lucy quickly strode around her desk then sat down in her leather seat, "But I just never have the time. I'm honestly amazed I have time to talk to you right now."

Wendy nodded, "Then I guess we better make this a quick chat."

A data pad buzzed and Lucy quickly glanced at it before groaning and leaning her head back, "Yes we do. I got a council meeting in twenty minutes. And I gotta go all the way up to the top floor!"

"Fun." Wendy commented.

"Loads of it." Lucy replied before brushing some stray blonde hair from her face and leaning towards Wendy, "What's going on with Joshua then?"

Wendy sighed and sat down, "He's gone… training."

Lucy's jaw hung open, "Training."

Wendy nodded.

"He left us alone, in a galaxy we know nothing about, just so he could go training?"

"You don't understand the full situation, Lucy."

The blonde was having a difficult time containing her frustration. She was going to get so much heat from the council over this. She may as well have tossed her own ass into a fire.

"Wendy, I'm running on five hours of sleep over the past three days and I'm on my tenth cup of caf in the past three hours. Please explain to me the full situation before I lose my damn mind." Lucy groaned as she rubbed her temples.

Wendy nodded, "We arrived at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to execute the mission. When we got to our objective, Imperial inquisitors arrived."

Lucy stopped rubbing the sides of her head and stared intensely at Wendy, "Inquisitors? Are you certain."

Wendy nodded.

"How many?"

"Two."

Lucy let out a long breath, "Thank goodness you all made it out alive."

"Barely." Wendy said dryly, "Kanan and Joshua made sure of that. But… it was who the inquisitors were that caused Joshua to suddenly run off and train."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Who were they? Why does that even matter?"

Wendy gulped and Lucy saw some fresh tears enter her eyes before she quickly wiped them away, "One of the inquisitors was Erza, Lucy."

Lucy's blood went cold in her veins and the color drained away from her face.

"No." She shook her head, "No that's not possible! Joshua said she was dead."

"And he was just as shocked as you and I are." Wendy said as Lucy continued to shake her head in denial.

"No! That makes no sense. Erza wouldn't do something like that Wendy. I'm serious." Lucy stated frantically, "Erza would never betray us. And she would never go against Joshua like that. She would die before she'd do that."

Wendy sighed, "I agree. But Joshua is of the belief that Erza has been brainwashed by the Emperor himself."

If Lucy's face had any color left in it before, it was now entirely gone.

"After seeing that and having to fight Erza in order to escape, Joshua determined that the force was trying to smack some sense into him. He said something about the will of the force, or something like that. It's so difficult to understand." Wendy continued, "But he said that he must fulfill his destiny and follow the will of the force. In order to do that, he had to complete his Sith Training."

Lucy kept a hand over her mouth as she listened intently.

"This is…" Lucy muttered, "A lot. A lot to take in right now." she leaned towards Wendy, "Before we continue, I need to say that if you need anything, come to me or Levy, or anyone. Don't hesitate, ok?"

"I'll be fine Lucy." Wendy said, "He… he promised me he'd be back. And Joshua doesn't go back on his promises. Not important ones like."

Lucy let out a sigh of relief, "That's good to hear. Do… do we know how long he'll be gone?"

Wendy shook her head.

"That's not good to hear." Lucy gulped, "Ok… then, where is he? We need to be able to get to him just in case things fall apart."

Wendy pursed her lips and kept silent.

"Wendy, please!" Lucy pleaded, "The more I know the more I can make a case before the council that Joshua is not a deserter."

"Deserter!?" Wendy cried angrily.

"That's how they will see it Wendy." Lucy said quickly, "I'm not saying he is. But we are part of something big now, and they see us as cogs of the machine. Which means we need to play by the Alliance's rules in order to survive right now. Especially now that Joshua is not here and Luke is busy learning from Kanan. Leia and I can only do so much on our own."

Wendy sighed and nodded, "I understand."

"Thank you Wendy." Lucy breathed.

Wendy looked up at Lucy, "But you must make sure they don't go and try to hurt him!"

Lucy nodded, "I don't think they could be able to hurt him if they tried." Lucy smirked a little, "Joshua would tear these politicians apart easily. I'd love to see that actually." Lucy blinked, "Gosh I've become a morbid person lately. Ok… back on track. Where is he?"

Wendy took a deep breath, "Malachor. He went to Malachor."

"Malachor." Lucy repeated nodding her head, "Ok. Good to know." She glanced at a datapad and cringed, "Oh I'm going to be so late! I'm sorry Wendy I have to run. You and I will catch up later!"

"Of course." Wendy replied as she watched Lucy race out the door.

….

The council meeting was already well under way when Lucy mananged to slip into the cramped conference room and squeeze into some standing space beside her one major ally among the many diplomats in the room, Leia Organa. When she did come to a stop beside Leia, the incredibly influential woman turned to look at Lucy.

"You are very late." Leia whispered as a Bith and Togrutan debated on how to fund the ongoing insurgents on their home worlds.

"I know, I know." Lucy whispered back, "Got caught up in a very important meeting with Wendy."

Leia's head snapped back to Lucy, "You mean to tell me they're back!" she exclaimed quietly.

Lucy nodded.

"And I didn't know."

"If we didn't have to be at this stupid meeting I would've had time to tell you." Lucy replied.

Leia nodded, "Touche." She glanced back at the other debating politicians, "If they're back that means Luke and Kanan may walk in to deliver a report soon."

Lucy winced, "I'm dreading that."

"Why?"

Lucy sighed, "You'll see. Just pray they wait on their report. Is there anything important that I missed."

Leia shrugged, "Just the usual. More bickering and more of doing absolutely nothing. I can tell that the admirals and generals are getting sick and tired of us politicians. And I don't blame them. Our selfish interests are getting in the way of winning this war."

Lucy sighed, "Great," She grumbled sarcastically, "I can't wait to hear more about distrust for another planet because of a centuries old dissagreement."

Leia snickered, "It'll be thrilling to say the least."

Suddenly, the extravagant doors to the conference room opened. Stepping quietly into the room were none other than Kanan Jarrus and Luke Skywalker. All debate and whispering in the room immediately ended as the other politicians noticed the entrance of the last two Jedi known to be alive. Lucy was practically pulling her hair out of her head as she hissed multpile curses under her breath.

"Master Jedi," A male Correlian diplomat stated, surprised to see Kanan Jarrus's sudden entrance, "We are pleased to see you have returned from your mission unharmed."

Kanan nodded to the diplomat but said nothing more to him, instead he turned to address Mon Mothma, "Luke and I are ready to give a full report."

The bone thin Mon Mothma nodded for them to proceed. And the events described by Kanan Jarrus made everybody in the room grow increasingly anxious. The Jedi described the events that took place on Coruscant, including their brief alliance with the notorious bounty hunters Boba Fett and Aurra Sing. He also spoke of the mission and how it was nearly botched. But thanks to himself and Joshua Scarlet they were able to fend off the Imperial Inquisitors that were sent to eliminate them, allowing Luke and Boba Fett to acquire a single Jedi Holocron before they were forced to flee. The revelation of a new Grand Inquisitor caused mutterings to pop up among all of the council. When Kanan finished his report of the mission, Mon Mothma instantly called for order.

"Master Jarrus." The woman started, "Where is Joshua Scarlet. We wish for him to debrief us as well given how closely involved in the mission he was."

Kanan grimaced, "He did not come back with us."

Leia's eyes darted to look over at Lucy before Kanan's voice brought her back to the report.

"Was he killed in action?" Mon Mothma asked.

"No."

"Then he was captured?" A older human general with short gray hair named Airen Cracken, the supreme commander of Alliance intelligence, asked.

"No." Kanan stated again before taking a deep breath, "He had another calling to attend to."

Silence. Then the entire conference room erupted. Shouts of deserter and traitor were heard from various members, all the while, Mon Mothma tried to bring order back to the council. After several more moments of chaos, Leia rose from her seat.

"SIT DOWN!" her powerful voice bellowed causing everyone to go quiet, "Let him finish the report for force's sake!"

Kanan nodded over to Leia, "Thank you Princess Leia." Kanan cleared his throat, "A very personal incident occurred for Joshua on the mission. One that required him to seek further training in the portion of the force that he practices. A portion that I cannot help him with. He has not abandoned the rebellion. If nothing else, his desire to assist the cause has only grown."

"That still doesn't explain where he is, nor why he has suddenly left!?" A Togrutan diplomat barked, "He is a soldier of the rebellion. His place is to follow orders and-"

"Excuse me." Lucy growled, silencing the Togrutan, "But can a fellow Earthlander actually speak for her friend?"

Mon Mothma nodded in approval.

"First of all," Lucy rose from her seat, "Did Joshua Scarlet ever take a formal oath to serve the rebel alliance like I have, or my good friend Levy McGarden?"

No one replied.

"He hasn't." Lucy reminded, "Therefore he is not beholden to out wishes. He can do as he pleases."

"But he is a valuable military asset." A grizzled old man with a thick beard named Jan Dodonna gruffly replied, "He is a Jedi after all. And we need all of those we can get. If he is truly for our cause he would be here helping us win this war. Not running off on personal missions whenever it suits him."

"Joshua is not a Jedi!" Lucy shouted without thinking, frustrated with every single person in this room.

Everyone turned to look at Joshua.

"What do you mean Joshua is not a Jedi?" Mon Mothma asked, " Master Kanan seems to think he is."

Lucy suddenly realized what she blurted out. And she cursed herself over and over again mentally. Today was about to get a whole lot worse now.

"Joshua is not a Jedi, because he does not follow the Jedi… philosophy." Lucy explained, "Joshua is his own person with this… uh.. Force stuff."

"You are dodging the true answer to the question, Representative Lucy." A gray furred mammalian creature from the planet Caamas said softly.

Lucy sighed, "No point in dodging it anymore now. You all must trust my judgement. Joshua is not a bad person. He is one of the most loyal and kind people I know, even if he is a little moody at times."

"What is he?" General Dodanna asked forcefully.

Lucy gulped, "Joshua follows the ideology of the Sith Lords."

Everyone stared shell shocked at Lucy. Then the shouting began again as accusatory fingers pointed at Lucy. Some shouted insults at her. Others declared Joshua a danger and traitor. And finally, some called for the his death.

"Silence!" Leia barked again. The shouting died down to murmurs. Despite the fact that she had just defended Lucy, even she had some doubts about what was going on. She looked over at the blonde, unsure of how to react to whatever the girl would say next.

"Joshua is, for all intents and purposes, a Sith Lord." Lucy continued, her voice a little soft as she carefully chose her words, "But, that does not make him evil. After all, he has family. He has friends. And he has fought against Vader personally. How does that make him an enemy?"

"Vader is a Sith!" someone shouted from the back, "And Sith tend to stick by each other!"

More shouts of agreement.

"So what!? Labeling him a Sith does not make him the enemy." Lucy protested, "That would be like me saying that these Jedi caused the Clone Wars therefore they are the enemy and evil. That's what your own history records say after all." She then quickly looked at Kanan, "Which I wouldn't do."

"I understand what you meant." Kanan nodded.

Lucy smiled before looking back at the many beings in the council, "Please understand. Joshua is only doing what he feels is best for those he cares about. He is fighting not just for a grand cause. I honestly think he could care less about whether or not the rebellion wins."

"Lucy." Leia hissed in warning. But Lucy kept going, her confidence building as more turned to listen to her.

"Joshua is fighting for the same things that you all originally founded this rebellion for. He is fighting to free his world! He is fighting for the people he loves! If that doesn't make him an ally I don't know what does!?" Lucy pursed her lips, "Plus, he has a personal vendetta against the Emperor and Vader. One that I think cannot be questioned."

"And what would this vendetta be?" Admiral Ackbar asked.

"When we fled Earthland," Lucy began, "Joshua's older sister was captured by Darth Vader. He originally believed her to be dead after he felt his bond with her break in the force. An experience I'm sure our Jedi friends can confirm, is a heart wrenching one. So already, he wanted to get revenge for that. But on this latest mission, Joshua has learned that his sister has been brainwashed against her will by the Emperor himself." The silence in the room was now deafening, "His own sister has been turned against him by the Empire. And that is something Joshua would never forgive. He will fight the Empire to the bitter end in order to rescue Erza! And shame on all of you!" Lucy roared, "For doubting the fight in someone who has everything to lose and nothing to gain by helping you. He could very easily go off on his own to try and rescue Erza! But he knows that the others he cares about are safer among you than alone. So he tries to help where he can! Isn't that all you can ask from someone who has just been ripped away from their homes and found out that their only family has been turned against them!?"

No one replied. Mon Mothma, Kanan, and Luke watched quietly as Lucy continued. Meanwhile, Leia was doing her best to suppress a proud smile.

"Joshua has gone to Malachor to train. His best friend, Wendy Marvell, has told me this. Master Kanan Jarrus can confirm this as well. He wishes to be strong enough to challenge and defeat Darth Vader!" Lucy shouted, "If he can reach that height of power, then maybe we can win this war! But for now, we must stop doubting the resolve of others! We must focus on victory at all costs! Infighting and bickering will only divide and destroy us. The Emperor wants us to fight each other. And doubting one another is the first step to that! So please, for the love of everything good, get your priorities straight and focus all of your anger, frustration, and passion for conflict at our common enemy dammit!" Lucy huffed as she slammed a hand on the table in front of her, "I've been wanting to say that for a long time now."

Then she finally sat back down. All of the stress and frustration clearly having been lifted from her shoudlers.

The entire council was silent for a moment before Admiral Ackbar, the supreme commander of the Alliance fleet, rose to speak.

"I think I can speak for all of us here when I say that Lady Heartfilia is absolutely correct. We cannot focus on the conflicts we may have among ourselves. Joshua Scarlet may be Sith, but he is on our side. I think we should take what we can get in that regard. After all, the Sith have shown their destructive capability with Darth Vader. I think us military minds are more than excited to have someone with the same potential on our side."

Many of the generals and admirals in the room nodded while some of the politicians fumed at all of them. Leia had the largest grin on her face as she watched the response to Lucy's outburst.

"So," Admiral Ackbar continued, "I will say, that Joshua Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia, and the Earthlanders have the full support of the fleet. And the full support of Mon Calamari people." His bulbous eyes looked over at Lucy before he pointed at her, "And Chancellor Mothma."

"Yes Admiral?"

"Get her a proper office." Lucy's eyes widened, "She's finally earned it."

Some chuckles erupted from the military officials in the room as well as some of the other politicians. Leia simply clapped the completely puzzled blonde on the shoulder.

"Well done Lucy." Leia beamed.

"Indeed Admiral," An ever so slight smirk emerged on the woman's face, "She has finally become a fiery rebel it seems."

Lucy smirked wearily, "If all it takes to get some respect here is to call you all out on your bullshit, I'd be more than happy to do it."

A round of chuckles from some of the more good natured members of the council erupted. Mon Mothma simply kept her usual straight face.

"But a bigger office, means more responsibilities."

"Eh?" Lucy choked as her pupils shrank and her knees knocked.

"Princess Leia."

"Yes Chancellor?" Leia asked.

"Take Lucy under your wing. She is still the representative of Earthland but she still needs some polishing. And I'm sure you can find her plenty of work to do."

Lucy looked fearfully over at Leia while the brown haired woman grinned.

"I'm sure I can."

Lucy gulped and slumped in her seat. She now realized that her political nightmares had only just begun.

 **And chapter! Like I said, the next few chapters will focus a little more on our other characters before going back towards the main story and Joshua Scarlet. This was the first one. A slower chapter but I feel it is important to establish how dysfunctional the rebellion actually was at this stage of the conflict. In fact, the rebellion only became super strong after the destruction of the second death star. I also wanted to give Lucy a shining moment since she was chosen to represent Earthland. And the best way I knew how was for her to lose her temper and chew out some idiots. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed and I promise the next chapters will be much more action packed! Let met know what you guys think and as always, have a nice day!**


	93. Chapter 93: Massacre on Mon Cala

**Hey guys! I've got a new chapter ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 93

She hit the durasteel floor with a massive wham. The air rushed from her lungs and it soon felt like she was choking on nothing. It was incredibly difficult to breath. Then it was made even worse when she felt a heavy melt boot press down on her chest.

"Weak." Vader growled before removing his boot and calmly stepping away from the First Sister.

It had been three months since her humiliating defeat at the Jedi Temple. Three months of nothing but training under the ruthless and brutal Darth Vader. While the Grand Inquisitor garnered the personal attention of the Emperor for her viciousness, the First Sister was given to Vader as a tool to be molded then used against the rebel scum. When the First Sister had learned of this arrangement, she greeted it with indifference. It didn't matter what she thought after all. She followed the will of her master, the Emperor, and no one else. If her master wanted her to suffer at the hands of Lord Vader, then she would do it. In the end, she knew it would help her grow stronger. And she wouldn't be humiliated by the brat named Joshua Scarlet ever again.

After finally sucking in enough breath to recover, the scarlet haired woman leapt to her feat and ignited her twin crimson blades yet again. Her eyes burned with fury as she stared at Vader, his back turned to her as if she was not even worth his time. And that was how it had been for three whole months. Vader would toy with her, barely teach her anything, beat her to a bloody pulp, then turn his back on her and act like she wasn't even there. It was a painful existence.

But one of the few lessons Vader did teach her was that pain brought power. So in a way, a very twisted way, Vader was helping the First Sister a great deal. Through all of the broken bones, shattered ribs, and scars she had gained under his tutelage, she had grown tremendously in power. Her connection to the dark side was growing as she allowed it to take over her body and fuel her rage and hatred towards the Sith Lord in black armor.

Her fists tightened around her lightsabers before she charged at Vader, aiming to stab the Sith Lord in the back. He didn't move until she was mere inches from thrusting a blade through his heart. Then with shocking speed, Vader twirled causing the blade to pass beneath his left arm. His right arm then reached out and grabbed the First Sister by the throat. His iron grip made her body shudder as her windpipe was nearly crushed. The two lightsabers clattered from her hands onto the cold floor as Vader raised her into the air.

"Predictable." Vader snarled.

But just as he was about to toss her aside like trash, the First Sister lashed out with a fist and smashed her knuckles against the control panel on Vader's chest. Vader's breath hitched and he roared angrily as he tossed her against the wall. The metal bent from the impact the First Sister made with the wall. And once again, the First Sister could feel some ribs shatter inside of her.

A smirk came over her crazed face as she drank in the dark side that surrounded her. It's seductive whispers consumed her mind and numbed the pain she was feeling in her chest. With shocking strength, the First Sister called her lightsabers back to her hands and charged at Vader once again. But this time, Vader was no longer treating the girl with indifference. Now he was angry. And he would make her pay.

The First Sister's twin lightsabers came down in a deadly red arc towards Vader's helmet. The Sith Lord simply drew his own sword and easily caught her two blades. He didn't even need to use both of his hands to block the strike. With his free hand, he jabbed the First Sister, breaking her nose with his fist. Then his own lightsaber slashed across her body as she stumbled backwards. A choked scream escaped the First Sister's throat as Vader's red blade cut through her. The blade may not have been on a lethal setting, but that didn't mean Vader held back the pain he could bring with his weapon. There would be another scar across her body now, another burn that would not be allowed to heal properly. Such was the way of being apprenticed to Darth Vader.

She tried to rise to her feet once again, but found that her body no longer had the physical strength to continue. And so, she admitted defeat. A snarl etched on her face as she looked hatefully up at Darth Vader.

"You will never defeat Joshua Scarlet if you cannot last a mere second against me." Vader growled, "That boy… was able to put me on the defensive, even if it was for only a brief moment. And you cannot even make me move from my place. Pathetic."

The First Sister grit her teeth then coughed, "How can I move you if you don't teach me how?"

"If you cannot learn from your own mistakes then you are of no use to the Emperor. You will always remain weak, no matter who decides to teach you." Vader rumbled before stepping away from the First Sister towards a console that sat on a pedestal in the large room, "I suggest you remember that." Vader tapped a code into the console.

The metallic shields over the windows of the room lifted allowing the dull glow of lava to fill the room. Outside, the world was a massive volcano. Ash and smoke filled the atmosphere outside while a massive river of lava flowed towards them and cascaded down a cliff side beside Vader's personal palace. As the First Sister struggled to sit up, the blast doors to the training room opened and the stooped creature that served Vader in his palace entered.

"My Lord, the Emperor has asked for your presence." the elderly man in dark robes croaked softly.

Vader looked over at his servant before swiftly turning on his heel, "See to it that the First Sister is attended to." Vader ordered before marching out of the room.

"Yes master." the man replied before shuffling over to the First Sister.

He tried to heave the First Sister's arm over his shoulder, but the hateful woman pushed his help away and grit her teeth as she rose to her feet under her own power.

"Ready my tank, Vaneé." She snarled before limping out of the room.

….

The room was dark, the blast doors over the window closed as Vader entered then knelt down on a small pedestal lined in blue light. As soon as he did this, a machine buzzed and a large holographic image appeared in front of him.

"What is thy bidding my master?" Vader asked as he looked up at the holographic head of Darth Sidious, his face shrouded by the deep hood that encompassed his head.

"What is the progress of the First Sister?"

Vader frowned, "She is weak." he reported, "Weaker than we thought. The girl cannot last against me."

Sidious frowned, "I never said she was to last against you Lord Vader. If you are attempting to compare a mere acolyte to yourself then you are being foolish. She would never be ready for field operations then." The aged emperor took a deep breath, "You claim her to be weak, yet I can sense her across the stars. Her presence in the force only grows with time. Soon enough, she may rival Mara Jade in control over the Dark Side."

"And that is why I say she is weak." Vader replied, raising his head to look at his master, "She has no control over the dark side. She doesn't know how to focus it. And she refuses to learn how."

Sidious pursed his lips, "That is… most unfortunate. Most likely, that is a side effect of breaking her mind. If she had fallen of her own free will, then maybe she may have grown stronger. Alas, you may be correct in saying she is weak if she is unable to control the dark side of the force. But, she is still has her uses. She could very easily be used to throw Joshua Scarlet off balance in battle, just as she did at the Jedi Temple. And even an unrefined tool such as her can still be used to crush our enemies."

Vader nodded, "I understand Master."

"Is she capable of challenging any Jedi that may remain?"

"She is Master. But how effective she will be in doing it, I cannot say."

"It matters not. It matters not how effective she is in slaying a Jedi, just as long as the Jedi is eliminated."

"Yes Master." Vader nodded.

"Now, have you meditated on the events that occurred three months ago?"

"I have Master."

"And what have you concluded?"

Vader was silent for a moment. His meditations had in fact produced nothing. The force refused to reveal anything to him regarding Joshua Scarlet. Instead, every time he dove into his meditations, the force would point towards Luke Skywalker. There were visions of Luke slaying Vader, there were visions of Luke defeating the Emperor, and there were visions of Luke joining the Empire. But there was never anything that involved Joshua Scarlet.

"The force has not revealed anything to me about Joshua Scarlet. It continues to protect him from my sight."

Sidious frowned, "That is most concerning. You are usually very attuned to the currents of the Force, Lord Vader. To hear that even your sight of the boy is clouded is cause for great concern."

"Has the force revealed anything to you master?"

Sidious frowned, "No. Not of Joshua Scarlet." His arms folded, "For some reason, the force instead shows me another. An Earthlander no doubt, his attire shows he is from that world. His presence in the force is… strange. He is very dark in the force and appears very young. But he feels ancient in the force. His power dwarfs Joshua Scarlet in every way." Sidious's frown deepened, "We may have a second pretender from Earthland, Lord Vader."

"Could he have been the Master of Joshua Scarlet?" Vader asked.

"If he is Joshua Scarlet's Sith Master, then we have great cause to worry. That could mean the boy is far more powerful than we gave him credit for. And if the force is hiding him from our sight, then he has some grand purpose yet to be fulfilled." Sidious stared down at Vader, his yellow eyes blazing through the hologram, "Lord Vader, be mindful of the boy. If you encounter him, eliminate him immediately."

"Yes Master."

Sidious nodded in approval before continuing, "For now, we must focus on destroying this petty rebellion that will not simply go away. Spies have reported strange activity in the Mon Cala system. We also have the testimony of a certain bounty hunter by the name of Aurra Sing reporting rebel activity in the area."

"The Mon Calamari are known rebel sympathizers." Vader stated.

"Of course they are. I have a feeling that the Rebels are taking refuge among the Mon Calamari. I want you and the First Sister to bring the might of the Empire down on them. Crush the rebellion!"

"Yes master."

The Emperor's holographic image faded away.

….

"Breath Luke."

Luke took a deep breath as he sat motionless on the ground.

"Just breath." Kanan repeated as he sat across from his student, his eyes closed as he meditated along with Luke.

Luke took another deep breath. Kanan then felt the force surge around the young man. Every time they did this exercise, Kanan felt him grow stronger. When he had first started teaching Luke, the boy barely knew how to focus the force. And that was mostly due to his own stubbornness. But slowly, the hardheaded nature the boy once had faded away as he began to feel the force flow through him more easily. For Luke, it was like a calming stream of water. It ran over his mind and body bringing him peace and comfort. For Kanan, what he sensed coming from Luke was like a supernova. He was so bright in the force that it was hard to comprehend for the Jedi Knight. The only being he could compare this to was the great Grandmaster Yoda. Although he knew Luke was still nowhere near Yoda's strength, Kanan had no doubts that Luke had the potential to possibly surpass the ancient master.

This exercise was a very simple one. It was mainly a meditation that allowed the two Jedi to become in tune with the force and feel it's flow more easily. It allowed them to connect to the fountain of wisdom that was the force and discern things to come and things that have passed from it. Kanan had always struggled with this exercise as a padawan learner. He was never one to sit still when he was younger. But now that he was a teacher, and a full fledged Jedi, he found the meditation very relaxing. The soothing presence of the force gave the man peace that he often needed during this time of war. The two would do this after every battle or skirmish they were involved in. After every mission, they would consult the force and let it calm them.

But today was very different. The force did not have a calming feel to it. And Kanan could sense that right away. The force was in flux, but he had no idea why. So he decided to ask the one who was far more in tune to the force than he was.

"What do you see?" Kanan asked Luke.

Luke didn't answer with words. Instead, Kanan heard his breathing grow rapid. Kanan opened his blind eyes, and through the force saw Luke struggling with something in the force. Then seconds later, Luke's eyes opened. Sweat beaded down his forehead.

"What did you see?" Kanan asked again.

Luke gulped, "I saw… a lot." He rubbed his head with both hands, "Um… I saw the death star, but it was incomplete. I saw the space battle over it, but it looked different from the one I participate in." Luke looked up at Kanan, "That was the most clear part of the vision, but after that everything gets really hazy."

Kanan wanted to smile. His student instantly knew that it was a vision he saw. That was tremendous progress. Luke truly was learning quickly. It wouldn't be long before he could possibly start his trial. But instead of smiling, Kanan frowned. Visions were complex things. And in his experience, someone should not have to sort through the varied meanings on their own.

"Tell me."

"Well," Luke started, "I think I saw Joshua. He was with me, on a desert planet. I could've sworn it was Tatooine. He was different. His presence in the force was dark, but it wasn't cold like it used to be. Then it shifted to Vader's ship coming out of hyperspace. Then it changed again to a jungle like planet. There was a lone man in an ancient stone temple. He was really young, but he gave off an aura that felt ancient. And he felt pitch black in the force." Luke shuddered, "He was sitting on a throne made of lightsaber hilts. After that, I see Vader's ship again coming out of hyperspace. Then the vision ends."

Kanan rubbed his beard trying to piece together what Luke saw, "You said you saw Vader's ship twice?"

Luke nodded, "It's almost like the force was warning me about it."

"I don't doubt that." Kanan replied, "Something is going to happen soon, and it involves Vader's ship."

Luke sighed, "Kanan… I've got a really bad feeling right now."

Kanan nodded. He had a bad feeling too. His stomach was churning with anxiety. The force had strange ways of warning people of an impending danger. It usually did so through visions. The body however, had instincts to warn of danger. In Kanan's experience, the instincts were usually much more blunt about where the danger was coming from.

"Do you think Vader is going to attack soon?"

Kanan frowned and shook his head, "I have no idea."

Luke bowed his head. He hated not having a clear picture. It made everything so difficult.

The doors to the small room they were in quietly slid open and small footsteps entered.

"I brought you boys some food." A young woman with pink hair and a round stomach smiled as she carried in a tray piled high with some of Mon Calamari's best dishes.

Kanan smiled at the woman, "Thank you Meldy. We were just about to go get some food now, actually."

"No problem. I'm glad I was able to get you some. Natsu and Gajeel almost cleaned out the cafeteria again!" Meldy sighed as she rubbed her lower back with her hand, "I swear with how much those two eat, it's amazing they aren't four hundred pounds."

"They do train a lot." Kanan remarked.

"And brawl a lot." Luke noted.

Meldy chuckled before taking a seat on a plush chair in the room and began to gently rub her stomach, "Yes they do, don't they." A small smile appeared on her face, "I get the feeling that the little guy in here is gonna be just as big of a trouble maker."

Luke and Kanan smiled at Meldy.

"How far along now?" Kanan asked.

"Almost six months." Meldy replied, "And he continues to kick like you wouldn't believe."

"Makes sense given who his father is." Luke chuckled.

"Ooooh yes," Meldy smiled, "Galen is just as cranky. Although, I hope my little boy is a little more cheerful."

Kanan smiled, "You're so sure it's a boy?"

"It's a mother's intuition, Kanan." Meldy replied, "Plus, Galen hoped it was a boy before…" Her constant smile that she always wore on her face wavered a little as the events that occurred on Earthland almost four months ago now replayed in her mind.

"Hey," Luke got up and grabbed Meldy's hand, "Galen is alright. I know it."

Meldy sighed, "I really hope so." She then glanced at the food she left for them, "Do you mind if I steal a couple bites. I'm kinda starving."

"Not at all." Kanan chuckled.

"Thanks!" Meldy smiled before grabbing a fork and digging into a one plate out of the two she brought, "Wow… you guys should really eat some of this! It's good! The Mon Calamari really know how to cook fish!" She exclaimed with her mouth full.

"Um… I'll pass." Kanan cringed.

"I'm hungry." Luke replied as he grabbed the second plate and began to eat as well. As he munched he looked over at Kanan, "So… when do we practice with the lightsabers again?"

"Soon." Kanan replied, "I want to meditate more on this vision you had."

"Vision!?" Meldy exclaimed, "What vision? Galen got those sometimes. Maybe I can help."

Luke looked over at Kanan who shrugged, "I don't see the harm in telling her."

"Ok. Well, it was a very cloudy vision so I can't say much about it. But I can say that it is warning us about an impending attack by Vader. But where and when, we don't know."

Meldy stopped chewing and stared hard at Luke.

"An impending attack by Vader?"

"Yeah." Luke nodded.

Meldy gulped down her last bite. Her face looked noticeably paler and the smile she had was gone completely.

"Are you guys aware that Rogue Squadron intercepted a TIE patrol only several kilometers from orbit?"

Luke's eyes widened and he quickly glanced at Kanan. The Jedi's brow furrowed as he processed what Meldy just said.

"Kanan you don't think-"

"It's too much of a coincidence for it to not be that, Luke." Kanan interrupted, "Vader is about to attack Mon Cala. We need to warn the council."

Both Jedi raced out of the room.

"Hey!" Meldy grabbed her plate of food and raced after them, taking several bites as she ran along, "Wait for me! I'm not as fast anymore!"

….

The First Sister stood silent behind the transparisteel windows that lined the bridge of the Executor. Meanwhile, every officer on the bridge stared at her with both fear and curiosity. Most of the soldiers in the Empire had never seen her, let alone heard of her. Then all of a sudden, she walks aboard the Executor at Darth Vader's side. She wore all black like Vader and had that same intimidating demeanor as the Emperor's fist. Many officers even speculated that she may be a new equal to Vader. A new enforcer for the Emperor being assigned to their ship. The very thought made the crew shudder with fear.

But it quickly became apparent that the woman who was called the First Sister was nowhere near Vader's equal. He ordered her around, scolded her as one would scold a child. And, in a private training room, he would pummel her in mock duels watched by only a few officers that Vader actually tolerated.

One of those officers, was Admiral Firmus Piett. He was still young for a senior officer, having been promoted after the… unfortunate death of his previous commanding officer at the hands of Lord Vader. But he was no less as powerful or brilliant as any in the Imperial Navy. Some of the men under his command even compared the human to the legendary Grand Admiral Thrawn. Piett could only smirk at that comparison, because there was no comparison between him and former Grand Admiral, now Grand Moff of the Earthland System, Thrawn. The Chiss was far more intelligent and brilliant than he could ever be. But Vader seemed to like him more than Thrawn, and if that made Piett a senior officer he'd gladly take it.

Admiral Piett quickly ordered that the Executor and her squadron of star destroyers be pulled out of lightspeed. He would not make the same mistake as his predecessor and alert the rebellion of their intentions by getting to close to the Mon Cala system. As soon as he gave the order, the battle squadron exited hyperspace and came to a halt just outside of Mon Cala's orbit. Just far enough away, to avoid detection by any Rebel scanners.

"Well done Admiral." The deep voice of Darth Vader thrummed in the bridge as the dark lord entered, causing everyone in the room to stand at immediate attention. All that is except for the First Sister, who simply turned and bowed to the Dark Lord.

"Thank you, Lord Vader." Admiral Piett replied, "We are conduction scans of any surface defenses."

"Surface defenses?" Vader questioned, "This is a water planet, Admiral."

"R-right." Piett's face paled, "Sorry my lord. Just running through standard procedure." He turned to one of the tech officers at his console, "Scan for any sign of the Rebel fleet or sub surface defenses immediately."

"I can sense them." The First Sister said in a quiet whisper. But because it was the first time she had spoken at all since she boarded the ship, she may as well have shouted her words into a microphone. The scarlet haired woman glanced at Lord Vader, "They are down there. In the capital city."

"Who?" Vader pressed.

The woman took a deep breath, as if inhaling a pleasant smell, "Skywalker and the Jedi Kanan Jarrus. They are down there." She opened her eyes, both irises glowing like burning coals, "And they know we are coming."

Vader nodded and folded his arms.

"An orbital bombardment will not work my lord." Piett stated calmly, "The water is too deep for any sort of turbo lasers be effective."

"I understand that Admiral." Vader said firmly, "This will require a ground assault. Inform General Veers to prepare his men for sub-surface combat." Vader turned to the First Sister, "You will lead the charge. If you encounter Luke Skywalker, take him alive. Beyond that, take no prisoners."

The woman bowed, "Yes my lord."

And to the relief of everyone on board the bridge, she finally left.

….

When Kanan and Luke told the Rebel council what they had seen in the force, the intial reactions were mixed. Some, like Leia and Lucy, took the warning seriously and called for an immediate evacuation of Mon Cala. Others took it as a simple hallucination by two men who practiced strange magic. The debate in the council chambers would've lasted forever if not for Mon Mothma, the chancellor of the Rebellion herself, siding with the two Jedi and ordering an immediate evacuation of all rebel personnel from the planet. As it turns out, her decision was a smart one.

Just after the order to evacuate was given, scanners and outposts all over the planet began to pick up a group of star destroyers entering the system from hyperspace. They weren't able to identify what battle group it was, but they were certain that it was here as an invasion force. And the last thing Alliance command wanted was a repeat of Hoth.

The Mon Cala defense force was instantly mobilized as well as all fighter squadrons in the rebel fleet. But before any of them could take off, scanners detected landing craft entering the atmosphere and racing directly towards the rebellion's base of operations. With no more time to prepare, all fighters were being launched from the hangar bays while the heavy cruisers and transports were being filled with evacuees. Soon only the fighter pilots and the rebel ground soldiers remained in Mon Cala City. Among the soldiers remaining, were a solid script mage turned pilot, an Earthland politician, three dragon slayers, and the crew of the Millennium Falcon.

It was complete chaos in the corridors that comprised Mon Cala City. Thousands of civilians and hundreds of soldiers raced through the streets in a panic as the Imperial craft drew closer to the city. Meanwhile, Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy weaved through the crowds of fleeing Mon Calamari. Levy had broken off from them earlier along with Lucy, Lando, Chewie, and Leia and rushed towards the hangar, where both the Falcon and Levy's fighter were waiting.

"Where the hell are the bucket heads!?" Gajeel roared, "I'm ready to crack some skulls!"

"Let's beat up the Empire!" Happy shouted excitedly as he flew beside the three dragons.

"Right with ya buddy!" Natsu smirked while Wendy shook her head.

"I'm going to go find a medical unit and help them out. Remember you two, you hear the order to retreat, you get to the Falcon and we get the hell out of here! Got it!"

"Got it girly." Gajeel grinned.

"Got it Wendy!" Natsu smiled before rushing towards the front lines with Gajeel.

The front lines were quiet when the arrived. The Rebel soldiers had barricaded the main entrance to Mon Cala and placed several flaming roadblocks in the way, which they also used as cover. Natsu meanwhile, used the fire as a snack, scaring the crap out of the soldiers near him. He was about to apologize to them when they heard a loud bang at the sealed doors that separated them from the water outside. It was at this point, that the dragon slayers joined the Rebel Soldiers and placed breathing apparatuses over their heads, just in case the Empire got clever.

" _They're about to blast through the doors."_ Someone said in a comm.

And they all waited, anticipating the blast doors being blown to bits by explosives. But none came, just another metallic bang.

"Did the explosives not work for them?" Gajeel asked as he glanced over at Natsu.

The fire dragon slayer shrugged, "Who knows? I just wanna fight em already!"

Then one last metallic bang. Silence followed. And the silence brought more anxiety than relief for the rebel soldiers. They all nervously shuffled in place or checked their blaster rifles for the millionth time. Then, they all saw two red lasers pierce the doors. Natsu and Gajeel instantly recognized what they were.

"Oh shit!" Gajeel exclaimed before the lightsabers slashed a large X over the the doors. The melted bits of metal in the door fell away and a lone figure stepped through.

Red hair cascaded down her head to her shoulders while burning yellows eyes blazed through the air, contrasting brilliantly with the jet black armor and cape she was wearing. Natsu's eyes widened in shock.

"Er-erza?" Natsu breathed.

"OPEN FIRE! IT'S AN INQUISITOR!" A rebel captain screamed, terrified of the sight in front of him.

Before Natsu could shout at them to stop, every blaster rifle in the street lit up. Natsu watched horrified as the blaster bolts streaked towards Erza. He was about to call out to her when she suddenly moved with speed that was incredible, even for her. Her twin red sabers deflected the blaster bolts flying at her, and each bolt was sent screaming back at the soldier that fired it. Screams of pain and death filled Natsu's sensitive ears as he watched Erza, or what he thought was Erza, cut down rebel soldiers using their own blaster bolts.

"That ain't Erza, Salamander!" Gajeel shouted.

"What do ya mean!?" Natsu roared over the deafening sounds of blaster fire as Stormtroopers now poured through the opening in the blast doors and began raining their own fire down on the rebel soldiers.

"Smell the air, Salamander!" Gajeel shouted as a blaster bolt screeched past his head, "She smells different."

Natsu ducked behind a flaming barricade and took a good whiff. Despite the smoke from blaster fire and the smell of death that now clung to the air, Natsu good smell the distinct scent of strawberries in the air. A smell that he always associated with Erza. But he could also smell a distinct corruption to the scent, as if the smell of fresh strawberries was now rotting. His onyx eyes widened and he glanced at Gajeel.

"Like I said, that ain't Erza!"

A rebel soldier screamed and fell dead beside Natsu, a burning hole in his chest. Natsu stared wide eyed at the fallen man, his gaze never leaving the man's lifeless eyes.

"Salamander! Duck!" Gajeel tackled Natsu to the ground just as an explosion slammed into their barricade.

Debris, shrapnel, and sparks flew all around them. It tore at their clothes and skin. The heat made Gajeel tremble. His senses, and Natsu's as well, were in total disarray. Their sensitive ears were ringing from the explosion, muffling all the screams of dying men. Their noses were overwhelmed by the putrid scent of burnt flesh and smoke.

Natsu just stared off into space as he continued to see people dying around him. He had never been in a battle like this before. In all his years as a wizard, he had only ever seen one person die in a battle. And that person was Erza's friend Simon, at the tower of heaven. The only other death he could recall in a battle, was Atlas Flame. So to see so many people just falling dead to the ground, stunned Natsu and made the dragon slayer incapable of comprehending what was going on. Then his eyes rose to see Erza standing over him, lightsabers raised, ready to kill him. And he couldn't do anything about it. He just stared at Erza, eyes glazed over with shock and fear.

"Natsu!" A blue lightsaber caught the twin red sabers just before they could impale Natsu.

The sudden appearance of sapphire in Natsu's vision jolted the dragon slayer awake. He whipped his head to his left to see Kanan Jarrus blocking the First Sister's deadly strike.

"Get up and move, Natsu! Now!" Kanan barked before muscling Erza's swords out of the way and going on the offensive against her. All the while, blaster fire streaked through the air as the Rebels did their best to buy the fleet some time to escape.

Natsu nodded and jumped to his feet. The shell shock of being in his first true battle was wearing off and he quickly ignited his hands. Flames licked at his hands and wrists as he rushed towards stormtroopers, battering them with fire until they were no longer a threat.

"Salamander!" Gajeel pointed to Natsu's right. A group of stormtroopers were poised to gun him down.

Natsu tore his breathing mask off and sucked in a large amount of air, to the point where his stomach went round, " **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A great pillar of flame erupted from Natsu's mouth and engulfed the stormtroopers. Natsu stopped his roar and stared, horrified at what he was seeing. It was like they were dancing in the fire. And their screams were the music they danced to. The stormtroopers jumped about for a few moments before collapsing to the ground…dead. Burned alive by Natsu's fire. Natsu felt his hands shaking as he looked at their burnt corpses.

"I-I didn't make it… th-that hot." Natsu whimpered.

"Natsu!" Happy raced up Natsu and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, "The order has been given. We can't stay!"

"I-I burned them." Natsu mumbled.

Happy saw the horrified look in his best friends face and knew that he was out of the fight. The blue cat instantly took charge of the dragon slayer, grabbing his friend, spreading his wings, and rocketing Natsu away from the fight while Gajeel and Kanan chased after them with what remained of the rebel forces. Doggedly pursuing them was the First Sister and her army. None could stand before the tidal wave of brutality that the Empire brought with them today. On occasion, the rebels would turn and delay the enemy a little while longer with Kanan briefly engaging the first sister with several blocks and counterattacks before he too fell back.

They were all almost to the hangar. Almost to safety. Gajeel, Kanan, and Happy could see the doors in front of them. They could see the last ships powering on and preparing to rocket off of Mon Cala. More men screamed out their last breaths as blaster fire cut down the mad retreat of the rebel alliance. Whether it was by the will of the force or just plain luck, Kanan didn't know. But himself, Natsu, Gajeel, and Happy were able to sprint into the hangar bay intact.

"There they are!" Meldy shouted from the Millennium Falcon's ramp.

"GET INSIDE!" Kanan shouted before deflecting some blaster fire away from the Falcon.

The stormtroopers began pouring into the hangar, slaughtering everyone in their path. It became apparent to Kanan that the First Sister intended to take no prisoners. It was either escape or die. And he wasn't sure that escape was possible with the First Sister and her army bearing down on the Falcon as it roared to life.

Kanan then saw an X-wing starfighter, the last one in the hangar, power on and fire it's proton torpedoes at the hangar blast doors. Just as the first sister strode through, the torpedoes collided with the door frame. Kanan saw a brilliant flash of golden light before the explosion ripped through hangar.

"GET MOVING!" Levy shouted from the cockpit of her X-Wing before she manually sealed the cockpit hatch and trained her guns at the remaining imperials.

Then out of the explosion's ashes, stepped the first sister. Kanan stared in shock as she steppe forward, now wearing a revealing set of armor that was red and orange in color. One red lightsaber was gripped in her left hand while a fiery orange sword was in her right. Most surprising of all, she looked completely unharmed by the explosion.

"The Flame Empress Armor!" Gajeel shouted, "We can't win. Not when she accesses her requip!" The Iron dragon slayer raced onto the Millennium Falcon, dragging Meldy along with him. Kanan just stared at Erza for one more moment before he too raced onto the Falcon.

The hunk of junk roared to life one more time before the engines shot the ship out of the hangar, through the watery surface of Mon Cala and up into the skies above the water. Beside them was Levy's X-Wing. One of her engines was smoking.

Both Gajeel and Kanan raced to the cockpit to find Leia and Chewbacca at the controls with Rex at the navigator spot. All of them then saw Levy's ship.

"LEVY!" Gajeel shouted.

" _I'm ok."_ Levy said through the Falcon's comm system, " _Erza cooked me a little but I'm ok."_

Gajeel breathed a sigh of relief and he did his best to ignore his own crippling motion sickness as he raced towards the Falcon's turrets with Rex, readying for the space battle above the planet. Kanan in the meantime, finally slumped into a chair, breathing hard.

"Are you alright?" Leia asked as the ship quickly neared the chaos above Mon Cala's atmosphere.

Kanan wearily nodded, "I haven't been in a fight like that in a long time. It's… exhausting." He glanced back at the corridor that led to the lounge, "Natsu is in rough shape."

"Is he hurt?"

Kanan shook his head, "Not that I noticed. But he is really shaken up."

Leia closed her eyes and shook her head, "He wasn't ready for a fight like that."

"No one ever is the first time." Kanan said quickly, recalling his own first battle experience towards the end of the Clone Wars. He still had nightmares about it all.

Chewie barked in agreement with Kanan before he began to guide the ship away from the battle above the planet.

"Where are we going?" Kanan asked.

Leia eyed a computer screen, "Luke just messaged us. We have the rendezvous point, Rogue squadron and the fleet are about to make the jump. He's telling us to do the same." She then put on a headset and relayed the message to Levy who nodded in her cockpit and sent her ship into light speed. Chewbacca quickly punched the controls and the Falcon streaked after Levy's X-Wing.

As the safety of hyperspace engulfed them everyone could finally sit back and take a breath. But just as Kanan got a little comfortable, Meldy burst in and asked a question that made a pit form in everyone's stomach.

"Where is Wendy!?"

 **And chapter! Uh oh! Uh oh! Where is Wendy!? What happened to her!? Why isn't she with the others. Unfortunately, you guys are gonna have to wait to find out. I want to get another chapter out sooner but I've got a crazy schedule at work this week, but I'll do my best. Anyways, what did you guys think of the battle of Mon Cala. I didn't really want to get into any tactics or anything, I wanted to try and give you guys an on the ground perspective of the chaos and show just how overmatched the rebel army really was. I hope I did good in that regard. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	94. Chapter 94: Sky Dragonforce

**Hey everyone! I made some time to write so here is a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 94

Dromund Kaas, the ancient capital of the once mighty Sith Empire. To most in the galaxy, the infamous planet was merely a myth. A thousand year old story told to scare children before bed. But the planet did exist. It's place in the galaxy was merely lost to those who had no desire to look for it. But one man had the desire to look for it. And it was one that even the few residents left on Dromund Kaas did not expect.

He had purposefully marooned himself on the swampy world for nearly four months now. And in all honesty, he didn't care if he was permanently stuck here or not. The treasure trove of knowledge he had found in the ancient Sith temples that dotted the overgrown swamps and jungles allowed the pale skinned young man to experience a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time… excitement.

He currently sat in the largest of the ancient academies that one of the few locals still knew about. His feet were kicked up on a dusty, stone table as an ancient text rested in his lap. His pale fingers gingerly turned the pages, treating each page, each word, with such reverence that one would have thought that the man worshiped knowledge. And that description was in part true. Zeref was many things. He was the black wizard of Earthland, a creator of demons, and technically a Sith Lord (albeit one that did not follow the current doctrine known as the Rule of Two.) But above all else, he was a scholar.

Ever since he was a mere child over four hundred years ago, the terrifying Lord Zeref loved learning. He had attended the best magical academies on Earthland and stunned every scholar there with his genius in the magical arts, especially when it came to the magics that blurred the lines between life and death. Those magic spells, the artifacts, and the rituals that he created during his brief time were stunning… and very, very dangerous.

He recalled the warnings he had received from his elders. They told him that the magic of life and death must not be studied. That is was a forbidden thing to learn and would end up cursing him. But, in his foolish ignorance, he had ignored the wise men all of those centuries ago. They didn't understand what he was trying to achieve. Almost no one did. And arrogantly, he dismissed their warnings and wisdom as nothing more than the ramblings of cowards, afraid of power. Then it happened.

He could no longer feel anything. It was a terrifying sensation when he had awoken. Then he saw a simple sparrow chirping happily on his windowsill. A smile sealed the fate of everyone in the magical academy that he was at. Within seconds, he was alone. It was the curse he had received for trying to delve into the realm of gods. And the gods did not want mortals near their cradle of power, which was the ability to dictate life and death. And so they had cursed Zeref, when he was no more than a teenager.

He found that the curse was a terrible thing to bear. If he cared for life, then that life would die around him. If he cared not for life, everything would remain living around him. But his callousness towards them would end with the same results. More blood spilled. The curse nearly drove him insane. He had slowly deteriorated to nothing more than a rabid animal.

It was during this time that the final battles of the Dragon King Festival were taking place. He had been caught in the middle of one titanic clash between several Sith warriors and a dragon. At the time, Zeref was awestruck by the power of the warriors. But he knew they could not kill the dragon they fought. After all, he had seen the power of a dragon before. A dragon was the reason he began to research the boundary between life and death. A dragon was the origin of his insanity. So it was no surprise to him when the mighty dragon annihilated the warriors with one, powerful roar.

He remembered it's eyes turning to him, filled with fury. It felt the curse upon him and deemed Zeref an abomination. Just before the creature's claw could slay the young Zeref, a final warrior intervened.

He was different from the rest. The warrior felt no need to wear the black armor that his comrades wore. And unlike his comrades, he did not draw a glowing crimson sword but instead raised a hand. Within seconds, blue lighting had engulfed the dragon. The mighty lizard howled for a brief second before disintegrating into dust. The man, whose aura was as black as the darkest night, had saved the life of Zeref that day. And afterwards, he had taken on the young boy as his apprentice. And Zeref was more than happy to learn from him, for not only did he save his life, but he helped restore his sanity.

He could never figure out why his former master, Darth Ramage, was never affected by his curse. Maybe it was the Force protecting the Dark Lord of the Sith, or maybe he was void of all life himself. Regardless, Zeref didn't care. He had quickly deduced why Ramage took him in. Ramage had sensed his lifeforce. He had sensed the vast endlessness of it, like an ocean that led to no land. And Ramage wanted that for himself. The foolish Sith Lord craved immortality. It sickened the Zeref. But he played along. The Sith Lord held something that he was still passionate about, the only thing he was still passionate about… knowledge. And so, when Zeref had learned all he could, he struck down Ramage during the final battle of the Dragon King Festival and ended the Brotherhood of Darknesses' reign on Earthland.

Just after that, Zeref used the powers Ramage had taught him and performed a ritual that culminated in the greatest creation of Sith Alchemy and Earthland magic. His most powerful demon, E.N.D. Zeref's goal had been achieved, and he sent E.N.D on his only mission. Then a conundrum struck the Dark Lord. What next? There was nothing more to learn on Earthland, there was no one who could equal him in knowledge or power. There was only nothing.

The centuries had waned on after that. Every year, month, minute was painfully slow for the immortal Zeref. He had lost his purpose for the time being. And until E.N.D completed his mission, he would remain purposeless. So, he decided to experiment some more. He decided to test the limits of this curse given to him by the wrathful god Ankserham. He delved deep into his knowledge of the force, black magic, Sith Sorcery, and magic of all forms on Earthland. And his results concluded, that he truly was immortal. He could not even kill himself. And the desire to die was tremendous. Immortality was the worst curse one could be bestowed with. It allowed Zeref to look back at his life and relive every regret, every painful memory, in utter agony.

There was a moment in his life, where a spark of the old Zeref returned. The Zeref before the curse, the one full of life. It was a girl of course, and he did love her. But that ended as it always did for him, more death. And the knowledge to escape life still eluded him. All hope at that point was lost.

Then he met a small, loud, yet thoughtful child on Tenroujima. A child so strong in the force that it had summoned Acnologia himself to investigate. Zeref could hardly believe it when he met Joshua Scarlet. He was a Sith in power and attunement to the dark. But he was also everything a Sith wasn't. He was compassionate, loving, loyal, and he cared deeply for his friends. The brat had even battled a superior opponent just to save the life of a little girl. He had reminded Zeref of himself in a way. A Sith in power and strength, but also someone that wished to not be tethered to the darkness.

He hadn't seen Joshua Scarlet since that day on Earthland. But he had been monitoring the boy's progress. And it was impressive. In seven short years, Joshua had made himself into a powerful dark side user. Zeref was almost ready to approach him and test to see if it was Joshua to be the one to kill him and not E.N.D. But then the Empire came, and that plan was replaced by a far better one. A plan that led Zeref to Dromund Kaas to pursue his one true passion in life, the study of death.

And that of course, leads to where Zeref was now, sitting in a dusty old library filled with texts and scrolls that were covered in dust and cobwebs. His eyes poured over the text in his lap, all the while a rare smile began to appear on his pale lips. Within this text, he may have finally found his answer.

It was a Sith history book, a very rare find considering that most ancient Sith cared very little for recording their own history. The name of the author did not matter to Zeref. He had originally just picked up the book out of boredom, desiring to fill his time with a little relaxation in between his endless studying of the dark side. Then he found a name, a name that changed Zeref's entire perspective on what he had to do to finally die.

Darth Vitiate… The Sith Emperor. A man who ruled a mighty Sith Empire for well over one thousand years. A man that the historian claimed to be the first to ever achieve perfect immortality. Darth Vitiate was a god among the Sith of his time. And Zeref drank in all of the knowledge he could on this enthralling yet enigmatic figure.

For a man who supposedly did so much in his incredibly long lifetime, there was few records about him. And what few there were usually just listed his infamous or awesome deeds before stating the time in which he disappeared. And Zeref took note of that. Vitiate never died, he disappeared.

The black wizard carefully turned the page again when the silence in the library was disturbed by one of the few remaining priests in the academy entering.

"Lord Zeref." The priest croaked, the wrinkled skin on his neck trembling beneath his hood as he spoke, "Are you faring well?"

Zeref's eyes briefly rose from the text before they returned to the words scrawled on the cracked, yellow pages.

"Is there anything I can assist you with my Lord. It is not often that a Dark Lord such as yourself visits for this long."

A sigh escaped Zeref's lips before he carefully set the book down on the stone table.

"Who is Darth Vitiate?" Zeref asked, his back still turned away from the priest.

"D-Darth Vitiate." His name, even now, thousands of years after he vanished, striking fear into the hearts of mortals, "Do you mean the Sith Emperor from over three thousand years ago?"

"The very same yes."

The priest remained quiet for a moment, "This is strange. You are not the first to ask about the Immortal Sith Lord."

That got Zeref's instant attention. He quickly turned in his chair to face the priest.

"What?"

"Two other Lords came here, years ago. I think… almost fifty years ago now. They were inquiring about Lord Vitiate as well. They wanted everything about him."

"And?"

"And they took everything about him. All of his writings, holocrons, even the holocrons mentioning the great Sith Emperor were taken by them from this planet. I know not where they may be."

Zeref closed his eyes, his rage simmering beneath the surface of his calm demeanor. Once again, the knowledge that he sought was just out of reach.

"Who were these Sith Lords that took such artifacts?" Zeref asked.

The priest hesitated, his mouth staying shut.

"I-I cannot say my lord. The instructed me not to-"

"YOU WILL REVEAL THEM OR YOU WILL DIE!" Zeref roared, his rage breaking and his powers bursting to life in the room.

It was as if the dark side decided to manifest in physical form. Black tendrils of dark magic swirled around Zeref's body as he bolted up from his seat. Black orbs of magic clung to his tightly clenched fist while burning crimson eyes glared at the trembling priest.

"I wish I could my Lord. But I cannot remember their names!" The priest cried in terror as Zeref stalked towards him.

Before the priest could stammer out anything else, Zeref pressed a hand to the old man's forehead. The dark side poured into the priest's mind then retreated swiftly back to Zeref, filling the ancient man with knowledge. He combed through the random bits and pieces of the priests mind until he found what he was looking for. Two figures, one very tall with elongated limbs. A muun from what Zeref could tell. The other was a shorter human. Both were hidden within their thick black robes and deep hoods. Only their glowing yellow eyes were visible. Zeref waiting within the memory, waiting to hear the two figures speak.

When Zeref finally heard their voices, his snarl turned into a wide, manic, grin. He quickly withdrew from the priest's mind. The old man shuddered and fell to his knees.

"Thank you priest." Zeref said, "I have discovered what I was looking for."

"What was it, my Lord?" The priest gasped.

Zeref glanced down at the man before pointing an open palm at him.

"Nothing you are worthy to know."

A black explosion engulfed the priest, killing him instantly. It was better he was dead now. After all, he could still have been in contact with the two Sith Lords Zeref saw in his mind.

He looked around the library, a triumphant smirk on his face. His time at Dromund Kaas was now drawing to a close. His answers hadn't come as quickly as he had hoped, and he still had searching to do. But he was closer now than he ever was before. This Darth Vitiate apparently discovered the secret of immortality. The secret of defying death. And Zeref reasoned, that if he could learn the secret of defying death, other than through a horrible curse, then maybe he could learn how to finally slay an immortal and therefore slay himself. Just two beings now stood in his way of that.

"Sidious." Zeref whispered to himself, the name remaining on his tongue for a moment, "And Plagueis." He folded his hands behind his back and calmly exited the library. There was other work to do now.

….

Wendy wasn't there for the first wave of enemies to break into Mon Cala City. But she was at the rear lines when the first of the wounded arrived. Her sensitive ears could hear their screams and moans from kilometers away as they were rushed towards the waiting Alliance medical teams by their comrades.

A lot of the medics on Mon Cala were veterans from the Battle of Hoth. But from what Wendy had heard, there weren't a whole lot of wounded that managed to make it from the ice fields to the medical teams that day. So none were fully prepared for what they were about to see. Even Wendy, who had healed gruesome battle injuries during her time in Fairy Tail, was dumbstruck by what she saw. Her stomach flipped as she saw rebel soldiers being carried over with missing legs, blood dripping from burnt stumps where their limbs had been blown off. And she nearly vomited when she saw the blaster bolt wounds that looked like blackened patches in the skin that would bleed randomly as she tried to work.

But the worst part of all of this, was the screams. She could hardly stand the screams of soldiers in absolute agony like this. When she was the doctor at Fairy Tail, her guildmates never really screamed like this. Their injuries never seemed as severe as this even though they took far more punishment. Wendy hypothesized that Earthland wizards may have built up a resistance to magical damage and were therefore a lot tougher than normal people. And what she was seeing on the battlefield on Mon Cala was proving her belief.

Blaster bolts didn't seem nearly as powerful as a blast from Natsu's fire, or a hit from Gajeel's iron, but they were dealing horrifying damage to these poor soldiers. Within minutes, Wendy's hands had a coat of sticky blood on them as she poured her healing magic into the soldiers, desperately trying to save their lives. In was a sobering reality for her, when she lost her first one mid-operation.

One medic was frantically attempting to stop the bleeding in a blaster wound that was near a man's heart. Wendy's job was to use her magic to ease his pain and attempt to accelerate the healing so he would survive. She was also told to talk to him, distract him, keep him awake, anything to give him a chance. He didn't look much older than she was. His brown hair was caked with debris while his clothes were scorched by blaster fire and stained red with his own blood. His voice was a mere whisper as Wendy spoke to him. He briefly wished to go home to his planet, Corellia, before the light left his eyes. The alliance medic Wendy was helping simply shook her head and attempted to move on. But Wendy desperately pleaded with her to keep trying. It was only when Wendy saw a line of five more wounded soldiers waiting for her help that she had finally relented and closed the soldier's eyes one last time.

"Marvell!" A Mon Calamari Doctor shouted, "Help me with this one! He's priority!"

Wendy heard and rushed over to a man who was shaking uncontrollably on the ground, his right leg missing. She felt her magic flow from her body into his and the shaking began to subside. The soldier's breathing began to even out and the rapid blood flow from his severed thigh slowed, allowing the doctor to close the wound with ease.

"You're amazing Wendy." The doctor said before shouting for the wounded man to be taken to a transport for evacuation.

Just as the doctor shouted this, an object whistled through the air and collided a few dozen meters away from Wendy. A violent explosion erupted from the ground tossing bodies and screaming doctors in all directions. Wendy shielded her face from the heat and rubble before glancing in the direction of the front lines. They were no longer kilometers away, but meters away now. The Rebel Soldiers were in full retreat and the Empire was right behind them, gunning them down as they ran.

"Fall back!" She heard the Mon Calamari Doctor order before a blaster bolt silenced him.

Everything was now in complete disarray. No one was concerned with defending the wounded or dying. It was every man for himself at this point as the soldiers ran for the evacuation transports. Meanwhile, Wendy blocked out all of the noise around her. Concern for her own life was pushed to the back of her mind as she continued to work on wounded soldiers, refusing to leave them even as Stormtroopers drew just a couple meters away from her.

"Marvell!" A human doctor rushed past her, "Fall back! Don't die here!"

Wendy shook her head. There was too many helpless men and women here. Too many who had a chance to live. A chance that the Empire was not willing to give them. Only a small team of four doctors remained with Wendy. Stormtroopers plowed through what remained of the Alliances meager defences.

Wendy finished up the last bits of patchwork on one soldier before slipping bacta onto his wound. She then helped him to his feet and he limped as fast as he could away from the battle, only to get gunned down by a hail of blaster bolts. Wendy's head whipped around to see the Stormtroopers bearing down on her and the last four doctors.

"You four!" Wendy shouted, "Get as many as you can and get moving! I'll stay here!"

"Are you crazy!?" A female human shouted back, ducking beneath some blaster fire.

"You gotta be if you're in Fairy Tail!" Wendy shouted back before rising to her feet and running at the approaching stormtroopers.

She sucked in as much as as her lungs could take before widened her mouth.

" **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A cyclone emerged from her gaping maw that tore a massive hole in the Empire's ranks. Every stormtrooper stopped in their tracks as the wind that left Wendy's mouth cleared out the blaster smoke in the street and sent stormtroopers flying through the air. The Sky Dragon Slayer did not give them a chance to recover. She became of whirlwind of magical fists and kicks. Cyclone enhanced punches cracked stormtrooper armor and knocked dozens out of the battle. Wing attacks took down swaths of stormtroopers as they attempted to reorganize. A Sky Dragon Talon attacks demolished wave after wave of the enemy. Wendy was singlehandedly beating back the Imperial attack. She had to buy time for the doctors. That was her only option.

Then came the sound of labored, mechanical breathing. It rasped in Wendy's ears, the sounds grinding together like gravel. She didn't know why, but fear suddenly gripped her as the temperature plummeted around her. A dark shadow enveloped her as she pounded another stormtrooper into the ground. The shadow only deepened as she stepped away from her latest victim to face this new threat.

Standing before Wendy Marvell was a giant, humanoid creature clothed in a black suit, with black armor and a black cape. A glossy black helmet and mask covered his head while a control panel blinked red and green lights on his chest. The creature stood stiffly in front of Wendy. He towered over her as the lidless eyes of the mask stared down at the blue haired girl. All Wendy could see in those eyes was her own defiant expression.

"You are brave, little one." The man boomed, his baritone voice rumbling in Wendy's ear drums, "But you are also a fool."

Wendy trembled a little as the cold feeling around her only grew. But she didn't show any fear at all. Her brown eyes blazed angrily at the dark figure in front of her.

"If saving lives makes me a fool, then I'll gladly be one." Wendy snarled.

"Saving lives?" the man growled, "Is that what you think you are doing. No, what you are really doing is delaying the inevitable."

Wendy's brown eyes widened slightly as a glowing sword, blood red in color appeared in the man's gloved fist. It was at this moment that Wendy realized what she was up against. She now understood how the rebel soldiers had been forced to retreat so quickly. Towering over her, was none other than the infamous Darth Vader.

"You are one of those Earthland wizards, are you not?" Vader asked, his blade slowing inching towards Wendy's face, casting a red glow on her dirty skin.

Wendy just stared angrily up at the Sith Lord. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her voice. This was the man who nearly killed Joshua, this was the man who hurt Erza, who helped corrupt Erza. In a way, he had not only broken Erza, he had broken Joshua. When he had told Wendy what had happened in the Jedi Temple, Wendy had never seen Joshua look so defeated. She had seem him go into rages that would make any warrior cower, she had seen him be so tender that one would've never guessed his immense power, but she had never seen him look defeated in her life. And this man, this Darth Vader was the cause of it all.

"Tell me little one, do you fear death?"

 _He hurt Joshua!_ Wendy stared hatefully up at Vader. Her fists were clenched so tightly at her sides that she thought her palms might start to bleed from her nails digging into the skin. _He hurt Erza!_ She began to tremble, _He took Earthland from us! He separated me from my family, from my friends, from Carla!_

"No answer?" Vader growled, "Very well. You have impressed me with your defiance Earthlander. You are about to die much braver than most."

Vader reached back with his saber, aiming to lop Wendy's head from her shoulders. But he wouldn't get the chance. An immense power welled up inside Wendy. Wind whipped around her to the point where even Vader was having difficulty in not swaying. And that burst of energy from Wendy made Vader hesitate. Whether it was curiosity or something else inside of him, Vader didn't know. But in that moment, he failed to kill Wendy Marvell. Instead, he found himself flying backwards several meters before skidding on the road, ripping his cape and robes to shreds.

Vader groaned as he stiffly got to his feet. Hatred burned in him for this little girl. She dared defy a Dark Lord of the Sith? Vader was not used to such actions. And the thought of being denied by this little girl from Earthland enraged him. He turned to face the girl and was caught of guard.

Wendy's hair was no longer it's deep blue color but now a bright pink that glowed ever so slightly. Her long hair curled and pointed slightly upwards while her brown eyes were now replaced by furious pink eyes that gazed hatefully at Darth Vader. White scales appeared on her back, feet, and ankles. To Vader, they almost looked like white feathers. A snarl was etched on the girl's face revealing longer canines than what was normal for a human. And in this moment, Vader caught himself wondering just what was this little girl?

He delved into the force and was shocked to find that the girl had no connection to the force at all. But this power he was feeling was so tremendous only a very skilled force wielder could achieve. The girl's entire demeanor had changed as well. Gone was the kind healer, replaced by a furious dragon.

With a loud roar, Wendy charged at Darth Vader with a speed that surprised the Dark Lord of the Sith. A flurry of punched infused with wind magic pounded Vader's suit as he haplessly attempted to block Wendy's strikes with his lightsaber, only to find she was faster than his normal cybernetics could keep up with.

After pounding Vader's body, Wendy leaped back and spread her arms out wide before rotating them counterclockwise.

" **Sky Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: SKY DRILL!"**

A barrier of wind formed around Vader. It was moving so fast that it threatened to peel Vader's suit and skin from his body. Darth Vader quickly surmised that he was actually in danger right now and he quickly called upon the force to aid him just as the barrier of wind impacted with his body. A massive explosion occurred sending debris flying in all directions and covering the area with white smoke.

Wendy panted as she stood still, her arms still outstretched. Her magic was dangerously low, she could feel that. All of the healing she did earlier drained so much of her magic before this fight. But thankfully, she landed her sky drill. Hopefully this fight was now over. She could feel whatever power up that just occurred in her body beginning to subside. A shaky breath escaped Wendy's lungs.

 _That was tough._ She thought wearily.

"So," The baritone voice made Wendy freeze in place. It just wasn't possible. The attack hit him head on, "This is the power of Earthland magic."

The smoke cleared and Darth Vader emerged. His black suit was torn in several places while his helmet had a long gash in it, revealing a single yellow eye with deathly pale skin around it. The voice was a disturbing mixture of an amplified baritone and a barely audible whisper.

Now, Wendy felt afraid. If he could survive that, then there was no way she could win. There was only one option left now. She had to run, fast!

Wendy turned on her heel and attempted to run away when she felt something grip her throat. All of a sudden, she couldn't breath as she felt an invisible fist tighten around her throat.

"It is time for you to die, little Earthlander." Vader growled, his voice scrambling between baritone and whisper. He stood over Wendy, lightsaber hovering in front of her chest.

A blaster bolt screamed towards Vader, catching the dark lord in the shoulder. He was so focused on slaying the dangerous Earthlander that he had not sensed one of Wendy's patients get onto his knees and fire a shot at the Sith Lord. Wendy dropped to the ground with a loud whack. But adrenaline kicked in a she scrambled to her feet.

"RUN! FAST!" She heard the wounded rebel shout before a strangled cry escaped him as Vader crushed him with the force.

He turned to Wendy once again, only to see the blue haired girl disappear from his sight in the direction of Mon Cala's massive spaceport. The scouts had reported that the spaceport was where the rebel transports were flying out of. At the speed she was running at, she would reach the last transport in time. Vader let out an angry growl before deactivating his lightsaber. That girl was intriguing to say the least. Unlike Erza Scarlet, her power was completely her own, not from the force. His master would've wanted him to capture her at least. But once again, an Earthlander had escaped his clutches.

 **And chapter! And that is what happened to Wendy. She became a badass! But of course, she ran into Vader who led the other part of the assault on Mon Cala, after the First Sister led the first wave. But she escaped and she will reunite with everyone really soon. Now the rebellion has no home base. They are at that point where they are just a flotilla of ships, kinda like how they were at the end of Empire and beginning of ROTJ. We are almost at that point folks. The Return of the Jedi arc is nearly here! I'm so excited. I'm also really excited to see Zeref's role in the battle to come. He's a wildcard at this point. It'll be interesting to see what he does. Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	95. Chapter 95: First Fall, Then Rise

**Hey everyone! Today is a special day! May the Fourth be will you all! Enjoy this new chapter!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 95

"What do you mean where is Wendy!?" Kanan exclaimed as he stared back at Meldy.

"I mean it Kanan! Where is she?" Meldy shouted back, worry covering her face.

"I thought she went with you!"

"I thought she was with you!" Meldy shouted back.

Chewbacca howled and waved both of his massive hairy arms as if telling them all to be quiet. He then whimpered a little and focused on piloting the Millennium Falcon. Meanwhile, Kanan wiped his face with his hands and groaned.

"This is bad." He whispered, "If something happened to her."

Meldy's face paled, "You don't think she was still down on Mon Cala when we left do you?"

Kanan shook his head, "I don't know. But if something happened to her… I pity the person who would have to explain it to Joshua when he gets back."

Meldy shuddered and rubbed her arms, "Well, we just have to pray that she is safe and sound. I really hope she is safe and sound."

"We'll find out when we exit hyperspace at the rendezvous point." Leia stated softly as she sat in the copilot's chair, "I'll contact Home One. If anyone knows where Wendy might be it'll be Admiral Ackbar."

Both Meldy and Kanan nodded.

"How is everyone back there?" Leia asked.

"Lucy is fuming." Meldy said, "She wanted to be out there helping us in the fight. But of course, the admiralty and politicians told her she was too important to risk."

Leia nodded, "Understandable, she is the only political mind from Earthland as of now. Though, I also understand her desire to fight. I had the same inclination but…" Leia shook her head, "That was the might of the Empire's fleet today. If Lucy and I went to the battle we most likely would've been killed. Then there would be no rebel leadership for the people we represent."

"She's also really concerned for Natsu." Meldy added in, "The guy hasn't said a word since happy flew him into the ship. Hell, he hasn't stopped staring at the wall. Gajeel isn't much better, but he is at least functioning."

"Natsu was not mentally prepared for an actual battle." Kanan noted, "I thought you wizards fought lots of battles on Earthland?"

"We did." Meldy replied, "But…. we Earthland wizards are made of tough stuff. It takes a lot of power to kill one of us. Then there is the fact that Fairy Tail wizards do everything in their power to avoid killing." Meldy glanced back down the corridor towards the lounge, "In all likelihood, that was the first time Natsu actually killed someone. And I doubt he meant to do it too."

"War causes good people to lose their innocence." Kanan muttered, "That is just the terrible truth to all of this." He sighed, "But we need Natsu. He has tremendous power. I saw him at work on the battlefield. That fire of his in incredible and made the Imperials hesitate in their advance. Hopefully, he will come to terms with what has happened and he will forgive himself."

Meldy nodded, "Me and Lucy have tried talking to him. But he just…" She shook her head, "He is clearly out of it right now. I think it may be best to give him some time."

Kanan nodded, "Possibly. But keep trying all the same. If you need me to talk to him, let me know."

"Of course." Meldy then heard a muffled curse come from Gajeel followed by a loud clank. The pink haired woman sighed wearily, "I better go see what he broke this time."

"Have fun." Kanan smiled dryly.

After that, it was dead silent aboard the Millennium Falcon. No one spoke a word, only the occasional grunt from Chewbacca broke the somber silence. The rebellion had just been crushed, again. And this defeat may very well be worse than the one at Hoth. At least on Hoth they weren't caught by surprise. They detected the Empire coming before it was too late. But on Mon Cala, the Empire's attack came by complete surprise. No one was ready for it. Leia massaged the back of her neck, exhausted from dwelling on the day's events. She dreaded hearing the casualty reports once they exited hyperspace.

Several more hours passed before Chewbacca took the Falcon out of lightspeed. The blue tunnel of light that had engulfed the Falcon disappeared and was replaced by a small flotilla of Alliance ships around them. Leia was shocked by how few ships were left. On Mon Cala, the rebellion had at least five capital ships. Now only two remained. Of the dozens of transports that had blasted off from the water world, only eleven remained. One of the medical frigates was able to escape the massacre and several frigates floated lazily around the fleet. But that was all. The fleet had been decimated.

"Chewie, pull towards Home One." Leia said softly.

The Wookie expertly guided the Falcon towards the largest of the Mon Calamari ships, and Admiral Ackbar's personal flagship. Slowly, the Falcon entered Home One's main hangar bay. As the ship shuddered to a halt, Leia could see multiple rebel personnel rushing towards the ship. Among them was Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar. The princess breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the two of them. At least some sort of command structure remained intact with those two being alive. She quickly rose from her seat and strode into the lounge to fetch Lucy.

The blonde was very reluctant to leave Natsu alone. And when Leia saw him, she could understand why. The normally cheerful boy had a thousand yard stare in his eyes. He was looking at nothing. It was the stare of someone reliving the battle over and over in their mind and being continuously haunted by at it all. She had tremendous sympathy for the young dragon slayer. He had never killed anyone before. And doing so for the first time was always a haunting experience, even if it was only a faceless stormtrooper.

But eventually, Leia convinced Lucy to come with her and Kanan. There was going to be an emergency meeting for the rebel leadership after the disaster that had just occurred. But Lucy was also eager to find Wendy, or at least figure out what happened to her. As she followed Leia and Kanan to the conference room on Home One, she was constantly asking soldiers and other rebels about the whereabouts of the Sky Dragon Slayer. Unfortunately, no one was able to give her a straight answer. Some said they saw Wendy battling hundreds of stormtroopers on her own and went out in a blaze of glory. Others said they saw her enter the last transport off of Mon Cala. Lucy hoped with every fiber of her being that it was the latter.

Lucy entered the conference room behind Kanan and Leia. She was shocked by how empty the room was. The only people in the room were various admirals and generals, herself, Mon Mothma, Leia, and Kanan. Leia was also rendered speechless by the sight.

"Where is everyone?" Kanan asked, though he already knew the answer.

Mon Mothma let out a shaky breath, "The transport carrying the majority of the council was destroyed in Mon Cala's orbit. There were no survivors. I was on Home One during the evacuation." The frail looking woman bowed her head and slowly shook it, "This all that remains of the Rebel Alliance."

A pit formed in Leia's stomach as she looked around at the familiar faces. There was one missing from the crowd.

"Where is Luke?" Leia asked.

Before anyone could answer, the doors to the conference room hissed open.

"Sorry I'm late." Leia's heart leap in her chest as she turned around to see a very disheveled Luke enter the room. She rushed up to the young Jedi learner and threw her arms around him, not caring what anyone in the room thought.

"Where were you!?" asked as she embraced Luke.

"I ran into someone in the hangar. She was working on some wounded soldiers who managed to make it out. But… I think she has something to report to all of us too."

And in stepped a second figure.

"WENDY!" Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs before rushing towards the bluenette.

As Lucy wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, she failed to notice how Wendy didn't really react to her. Wendy looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyes were half closed and her shoulders were sagging. Dirt, smoke, and grime covered her face and arms. Her hands were stained a sickening rust color.

"H-hey Lucy." Wendy finally whispered to the blonde.

"Are you alright!" Lucy exclaimed, "Are you hurt at all? I'll carry you to the infirmary if I have to!"

"I'm fine Lucy." Wendy breathed, "Just… really tired."

"Then you should go rest!" Lucy cried, "What are you doing dragging yourself around like this. Keep this up and you'll get magic deficiency disease."

"I'm being careful." Wendy said, "But, I think the council needs to know who led the attack on Mon Cala."

"We already know." Kanan replied, "It was the First Sister. I fought her myself."

Wendy's eyes widened, "You fought Erza!"

Kanan nodded while the other admirals simply looked confused.

"Who is this Erza?" Admiral Ackbar asked as everyone began to wearily fall into the chairs that surrounded a circular table.

"An Earthland wizard that was captured by the Empire." Kanan explained, "She was close friends with our Earthland allies, but… the Emperor has done something to her to turn her against them."

"I can answer any more questions you all may have." Lucy said quickly, "But for now, we need to discuss the situation and how we recover from this. Wendy, who led the attack on your end of the battle?"

Wendy gulped, "Vader."

The silence that followed was intense as everyone contemplated just how lucky they all were to be alive. It was one thing for an inquisitor to lead an attack, but another for Lord Vader himself to be on the battlefield.

"How do you know this?" A human general named Crix Madine asked.

"I fought him." Wendy replied quietly.

Eyes widened and jaws dropped around the room. This girl who was supposed to be a medic fought Lord Vader and managed to survive. Even Lucy, who knew full well what Wendy was capable of, was stunned. Erza and Joshua were not able to stand against Vader and both were nearly killed by him. But Wendy had escaped almost completely unscathed.

"How did you survive!?" Leia asked. Meanwhile, Luke remained eerily silent.

"I got lucky." Wendy replied truthfully, "One of my… patients, gave his life so I could make a run for it." She let out a shaky breath, tears brimming in her eyes before she quickly wiped them away, "That is why the attack was so brutal, Vader was at the lead."

"This is bad." Another Mon Calamari admiral moaned, "Vader himself his set on destroying us."

"This is not a new development." Leia replied forcefully.

"But before, Vader considered us just a nuisance." Kanan noted, "But now, that has changed for some reason. Twice now he has personally led an assault on the main rebel forces after deducing where we were hiding with great precision." Kanan shook his head, "I want to be the optimist here Leia, but we cannot contend with the might of Darth Vader. No one here can."

"But you are a Jedi." Mon Mothma said, "You and General Skywalker. Surely the two of you combined can challenge Vader?"

"I wish that was possible. Luke is making great strides in his training." Kanan stated, "At this point, he's easily become as powerful if not more so than I am. He still needs some discipline and fine tuning, but that will come with time and experience. The holocron we acquired has certainly helped him along. But Vader… Vader is in a whole other league from us. His power is equal to only a few other Jedi that I have ever known and even then, he may be stronger. We cannot defeat him, not alone."

"Then what do we do!?" An admiral exclaimed, "If we cannot succesfully defeat this menace then what do we do? Roll over and die?"

"No!" Lucy said forcefully, "No! We need to wait. We need to be patient."

"Patient for what Lady Heartfilia?" General Madine asked, "Are we to simply wait for the Empire to find and crush us yet again?"

Lucy shook her head, "We need to wait until someone comes along that can help Luke defeat Vader." She looked over at the two Jedi, "And you know who I am talking about."

"Joshua." Kanan nodded.

"You intend to wait on a Sith who may or may not ever come back to us?" General Madine said stunned, "That is ludicrous!"

"That is our best option. Joshua will provide the necessary boost to our offensive capabilities when he does return. Pair him with Luke and Kanan, and I don't think even Vader could withstand them. Until then, we need to make sure that we are not caught unawares by the Empire again. We need to make sure the fleet survives."

"And what do you suggest Lucy?" Leia asked, curious as to what the blond was thinking.

"We make it hard for the Empire to find us… all of us that is." She stared at the Alliance High Command, "We split up the fleet into small battle groups and scatter them. It's harder to find multiple fleets than just one."

Admiral Ackbar nodded, "And that will also force the Empire to stretch very thin in order to find and destroy the Alliance." His fish lips spread into a smile, "I like this idea. We will never have the firepower to contend with the Empire. So we may as well make it difficult for them to find and battle us. I'll institute a policy where the fleet will only battle on our terms. If we are not certain of total victory, we will retreat and live to fight another day. Until the time comes that the Rebellion is at full strength once again, we cannot focus on toppling the Empire, but on survival."

Liea and Kanan nodded in agreement. There was no other option at this point. The rebellion had to survive this trying time. And this plan seemed like the best option.

"It looks as though we are all in agreement." Mon Mothma muttered quietly, "Very well. After this meeting concludes, the fleet will break up. When the time comes, we will rally together once again to strike a blow at the Empire so devastating that it will be forced to collapse."

Cheers of agreement erupted from Alliance High Command. The only one not cheering, was Admiral Madine.

"I agree with this strategy." He said plainly, "But… we must also consider the Empire adjusting to our new approach. After all, there is this new group of Inquisitors now appearing. And they are not Jedi hunters anymore, they are warriors. The First Sister that you all spoke of is a perfect example of that. The Empire has the resources to counter this strategy without expending a lot of manpower. All they would have to do is send their inquisitors and we could lose a whole battle group."

"Then we must make it seem like our strategy has not changed." Leia replied, "We must make the Empire believe that we have founded yet another secret base."

"And if that deception fails?" Madine asked.

Leia let out a heavy sigh, "If that deception fails, and the Empire is able to find us, then this rebellion was never meant to succeed in the first place. And we would be fools to continue." she glared at General Madine, "But I have hope that we will succeed. I have tremendous hope that this strategy will succeed. We must hope for that. After all, as one rebel once said to this very same council… rebellions are built on hope."

….

Within several days of that meeting, the fleet had entirely scattered. Each battle group was ordered to place survival as their top priority. Their second priority was to foster the seeds of rebellion wherever they went in the galaxy. And their last priority, was to engage the Empire only if victory was assured. And so, the council disbanded with their orders. A secret code was established so that they would all know when to regroup and where to regroup when the time was finally right.

Instead of joining a battle group, Leia and Lucy opted to join the crew of the Millennium Falcon along with the other Earthlanders, Luke, Kanan, Rex, Zeb, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca. They formed their own small battle group that consisted of three motion sick dragon slayers, a wizard turned pilot, two politicians, a smooth talking con man, an old soldier, two hairy aliens, two Jedi, one very hormonal pregnant woman, and a very over enthusiastic talking cat. The Falcon flew alongside two X-wings as they drifted from remote world to remote world in the outer rim, laying low until the time was absolutely right.

During the months that followed, Luke grew tremendously in the force. It eventually reached the point where Kanan could no longer teach him. It was only the information on the Jedi Holocron that was able to instruct Luke now. In fact, Kanan was beginning to learn more from Luke than anyone else. He was beginning to feel like a true Jedi Knight for the first time in a very long time. Their dueling sessions grew more intense as Luke's skill shot to heights Kanan could have only dreamed of achieving. Luke was almost there. He was almost a Jedi Knight.

Natsu eventually emerged from his sorry state thanks to some counseling from Kanan. But the Fire Dragon slayer was never the same after that day on Mon Cala. His flames when he fought were now noticeably cooler as he hesitated to strike his opponents. Meanwhile, Gajeel continued to be the same gruff, unapproachable Gajeel. Although, everyone seemed to notice an odd relationship beginning to form between him and Levy.

In this period of time where they ran from the Empire, Wendy began to emerge as possibly the strongest of three dragon slayers, thanks in large part to the power up she had uncovered in her battle against Vader. Whenever she battle Natsu, the fire dragon slayer would stomp his feet declaring how unfair it was that she would use that against him when they practiced. Wendy would merely smirk and say Natsu should take her using Dragonforce as a compliment since it was the only way she could overpower the fire dragon slayer. As she fought in more battles, the shy, meek Wendy slowly began to disappear replaced by a hardened wizard, always ready for battle.

Now, all of them sat in the lounge of the Millennium Falcon. And all of them were very nervous. Four more months had passed for the group. Four months of hiding from the Empire, four months of living on a small freighter, four months of waiting. They had decided to land on a small desert planet named Jakku in order to gather some supplies and rest for a few days. When they landed, all three dragon slayers kissed the sand at their feet, thanking every deity in existence for ending the motion sickness. Luke meanwhile, despised the planet. In his words, it reminded him way too much of Tatooine.

Meldy, Lucy, Leia, and Natsu volunteered to go get supplies from one of the small settlements on the planet's surface. And that was where all four currently were. They browsed through small stands containing food rations and walked through several junk storers trying to find supplies. Everything was going well. They had finished gathering their supplies and were walking back to the Falcon. Then it happened. Meldy suddenly stopped walking and gripped her enormous stomach.

"Um… guys." she whimpered.

"What's up Meldy?" Lucy asked as she adjusted the cloak that protected her skin from the hot sun.

Leia noticed the pain in Meldy's face, "Are you ok? Did you hurt yourself?"

"Need to sit down Meldy?" Natsu asked as he walked up beside the pink haired girl.

Then the girl took several quick, deep breaths, "It's coming!" Meldy winced before doubling over and falling on her butt in the sand.

"What's coming?" Natsu asked obliviously before his eyes widened as he caught a new scent entering his nose. And it was coming from Meldy. Now, Natsu was a naive person and was very clueless at times. But he knew enough about people to know what was going on right now.

"HOLY SHIT!" Natsu exclaimed, "Lucy the thing is coming!"

"I KNOW!" Lucy screeched as she began to panic and rake her hands through her hair, "J-just let me think a moment! What do we do right now!? Um… Leia?"

"Don't look at me. I've never had a baby!" Leia replied as she too tried to figure out what to do, "Ask one of your spirits!"

Lucy snapped her fingers, "Great idea!"

"Guys do something please!" Meldy yelled as she curled up in pain.

Lucy grabbed on of her golden keys and held it out, " **Open, gate of the goat: Capricorn!"**

A loud doorbell sounded and a golden light appeared in front of Lucy. Suddenly, standing in the sand beside all four of them was a tall goat dressed in a fancy suit with cool sunglasses over his eyes.

"You summoned me Lady Lucy." Capricorn said elegantly as he bowed to Lucy.

"YES! YES!" Lucy exclaimed, "We need help!" Lucy pointed at Meldy, "What the heck do we do!?"

"What is her condition?" Capricorn asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucy muttered.

"What I mean, my lady, is how long has she been in pain like this?"

"It just started!" Lucy said.

"Correction." Meldy winced, "I started feeling some pain back at the market. But I was able to ignore it then." She winced again before screaming, "IT FEELS LIKE MY INTESTINES ARE BEING PULLED OUT!"

"GAH!" Natsu cried, "Do um… will fire help?"

"NO!" Everyone roared.

Capricorn calmly walked up to Meldy, leaving hoofprints in the sand before kneeling beside the girl. He looked at her for a moment before nodding.

"It appears the Miss Meldy is ready to give birth to her child."

"WE KNOW THAT CAPRICORN!" Lucy roared, "But what do we do?"

Capricorn rubbed his white haired chin before nodding, "I assisted your mother, Lady Layla, when she gave birth to you Lucy. We must follow my instructions to the letter." He folded his hands behind his back, "She needs a soft surface to rest upon."

"Sand doesn't count I'm guessing?" Lucy asked.

"Would you want sand going up your-"

"OK!" Leia shouted, "Sand won't work then. So we need to get her back to the Falcon as fast as possible." Leia turned to Lucy, "What is your fastest spirit Lucy?"

"We cannot move to quickly." Capricorn instructed, "We do not want to cause damage to the baby or Meldy while moving her."

"YOU HURT THIS BABY, I HURT YOU!" Meldy shouted as she tighlty gripped Natsu's wrist.

"So calling Scorpio may not work either." Lucy sighed the blinked, "Aries! I'll summon Aries!"

"Who?" Leia asked.

Before she could get an answer, Lucy pulled out another key and performed the spell. In an instant, a very shy, self conscious spirit appeared. This spirit looked like a young woman. She had pink hair and wore a dress made of white, fluffy wool. Two little horns protruded from the top of the woman's head.

"You summoned me Miss Lucy?" The woman muttered quietly as she nervously shuffled her feet.

"I need you to make a soft, wool, thing for Meldy to rest on, asap!"

The ram spirit nodded, "I-I'll d-do my best." The woman waved her arms, " **Wool cushion!"**

Pink wool suddenly engulfed everyone in the vicinity. Leia was about to cry out when she suddenly felt very relaxed and sleepy as the pink wool warmly embraced her.

"Wow…" Leia muttered, "I can actually sleep well on this stuff."

"I'm so sorry!" Aries wailed, "I didn't mean to hit all of you!"

"It's ok Aries." Lucy mumbled sleepily, "I feel very nice now."

"I HURT SO MUCH!" Meldy screeched.

"Get this wool off of me!" Natsu roared.

"Miss Lucy, Princess Leia, we have pressing matters to attend to!" Capricorn called calmly, snapping Lucy and Leia out of their relaxed states.

The two women scrambled over to wool towards where Meldy was lying down. Then Capricorn began to work. Every instruction he gave was followed to the letter by Lucy and Leia. Natsu's job was to protect the entire area. He once made the mistake of looking back at Meldy as she was going through labor. And he nearly fainted when he did.

 _I just saw feet coming out of there!_ Natsu thought as he fought to suppress what he just saw.

Meldy shouted one final pained cry before she let out a huge sigh of relief. The Natsu heard some smaller cries coming from where the girls and Capricorn were.

"You can look now Natsu." Lucy said with a smile.

Curiosity go the better of Natsu and he rushed towards Meldy. He saw a small bundle of cloth in her arms and he quickly pressed his face closer. Inside the bundle of cloth was a small baby boy with dark brown eyes. The baby stopped crying when it looked up at Natsu's face.

"It's tiny." Natsu remarked.

"Give it some personal space Natsu!" Lucy roared as she yanked Natsu back.

Meldy just chuckled, "It's ok Lucy." She then looked lovingly down at the little boy in her arms. An exhausted smile was spread on her face, "How you doing little guy? You've had a rough day haven't you?"

Leia and Lucy sat close by Meldy.

"So what are you naming him?" Leia asked.

Meldy smiled at Leia, "Galen told me once about a memory he had. It was the one memory he had of his actual father. Apparently, his father bravely fought Darth Vader, trying to save his son's life. I hope my little boy is just as brave and selfless." She smiled widely, "Kento Marek. Yeah… I think that's what I'll name you. Kento Starboy Marek!"

"Starboy?" Leia questioned.

A mischievous smile crossed Meldy's lips, "Galen is going to love his name!"

….

The dark stone room was cold, just like the rest of Malachor. You would think that due to the amount of lightning strikes hitting the planet that the surface would be very warm. But Joshua knew better. The dark side of the force was incredibly strong here. And that meant, that this place would be very dark. And very, very cold. When he had first arrived at the planet, the cold bothered him. He would wrap himself tightly in thick robes meant to protect his skin from the cold. Such actions earned him much derision from Master Kraya.

" _A Sith lord is not concerned with their environment!"_ She would scold.

And eventually, Joshua could count himself as someone who was unconcerned by the temperature around him. He would wear normal robes on his body when meditating with Revan or learning about different techniques with Kraya. He would change out of those robes and duel with Ahsoka in light clothing. And during those times, the temperature never affected him.

He soon learned, that it wasn't because his body was growing used to the cold around him. His resistance to the cold was because of his now immense connection to the dark side as well as how in uniquely manifested in him thanks to Revan's guidance. Before, the dark side was just as cold in Joshua as it was on Malachor. It was a hateful presence, dark and oppressive. But now, Joshua didn't feel the dark side as a cold presence. Instead, even though it was still dark, it felt strangely warm. It was like a raging fire inside of him. And that was thanks to Revan's training. His training had taught Joshua to embrace his passions and to use them as fuel for his powers instead of just pure hatred and pain. And that changed the very nature of the dark side inside of him. And Joshua loved every second of it.

Now, he was sitting alone in the dark, cold room. He felt completely warm though as he dove into the endless ocean that was the force. The force welcomed him like an old friend. He had grown to trust the force. Again, that was thanks to Revan's teachings. The actions of the force no longer always seemed negative to Joshua. Instead, he began to realize that the force wasn't truly good or evil. It just existed. Which meant that whatever the will of the force was did not pay attention to good or evil. It only attempted to remain in balance. A struggle that the force was currently losing thanks to the two Sith Lords Joshua was training to defeat.

He took a deep breath, relishing in the embrace of the force. The amount of control he had over it now was tremendous. And that was thanks to the Jedi discipline that was being instilled in him by all three of his teachers, Kraya, Revan, and Ahsoka. Each one taught him discipline differently. Revan did so through riddles, parables, and even just bluntly telling Joshua. Kraya would usually beat Joshua into submission. And Ahsoka would instruct Joshua in lightsaber combat, teaching him to be patient and disciplined with his blade.

During this time, he had even forged a new lightsaber out of parts he had found in the ancient Sith Academy. And much to the displeasure of Kraya and Ahsoka, it was a crossguard design. Both called it a very brutish design for a weapon. Joshua however, called it practical.

He smiled as he felt his hand brush against the hilt on his belt. He loved practicing with it. It was always so thrilling. But now was not the time for practice, now was the time for meditations. After all, this was the only way he could overcome the last barrier he had left in his training.

Joshua's eyes opened and he found himself in a completely black space. There was no light, no physical forms, it was just darkness. He had been here before, the first time was at the Eclipse gate back on Earthland over a year ago now. At the time, he didn't understand what this place was or why he was drawn to it. But it was revealed to him then who resided in this dark corner of his mind. And now, he was waiting for him to come and say hello again.

A dark shadow formed in front of Joshua, formless and fluid.

" _ **Hello… boy."**_ The shadow growled.

"Greetings Plagueis," Joshua's yellow eyes glanced around the dark space, "Lovely weather you're having today. Very sunny I see."

Plagueis growled and swept around Joshua, " _ **We do this same routine everyday. You enter my domain and attempt to restrain me. When will you realize that you will never have the power to do such a thing?"**_

Joshua calmly shrugged, "I dunno. I'm a stubborn person. After all, it took me my whole life to finally follow the will of the force."

" _ **The will of the force? Bah! You are no Sith if you listen to the force. A Sith does not listen, he controls! He breaks the force and molds it to his will!"**_

Joshua nodded, "And how did that go for you oh great Darth Plagueis the Wise?"

" _ **DO NOT MOCK ME BOY!"**_

"Do not underestimate me Plagueis." Joshua snarled back.

Joshua began to walk around the shadow. This was a first for him. He had never been able to move in Plagueis' domain before. But then again, before today he had always been very afraid of Plagueis. But the more he interacted with the Dark Lord, the more used to him Joshua became. It was almost like exposure therapy as Joshua faced his greatest fear everyday and in the end, he was emerging stronger than ever.

" _ **How are you moving?"**_ Plagueis asked.

"I do not fear you Plagueis. That is how. You don't have me in your grip anymore." Joshua stated, his blazing yellow eyes never leaving the shadow he was circling.

" _ **You still fear what I can do!"**_ Plagueis snarled, " _ **I can slaughter everyone you love."**_

Joshua stiffened for a brief second before shrugging and continuing to circle Plagueis.

"I won't allow that."

" _ **You cannot deny me!"**_

"But this is my body." Joshua said calmly, "You are just renting some space in my mind. And, as with all landlords, I have come to collect payment."

" _ **Payment? Boy, I will crush you!"**_

"I am a Sith!" Joshua barked, "Your threats have no substance behind them. Therefore, there is nothing to them. I won't cower before something that is barely in existence." Joshua stopped circling and glared at Plagueis, "Today is the day, Plagueis. Today… you bend to my will."

" _ **And if I don't?"**_

"Then I will imprison you forever."

There was silence. Then Darth Plagueis began to chuckle lowly. Joshua then felt Plagueis invade his mind. He instantly threw up his defenses to combat the Dark Lord of the Sith. He could feel Plagueis slowly crawling through his mind and attacking his defenses. Then his eyes widened as he felt the dark lord pull memories of Wendy and Erza form his mind. He twisted those memories and made it seem like Joshua killing them.

He had done this before. And every time, it was enough to make Joshua relent and retreat. But not this time. Joshua was determined that this time would be different. As the horrifying images passed through his mind, he kept muttering something under his breath.

" _ **What are you saying?"**_ Plagueis asked.

Joshua kept muttering under his breath. And this infuriated Plagueis.

" _ **WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!"**_

"Tave qy sekleti enil nun uzsit, Plagueis!" Joshua smirked at the shadow, "The Force shall set me free." The shadow withdrew from his mind, "I do not fear you or your illusions Plagueis. You have no power over me, not anymore!"

" _ **I will always have power over you! You were created to contain me! You were created to be my vessel!"**_

"No! I was created to be me and me alone! You do not belong." Joshua snarled, "I cannot expel you. I am not powerful enough and will never be powerful enough to do that. But I think it's time to make sure that you cannot harm those I love."

Ethereal blue chains sprouted out of the black ground and wrapped around the shadow.

" _ **H-How!?"**_

Joshua smiled widely as he watched the chains pulled Plagueis to the ground.

"I'll leave you alone to figure that out, Hego." Joshua smiled, using the Sith Lord's true name, "Have fun with this little puzzle."

Joshua opened his eyes once again and saw Revan sitting across from him, meditating as well. Then, Revan's ghostly eyes opened as well.

"Plagueis," Revan stated, "How has our old friend been, Joshua?"

He saw a wide grin of triumph cross Joshua's face.

"I did it." Joshua smiled before pumping his fist, "I DID IT!"

Revan grinned and nodded, "congratulations Joshua!"

" _WHO WOKE ME UP!"_ A shadow entered the dimlly lit room. The shadow of Darth Kraya.

"I think you'll be glad you woke up, Kraya." Revan said calmly before gesturing to Joshua, "Go ahead. Have a look yourself."

The shadow rushed up to Joshua and stared him in the face. She stayed there for a moment before nodding.

" _Very good, my apprentice."_ Kraya said, " _Very good. You have finally overcome your one great hurdle. The dark side is open to you, Joshua Scarlet."_

"Not quite Kraya." Revan said, "He is to be a Sith Lord after all. I think it's time."

Kraya growled lowly, " _He is not strong enough yet. Sidious will rip him apart."_

"But he will not be fighting Sidious alone. And I have a feeling we are out of time Kraya." Revan said, "The dark side of the force is moving fast. No doubt pushed on by Sidious. But I sense something else. Something far more dangerous is brewing beyond my sight. I can't pinpoint the origin."

Kraya's shadow swirled between Joshua and Revan.

" _Hmm… you may be right Revan. Besides, there is not much more we can teach him. He has learned how to be a Sith in record time."_ Kraya paused, " _He is to be the first in a new breed of Sith isn't he?"_

Revan nodded, "A line of Sith not beholden to greed or violence, but to the will of the Force." Revan stood tall in front of Joshua, "Kneel, apprentice."

Joshua instantly kneeled before Revan and Kraya.

"You are the first Sith of your kind Joshua. You are follow the will of force. You don't treat the force as a tool but as a friend, a comrade. And when those who attempt to disturb the force emerge, may your wrath and power destroy them without mercy." Revan placed a hand on Joshua's shoulder, "I think a name reflecting where you come from is more than suitable."

" _If you believe so, Revan."_ Kraya remarked.

Revan smiled then back away. Joshua suddenly felt power surge in him unlike any he had ever felt before in his life.

"Rise now... Darth Draconis...Dark Lord of the Sith."

 **And chapter! We are almost there folks. The Return of the Jedi is almost here! I'm so excited! I may just have to ignore sleep to write it! I can't wait! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	96. Chapter 96: Naboo

**Hello again everyone! Another day off from work which means another chapter for you all! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 96

The bridge was silent aboard the Executor. It was the night cycle for the immense ship, which means there was less crew awake and serving at the various stations that made the Super Star Destroyer run. The silence was perfect for thinking and meditating. The First Sister had her own personal chambers aboard the star destroyer for such things. But she found the windowless room she was given to be far from adequate. She preferred looking out at the vastness of space while delving into the force.

She was still very new to all of this. Her dives into the dark side were always very rough. It was never really a dive, but more of an ungraceful tumble. As if the dark side was not a natural thing for her to draw upon. And it frustrated her to no end. Mara Jade, Darth Vader, her master Darth Sidious, they could all draw upon the dark side so easily. Yet it caused her a lot of strain to be able to wield its terrifying power. So constant meditation for her was a necessity in order to strengthen her connection to the dark side of the force.

But that was not the only reason she was meditating. There was something that had been bothering her ever since her first mission against the rebels at the Jedi Temple. It prodded her mind relentlessly. Like a small child constantly nagging her with questions. That something had to do with the pretender, Joshua Scarlet.

She was told that he would be ruthless. That as a pretender he would be unable to control the dark side and would therefore aim to mercilessly kill her. And she had been prepared for such an outcome. What she did not expect was for the boy to refuse to fight her. The scarlet haired beauty replayed the battle over and over in her mind and found that in every moment of the duel, Joshua Scarlet did not attack once. His lightsaber was always kept close in a defensive position. The only time the pretender truly attacked was with his lightning, after she boxed him into a corner. And that lightning was not unrefined and raw. It was potent, focused, and powerful. She could still feel it crawling through her skin, burning her and shocking her till she could barely breath. And before she had lost consciousness, she saw tears in Joshua Scarlet's eyes. That was not characteristic of him. At least, that is what the Emperor told her.

Now, she knew he was her brother. That was revealed to her by her Master. But for some reason, she struggled to remember any significant moments with him. Every memory she had with Joshua Scarlet felt hazy, even tainted. And this disturbed her greatly. If she had a brother, why did she not have a clear memory of him. For that matter, those Earthlanders with the strange powers, they seemingly recognized her. They even called her by her true name. Yet she had no memory of them. All of these enigmas prompted her investigations into the dark side of the force as she searched for answers. But every time it was to no avail. The dark side refused her, time and time again.

She had a feeling that she was being lied to by her master. This did not surprise her. She had learned that it was the nature of the Sith to be deceitful. So she had expected to be lied to about many things. But she just couldn't understand why Vader and the Emperor would lie to her about her past. A past she could not remember at all. It made her absolutely livid, but she could do nothing about it. The First Sister was not a fool. She knew who her betters were in the Empire. And she knew that she could never best Darth Vader or her Master. They were simply far too powerful and far too in control of the dark side for her to even reach their heights. So she decided to remain content for now. Her answers would not come from the two Sith. She had a feeling, a gut feeling, that he answers would come from the enemy.

"M'lady." an officer said hesitantly, interrupting the First Sister's meditations.

The First Sisters crimson eyes slowly opened and she turned to look dangerously at the human officer who dared to interrupt her.

"W-we are receiving a transmission from the fleet in the Naboo system."

Her glare grew more dangerous. This was not something to bother her with.

"Th-the t-transmission-"

"Stop your stuttering and speak." The First Sister growled.

"The transmission says a rebel battle group is attacking the planet!" The officer barked fearfully.

The First Sister's eyes widened ever so slightly.

 _Correction._ She thought, _This was something to bother her with._

"Inform Lord Vader." The First Sister ordered, "Then take us to Naboo." Her gaze returned to the stars, "These rebels will be crushed for overstepping their bounds."

The officer did not move from where he was standing. When the First Sister turned to look at him again, she saw that he was trembling where he stood.

"Well?" she snarled, "Get moving."

"My Lady, if I may be honest. If I go with this kind of news to Lord Vader… he may end up killing me."

"Why?"

"Naboo is the Emperor's home planet."

The First Sister stiffened. She was not aware of that. This officer was correct in his assessment. Darth Vader would indeed be furious. It may be more prudent to deliver this information herself.

"Prepare to jump at Lord Vader's orders." The First Sister replied, "I will inform him of the situation myself."

"Yes my lady!" The officer said with a sigh of relief as she strode by him towards Vader's personal quarters.

….

Darth Vader's personal quarters were unlike any others that the First Sister had ever seen. Where Mara Jade and the Emperor had lavish personal spaces with expensive furniture and ornate decor, Lord Vader's personal room was much like her own. It had only necessary furniture that was neither hideous nor fancy. There were no thick rugs on the floor, no artwork on the grey walls. It was a dull space, devoid of personality. Only the rudimentary necessities were present, and the First Sister admired it. It showed how much Lord Vader had rubbed off on her since he began training her. Her own personal quarters were just as drab as his were, only they were much smaller.

The one major difference between the two however, was the large sphere in a room that was off to the left of Vader's personal living space.

It was his meditation chamber. Why he needed a meditation chamber, the First Sister did not know. Maybe it was the one piece of luxury Vader desired in his life. She couldn't blame him for that. As she stepped into the room with the sphere she could hear the sound of air depressurizing nearby.

 _Strange._ She thought.

Then the seam that ran along the circumference of the sphere cracked and the two hemispheres began to drift apart. For a brief second, the First Sister caught a glimpse of something inside of the sphere that made her blood run cold.

Vader was helmet-less. His dark helmet hovered in a holder above his head while his mask was attached to the helmet. For the first time, the First Sister caught a glimpse of what lay underneath the black armor. The skin on Vader's head was so pale, as if it hadn't seen any light for decades. He was completely hairless. And every patch of skin on his head was hideously scarred and deformed. The First Sister gulped and stayed completely still as the helmet descended onto the lump of scarred flesh that was Vader's head. She heard the seal hiss on and then the sphere opened completely.

Vader's seat turned to face the First Sister.

"What is it?" he growled, obviously displeased with his meditations being interrupted.

The First Sister steeled herself for what was about to come, "Lord Vader, we have received a transmission from the fleet over Naboo. Apparently, the planet has come under attack from a rebel cell."

Shockingly, there was no reaction from Lord Vader. Instead, he sat completely still, his arms resting on the armrests of his chair.

"Are you certain of this report's accuracy?"

The First Sister nodded, "The bridge verified it."

Vader was silent for another moment. But that silence spoke volumes to the First Sister. Over a year of training under the Sith Lord had allowed her to pick up on his few mannerisms. And this was not one of them. Vader was never one to silently sit and think about an issue. There was something else going on inside of his head that was making the Sith Lord hesitate.

"Jump to hyperspace. We will end this rebel cell." Vader ordered, his voice much quieter than normal, "Come to me when we have arrived."

"Yes, my Lord." The First Sister bowed as the chamber slowly sealed shut once again.

….

The Millennium Falcon lazily drifted through the empty space between systems in the mid-rim of the galaxy. Beside her, floated two X-Wing fighters. One was piloted by a young farm boy turned rebel general. The other was piloted by a petite, blue haired, Earthland wizard. Inside all three of the ships, one feeling prevailed… boredom.

"Ugh…." Levy groaned as she sat in her X-Wing having reread the same book for the third time in the past two days, "What are we even doing out here?"

" _Beats me."_ Luke replied as he piloted his X-wing on the other side of the Millennium Falcon.

" _You both know why we are out here."_ Leia scolded through the comm inside the Falcon, " _The Empire has become much more active in the outer rim. So much more active that the Mid-rim is actually considered safer for the moment."_

"But it's so boring!" Levy groaned as she shifted in her seat and adjusted her small helmet, "I mean… I could really go for some action. Any action! I don't care."

" _Levy, you shouldn't be wishing for a fight."_ Luke replied as he gently guided his X-wing.

"I doesn't have to be a fight." Levy replied, "I would love to find another good book to read. I've already finished the one I have. And I've reread it…. Nine times now! Nine! Do you have any idea how boring that is!?"

" _I admit…"_ Lando Calrissian's voice came over the comm, " _I could go for a little shore leave."_

"You just want to go and gamble." Levy smirked.

" _Ah… you know me too well Ms. Levy."_ Lando replied.

" _Trandosha is nearby. Maybe we could go there. I'm sure the Trandoshans could curb Lando's gambling habit."_ Luke grinned inside of his X-wing.

" _Yeah… I don't plan on conning one of those lizards."_ Lando said warily, " _It didn't go well the last time."_

"Oh really?" Levy chuckled, "And what happened last time you swindled a Trandoshan?"

She could practically see Lando wincing, " _I don't want to relive it. But it did involve me nearly getting disintegrated."_

"You only get into the best kinds of trouble don't you Lando?" Levy smiled.

" _Absolutely!"_ Lando replied enthusiastically. There was silence over the comms for a moment before Lando's voice came through again, " _Speaking of trouble. Sounds like there is some on Naboo."_

"Naboo? That's a heavy Empire world isn't it?" Levy asked.

" _Nowadays yes."_ Leia said, " _But in the beginning it was one of the most rebellious planets out there. But the Empire brought the Naboo to a heel very quickly, and it was brutal."_

" _Execution of the royal family and government. Elimination of Jedi on the planet. Concentration camps."_ Lando muttered, " _It was not a good time to be a citizen of the Empire on Naboo."_

Levy gulped, "That sounds awful."

" _It was. But you won't find any records of it unless you wanna risk the wild holonet in Hutt Space."_

" _I'd prefer to avoid Hutt Space."_ Luke said before bringing the conversation back to Naboo, " _So what is the trouble on Naboo?"_

Leia groaned, " _Apparently, one of our battle groups thought it had a winnable battle. But now they are pinned on the planet surface and are requesting aid."_

Levy shook her head. Whoever was commanding that battle group was an idiot. "Has anyone replied?"

" _Nope."_ Leia replied, " _Looks like we are the first to receive the distress signal."_

"So what should we do?" Levy asked.

" _It would be a good idea to avoid it."_ Lando advised, " _I don't think we'd be able to do much in that situation."_

Then Leia cursed over the comm, " _It's General Madine's battle group."_

" _Oh that kriffing idiot!"_ Luke groaned, " _He must've gotten cocky."_

"Ok, so again, what do we do?" Levy asked.

" _General Madine is someone we cannot afford to lose, unfortunately."_ Leia grumbled, " _He's the commander of Alliance Special forces, which means he knows a lot of secrets. We cannot let him fall into Imperial hands."_

" _So this is an extraction mission now?"_ Luke questioned.

"It would appear so." Levy stated, "Location of General Madine on the planetary surface?"

" _Decoding."_ Leia replied. There was silence for a couple seconds, " _He's holed up in Theed. The capital city."_

"How'd he manage to do that!?" Levy exclaimed.

" _Beats me."_ Leia replied, " _But this is going to be one dangerous mission."_

" _It's a good thing we got dangerous people to help._ " Luke replied, " _How are the dragon slayers?"_

" _Still motion sick."_ Lando remarked, " _I swear, they have lived on board the Falcon for over a year now and they are still not used to it!"_

"They never will be." Levy snickered before booting up her ship's small hyperdrive, "Alright… setting coordinates for the Naboo system. I'll see you all in Theed."

" _Roger, roger."_ Luke replied before he heard Lando laughing.

" _You just about gave Rex a heart attack."_

Levy laughed as well before punching her hyper drive. The stars became streaks of white light around her and she was soon jetting through hyperspace towards the small, swampy world of Naboo.

….

" _JOSHUA!_ " Wendy screamed at the top of her lungs before a fiery explosion engulfed the stone building she was hunkered down in.

A young man shot up from the soft cot on the cold stone floor. Sweat beaded along his exposed skin as his chest heaved up and down. Yellow eyes glowed like a fire in the night as he stared out at the small dark room that surrounded him. A cybernetic hand reached up and slowly wiped some sweat from his brow while he blinked himself awake. His other hand grabbed the thin sheets and tossed them to the side before he swung his powerful legs over the side of the cot and rose to his feet. With a clenched jaw, he rolled his muscular shoulders before walking out of the room and into the cavernous atrium of the ancient Sith Academy on Malachor. Even though he had a nightmare, he still had a routine to keep. As he stepped into the atrium he glanced left and right, almost like he was watching out for traffic, before turning right and beginning to sprint down the mile long atrium.

His bare feet pounded against the hard stone floor as more sweat rolled down his body. The wall at the end of the room was approaching fast. Within meters of the wall, he planted his right foot and turned left instantly. Superhuman agility and dexterity allowing him to make the hard turn without pulling anything in his legs.

These morning runs helped a lot for relieving the anxiety caused by his nightmares. Every time he would have one, Joshua would wake up and just run. Even though Revan had recommended meditation over physical exertion in order to contemplate the visions in his head, Joshua found it much more effective to talk to himself as he sprinted around the atrium. When it came to visions, he found that meditation just made the anxiety worse. It made his mind wander far too much, destroying any sense of focus and control that he had.

As he turned the third corner, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, a middle aged Togrutan woman calmly walking into the atrium. There was a slight limp in her walk as she entered, evidence of a serious injury she sustained when she was much younger. As Joshua rounded the last corner, the Togrutan watched him and waited for him to make the sprint over to her. When he finally, reached her, the woman smiled and pulled out a pouch of water from a sack she had slung over her back.

"How was the run?" Ahsoka Tano asked as she passed him the pouch.

Joshua took a deep breath before guzzling down the water, "Same as… always." he breathed before taking another drink, "It's always too damn dark on this planet. I swear I must look like the whitest being in existence at this point due to the lack of sun."

Ahsoka chuckled, "Humans and their sensitive skin cells. You can be so vain about your looks sometimes."

Joshua shook his head, "I just don't want to go see a sun and hiss when I lay eyes on it."

Again Ahsoka chuckled, "Fair point I suppose." She then knelt down on the cold stone floor and invited Joshua to join her. Joshua, as usual, declined. Instead, he opted for continuing his morning exercise as he proceeded to begin his first set of one hundred push ups.

Ahsoka simply took a calming breath before closing her eyes and beginning to meditate on the force. It was the same way every morning. Joshua would start his run before Ahsoka would show up. She would wait for him to finish his exercises before they began lightsaber practice. After that, Revan or Traya would arrive and instruct Joshua on the nature of the Force. On occasion, Revan would arrive during Ahsoka's lightsaber lessons and offer his own input, which was greatly appreciated by both Ahsoka and Joshua.

Normally, Ahsoka would pass the time by meditating. But for some reason, the force felt very disturbed this morning. So disturbed in fact, that it was near impossible to sink peacefully into it's depths. Like ocean waters in an intense storm, the force raged back and forth threatening to drown or repel anyone who dared to enter. Ahsoka had a decent idea on what may be causing this.

"Same vision?" she suddenly asked as Joshua was midway through a set of sit ups.

"Yup." Joshua grunted as he kept going.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"We already did." Joshua winced as he got into the higher number of repetitions.

"You still want to go."

Joshua breathed out the number two hundred before staying sitting up and twisting to look at Ahsoka, "Absolutely."

The Togrutan closed her eyes and shook her head, "It would be unwise to do that."

"It'd be stupid for me to leave them." Joshua replied as he started squatting in place.

"I get that they are your friends Joshua but-"

"And as I said before. You don't get it. They are not friends, they are my family. And they are all that's left of them." Joshua replied stiffly.

"You don't know that."

Joshua stopped squatting and turned to Ahsoka. Their conversations on this vision he had been having for the past week had never reached this point before.

"Do you think the Empire would spare a population of people who can wipe out legions of stormtroopers using crazy magical powers?" Joshua breathed as he placed his hands on his hips, "Because honestly I don't think so."

Ahsoka pursed her lips, "Nothing is certain, Joshua."

"But I'm damn certain of that." Joshua replied, "Do I need to remind you of the Geonosians? And they were far less dangerous than the people on Earthland."

Ahsoka bit her tongue before she could curse Revan for teaching Joshua how to debate so effectively.

"You are not ready yet Joshua." Ahsoka said honestly, "If you were to leave now, Sidious and Vader would destroy you."

Joshua smirked as he sat down beside Ahsoka and crossed his legs.

"Nothing is certain, Master Tano."

"Don't you throw that back at me!" Ahsoka cried in a rare moment of anger.

Joshua simply shrugged, "It's your philosophy. Not mine."

Ahoska rolled her eyes, "Get your lightsaber out already."

A wry grin appeared on Joshua's face as he stared at Ahsoka. The Togrutan instantly heared what was coming.

"Don't!" Ahsoka warned.

"That's what she said." Joshua chuckled as he jumped to his feet and requipped his crossguard lightsaber into his left hand.

Ahsoka groaned, "What are you… twelve?"

"C'mon! Let me have a little fun." Joshua smirked, "Dooku was anti-fun when I trained with him."

"I could be Tyrannus if you wanted me too." Ahsoka replied as she drew her two white lightsabers from within her robes.

"No you couldn't." Joshua held his lightsaber in the traditional Makashi starting form, blade pointing down and to the side as he faced his opponent, "You are way too Jedi too pull of an impression of him."

"He was once a Jedi you know." Ahsoka replied before Joshua charged at her and began to hack and slash at her defenses.

"Key word there is once." Joshua grinned before Ahsoka slashed at his shoulder. Joshua elegantly deflected the blow away before quickly twirling his wrist and swinging low at Ahsoka's knees.

And so the mock duel began. Joshua started with his preferred fighting form, a form that he was nearly a master at, Makashi. The elegant, fencing style seemed incompatible with his lightsaber at first but he had quickly learned how to adapt the form so that his lightsaber could be used to maximum effect. His crimson blade twirled and spun in his hands creating a whirlwind of red light that was precisely aimed and highly efficient. He had even incorporated elements of Earthland fencing into his fighting form, effectively creating a slight hybrid of Form II. He would lunge forward with quicky jabs at Ahsoka's shoulders, chest, and waist before pulling back and slashing at her limbs.

And when Ahsoka went on the offensive, Joshua was just as dangerous. He would instantly revert to form III, creating an impenetrable wall of red light around him. Then he would wait, patiently deflecting and dodging Ahsoka's flurry of slashes before she would slip up and give him an opening. And once he had that opening, the elegance and poise of Form II and Form III gave way to the pure aggression of Form VII. It was a deadly combination that quickly put Ahsoka off balance as Joshua flipped and twirled around her while delivering powerful strikes against her twin sabers.

He had grown so much as a duelist since arriving on Malachor a year ago. When he had first arrived, Joshua couldn't so much as touch Ahsoka. He was an impatient, raw, and instinct driven duelist who had difficulty breaking out of the basics of the lightsaber combat forms. But now, he was as fluid as water, as powerful as a rancor, and as fast as lightning as he drove Ahsoka back towards the wall. After several more moments, landed a heavy slash against Ahsoka's gaurd, bashing away her twin blades and allow him to knee her in the stomach.

Ahsoka felt the air leave her lungs as her body surged in the air before she felt the heat of a lightsaber slash through her arms. An intense stinging sensation ran through her limbs and made her own lightsabers fall out of her grasps as her muscles cramped up instantly. She had been beaten.

"That may have been your fastest victory yet." Ahsoka breathed, silently thanking the force that Joshua had remembered to put his weapon onto a low setting for training.

"I think it was." Joshua breathed before deactivating his own saber and helping Ahsoka to his feet.

Then, for the first time in the entire duel, the two noticed the blue spectral form of Revan watching from a distance. Joshua waved over at the master who merely nodded and waited for the pair to come to him.

"Well done." Revan praised Joshua as he walked over with Ahsoka, "I dare say you could best some of the Jedi of my time."

"And you could certainly beat a lot of Jedi from my time." Ahsoka breathed as she sucked in air, "I haven't been put on the ropes like that since I was a padawan learner."

Joshua just smiled and bowed before his two masters, "That's only because of your training, Masters."

"I think your the master over her now." Revan joked which prompted Ahsoka to roll her eyes.

"Sure he is." She replied.

Revan smiled softly before looking over at Joshua.

"How did you sleep?"

Joshua's smirk faded and he sighed, "How do you think?"

Revan's face turned grim, "Same vision."

"Exactly the same." Joshua replied as he stored his lightsaber into his requip space, "Master, I cannot ignore it. Not anymore."

"Draconis." Revan started, using Joshua's sith name, "You are not ready to leave yet. If you leave, you will only destroy yourself."

"So what do you suggest I do?" Joshua asked, frustration evident in his voice, "Let them die!?"

Revan was quiet for a moment, "Possibly."

"Would you have done that with Jedi Master Shan?" Joshua growled.

Revan's face instantly darkened, "Do not mention her name again, Draconis."

"Or what?" Joshua snarled, "Gonna hit me with your ghost arms? Revan, I know when something is a vision and when something is a warning. This is a warning."

"A warning against you leaving."

"BULLSHIT!" Joshua roared before pointing at Revan, "And you know it." Suddenly, Joshua felt his legs give out as a overwhelming presence entered his mind and began to storm about.

"Respect your elders, Draconis." The voice of Traya growled as her shadow entered the room, "You are throwing a tantrum like a small child would."

Joshua winced as he fought of Traya's presence from his mind, "You...are acting… like jedi!" Joshua snarled, "The… both of you!"

Revan and Traya remained silent while Ahsoka watched from the side.

"You… will… not." Joshua's eyes blazed crimson as he tapped into the raging waters that was the Dark Side of the Force, "SUBDUE ME!"

A massive pulse rushed through the force causing Ahsoka to stumble while Traya's shadow drew back with a hiss.

"I AM A SITH LORD!" Joshua roared, "AND YOU," Joshua pointed at Traya and Revan, "ARE TWO DEAD MASTERS WHO NO LONGER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE!"

Joshua slumped onto the floor and shook his head. Revan frowned while Traya's shadow billowed. But instead of punishing Joshua, Traya simply spoke.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall." Traya remarked, "Perhaps this vision is the will of the force. Who are you to deny it?"

"I have seen what happens if this vision were to come true." Joshua muttered before looking at Revan, "You… have seen what happens if this vision comes true. This is not just about me wanting to save those I love. This is about me staying sane at this point."

"You are already a dark lord, Joshua." Revan replied, "The future that Sanguine predicted is no more."

Joshua shook his head, "Maybe not that exact future. But the events are still taking place. Wendy and the others are on Naboo. And they are in pain." Joshua rose to his feet and glared at Revan and Traya, "Something you two need to realize is that I am a Fairy Tail wizard before I am a Sith Lord. Fairy Tail is family. Family looks out for each other. And no matter what, family never abandons each other when they are in danger. I will not leave them to die when I know I could've done something to prevent it."

"And you need to realize that you cannot leave without us letting you." Traya snarled, "You do not know how to pilot a ship anyhow."

"I'll figure it out then." Joshua snapped back, "It's the will of the force that I live long enough to balance it out right? So that must mean that I live through a flight to Naboo."

"You arrogant little-" Revan raised a hand to silence Traya.

"There is no dissuading you it seems."

Joshua took a deep breath before shaking his head, "Not on this one Revan. I have ignored this vision for too long already. I fear what may have happened already."

"And that is why you are not ready." Traya snarled, "You still have fear."

"Fear is what makes me human, Traya. It keeps me from becoming an absolute monster." Joshua snapped back, "It keeps me grounded to reality. Something the Jedi and the Sith both failed to do. So what if I still have fear. I'm still me."

Revan, Traya, and Ahsoka remained silent. Then Revan finally spoke once again after what seemed like an eternity.

"Once you leave here… you will be beyond our protection." Revan warned, "Sidious will undoubtedly sense you and your pull on the dark side. He will come for you. And he will come for everything you love."

"I will be there to greet him then." Joshua replied.

Revan nodded grimly, "Very well. This the path you have chosen."

"You can't be serious Revan!" Traya exclaimed.

Revan smirked, "Perhaps… this is the will of the force Traya. After all, who are we to know the true will of the force. Isn't it above our place to speculate the force's intentions for the future." Revan folded his arms, "A Jedi Master once told me, here in the afterlife, that we must live in the moment and follow our instincts. Only then are we truly following the will of the force. And while I find that difficult to fathom at times, I can see the point behind that line of thinking. So I bestow that wisdom onto you Darth Draconis. Live in the moment, follow the will of the force, and you will succeed. This is my last piece guidance for you before you leave this place."

Joshua gaze softened at Revan and he smiled before bowing, "Thank you for everything, Masters."

Traya's shadow shifted, "Just get the hell out of here before I lose my temper."

Joshua nodded at Traya before starting towards the Academies millennia old hangar bay. Behind him strode Ahsoka Tano. Just before the pair entered the hangar bay, Ahsoka grabbed Joshua by the shoulder and spun him around.

"Are you sure about this kid?" Ahsoka asked, "Two great masters have warned you against this after all."

Joshua sighed, "Ahsoka, I have never been more certain about anything before. This path is clear to me. And clarity is something that I like very much." The ancient doors rumbled open revealing an empty hangar bay with a lone light freighter in docked in the dusty bay.

"Do you know how to fly that thing?" Joshua asked.

Ahsoka shrugged, "We'll find out. But I know I'd do better than you."

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "You just keep rubbing salt in that wound." he grumbled before walking towards the ship, requiping into Sith robes as he walked.

"I have never known a Force Sensitive who sucks at flying before!" Ahsoka exclaimed as she followed behind Joshua.

"Just pilot the ship to Naboo please!" Joshua pleaded.

"Only after you admit it."

"Fine! You are a better pilot than me!" Joshua cried as the pair entered the ship.

"Not that." Ahsoka replied with a sly grin.

"Then what?"

"I need you to admit that I am a better swordsman than you."

Joshua's eyes widened and he snorted, "You wish."

Ahsoka shrugged, "Eh, worth a shot. Strap yourself in, we are going full speed towards Naboo."

….

Darth Vader stood silently on the Imperial shuttle as it quickly departed the Executor and rocketed towards the surface of Naboo. When they had arrived in orbit, the commanding officer of the fleet over Naboo briefed both the First Sister and Darth Vader on the situation.

Apparently, a small battle group of Rebel ships had entered orbit over Naboo and launched a dozen landing craft onto the surface of Naboo for some reason. Imperial intelligence was still trying to uncover the reason. But while intelligence scrambled through the normal channels for an answer, Vader used his own methods for discovering why the rebels were here. And that method was choking the Imperial captain until he revealed what was so important on Naboo that the rebels were willing to risk an attack like this on a major planet in the Empire. The result shocked Darth Vader.

The Rebels had intercepted intelligence on plans for a second Death Star. A death star that Darth Vader knew nothing about. A death star that only a select few in the Empire, including the Emperor, knew about. And it just so happened, that the plans on where the second Death Star was being built were stored in the Emperor's personal lodge here… on Naboo. They were under the highest possible security, with none other than Grand Inquisitor Mara Jade watching over them. And yet… a small rebel task force comprised of Bothans had managed to swipe the plans and were now trapped in the capital city of Theed. As soon as the Captain finished briefing Darth Vader, the Dark Lord separated his head from his shoulders and proceeded to order an immediate invasion of the city.

Then he began to search the force and found a presence that made his mood at least somewhat better.

"Skywalker is here." The First Sister breathed as the shuttle sped down towards the beautiful capital city of Theed.

"Yes…" Vader started as he stared down at the city, "Yes he is."

Emotions Vader had not experienced in years began to surface. Emotions that he thought were long buried. He saw the city not as it was now, a burning, smoking place of stone from the orbital bombardments he had ordered. No, he saw the city as he first saw it decades ago. A beautiful metropolis with lush gardens, sparkling fountains, peaceful canals. And-

 _No. That was Skywalker, not me._ Vader thought to himself, drowning the memories with hatred and anger.

The shuttle's wings folded and it slowly landed on the ruined battlefield that now made up the city of Theed. The ramp lowered and both the First Sister and Darth Vader marched off of the shuttle to greet the officer waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp.

"What is the situation, commander?" Vader demanded as he towered over the young imperial officer.

"My lord," The man said. The First Sister was impressed, he didn't stutter. But he was still deathly pale. Fear of Lord Vader manifested very differently for many people. But it was always the same fear. The fear of death itself, staring at them through the lidless eyes of Vader's mask, "The rebel force has suffered at least seventy percent casualties. However, they received a small reinforcement. Those reinforcements consisted of two Jedi as well as several outlandish looking people with powers we have never encountered before."

The officer took a breath before continuing.

"We have the rebels cornered at the far end of the city, near the mausoleums of the royal families."

Vader's head snapped down at the officer, "What?"

The officer gulped, "The rebels, they have taken refuge in one specific mausoleum. It is so well defended and perfectly positioned for them to hold us off while they formulate an escape."

"What mausoleum!?" Vader demanded.

The First Sister's eyes widened as she felt the fury of the Dark Side escaping Vader. The amount of raw hatred she was feeling right now was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It almost caused her to fall to her knees in pain as the dark side thrashed around her. She had never seen Lord Vader like this before. He was always so calm, collected, and with that came terrifying authority. But this… this was Vader on the verge of losing his composure. And it was far more terrifying than anything the First Sister had ever seen before.

"The Mausoleum of Queen Amidala, my lo-"

The officer was not allowed to finish as the Dark Side of the force crushed him until he was nothing more than red paste on the ruined ground. The First Sister felt her skin crawl and her knees knock as the Dark Side roared around her. Vader's head slowly turned to look at the First Sister.

"My priority…" He breathed unsteadily, "Is to retrieve the plans the rebels have stolen." He began marching with the First Sister at his side, "Your priority is to kill every rebel inside. Leave none alive."

"And Luke Skywalker?" The First Sister asked.

"I shall deal with him." Vader growled, "Beyond that, you will execute all in your path. No prisoners… no mercy… no exceptions."

The First Sister remembered the face of Joshua Scarlet crying as he refused to duel her at the Jedi Temple.

 _No exceptions._ she thought. _No exceptions…_

The Mausoleum was in sight now as the pair walked around blasted out craters and the bodies of both Bothans and Stormtroopers alike. It was a towering dome made of the pure white marble. Fire flickered around it and charred portions of the beautiful structure black. The fury of the dark side grew as Vader drew closer to the tomb of Queen Padme Amidala.

 _No exceptions… It will be done… after I get the answers I am searching for._

 **And chapter! Remember the battle of Naboo Darth Sanguine warned Joshua about. Here is this timeline's version of it! And Vader is beyond pissed in this version! Will Joshua arrive in time? We shall see. I'm so excited to write the next chapter! And don't worry. This is the last sorta arc before the Return of the Jedi, I promise! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	97. Chapter 97: Draconis Emerges

**Hello again everyone! Back with another chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 97

The situation on the ground in the city of Theed could be described in two words... cluster fuck. And it was rare for Princess Leia to curse that way, whether saying those words or speaking them. But this was a special exception.

When the Falcon and her two X-wing escorts had arrived in Naboo's orbit, they were immediately greeted by an Imperial Star Destroyer. Thankfully, Chewie and Lando knew the Falcon's capabilities and they were able to out maneuver the Star Destroyer and land in the swamps outside of Theed along with Luke and Levy's X-wings. After landing, they decided to move into the city in two teams, both led by either Kanan or Luke.

Luke's team consisted of the Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Chewie, R2, and Leia while Kanan's team contained Chewie, Rex, Gajeel, and Zeb. Lando, Happy, and Levy remained behind to protect Meldy and baby Kento. They also remained behind so that they could get the Falcon in the air at a moment's notice.

Kanan's team was simply the distraction. Their job was to draw the Empire's attention and drag as many stormtroopers away from General Madine's position as possible. As that was going on, Luke's team would slip through Imperial lines and reach General Madine, extract him and what was left of his men, before racing back to the Millennium Falcon. It was a simple plan. And in Leia's experience, simple plans were always the best. There was less that could go wrong with them. But as with any plan that involved a battle, something did go wrong. Horribly wrong.

It all started when they actually located General Madine. He was hunkered down in Theed's Mausoleum district. The area was labyrinth of catwalks and roads that meandered between massive marble structures that housed only the greatest of the Naboo's dead. And it just so happened, that General Madine had chose one of the most difficult tombs to get to as his place to refuge. In the short term, it was brilliant. The pathway to Queen Amidala's tomb was a single stretch of straight, paved road. There was no cover for anyone trying to make their way up the street and there were no offshoots. It was the perfect killing field for the Rebels. But when it comes to friendlies trying to reach General Madine, it was like crossing a field made of blaster fire.

It was only thanks to Luke's incredibly skills as a Jedi, as well as Wendy and Natsu sheer destructive capabilities that the small team was able to break through the stormtroopers and reach the charred marble steps of the Mausoleum. The stunned looks of the Bothan special forces as the team rushed up to them showed that General Madine's men did not expect any sort of rescue attempt to be made at all. But the mammalian creatures were quick to show their immense gratitude, and the sight of Luke Skywalker was enough to lift the moral of the exhausted soldiers.

A lieutenant strode up to Luke, ducking under some stray red streaks of blaster fire as he rushed up to them. He was a male bothan with long brown hair covering his body, although the fur was darker right now, showing that the poor creature was very stressed out.

"General Skywalker!" The Bothan cried with relief before nodding to Leia, "Your highness. We are glad to see you!"

"Likewise." Luke replied as they all crouched behind a marble wall, "What is your current strength Lieutenant?"

"Our fleet is outside the system awaiting our signal for pickup. We landed here with roughly thirty of us, including the General. We only got seven of us left."

"Seven!?" Wendy gaped.

"Ten are wounded, they are with the general and the doctor inside the tomb."

Leia looked over at the Sky Dragon slayer who nodded and sprinted inside the mausoleum.

"Can you take me to the General?" Luke asked as more blaster fire screamed over their heads.

"Yes sir! But I'm coming right back here afterwards."

Luke nodded then turned to Chewie, Natsu, Lucy, Leia.

"Keep the Imperials off of us. I want to figure out the situation before we get these guys out of here." Luke ordered.

"Gotcha!" Both Natsu and Lucy replied while Chewie barked his own acknowledgement. Leia simply started shooting at the enemy.

"This way sir!" The Bothan sprinted across the empty space between cover and the doors to the tomb. He quickly ducked behind a large marble pillar with Luke before the two raced into the blasted out doors of the tomb. As they entered, Luke could hear Lucy summoning one of her many spirits while Natsu bellowed a fiery roar.

The tomb was a cavernous circular structure, befitting of royalty. But it was also shockingly empty. Only a simple, stone sarcophagus rested in the center. The symbol of the Naboo was carved in stunning beauty into the stone while two pots of beautiful red flowers rested beside the sarcophagus. The only light allowed into the tomb was let in by a stain glass window bearing the image of the long dead queen. Luke glanced up momentarily at the stain glass window and was shocked by the image he saw. This queen was remarkably young when she died. And she must've been stunningly beautiful as well. He couldn't help but notice an uncanny resemblance to Leia as he stared at the window.

 _Strange._ Luke thought.

"General Skywalker."

Luke's thoughts were dragged away by the weary voice of General Madine as the older man strode up to him. The General looked exhausted. Large bags rested under his tired eyes while his hair was frayed. He had a slight limp in his walk and Luke noticed a bandage wrapped around his right thigh.

"Thank the force you arrived!" General Madine said wearily.

Luke nodded, "I'm just glad to see some of your men and you are ok."

"I wish we were in better shape." General Madine cast his eyes down to the floor before uttering a curse, "I thought this was worth the risk. I keep trying to convince myself it was."

"What was worth the risk?" Luke pressed.

Madine glanced back up at Luke before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a data chip.

"This."

Luke snatched it carefully from Madine's grip and stared at it.

"What am I looking at Crix?" Luke asked.

"That is plans… for a second Death Star."

Luke's blood froze in his veins as he stared at the seemingly harmless data chip. He recalled the first death star. He recalled arriving in the space where Alderaan once occupied with his friends Han, Leia, and old Ben. The destructive capability of the first death star was tremendous. And technically, that could be considered a prototype.

"A second death star?" Luke repeated, his breath shaking a little.

Madine nodded.

Luke shook his head, "You did the right thing Crix. But you probably should've brought more men."

"Well… I didn't think that is what I was going to find. All I knew was that we intercepted a transmission about a secret project on Naboo, located in the Emperor's private residence. Since the Emperor never leaves Coruscant, we assumed this location was not heavily gaurded." He glanced over at the wounded Bothans that Wendy was attempting to heal, "Force… I am a fool!"

"You can think about all this later." Luke said quickly placing a hand on the General's shoulder, "Do we know where this is being built."

The General shook his head, "I wasn't able to get that far in the data chip before we got hit. But… I do know one thing. It's almost finished."

Luke's eyes widened, "That's not possible. It took the Empire twenty years to build the first one."

"Well they must've found a damn good workforce for this one. Cause that data chip says it's almost operational."

Luke gulped and clenched his teeth together before taking a deep breath, "R2!" He handed the data chip to the small astromech who quickly stored it inside it's tiny, cylindrical body. Luke then looked back at the General, "Our mission now is to get out of here now. Got it?"

Madine nodded, "What's the plan."

Luke looked over at the blasted out doors and saw the stormtroopers retreating from Natsu and Lucy's lion spirit, Loke's, onslaught.

"We got Earthland wizards here. They can break through the lines. We have another team causing a big distraction too. The Falcon is docked outside the city. We just need to punch through the stormtroopers and get there."

Madine smiled as he looked outside and saw the stormtroopers falling back, "It looks like you are already doing a good job at that. Let's get going!" He nodded to what remained of his men, ordering them to help with the wounded. The others that could still walk or fight would have to move on their own. Thankfully, Wendy was here to help.

"Everyone ready?" Madine called.

"Aye sir!" His remaining men replied.

Madine nodded, "Let's get home."

"That may have to wait!" Lucy shouted before pointing into the smoke, "Look!"

Luke and General Madine peered into the dark smoke, not seeing what Lucy was seeing. Their hearts then stopped in their chests as they saw two figures clothes in black marching down the road towards the tomb. Luke recognized the taller one instantly.

"Vader." Luke breathed.

The air of optimism instantly died. Every soldier in the room was now certain that they were going to die. There was no defeating Lord Vader. And there was no escaping him. Not in this situation. Madine's pale face turned to Luke.

"What do we do now?"

Luke gulped and pulled out a hand me down saber that Kanan had given him. He ignited the blade and it glowed a pale blue in his hands.

"We stick with the plan. This may have just gotten a lot more complicated."

"Erza's here too!" Natsu shouted.

 _Kriff!_ Luke thought. Now he recognized the smaller figure walking towards them. It was the First Sister. One of the inquisitors that had been relentlessly pursuing him. And she was possibly the most powerful one, just behind the Grand Inquisitor Mara Jade.

"I can't take them both." Luke muttered.

Natsu gulped, "Leave Erza to me."

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, "The last time you fought her she beat you with one blow!"

"That was years ago now Lucy!" Natsu replied, "I'm stronger now."

"So is she!" The blonde shouted back.

Natsu grit his teeth, "You coming or not Luke!?" he shouted before charging at Vader and Erza, fists flaming.

"Damn him!" Luke growled before rushing after Natsu.

"LAY DOWN COVERING FIRE!" Madine shouted.

"NO!" Wendy called out, "They'll only deflect it back and kill us all." The Bothans stared stunned at the young woman, "Unfortunately, we can't do much in this situation. Lucy! Do you got anything that can help us out?"

Lucy gulped, "Virgo might be able to bore a tunnel for us to escape in. But that will take some time."

"Do it! That may be our only option at this point!" Wendy replied before returning to her work with the wounded Bothans.

Meanwhile, everyone else watched as Luke and Natsu charged at Vader and the First Sister.

….

Vader's cape rippled in the smoke filled wind as he strode towards the tomb of Padme Amidala. Beside him strode the First Sister, her black armor shimmering as the light of several fires dancing off of the perfectly polished metal plates. Both of their eyes were set on the two approaching figures. One held a sky blue blade as he ran after a pink haired man with flaming hands. The First Sister narrowed her eyes at the pink haired enemy. He seemed familiar. Was this yet another Earthlander that supposedly knew her.

She recognized this one as he drew closer. This was the fire wielding rebel who burnt several stormtroopers to ashes on Mon Cala. The temperature around her rose as he approached, fury in his eyes. The First Sister's lips curled into a small smirk. She had a feeling she was going to enjoy this fight.

"I'll handle the flaming fool." The First Sister muttered.

"Good." Vader replied before returning his attention to Luke Skywalker, who was quickly approaching him.

"EEERZAAA!" Natsu roared as he drew his fist back and jumped at the First Sister, " **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"**

Instinct took over for the First Sister and she quickly ducked beneath the wild punch. Instantly, her twin red lightsabers came to life in her hands. She could end this in one blow. Her smirk faded. She genuinely thought she was going to have some fun with this fight. But instead, this idiot charged headlong into her and that left him so exposed that she could chop him in half with just a flick of her wrist. And that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to swipe her sabers across her body and bisect the pink haired boy. But something stopped her. A memory. A fuzzy image in her head of a pink haired boy with a wide smile and a scaly white scarf. It was enough of a distraction to cause her to hesitate, allowing Natsu to quickly recover and flip over her sabers.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S TALON!"** Natsu's foot came thundering down and impacted between the First Sister's shoulder blades, sending her flying forward.

The Inquisitor skid across the stone road, her armor scuffing and scratching as she rolled along the ground. When she finally stopped rolling, she shook her head to clear the fog in her head. But that was all she had time for. As soon as she turned to face her opponent, she saw a fireball rushing towards her.

The First sister was just barely able to roll out of the way as the fireball rushed towards the tomb and collided with a marble column.

 _What the hell was that?_ The First Sister thought, _I had him! He was dead! What just got into me?_

"TAKE THIS!" Natsu bellowed as he charged at the First Sister and swung his arms. Whips of fire emerged from his arms, " **FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!"**

The First Sister snarled and held deactivated one of her sabers before reaching out with the force and shoving Natsu away before his wing attack could be completed. The whips of fire fell to the side around the First Sister, creating small walls of fire on the ground before the orange flames quickly died out.

 _They are cooler than before._ The First Sister observed, _He's holding back._ She glared at Natsu as he got back to his feet. _Why would he hold back?_

She pursed her lips and poked her head with the pommel of her saber before igniting it and charging at Natsu. She couldn't afford to lose her focus. Not with Darth Vader nearby. He would accept nothing less than total victory. And total victory meant death for this pink haired boy. Even if she knew him before, it mattered not. What mattered was her orders. And they were to be followed to the letter. As Vader said… no Exceptions.

….

The small freighter, burst out of hyperspace so close to Naboo's atmosphere that no Star Destroyer in orbit could hope to make the turn and stop it. Such was the recklessness that Ahsoka Tano flew her ships with. It was a trait she had picked up as a young padawan learner. And it absolutely terrified Joshua to no end.

"PULL UP! PULL UP!" Joshua screeched as he held onto his seat, his knuckles turning white.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka just laughed heartily.

"You wuss. This isn't even that close." She chuckled as trees nearly scraped the bottom of the ancient freighter.

"Flying is for droids, not maniacs like you!" Joshua shouted as he glared at Ahsoka.

"You know, now you remind me of a certain Jedi Master who had the same opinion of flying."

"Which one? Cause if it was yours, then it'd make sense. You're insane behind the wheel!"

Ahsoka laughed as Theed came into view. Smoke rising from the illustrious city skyline as they approached.

"No. My master was just as crazy as I am with a starfighter. No, the master I'm referring to is none other than the Negotiator, Obi Wan Kenobi."

Joshua blinked before he scowled, "I sound like him?"

Ahsoka nodded.

"Force! I'm on my way to being an uptight old man."

"HA!" Ahsoka laughed before her laughter faded as they flew over Theed.

There was definitely signs of a battle. Bodies lined the streets, mostly stormtroopers bodies, while several rebel bodies were mixed in with the white armored corpses. Joshua's face hardened before he closed his eyes and reached out with the force. His conscious raced down into the streets of Theed and wove through the stone streets until he reached the mausoleum district. There he saw two figures in black battling a pyromaniac and a young Jedi.

Joshua eyes shot open, "Left! NOW!"

Instantly, Ahsoka yanked on the yoke and the freighter banked left. Then she saw what Joshua had seen.

Fighting the middle of a long, wide road lined with fire was Darth Vader, the First Sister, Luke Skywalker, and Natsu Dragneel. The amount of debris in the street meant that there was no way they could land. But that wasn't about to stop Joshua. He could sense her here. Wendy was down there and Vader was almost on top of her. He was not about to let the future Darth Sanguine warned about come to pass.

"Put her down now."

"There's nowhere to land." Ahsoka warned calmly.

"Then land on top of Vader and crush him!" Joshua replied, "Force knows, it'll save me some grief if you did that."

Ahsoka glared at Joshua then smirked, "And you call me the crazy one. Alright! Crash landing it is!"

Joshua's eyes widened and his body began to tremble, "Wait what?"

Then the ship took a nose dive towards the dark lord.

….

Leia stared in awe at what she was seeing in the street. The fight between Natsu and the First Sister was dead even. Whenever Natsu landed a fiery blow, the First Sister would rise to her feet and launch a flurry of attacks back at Natsu, sending the fire dragon slayer sprawling on the ground. But the pinkette was nothing if not tenacious. He would shrug off whatever pain he was feeling, jump back to his feet, and continue to duke it out with his old friend. Neither one of them was giving an inch.

Meanwhile, the spectacle that was Vader and Luke's duel was incredible. Azure and crimson slammed into each other as their lightsabers whirled around their bodies. Sparks flew whenever their deadly swords clashed. For a little while, it seemed like Luke may be able to hold his own against Vader. Then she realized, that Vader said something to Luke that threw her close friend off balance. Next thing she knew, Luke was retreating as Vader began a furious assault. His lightsaber landed powerfully against Luke's defenses as the Jedi fell back.

Leia then heard Natsu cry out. The First Sister had scored a hit on Natsu with her lightsabers, gashing Natsu's chest and causing him to fall onto his back. Leia then whipped her head back to Luke, who was now backed up against the side of the street as Vader pounded against his now meager defenses. A pit formed in the princess's stomach as she realized a horrible truth, they were going to lose. They were all going to die.

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed as she watched the Fire Dragon Slayer fall wounded to the ground.

"I'll go get him!" Wendy shouted as she jumped out from cover and charged at the First Sister.

But just as she was halfway between the tomb and the First Sister, the first sister raised her swords. Leia's eyes widened in horror as a dozen of small metal objects began to appear in the air around the red haired woman. A golden glow enveloped Erza's body and her black armor was replaced by a silver armor with wings made of metal swords. Then the small metal projectiles in the air ignited. Twelve red lightsabers glowed brightly around the First Sister. The sight caused Wendy to falter and stare shocked at her old friend.

Every saber pointed directly at Wendy. The Sky Dragon Slayer gulped, her eyes widened as she realized her fatal mistake. She was exposed, without anywhere to run. The burning eyes of the First Sister stared directly at her own brown eyes.

"Dance my swords." The First Sister growled sweat beading down her forehead as she struggling to maintain control over the lightsabers.

The red blades rocketed towards Wendy, ready to impale her. And all everyone could do was watch. As Virgo desperately tried to bore a tunnel out of the city, Lucy screamed out Wendy's name in terror.

The blades were halfway to Wendy when out of nowhere, an ancient looking freighter slammed into the ground in front of the blue haired woman. All twelve red lightsabers buried themselves into the metal hull of the ancient ship. The impact was so sudden that it caused the Vader to stop attacking Luke and glance over at what caused the massive shudder in the earth.

Wendy held her breath, silently thanking the gods that a ship crashed in front of her. But then a question popped into her mind. Who was flying this hunk of metal? A loud hissing sound hit her ears and steam emerged from the ship as a ramp began to lower.

Her eyes widened in shock as she saw two figures emerge from the ship. The first was a Togrutan woman, possibly in her early thirties. Her head tails were blue and white in color while her orange skin was covered with baggy, tan robes. She carried an aura of calm that made the entire battlefield seemingly hush. Then Wendy saw the second figure.

Where the Togrutan woman projected peace and calm, this man carried an aura of wrath and power that made Wendy shudder. His body was covered head to toe in jet black robes while his face was hidden beneath a deep hood. She saw striking yellow eyes beneath the hood as the second figure turned to look at the Togrutan.

"Which one do you want?" The Togrutan asked him.

The hooded figure looked back at forth between the three stunned fighters, Vader, Luke, and the First Sister.

"Can you and Luke handle him?" He asked.

Wendy blinked. She knew that voice anywhere. Was it really!?

The Togrutan nodded before grasping two slender, silver cylinders from her hips. She held them in a reverse grip before igniting the lightsabers, revealing two white blades.

"Sure Draconis. Can you handle her on your own?"

 _Draconis?_ Wendy thought as the figure in black turned to glare at the First Sister.

She then saw a golden glow envelope the man's left hand before a T-shaped hilt appeared. Wendy's breath caught in her throat. It was him! There was no doubt about it now.

A red blade thundered to life. It wasn't unstable anymore like his old blade. This one was perfectly shaped and hummed, not crackled, softly in her ears. Wendy stared stunned as Joshua descended the ramp and turned to face the First Sister. Meanwhile, Luke retreated back towards the two newcomers and stared down Vader.

"She's my sister." Joshua said to the Togrutan woman, "I can handle her." His blazing yellow eyes turned to look at Wendy. The fury in them instantly softened and she saw a bright smile form underneath the hood, "Look at you." she heard him mutter under his breath before he spoke aloud to her, "Grab Natsu!" Joshua barked, "We'll buy you time to get out of here!"

"J-Joshua." Wendy breathed, unable to move at the moment.

Joshua grinned widely before nodding over to Natsu, "Flame brain needs some help." And just like that he spun around and charged at the First Sister.

….

The Emperor sat quietly in his favorite seat inside of his lavish office. His eyes were closed as he delved deep into the force. He felt the dark side of the force swell around him, obeying his every command as he demanded that it reveal it's secrets to him. He was greatly troubled right now. The vision of the man in a white toga and black coat still plagued his nights endlessly. His face was still unfocused and his location remained unknown. But Sidious was determined to discover everything about this enigmatic Sith Lord that so effectively evaded his sight. He grasped the Dark Side, forcing it to it's knees before demanding it bring clarity to the vision.

A small smirk formed on Sidious's wrinkled lips as the Dark Side of the force began to obey. The vision once again began to appear. He could see the location now. He could recognize the jungles of that world anywhere.

"Dromund Kaas." Sidious mumbled, "How interesting?"

The vision was coming towards the point where the mysterious man would be revealed when suddenly the dark side roared in fury. Sidious recoiled at the sudden noise that filled his senses. The vision he was seeing was ripped from his sight by the force causing a tremendous amount of rage to form inside of the Sith Lord. He quickly clawed at the dark side, demanding that the vision be returned to him. But instead of that vision, he felt something else enter the force. A second darkness emerged that cast a large shadow around Sidious. A shadow so large that it threatened to swallow him.

" _ **Sidious…"**_

His eyes saw his home planet of Naboo. More specifically, the city of Theed. Standing there, in the middle of the street was Luke Skywalker and… Sidious's eyes widened as he took in the figure in front of him. It was Joshua Scarlet but it also wasn't. The boy looked far more mature and seemed to carry an enormous amount of confidence that had been missing before. His eyes blazed Sith yellow while his left hand casually gripped a red, cross guard lightsaber. The boy held a command over the force that Sidious knew he didn't have the last time he saw him in a vision. Sidious quickly began to investigate when he heard that bone chilling voice again.

" _ **Sidious... Turn around."**_

Sidious slowly turned around and saw someone that made even his blood run cold. A tall figure stood behind him. Jet black robes covered his entire body and only blazing yellow eyes could be seen in the shadows of his hood. But Sidious could recognize this presence anywhere, and for the first time in decades, Emperor Palpatine felt genuinely afraid.

" _ **Hello… my foolish, apprentice."**_

Sidious gaped as he stared at the figure, "P-Plagueis?"

The figure laughed, " _ **Take a good look boy."**_ His former master nodded over to Luke Skywalker and Joshua Scarlet, " _ **There… those two boys. Skywalker and Lord Draconis."**_

 _Lord Draconis!_ Sidious thought as he stared back at Joshua Scarlet. The boy had been anointed as a Sith Lord. But by whom!? Did he give himself the title? No, if that were the case then the brat wouldn't be able to command the Dark Side like this. He was given that title by a true master. A pit formed in Sidious's stomach. Was the boy knighted by-

" _ **This shall be my revenge, boy!"**_ Plagueis snarled, " _ **Standing before you, are the two who will bring about your death."**_ Plagueis laughed lowly as the vision faded, " _ **Farewell, Sheev. And I wish you the best of luck."**_

Sidious's sight went black.

" _ **You will need it."**_

 **And chapter! Here we go folks! He's back and ready for action! And we are nearing the home stretch now folks after this next chapter we will begin the ROTJ arc. And I am sooooo excited!**

 **Now…. I also need to address something real quick. A while back, I said I was considering combining this story with two others. I have read the other two stories and thought long and hard about combining them, even thought of a few scenarios to start. But… I don't think it's gonna work.**

 **Mostly this is my fault. I do no think it would go well in the end. Firstly, I know next to nothing about Bleach, Warcraft, and the various other aspects of the stories. THe one thing I do know somethings about is Halo. I just don't think I'd be able to create a great story out of it all. I feel like The Dark Fairy works best as it's own thing. It's already a massive story on it's own and I think adding in two more massive universes will clutter everything and just make a mess in the end. I don't know nearly enough about the lore of the other two stories to be able to do such a crossover justice and I don't want to ruin the works of other authors by taking that on. I'm sorry I didn't break this news sooner, but I wanted to take my time and think this over and in the end, that is what is going to happen. I'm sorry if you guys are disappointed. Believe me, I am a little disappointed too. But in the end, I think this is best for all the stories that were gonna be involved.**

 **Ok? Ok. Now that the breakup is over, I just wanna thank you guys for reading this story. As we near the end I can only be amazed by the amount of support and love I'm getting from you guys. It is really awesome. So thank you! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'll have the next one posted soon! Have a nice day!**


	98. Chapter 98: A Knight Falls

**Hello everybody! Had some spare time on my hands so I got to writing. Here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 98

His interrogations of the various Sith Priests that resided in the Sith Temples of Dromund Kaas had been very enlightening. In a short span of time, not only had Zeref discovered who the two Sith Lords were that took the information he was desperately searching for, but he also learned of their capabilities. And, if Zeref were to be one hundred percent honest, he had a tremendous amount of doubt in him. This was one of the few instances where he was not certain he could win in a pitched battle. At least, he wasn't sure he could win on his own.

As he strode towards the small spaceport that occupied Dromund Kaas's main settlement, his mind became occupied as he ran through the information he had uncovered about the two Dark Lords, Sidious and Plagueis.

Darth Sidious was the apprentice. So he was the weak one in the pair. But the powers that he had learned this apprentice possessed still disturbed him greatly. He didn't remember any apprentice level dark lord being able to conjure lightning at will when the Sith were present on Earthland. That ability was available only for those who had great mastery over the Dark Side of the force. Either that, or they were so attuned with the dark side that it just came naturally to them, as was the case with the young boy he had met long ago on Tenroujima. So if the apprentice was that strong, then what about the master?

Now, Zeref was fully aware of the rule of two. After all, it was through that rule that he came to be Darth Ramage's second apprentice when the dark lord arrived on Earthland. He knew that this rule of succession allowed for new Sith Lords to be tremendously more powerful than ones before. So he attributed Sidious's immense power in the Dark Side with the fact that his master must be doubly as powerful. And that caused Zeref some concern. As he delved into the library of facts and information he had in his mind. He brought to mind every piece of information he gleaned from the residents on Dromund Kaas and began to piece together an image of his enemy.

Sidious it seems was a shorter human, not athletically built at all which allowed him to easily deceive his victims into thinking he was weak. An insidious way of ensnaring someone. Zeref smirked. This Sith Lord was aptly named. Plagueis however, was much more of an enigma. While Zeref could feel Sidious' pull on the dark side, Plagueis' influence was strangely very insignificant. It was like comparing a shout to a whisper in the force. Curiosity welled up in Zeref as he recalled this revelation he had learned in his meditations. He knew full well, that a whisper could end up being far more powerful than a shout, depending on how precise and sharp that whisper was. This made Plagueis far more dangerous in Zeref's book because the enigmatic dark lord was a complete unknown. His only information on him was his physical appearance. He was a Muun from the planet Muunilist. And that was it.

Zeref frowned as he neared an imperial shuttle with an anxious pilot waiting beside it. He would have to meditate on Plagueis more later. But the unknown was irritating him. It was a risk he didn't like. And he couldn't afford to take risks. Not when it came to such a goal as finally disobeying the gods and dying.

His eyes darted over to the imperial pilot as he stood from his seated position on a crate.

 _He remained after all._ Zeref thought with a small smile, _I will have to reward this one. He will be allowed to live… yes, that is a fitting reward for loyalty._

"Master." The pilot bowed as Zeref approached.

"Pilot."

"I was anxiously awaiting your return."

Zeref nodded, "I'm very glad you did. You shall be rewarded for such loyalty. It is a rare quality to have." Zeref motioned towards the ramp and he walked alongside the pilot into the belly of the imperial shuttle.

"My lord, where is it you wish to go now?" The pilot quickly asked as he sat down in his seat and primed the engines for take off.

"I wish to go home now." Zeref replied, "I have learned all I can here."

The pilot nodded and the shuttle roared to life before slowly lifting off of the ground.

"If I might as, my lord." The pilot began as he briefly glanced over at Zeref, who was sitting in the copilot's seat, "What is it that you learned in this place?"

Zeref smirked, "A great many things, pilot. But the most important thing is, I learned that there was once a Sith Lord that found the way to cheat death. And I learned that the rest of the information needed about him is in the possession of two Sith Lords, Sidious and Plagueis." Zeref took a breath, "And I may not be powerful enough to defeat them on my own."

The pilot raised an eyebrow, "So what will you do now sir?"

Zeref sighed, "I may not look it pilot, but I am an Emperor back on my home planet. And… I have powerful soldiers in my ranks. Very powerful soldiers." The wheels in Zeref's head began to turn. "Perhaps with their help, I can destroy these Sith Lords and obtain the information I need."

The pilot nodded but then pursed his lips, "But how will you draw the Sith Lords out."

Zeref smirked, "I am under the impression they rule this galaxy currently. And they just recently 'conquered' my home planet. Nothing upsets a ruler more than open rebellion. Especially if that rebellion will be as organized as mine. The conflict will draw them out. And when they are exposed I shall eliminate them and obtain the holocron of the infamous Sith Emperor."

The pilot smirked as he guided the ship out of Dromund Kaas's orbit and pivoted the nose to face the direction of Earthland, "There are a lot of Emperors in this galaxy it seems."

Zeref nodded, "Far too many."

The stars became streaks of white light and the Imperial Shuttle disappeared into hyperspace.

….

The distraction team was pinned down in a cramped alleyway as stormtroopers ran at them in waves. Rex, Chewbacca, and Zeb were firing away with their blasters, doing everything they could to keep the Empire from overrunning them. Gajeel was taking a much more up close and personal approach to the battle, rendering the stormtroopers blaster useless as he got in close and hammered away at their armor with arms made of iron. Meanwhile, in the middle of the massive firefight was Kanan Jarrus. He was swinging his sapphire lightsaber in wide, deadly arcs as he deftly deflected blaster bolts away from his friends and back at the enemy. At the rate this was going, Rex figured it was going to be a tough fight, but definitely a winnable one. As long as they had Kanan and Gajeel, they could easily hold their own against these poor excuses for stormtroopers.

Suddenly, the stormtroopers stopped charging and mad cackling sounded out over the street. Kanan stiffened while Rex felt chills run up his spine. It was her. It was the Grand Inquisitor. He watched as Kanan turned to face the deadly Mara Jade as she charged headlong at the blind Jedi.

The ensuing duel was insane for Rex to watch. He had seen Jedi fight before, but it had been a good many years since he had seen a Jedi battle a dark side user. But as he watched Kanan battle Mara Jade, he couldn't help but grin widely. Kanan was besting her. His lightsaber work was fluid, elegant, and refined whereas Mara Jade's was brutish, rigid, and raw. Her strikes contained plenty of power but she had no clue how to focus that power into precision. Rex could clearly see that. And Kanan was using that to his advantage.

He was easily deflecting her slashes and chops while sidestepping any flips or kicks she attempted to around him. While Mara was being excessively flashy in her fighting, Kanan was being very simplistic. And it was working to absolute perfection. Soon, Kanan Jarrus had Mara Jade on the defensive as the exhausted Grand Inquisitor reeled from Kanan's flurry of strikes.

The two engaged in a blade lock. Both glared at each other, Mara Jade staring with hatred while Kanan calmly stared back at her. Rex saw Zeb step out from cover and try to fire a shot at Mara Jade. The shot missed wide. Before Rex could shout at Zeb to get back, he saw Mara Jade smirk at Kanan. The woman shoved Kanan's blade aside and made an impossible leap towards Zebb. She reached back with her lightsaber, ready to impale the Lassat on her blade.

"NOOO!" Kanan shouted as he rushed up behind Mara Jade.

Then it happened. Mara Jade's lips curled into a sinister grin. She reversed her grip and shoved her lightsaber backwards. Zeb's mouth fell open in horror while Rex grit his teeth and uttered a furious war cry before blasting away at the inquisitor. As Kanan's lightsaber dropped to the ground, Mara Jade yanked her lightsaber free and began to laugh madly as she deflected blaster bolts away from her and back towards Zeb, Chewbacca, and Rex.

"HAHAHAHA!" Mara Jade laughed, "Another dead Jedi!" She deflected more blaster bolts before being blindsided by a tornado of iron shrapnel.

Gajeel roared furiously as he charged at Mara Jade. He caught her off balance and was about to bury his iron clubs into her head when she back flipped out of the way and waved to them all.

"I won't soil my hands with the rest of you. You aren't worth my time." She nodded at the stormtroopers, "Finish them." She then glanced up at a freighter crash landing towards the city, "I have others to go greet."

While Gajeel roared in frustration, Mara Jade raced away, laughing the entire time. Her first Jedi kill was undoubtedly the sweetest.

…..

The First Sister was definitely not expecting something to fall out of the sky and stop her sabers from killing the Earthlander in front of her. And she almost certainly did not expect the two people to come stepping out of the crashed freighter. The first was a Togrutan woman with a slight limp in her gait as she strode down the ship's sparking ramp. The second figure that descended the ramp was what drew the First Sister's attention. And apparently, she had drawn his attention as well.

The figure clothed in robes black as the night sky turned to face her. His yellows eyes burned like a brilliant sun as he stared furiously at her. The gaze was enough to make chills run up her spine. Fury burned inside of those eyes. And that fury was directed entirely at her. She then saw an intriguing crossguard lightsaber thunder to life in his left hand before the hooded figure charged at her.

His speed was incredible. In the span of a few seconds, he covered the distance between himself and the First Sister. As soon as he drew close, the First Sister raised her twin lightsabers and caught a vicious slash at her chest.

The brute strength behind the attack made her right leg buckle, forcing the First Sister to drop to a knee in order to maintain her balance. As sparks danced from their red lightsaber cores, she glanced up to see the face of her new opponent. It took her a moment before she finally recognized who her new enemy was.

He looked somewhat older than he did before. His face was covered in dark stubble showing that he hadn't bothered to groom himself for a little while. Long brown hair ran down from the crown of his head to the bottom of his chin. The eyes blazed a brilliant yellow with flecks of crimson hidden deep inside the irises. It was like she was looking into a fresh lava flow. Unlike her master, whose sith eyes held a cold fury to them that made her tremble like she was inside of a freezer, these eyes burned like a wildfire.

His signature in the force was far different from when she first did battle with him. Before, his presence was dark but not menacing. Not in the slightest. If anything, his presence was dark but timid. As if he was terrified of his own abilities and did whatever he could to prevent himself from unleashing them. But now, his presence was absolutely overwhelming. Power radiated from the man as their blades locked together. The darkness he generated had a strange warming quality to it that felt incredibly foreign to the dark side of the force. Even while sensing his force signature, the First Sister could not discern who this dark robed man was.

It was only when she saw the sorrow in his eyes that she finally got a clue as to who she was fighting. Only one person ever felt sad when battling her. And that person was the pretender, Joshua Scarlet. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that it was Joshua Scarlet that she was dueling with. As their blades slid away from each other, her mind was reeling as she tried to figure out how this brat was able to grow so powerful in such a short period of time. But she barely had time to find the answer to this question when she was quickly put on the defense by elegant swipes from his lightsaber.

It took all of her skills with a lightsaber to deflect or dodge the rapid swipes and chops from his lightsaber as he displayed expert knowledge of Makashi. It was almost like he was dancing in front of her while she was stumbling about like a drunken idiot. Her movements were clunky and off balance, no doubt further amplified by how exhausted she felt. Using her heaven's wheel technique combined with lightsabers had drained her far more than she thought. It was strange. She swore she was powerful enough to be able to handle such strain. But as she used that ability, she also felt like her own powers were resisting her. As if using the dark side was not a natural thing for her. This made no sense in the First Sister's mind. She was battling her brother right now, and he was a dark side user if there ever was one. So how could it be that she was unable to fully command that same power?

She blocked a high slash before jumping away from an immediate thrust at her arm. It was only now that she realized, he wasn't aiming for a kill.

He was aiming only to maim her. But why? Again, thoughts of her battle with Joshua at the Jedi Temple plagued her mind. He refused to fight her seriously then, and it appears he was doing the exact same thing now. But why? WHY!? Was he merely toying with her? Treating her like the insignificant force user that he clearly thought she was. If that was the case, he was in for a very shocking surprise.

Their lightsabers clashed together between their bodies. Red light glowed brightly as the sabers jockeyed for leverage in front of them.

"I admit Erza." Joshua finally spoke for the first time during this duel, "You've gotten good with a lightsaber. I don't think many would be able to last as long as you have."

The First Sister's face twisted in anger, "You are very sure of yourself aren't you?"

"Of course." Joshua replied as he broke the blade lock and easily dodged several of the First Sister's slashes before engaging her in another blade lock, "I wouldn't be a Sith if I wasn't sure I could destroy anyone who opposed me."

"Arrogant prick." The First Sister growled.

"Says the one picking a fight with someone far beyond their skill level." Joshua smirked back before twirling his lightsaber and quickly slashing one of the First Sister's lightsabers out of her hands. The smoking hunks of metal that remained of the hilt clattered to the ground.

He had her completely off balance. In one stroke, he would have severed her weaponless left arm from her body and end the fight. But instead he simply backed away and waited for her to recover. She grit her teeth in fury. Not only because she felt like she was being used as a simple plaything, but because she could not understand why he refused to strike her down. This was going against everything her Master told her about her brother. Again! The rage she was feeling at being left in the dark over what was going on made her roar in anger. She then quickly called her dozen lightsabers out of the smoking hull that remained of the crashed freighter and launched them at Joshua.

When she did this at the Jedi Temple, his eyes had widened in surprise and fear. But this time, he simply smirked and nodded at her, as if he was somewhat proud of her. What he did next made the First Sister's jaw fall open.

His lightsaber moved so quickly that not a single one of her blades could remotely touch him. Sparks flew around him as he spun and ducked, his lightsaber moving so smoothly through the air that it barely looked like he was even trying. The amount of focus doing something like that required was unbelievable. And soon, the First Sister realized that an attack like that was going to be useless. After all, her strength was already waning considerably. Her breathing was ragged and her body felt weak. If she kept up that attack for much longer, she wouldn't have the energy to finish this fight. So she opened her requip and sent the lightsabers packing. Then she decided that now might be a good time for a new approach to the battle.

She had been on the defensive this entire time. A situation that she was not very used to. She preferred to be on the attack. She preferred to be the aggressor. And she had just the right armor to do that. Well… it wasn't exactly armor, but it would certainly work. Her body was enveloped in golden light before her heaven's wheel armor was replaced with red baggy pants with a flame pattern as well as bandages that covered her chest. Her hair was now held up in a high ponytail. Her left held gripped a razor sharp katana while her right still grasped her ignited lightsaber. She swiftly pointed the two at Joshua and growled.

"You shall die here!"

Joshua knew he should feel afraid when he saw Erza don her Clear Heart clothing. It was the "armor" set that she used when she wanted to finish a battle on her terms. It got rid of all defensive spells and charms. This armor's sole focus was all out attack. As she charged at him, Joshua caught a glimpse of scars running along her pale skin. They were shaped like branches of lighting. His grin disappeared as he realized what that meant. Sidious had electrocuted her. Sidious had tortured her, and Vader probably did as well. All so they could forge her into a mindless weapon that they could cast aside once her purpose was served.

Hatred burned inside of Joshua against the two Sith Lords for doing this to his beloved sister. The snarl on her face, the wounds on her body, the anger and hatred in her eyes was so unlike her. It was a blasphemy of what she had been. And it sickened Joshua to his core to see her like this. To see her living with so much pain and fear. He had once promised to himself that he wouldn't let anyone else follow the path he had chosen, yet here was his sister, falling into the same trap that he had so long ago. And unlike him, this path of darkness was not meant for her.

With razor sharp focus he slipped into Soresu's defensive posture and began to deftly deflect Erza's furious slashes and stabs from both her lightsaber and force infused katana. He could see the anger building in her as she beat against his near perfect defense. The futility of her strikes were quickly becoming apparent to the red head, and that only made her angrier.

"WHY DON'T YOU ATTACK!" She bellowed furiously as she landed three heavy chops against Joshua's blade before he hopped back to gain some distance from her. The First Sister quickly closed the gap and sent her Katana thundering down at his head.

Her eyes widened in shock as he deactivated his lightsaber and sidestepped her wide swing, causing her to stumble forward. The First Sister caught herself after several steps before turning and glaring furiously at him.

"What are you doing!?" She snarled, "You claim to be a Sith, yet you refuse to attack me? You refuse to strike me down even though I won't hesitate to do the same to you?" She twirled her lightsaber before charging at Joshua again.

He didn't draw his lightsaber. Instead he shot towards the First Sister and used his hand to deflected the First Sister's arm upwards so that her slash missed by a hair's breadth. He then gripped her right arm with his cybernetic left hand and squeezed it so hard that her hand involuntarily let go of her Katana.

"I don't attack you." Joshua said quietly, "Because if I did, there would be nothing left of you."

"Obviously." she growled, "It's clear you weren't boasting earlier."

"No, I don't mean it like that." Joshua replied before grabbing her lightsaber and wrenching it from her grasp. He quickly tossed it away, "If I attacked you, it would only mean that my sister was truly gone. And I don't think she is. I refuse to believe she is."

The First Sister raised an eyebrow. What did he mean by that? Was he speaking nonsense to her right now.

"Erza, you may not remember it. But you are one of the most loving people I know." His yellow eyes stared straight into her own, "This isn't you. This path you walk was not meant for you. If you continue you will only destroy yourself. I want to keep that from happening." He held out his right hand, "Come with me Erza. Come home."

Again, just like at the Jedi Temple, he extended an open hand to her. She stared at Joshua's face and didn't see any deception or deceit. Instead, all she saw was concern and love coming from him. But that made no sense. He was a dark side user, he was supposed to be like Vader, or her Master, or even Mara Jade. He wasn't supposed to be like this! She should strike him down where he stood. She could hear a voice in her mind urging her to do so. Just draw her lightsaber and run him through without alerting him. It would be a mercy compared to what the Emperor would do to the pretender anyways.

But instead, the First Sister found herself hesitating. Then she felt a shaky hand begin to move towards Joshua's. A small memory burst forth in her mind. It was of her and Joshua when he was just a rowdy ten year old. She was dragging her into the Magnolia town hall where she had a surprise for him. Her face softened as she recalled that day. The day she gave him his last name. It was one the happiest days she could remember.

Was this what was being hidden from her. Her entire life was being smothered by something that she could not pinpoint. As she desperately tried to cling to the memory she felt the dark side of the force roar to life inside of her and send her mind reeling. Pain ripped through her head as she felt her master's angry presence take hold and wrench the warm memory away from her. She stumbled backwards away from the Joshua's outstretched hand, her own hands now clutching the sides of her head. She could hear her Master's voice in her head, speaking words filled with venom. It made her shake with fear. If she dared to disappoint or disobey him, death would be a mercy he could grant, not the ultimate punishment. Her body shook as she heard him in her mind.

"Erza?" Joshua narrowed his eyes as he felt the second presence in her mind. But just before he could rush in to help her, he sensed a new danger approaching.

"DIE! SCARLET! DIE!" A fiery haired woman screamed as she swung a red lightsaber at his neck.

Within an instant, Joshua's lightsaber came to life in his hands and he quickly caught the attacker's blade. He turned his head to look at his new opponent. It was the Grand Inquisitor, Mara Jade.

"I didn't think you'd be here too, Mara Jade." Joshua growled, his entire demeanor changing to burning fury, "It seems to me that you are another weakling I need to take care of."

"I am not so weak anymore, Scarlet." Mara Jade growled, crimson eyes blazing as she relished in the dark side of the force, "Just ask Kanan Jarrus. That is… if he's still alive when you reach him."

Joshua's face hardened and he gave Mara Jade a deadly glare, "What did you do to him?"

"I only humiliated him just as he humiliated me oh so many months ago. Although, this humiliation may be a little more permanent than my own."

Joshua quickly stretched out with the force when he heard this. He searched for Kanan's presence and quickly found it. The once bright light that was Kanan Jarrus was beginning to fade. Joshua clenched his jaw and glared angrily at Mara Jade. He could feel her presence as well. She wasn't lying. She had become far more powerful in the past year. But she was growing mad with power. Unlike Erza, who was clumsily using dark side of the force, Mara Jade was bathing in it like it was water. And the madness that was the dark side of the force was consuming her. It was drowning the once calculating and rational Mara Jade and replacing it with an insane, power driven, monster. Someone like that was dangerous and had to be put down, fast. But it also stirred pity inside of Joshua. This was someone who knew nothing about the dark side and had descended to bath in it, unknowingly surrendering all their free will to it's clutches. She had become a slave to the dark side. And in a way, this saddened Joshua.

He was tempted to put her out of her misery there and then. To just swing his lightsaber so quickly that she wouldn't be able to dodge. With one slash, he could end her madness. But before all else, Joshua was a Fairy Tail wizard. And for the first time in his life, he wished to adhere to what made Fairy Tail special. They held all life precious, even the lives of their enemies. As Master Makarov always said, enemies can one day become the greatest of friends. He only had to look at Galen Marek to know what Makarov said was true. And something in the force warned him against killing her. Why was not something he needed to know? But he got the sense that the force was not yet done with Mara Jade.

"You're lucky Mara, I'm in a forgiving mood today." Joshua snarled before corralling the force into his right hand and launching a massive force push at Mara Jade. The fiery haired woman flew backwards and smacked her head into wall, losing consciousness instantly. He then turned to see Ahsoka and Luke engaged in a heated duel with Vader, a duel they were barely holding up in.

"AHSOKA!" Joshua shouted.

The Togrutan was able to gain just enough separation from Vader to look at Joshua for a brief moment.

"We need to get out of here! Now! Kanan is in trouble!"

"Kanan!" Luke exclaimed while Ahsoka searched for Kanan in the force and felt his fading life force. She swiftly nodded over to Joshua before looking at Vader.

"I apologize, but we will have to finish this later. LUKE!"

Both she and Luke pulled back their hands and combined their strengths to create a massive force current that launched Vader far down the street, stunning the Sith Lord.

Meanwhile, Joshua was already rushing up to Wendy and the others. When he arrived, almost no one recognized him. But they were more than willing to go along with him and follow him and the mysterious Togrutan jedi away from the Mausoleum while Vader, The First Sister, and Mara Jade were still attempting to recover.

As they raced down the open road and away from the battlefield with General Madine and what remained of his forces in tow, Wendy rushed up beside Joshua.

"What's the plan?" She asked.

"Find Kanan then get the hell off this rock."

Wendy nodded, "And how-"

"General! Call your fleet now!" Joshua barked.

"But they will be ripped apart by the super star destroyer!" General Madine protested.\

"Not with Vader absent. Without Vader, it is just another star destroyer going up against a rebel fleet. Call them!"

Madine was about to snap back at this random man who just so happened to appear out of nowhere when he saw the deadly glare both Lucy and Leia were giving him. He sighed and quickly commanded his small fleet to jump to Naboo.

"Where is the Falcon?" Joshua asked Luke.

"In the swamps just outside the city." Luke replied as they turned a corner and raced down another street, himself, Joshua, and Ahsoka deflecting blaster fire back at Stormtroopers as they ran.

"Ahsoka! Take the others there, me and Luke will meet you at the Falcon."

"Draconis-" Ahsoka started.

"The fight is over today, Ahsoka. What's more important right now is escaping. The General here has got something important. That much I can sense given his alarming amounts of anxiety. So, to help curb that, General, you will fly on the Falcon until we are away from Naboo. Now move it! We will get Kanan and the others and meet you there. If we do not arrive in twenty minutes, take off. Cause that would mean Vader will have killed us."

"Don't speak like that!" Wendy snapped.

"Just giving you some warning." Joshua sighed before nodding to them all as they neared an intersection, "GO!"

The three force wielders took down another squad of stormtroopers before they all separated.

….

Joshua and Luke raced through the burning streets of Theed. They could sense it, they were very close to Kanan's location. Their feelings were only confirmed when they began to see piles of stormtroopers in the city streets. Both Joshua and Luke began to realize that the true battle must've taken place near here. Black scorch marks scarred the ornate architecture around them while they quickly ran around blasted out craters in the street. Joshua slowly began to notice Iron poles scattered among the fallen stormtroopers.

"Gajeel was with him?" Joshua asked.

Luke nodded, "So was Rex, Zeb, and Chewie."

"He had plenty of muscle with him then."

"Defintely." Luke replied, "But muscle is nothing compared to the force."

Joshua smirked, "You've definitely grown as a Jedi since I last saw you."

Luke sighed, "We can talk about that later for now-" his voice trailed off as they turned a corner, each faltering to a walk as they saw the scene in front of them.

Standing alone in the street, was Gajeel. His body was covered with carbon scoring while his arms were now iron clubs. Around him were piles of defeated stormtroopers, their armor cracked or dented from Gajeel's furious assaults.

"Gajeel!" Luke called.

The iron dragon slayer wheeled around and Joshua saw tears in his eyes.

"Luke!" His eyes narrowed a little as he looked at Joshua, "And other guy." He gulped then shook his head, "He's with Chewie and Rex."

"Where's Zeb?" Luke asked as the pair followed Gajeel down a tight alleyway with lots of cover.

"He went back to the Falcon to get medical supplies. But that was awhile ago now."

At the end of the alley rested Chewbacca and Rex. And in Rex's lap was Kanan Jarrus, a massive burned out hole in his body's center mass. As soon as Luke saw him, he rushed up to the Jedi Knight.

"Kanan!" Luke exclaimed as he knelt down beside the blind Jedi. Joshua quietly walked up beside him. He noticed Rex had a resigned expression on his face. Joshua knew what the old soldier knew as well. And he was sure Luke knew as well. Kanan was not going to be coming back with them.

"Hey… Luke." Kanan breathed, "The… the bitch got me good."

Rex chuckled a little, but his laughter faded as sadness gripped him yet again, "I think that might be the first time I've ever heard you curse like that Kanan."

Kanan winced as he took a shaky breath, "Unfortunately, it could be the last."

"Don't talk like that!" Luke exclaimed as he gripped Kanan's hand, "You're coming back with us. Understand! You're going to be a part of the new Jedi Order. You're gonna make it."

Kanan weakly shook his head, "Not this time kid." his blind eyes then drifted up to Joshua, a small smile on his lips, "Wendy is gonna be glad you're back."

"Focus on saving your energy, Kanan." Joshua said softly.

Again the Jedi coughed and it was followed by a bloody wheeze, "Vader is nearing." he wheezed.

Joshua's senses were raised instantly. Kanan was right, Vader was near them now. He must've followed them here.

"You need to go." Kanan breathed to Luke.

"You're coming with."

"I'll only slow you down." Kanan breathed, "Go… all of you. Vader will kill you if you don't. Then what will my death be worth?"

"You're not dying!" Luke cried just before Joshua knocked him unconscious with the force, causing him to slump into Chewbacca's massive, hairy arms.

"Thank you… Joshua."

Joshua nodded before requiping his white lightsaber from his requip and giving it to Kanan.

"I don't see yours around here. And a Jedi like you, deserves to go down, weapon in hand."

Kanan smiled weakly before nodded, "Rex, get me up."

"Kanan."

"I won't let Vader strike me down while I'm helpless. I have enough strength for a few more… moments." he coughed again as blood dripped from the hole in his torso. Joshua felt his life force, he was almost gone. Only the force was sustaining him now at this point.

Rex nodded and helped Kanan to his feet. Kanan then leaned up against a the stone wall of the alleyway and nodded to Joshua, Chewbacca, and Rex.

"Get moving, before he gets here."

Joshua nodded grimly before patting Rex on the shoulder and moving back out of the alley. Chewbacca let out a pained groan before sighing and heaving Luke onto his shoulder. He then quickly followed Joshua out of the alley. Rex stayed behind one more moment. He looked back at Kanan.

"May the force be with you, General Jarrus." Rex said, officially recognizing Kanan as someone equal to his old commanding officer during the Clone Wars. He then sprinted after Joshua.

"You as well, Rex." Kanan felt his knees buckle as Rex disappeared.

He dropped the ground, his hand sliding against the wall as he fell to his knees. It felt like mere second until he heard the rhythmic breathing of Darth Vader in his ears. He weakly raised his head to see Vader approaching, lightsaber drawn. Vader stormed forward then stopped in front of Kanan.

"It ends for you here, Jedi." Vader snarled.

Kanan nodded, "I'm...at.. peace... with that." He wheezed before jumping to his feet one last time, white lightsaber ignited.

He took a vicious swing at Vader, surprising the Sith Lord and managing to glancy the lightsaber off of Vader's right shoulder. The Sith Lord howled in fury and was about to retaliate when he watched Kanan fall to his face on the stone ground, white lightsaber clattering out of his grasp. As the light faded from his eyes, he saw a his master waiting for him. Her kind smile beckoning him to come to her. After so long, he was with the Jedi once again.

 **And chapter! Yup… I just did that. But there is a very good reason. In ROTJ, Yoda say Luke is the last of the Jedi. So the other Jedi have to either be a) dead, or b) no longer adhering to the Jedi code and therefore no longer Jedi (i.e. Ahsoka). With Kanan's death, Luke will be the last Jedi when Yoda does die, therefore keeping that portion of ROTJ intact. But Kanan went out like a beast in my opinion, landing a hit on Darth Vader before becoming a part of the living force. Not many Jedi can claim they have done that, living or dead. Anyways, this chapter went on longer than I thought it would, so one more chapter then the ROTJ arc begins. I promise! And yes, we will be going to Jabba's Palace. I am super excited to write that part of the story. It's going to be lots of fun! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	99. Chapter 99: The Calm Before

**Hello everyone! New chapter! Let's go!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 99

The lounge of the Millennium Falcon was dead silent as the ship rocketed through hyperspace. The crew finally had time to take a breath after the battle in Theed and their subsequent escape through a small space battle. The adrenaline running through everyone's veins was finally beginning to dissipate and the weight of what had just occurred on the planet slammed down like a ten ton boulder.

They could all feel it. The missing presence in the room. It was a funny thing to Wendy. Kanan was never the most talkative one of their crew. He wasn't the funniest, the loudest, or even the quietest. But the silence that now stood in his place on the ship was more noticeable than when he had been with them. It was truly a case of you don't know what you have till it's gone.

Wendy had made the crew of the Millennium Falcon her second family. They all lived together, fought together, bled together. They all witnessed the saddest moments and the happiest moments together. But none were even remotely prepared for losing someone in battle. When Joshua, Rex, and Zeb reached the Falcon without Kanan, they all knew what happened. Especially since Luke was knocked out and slung over Joshua's shoulder. Luke never would've left Kanan willingly, even if the great Jedi was dying and he had to escape. They had grown too close, not only as master and student, but as friends. It hurt everyone on the ship to see Luke sitting so quietly next to the holotable, running his fingers along the checkerboard pattern on top while Leia sat beside him, doing her best to console him.

Rex was in the cockpit with Chewbacca and Lando. He was navigating for them. Doing his best to bury his pain in work. And he was a soldier. Even if there was a death, he was bred to move on and move on quickly. But Rex was still a unique old clone, the death of Kanan weighed heavily on him. It reminded him too much of everything that had happened in the Clone Wars. He found himself questioning why the young had to die before the old soldier could. But he pushed that question to the back of his mind. That was the nature of war after all.

Even Meldy wasn't her usual cheery self. There wasn't a smile on her lips. Instead she simply cradled baby Kento in her arms while she sat quietly with the others.

The silence was finally broken when Lando walked in from the cockpit.

"We're almost to Sullust. The fleet should be arriving over the planet soon as well." The dark skinned man said quietly.

Wendy saw Joshua nod.

"Good." He said, "The message spread quicker than I thought."

Leia then piped in, probably anxious to move the thoughts of everyone away from their feelings of loss, "They'll want to speak with you, Joshua. After all, you are a wildcard in the Alliance plans. They'll want to know where you stand."

Normally, Joshua would reply with a snide comment about how it was obvious which side he was on and the Alliance shouldn't bother. But, to Wendy's surprise, he simply nodded.

"Understandable." Joshua said, "But I hope they keep such a meeting short. Boredom comes really easily to me."

Leia nodded as she rubbed Luke's back. The young Jedi still sat hunched over the holotable. His head bowed as he took in deep breaths.

"I can't believe he's gone." Luke breathed out quietly.

"There's nothing you could've done Luke." Leia said softly.

"I should've been able to do something though." Luke's hands balled up into fists, "I… I should've been strong enough to-"

"Don't." Joshua snapped quickly, cutting Luke off and causing the blonde's gaze to turn to Joshua, "Don't you start saying that. The unnecessary guilt you are heaping on yourself is a rabbit hole you don't want to go down."

"What's a rabbit?" Lando mumbled as he listened in on the conversation.

"But… but I'm supposed to be a Jedi. I'm supposed to be strong enough to protect those I care about!"

Joshua pursed his lips and nodded as he stepped towards Luke and knelt down to his eye level.

"I know exactly how you are feeling." Luke stared back at Joshua, "Trust me I do." Joshua recalled all the tumultuous emotions he felt when he thought he had lost Erza both on Tenroujima and in the battle against Tartaros, "But you cannot dwell on it. If you do, you'll only lose yourself in guilt you do not deserve. All you can do now, is remember Kanan for who he was and know he is watching in the force." Luke shook his head when Joshua suddenly jerked Luke's head back to facing him, "Do. Not. Waste. This chance he gave you, by wallowing in guilt."

Luke's eyes widened as he stared back at Joshua, his yellow eyes blazing as he glared at the Jedi.

"Got it?"

Luke nodded.

"Good."

Joshua then heard Chewbacca utter a loud bark and he rose to his feet.

"We've arrived." Joshua shifted the black, hooded cloak on his shoulders. He strode down the corridor towards the cockpit and was about to enter when he felt a strong hand grip his shoulder.

"Hold up." Wendy said as she twirled Joshua around to face her, "First of all." She threw her arms around Joshua, startling the Sith Lord before he quickly embraced her as well. They both then kissed each other and smiled.

"Promise kept." Joshua grinned.

"Never doubted you." Wendy smiled widely.

"Sure you didn't." Joshua chuckled.

"I didn't!" Wendy protested before Joshua drew her in for a kiss again.

"Force, did I miss you." Joshua breathed before separating from her, "All I had for company the entire time was a wise ass ghost, a crabby ass ghost, and a Jedi."

Wendy raised an eyebrow before smirking, "Sounds like an interesting time."

"That's one way to put it."

Wendy's brown eyes stared up into his yellow eyes and she frowned a little.

"Are those permanent?"

"What?" Joshua asked, not knowing what she meant.

"The eyes. Are those permanent?"

Joshua blinked before realizing what Wendy was asking, "Yeeeaaah," He scratched the back of his head nervously, "Funny thing… I don't know how to switch them back. So… I guess they are kinda permanent until I figure that part out."

"I'm gonna miss those hazel eyes." Wendy pouted for a moment before smiling, "But, I think I can get used to those eyes. Just as long as you don't go running off without me again."

"I hope I don't have to anymore." Joshua replied.

"Hey!" Lando suddenly barked, startling the two, "I'd hate to interrupt the flirtations of two sexually frustrated partners, but do you mind if I move past you two and get back into my chair?"

Wendy's face turned bright red while Joshua just shook his head.

"You always have to ruin the moment, Calrissian."

"Not true!" Lando replied as he walked into the cockpit followed by Joshua and Wendy, "Most of the ladies say I enhance the moment."

"Sure you do." Joshua replied sarcastically.

Chewbacca began to chortle in his chair.

"You can't seriously agree with this long haired boy, Chewie!?" Lando said, dismayed. Chewbacca just continued laughing, "Geez, I can't have you as my wing man at all Chewie. You only help Han out don't you!"

Chewbacca howled back at Lando. Lando nodded.

"Oh I understand. He has no game whatsoever, I know. Couldn't even manage to woo the Princess back there. The Jedi seems to have her instead."

Chewbacca shrugged causing Lando's eyes to bug out as well as Wendy's, who had always seen Leia as a sort of Erza esque figure.

"What did Han do?" Lando asked as he leaned over in his chair towards Chewie.

Chewie uttered a quick series of grunts and barks.

"WHAT DO YA MEAN YOU WON'T TELL ME!?" Lando exclaimed before Rex cut off the conversation.

"We have arrived at Sullust everyone." The old soldier reported.

"Oh… um…. Right. Got sidetracked." Lando stammered before pointing a finger at Chewie, "You will tell me you walking carpet, mark my words you will." He then pulled back on the hyperdrive.

The streaks of light outside of the cockpit disappeared abruptly as the ship jolted out of hyperspace. The sight Joshua saw made his eyes widen.

The planet Sullust looked like a giant piece of coal. Smoke filled sections of it's atmosphere while rivers of lava snaked along its rocky, ashen surface, causing the planet to glow a little as it hung in outer space. And in orbit around the ash covered planet were at least fifty starships of varying sizes, makes, and models. The majority of which were Mon Calamari in design. Most of the ships were clearly converted freighters or transports, but there was one that stood out. The capital ship of the Rebel Alliance and Admiral Gial Ackbar's personal flagship, Home One.

"That's where Alliance command will be meeting." Lando pointed at the hulking ship as it drifted lazily in Sullust's orbit.

Joshua nodded and donned his hood, "I look forward to it."

"Do you have to look really intimidating when you go meet them?" Wendy groaned as she saw Joshua's face become shadowed out by the hood, allowing his yellow eyes to glow brightly in the shadows.

"I find that intimidation works really well for getting what you want." Joshua replied.

"Joshua Scarlet!" Wendy warned.

"Don't worry." Joshua replied as the Millennium Falcon docked inside of Home One's immense hangar, "I'll be nice."

Wendy just sighed as she followed Joshua out of the Falcon.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"That feeling is probably going to be very correct."

….

Joshua and Wendy waited patiently outside of the room where Alliance High Command was meeting. It was a top security clearance meeting only. Which basically meant only council members, admirals, generals, and Jedi were allowed in, much to Joshua's chagrin. Even Ahsoka was allowed in, on the grounds that she was once a Jedi and a Rebel agent named Fulcrum. Joshua meant to ask her about that, but deemed that it was probably a story for another time. But he wasn't bored at least. He had Wendy there to keep him company.

"So… what did you do on Malachor?" Wendy asked as she sat beside Joshua, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Trained."

"Well obviously." Wendy snorted, "But like… what kind of training. I mean, seriously you should've seen the look on Luke's face when you landed. He was so confused by your presence… or whatever he meant by that."

Joshua chuckled, "I guess someone sensing me would be confused yes." He held Wendy's hand, "Well, I'm definitely a Sith Lord now. Knighted as one and all."

"Oh really?" Wendy said, "So tell me, Joshua Scarlet, Lord of the Sith. What makes you different from before?"

"Well, I've learned to embrace the Dark Side and the Force in general." Wendy listened intently as he spoke, "I don't treat them like bad... things anymore. I recognize what I am and I have accepted it. I am meant to be a Sith Lord. So why not take full advantage of that and use it for good at least? Also, I got a pretty badass Sith name."

"Draconis." Wendy said causing Joshua's eyes to widen in surprise.

"How'd you know?"

"I heard Ahsoka call you that when you landed. You always seem to forget about my sensitive hearing."

Joshua nodded, "That happens a lot doesn't it. So… what happened with you guys?"

"Well, as you probably noticed on the ship," Wendy started, "Meldy had her baby."

"Oh yeah!" Joshua exclaimed, "What's his name?"

"Kento Starboy Marek."

Joshua snorted out a laugh, "Oh…. Galen's going to love that one."

Wendy laughed as well, "Meldy said the same thing when she named him. As for everyone else, Natsu and Gajeel are still… well-"

"Natsu and Gajeel."

"Yeah." Wendy replied, "Still loud, rowdy, always competing against each other. But.. Natsu is very reluctant to go into battle nowadays."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Really? What happened?"

"Mon Cala."

A frown spread across Joshua's lips as Wendy continued.

"We were caught by surprise and the rebellion was overrun. Natsu used his fire on some stormtroopers and he…" Wendy gulped, "He killed them by complete accident."

Joshua closed his eyes and sighed, "And he didn't come out of that the same at all huh?"

Wendy shook her head, "Not the same at all."

Joshua pursed his lips and bowed his head, "It's never fun… killing someone. Anyone who says otherwise is not a human." He ran a hand through Wendy's hair, "I'm glad you're ok."

"I am too. Especially since I fought Vader in that battle."

Joshua's face paled, "You did what?"

"Yup, fought him, managed to rip his suit to shreds before having to run. And I managed to keep myself in one piece... unlike you."

Joshua narrowed his eyes, "Are you issuing me a challenge for the next time?"

"NO!" Wendy exclaimed, "For the love of everything good don't fight Vader. I got lucky."

"I don't know. You sounded very proud of yourself." Joshua grinned as he teased Wendy.

"I wasn't and-" Wendy saw his childish grin, "You're just trying to get me worked up!" She roared.

"You're only figuring that out now?"

*WHACK*

"GAH!" Joshua exclaimed as Wendy smacked him with a wind infused punch, "Geez, acting like Erza much?"

Just before Wendy could respond the door to the chambers opened and Lucy peaked out.

"Ok Joshua, they're ready to see you."

….

Leia shifted uneasily in her seat as she watched Lucy reenter the conference room with Joshua Scarlet in tow. Her brown eyes closed and she pursed her lips as she saw Joshua enter, hood drawn over his head and exuding a aura that made many in the room shudder. Lucy quickly sat back down beside Leia while Joshua was pointed towards an open seat beside her. Before he sat down, his yellow eyes scanned everyone in the room, as if he was picking out what each person was feeling by just looking at them, before he quietly sat down and folded his gloved hands on the table. There was silence after that as everyone but Lucy, Leia, and Luke gaped at the Sith Lord.

"Well…" Joshua finally spoke up gesturing at the admirals and Mon Mothma, "Who goes first? Me or you?"

Mon Mothma quickly shook her head, as if recovering from a daze before she finally spoke, "You are Joshua Scarlet correct?" She had a hard time believing that this imposing figure was the same teenage boy that had arrived with the rest of the Earthlanders over a year ago.

"Please, call me by my name please." Joshua started, "I am Darth Draconis. And it is a pleasure to see all of you again."

Lucy's eyes widened. It was like Joshua was a completely different person. Before, he was very snappy with the Alliance High Command, which made everyone in the room believe he had a short temper and was prone to being easily provoked. But now, he was sitting calmly. His voice had a shocking silkiness to it that both relaxed everyone while also adding to the sense of unease in the room. He wasn't nervously glancing from person to person before, but instead calmly accessing each member of the council with his eyes. And every time his gaze fell on someone, you could see their skin pale.

"Very well," Mon Mothma cringed a little, "Darth Draconis… where have you been in the past year?"

Joshua leaned back in his seat, "Is this supposed to be a meeting or an interrogation, Chancellor?"

"It's supposed to be-"

"Because if this is going to be an interrogation then you will have to find someone who has far more strength and willpower than you to make me talk." Joshua's eyes glared at Mon Mothma, "However, if we are going to act civilized and avoid any accusatory detours in our discussion, I would be more than happy to answer your questions. Granted that you answer mine of course. It makes this whole situation seem a little more fair."

Leia and Lucy's faces blanched a little as Joshua spoke like that to the council. Some of the admirals glanced over at Lucy with outraged expressions as Joshua pretty much called the council weak.

But decades of politics had hardened the Chancellor of the Rebel Alliance. She merely smirked a little at Joshua's declaration and nodded.

"Very well, I apologize for the initial approach. You must understand, Sith Lords do not have the best reputation here in the Rebel Alliance. Especially ones that willingly utilize the title of Darth."

Joshua nodded, "I understand that."

"So, please, Darth Draconis, may you reveal to us your whereabouts in the past year and what you were doing?"

Joshua crossed his left leg over his right knee, completely at ease despite the many wary eyes on him.

"I was on Malachor, training." Joshua answered.

The mention of Malachor caused murmurs to go through the council.

"So what Representative Lucy said was true!" A Councilor shouted, "He was on that evil planet! How do we know he wasn't visited by the Emperor while there! After all, we know he is a Sith Lord as well!"

Joshua's head slowly turned to look at the Corellian who shouted this. The man was standing and pointing an accusatory finger at Joshua. Meanwhile, Joshua smirked under his hood. This little display was just too precious.

"If I had any contact with the Emperor then I would've killed him given the chance." Joshua said bluntly, "I hate that man with a passion and I want nothing more than to depose him from power."

"And how do we know you won't take the mantle of Emperor for yourself once that is done!?" The Corellian shouted, "You Sith tend to take each other down only to take the other's place. How do we-" He was quickly cut off as he suddenly seemed out of breath. A shaky hand slowly reached up to his neck as he began to choke on nothing. Meanwhile, Joshua hadn't moved a single muscle. He was simply glaring at the man with a blank expression on his face.

"Is this really the leadership of the Rebel Alliance?" Joshua suddenly asked as he looked around the room at all the fearful faces as the man choked in his seat, "Conspiracy theorists," He nodded at the choking counselor, "Old politicians who should've known when to move out of the way," His eyes slowly moved over to Mon Mothma, "And admirals who have never seen a battle in their life." Joshua snorted, "No wonder you were forced to break apart once Vader decided you were worth his time and attention."

"Like you could've done better!?" A Mon Calamari General shouted.

"I'm not saying I could've." Joshua replied, "I'm just saying this room is filled with plenty of inadequate leaders. And do you know how I can tell?" Joshua leaned forward, "The fear you all are feeling is blinding you." The Correllian man passed out on the ground, "It is preventing you from realizing that I can be an asset unlike any you've ever had before. It is also distracting you from the much more immediate threat." Joshua looked over at Luke, who was standing beside General Madine, "Generals! The data chip."

Crix Madine nodded and plugged the data chip into a port on the conference table. As soon as he did, a Hologram of a new Death Star appeared.

"In case you all haven't noticed." Joshua started, "That death machine is three quarters of the way finished. And if pace is anything to go by, it will be operational any time now. Now… are we going to worry about what I may do after all of this? Or are we going to figure out how to find and destroy that."

"The location is in the data chip. Although it is only a set of coordinates, not any major planetary or system name." General Madine noted as the coordinates popped up in the hologram.

Every general and admiral in the room leaned forwards as they stared at the coordinates.

"Those are in unknown space!" Admiral Ackbar pointed out.

"Yes… but where in unknown space."

"I know where." Joshua sighed as he shook his head.

Every head turned back to look at Joshua.

"What? You haven't figured it out yet? Think about it, a station of that size has been built in two years! Two! Either the Empire is more efficient than we give them credit for or they have found a workforce that has superhuman abilities. And I'm going to bet on the latter."

Lucy's face instantly paled, "Oh my god. It's above Earthland." she muttered.

Joshua nodded, "They must be using Earthland wizards to assist in the construction. How they are keeping them underfoot I don't know. But they are doing it. And this makes my decision to take out the Empire even more personal than it already is."

"So now, it is up to us to figure out a plan of action." Leia spoke up forcefully, drawing nods from the admirals in the room, "We cannot afford to let this thing become operational. It will wipe us out if we do."

"The plans also show," General Madine spoke again, "That this Death Star is protected by a Shield Generator, which is creating a deflector shield around it so powerful that nothing will be able to break through. But the location on the planetary surface for the generator is not listed."

"Most likely because they don't know the names of places in Earthland." Joshua replied, "We will need to send reconnaissance teams to find the generator and assess the enemy's strength before we can move in with the fleet and destroy it."

"That'll take some time." Leia remarked.

"My Bothans can get it done… fast too." General Madine suggested, "They just need some knowledge of the terrain and people."

"I'll be more than happy to provide that." Lucy replied.

"Good." Joshua nodded, "Then it's settled then. Until General Madine's spies gather the necessary intelligence, we wait here… over Sullust. No engagements with the Imperials under any circumstances."

All the admirals nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright…" Joshua stretched his arms then yawned, "I'm bored now. I'm gonna leave."

"No you can't just-" Mon Mothma trailed off as Joshua rose from his seat and casually left the room.

"He completely hijacked this conference." Lucy whispered to Leia.

"Good. He's a man of action. It's about time we had someone like that putting the politicians in their place." Leia whispered back.

"Doesn't exactly leave a good impression though." Lucy replied.

"Do you really think he cares?" Leia asked.

Lucy blinked and thought about it for a moment. It was very clear, Joshua did not give a damn what these people thought of him. She sighed and shook his head.

"This is going to give me a massive headache." Lucy groaned.

Leia chuckled, "Me too."

….

The meeting ended hours ago, and Luke was still hearing about how disrespectful Darth Draconis was from the politicians. The admirals however, absolutely loved him. Unlike the administrators, he was someone who saw a problem and immediately began to devise a way to remedy it without dealing with any of the political drama. And Luke somewhat admired that. He completely took over the meeting and helped get more accomplished in fifteen minutes than a whole two hours of deliberations.

And he was grateful the meeting was over. Now, Luke had the opportunity to calm his mind and meditated on everything that had occurred over the past few days. His heart was still heavy with grief over the death of Kanan. He couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be something he could've done to save him. But he also slowly came to realization through his meditations in the force that there was nothing he could've realistically done. His hands were tied by Vader and the First Sister at the time. And he had no idea where Kanan was located in the city. But he still felt guilt, he was still human after all.

As he grieved for his friend, he delved deep into the force. He felt its currents rush by him like a rip tide as he dove deeper. As he meditated, his thoughts drifted from Kanan to another friend of his who had been gone for a long time now. A certain smuggler who had saved Luke's life on two occasions. Luke smirked a little before he heard the door to his room open.

"I swear Skywalker, with how bright you are in the force, it's impossible for me to meditate."

Luke opened his eyes and saw Joshua leaning against his door frame.

"Mind turning the lights down in your presence a little bit?"

Luke chuckled, "Can't help it. Just kinda happens."

Joshua nodded before waving for Luke to follow him.

"C'mon. There is obviously something important on your mind."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "And I should follow you because."

"Because sometimes, in order to think things through, you need to get in a little physical exercise."

Luke stared at Joshua, "You do realize you are saying that as you are standing in my room right?"

"I know." Joshua then requipped his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, "C'mon, I wanna see how good you've gotten."

Luke shook his head, dumbfounded by how Joshua simply shrugged off the joke before he got to his feet and followed the Sith Lord towards Home One's immense hangar. The pair quickly found a small patch of empty space among the countless starfighters and transports in the hangar.

"Do you have a lightsaber?" Joshua asked.

Luke nodded a drew a blue saber from his belt. Joshua didn't draw his, instead he cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at the saber in Luke's hands.

"That's not your lightsaber."

"Um… it was an extra Kanan had."

"Yeah, so it's not your lightsaber."

Luke looked confused, "What do you mean by that?"

Joshua sighed, "A lightsaber as you know is more than just a weapon for a force sensitive. It is a… it's a partner of sorts. The crystal inside them makes the object a living, breathing, thing to us force sensitives. To have your own, is to forge a connection with your own weapon that becomes practically unbreakable." Joshua then drew his own blood red blade, "If you have a connection with your weapon, it allows you to perform better in battle. It allows you to sense where the weapon is at all times. That way you can concentrate on actually fighting your opponent rather than simply keeping track of where your sword is going."

Joshua gave Luke a traditional salute taught to him by Revan and Ahsoka before he lowered his lightsaber to his side and readied himself for combat.

"Let's see what you got Skywalker."

Luke grinned and charged at Joshua.

Blue clashed with Red in bright flashes of light as they two dueled in the hangar bay. It wasn't an intense spar by any means. Their lightsabers were on their lowest settings and they weren't using their full powers at all. This was simply a way for the two to kill time and learn how far the other had come over the past year.

As the casually sparred each other, Luke marveled at how fluid Joshua's blade work was. Even when he was taking it easy, Joshua fought like a dancer. His blade twirled, dipped, twisted, and spun in his hands with shocking precision and force. But he also handled the weapon with an incredibly delicate hand, almost like he was letting the weapon decide where to strike while he concentrated on predicting Luke's movements with the force.

Joshua's assessment of Luke was also one of approval. Luke's style of fighting was opposite of Joshua's. Instead of fluid, graceful movements, Luke's fighting style relied on heavy handed slashes and chops along with a rock solid defense that almost rivaled Soresu. Joshua smiled, he would make a formidable opponent one day. The smile widened on Joshua's face.

 _But not today._

Luke's eyes widened in surprise as Joshua's lightsaber caught a heavy overhand slash. It then quickly slid down Luke's saber before Joshua twisted his blade. The two cross guard sections of Joshua's weapon slashed through Luke's wrist causing him to wince in pain and drop his lightsaber. Luke winced again before sighing a shaking his head.

"Not half bad Luke." Joshua commented, "You need some fine tuning with your technique, but not bad at all. Tell me, what fighting form was that?"

"Form five." Luke replied, "Djem So."

Joshua nodded, "If you master that, you will be able to put me on the ropes pretty easily. My preferred fighting form is Makashi. And it doesn't hold up well against a power based form like yours." Joshua grinned widely, "I'm looking forward to a day when you and I go all out against each other." He said as he picked up Luke's saber and handed it back to him.

"Well… I hope that day never comes."

Joshua chuckled, "We'll see." He then sat down beside a stack of crates while Luke remained standing, "So… what's on your mind Skywalker? What was making you go so deep into the force that it blocked me from being able to do the same without getting distracted."

"I was thinking about a friend."

"Kanan?"

Luke smiled sadly, "Partially. But… also another friend. I friend that I owe my life to actually."

Joshua glanced up at Luke, "Really? You owe a life debt?"

"Hard to believe I know." Luke grinned.

"Not really. Before Kanan came along you were so damn clumsy with that sword of yours." Joshua teased causing Luke scoff.

"Everyone has to start somewhere right?"

"You stayed at start for a little longer than everyone else." Joshua laughed before returning to the subject, "So, where's this friend of yours? Or for that matter, who is this friend?" A sly grin came over Joshua's face, "Is it a lady friend?"

"Now you sound like Lando." Luke complained.

"And that's why he's so fun to be around." Joshua replied.

Luke nodded before continuing, "No… no, it's this obnoxious smuggler actually. He and I couldn't stand each other at first."

"That's how all great romances start."

"Shut the hell up!" Luke exclaimed causing Joshua to laugh some more, "Can I continue?"

"Sure go ahead." Joshua chuckled.

"Well, he joined me, and Ben when we went to deliver the first Death Star plans to Alderaan. Only problem was, we ended up getting captured by that same Death Star." Luke stared off into space, as if reliving the adventure that set him on the path of the Jedi, "If it wasn't for Han, we never would've destroyed that space station. And none of us here would be alive right now." Luke's smile faded, "Han owed a debt to Jabba the Hutt. Something about lost cargo that cost a lot of credits. Han never had a chance to pay it back before Vader captured him, froze him in carbonite, then sent him to Jabba as a gift."

Joshua's smile faded as well and he sighed, "That's sucks." he said bluntly.

"Yeah."

They were quiet for a few moments before Joshua spoke up again.

"I got an idea."

"I'm slightly afraid of those words when you say them." Luke replied warily.

"No no." Joshua replied, "This is a good idea. Han is a good friend to you right?"

Luke nodded, "I might venture and say best friend."

"Then why the hell is he not here?"

Luke frowned, "Like I said, he was captured by Vader and given to Jabba the Hutt."

"And you haven't tried to do anything about that?" Joshua asked, "I mean… he's supposed to be your best friend after all. If you were in Fairy Tail, we wouldn't have rested until we got him back." Joshua snapped his fingers, "In fact, you may as well be in the guild given how closely we work together now. And when you make friends with Fairy Tail, you get some of the most loyal people possible to help you and your friends." Joshua clapped a hand on Luke's shoulder, "Get ready Luke, cause we are going to go get your friend back."

Luke's eyes widened, "I haven't exactly had the time to do anything about it. And now the second Death Star-"

Joshua waved a hand, "Don't worry about that for now. Where is this Jabba the Hutt at?"

Luke scowled, "Tatooine."

"Tatooine huh? Alright, I'll get together the crew and we'll go to Tatooine and get your friend Han back."

Luke's face lit up for a moment before he became apprehensive again, "This is going to be difficult."

"How?" Joshua stood up beside Luke, "I mean seriously… we have three dragon slayers, three more powerful wizards, you, a wookie, an old clone, Leia, and me." Joshua began to walk out of the hangar with Luke, "What could possibly go wrong?"

 **And chapter! And so it begins everyone! Let the Return of the Jedi commence! Let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	100. Chapter 100: The Sandstorm

**New chapter already? Yup! Enjoy everyone!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 100

Tatooine, an incredibly remote planet stuck in the middle of nowhere in the outer rim. It was a backwater world with quite literally no water. As far as Joshua could tell, this place was one gigantic ball of sand and dust. And it was unbearably hot. He thought the journey to Tenroujima was hot. That was nothing. When he and Luke arrived on the planet, he said it was just the dry heat. And in response, Joshua emphatically screamed "Bullshit!" at the top of his lungs.

But other than the extreme heat, drab landscapes, and endless sand dunes, it wasn't too bad a place. It was quiet, remote, a great place for a criminal to set up an empire or for a fugitive to go and hide. It was a criminal's paradise, even more so than Level 1313 on Coruscant.

Thankfully, they hadn't run into any criminals as of yet. And thankfully, Joshua and Luke were making their way to shelter. Luke had forgotten to mention, that Tatooine was very prone to sudden sandstorms. And as the two force adepts were trekking through the sand dunes towards the edges of Tatooine's Great Dune Sea, Joshua had noticed a wall rushing towards them. And that sent Luke sprinting in the opposite direction with Joshua right behind him. Needless to say, they didn't outrun the sandstorm.

"I hate you, Skywalker!" Joshua shouted as sand rushed by him and covered his robes and hood with dust.

"I warned you about this!" Luke shouted back as he covered his face with a cloth and squeezed his eyes shut.

"No! No you didn't!" Joshua paused his walking as the sandstorm whipped around them. He glanced down and saw he was thigh deep in loose sand, "What's the likelihood that we are buried alive out here?"

Luke paused and glanced back at Joshua before shrugging.

"That's not an answer!"

"Yes it is." Luke replied, "And if we are buried alive then we must hope the others complete their end of the mission." Before Joshua could respond Luke peered ahead through the blinding sand storm and saw their destination, "There it is!" he pointed.

"Finally!" Joshua cried, "Shelter!"

The pair quickly rushed up to the small hut buried in a small rocky, outcropping on the edge of the dune sea. The whitewash on the stone walls had been blasted away by sandstorms ages ago, but other than that, the structure looked sturdy and safe. The pair clawed along the outside of the hut before finally finding the small, metal door. Luke tapped on it and the door slid open. Both Joshua and Luke rushed inside, sand blowing in the hut behind them before the metallic door lazily slid shut.

As soon as the door shut, Joshua blinked sand out of his eyes and threw his hood off his head. He quickly ran his hand through his long brown hair and frowned.

"Even with my hood up I still got sand all up there." He grumbled as he patted down his robes and the top of his head.

"You get used to it eventually." Luke replied as he dusted himself off his own black robes as well.

"Remind me again Luke, why wearing black was a good idea on this planet? A planet with two fucking suns." Joshua groaned as he collapsed on a stone bench near the door.

"It will help us blend in."

"I'd rather be comfortable than blend in." Joshua replied before glancing around the hut.

It was a very simple settlement. There were no fancy or unique furnishings. Most of the furniture that remained here was made of stone. There was a small wooden chest in the far corner of the hut, underneath a dusty old bed. But that was the extent of this hut's living space.

"Why'd we come here again?" Joshua asked.

"To get the parts I need." Luke replied as he began to search around the hut.

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "You plan on finding lightsaber parts in an abandoned hut in middle of nowhere Tatooine?"

"Not just the parts, but a crystal too." Luke replied.

Joshua threw his hands up in the air and shook his head, "I don't know how you are going to do that." he said exasperated, "All that's in here is that wooden chest underneath the bed."

Luke's head snapped over to the wooden chest, "How did I not notice that?" he muttered.

"I don't know. Maybe you're not as attuned to your environments as I am. You should probably work on that." Joshua stated as he continued to pull sand out of his hair, "I'm going to need a shower." He muttered under his breath.

Luke uttered a victorious shout as he opened the chest. What he pulled out of the ancient storage container made Joshua's eyes widen.

"You're shitting me." Joshua breathed as he watched Luke pull out a very old lightsaber. He glanced around the hut again, "Who's house are we in, Luke?"

"Ben Kenobi's." Luke replied.

Joshua send a blast of force energy at Luke throwing him up against the wall.

"What was that for!?" Luke cried as he cradled the new found lightsaber.

"You could've mentioned what this place was sooner you know! Would've save me some breath with my complaining."

"You're impossible to be around." Luke shook his head irritated as he opened up the lightsaber to extract the kyber crystal inside.

"Wendy disagrees."

"Then why did she go with Leia to rescue Han?"

Joshua opened his mouth then closed it. He really didn't have an answer for that one. His eyes narrowed at Luke before he shifted on the bench into a more comfortable position.

"Tell me this Luke… why are we going with this plan?"

Luke didn't answer. He simply continued with the lightsaber in his hands as he carefully extracted a small green crystal from its depths.

"I mean seriously, this plan is far to complicated for this mission."

"It is not." Luke replied.

Joshua leaned forward, "Oh really!?"

Luke rolled his eyes. _Here we go again._ He thought as he prepared for Joshua ripping his plan to shreds for what had to be the tenth time.

"So this master plan of yours is to first send two droids to deliver a message to a notorious crime lord. Then… only then, if that fails to get him to release Han, we send the two girls and chewbacca, disguised as bounty hunters, to break him out."

"And that should work, right?" Luke replied.

Joshua sighed, "Skywalker, picture this for me… Wendy, pretending to be a bounty hunter." Luke glanced back at Joshua and there was silence between the two for a moment.

"Shit you may have a point." Luke muttered.

"Thank you! She's too nice to pull off a bounty hunter facade." Joshua said as he rubbed his face, only then realizing that his face was caked with dust.

"You know…" Luke pulled out a second lightsaber hilt from within his robes. This one was much more stripped down than the one in Obi Wan's chest, but it looked just as effective. Luke opened up the second hilt's chamber and carefully placed the crystal into the hilt, "She could surprise you."

"I'd be more surprise, and happy, if she just went apeship on Jabba the Hut and blew that palace to the ground with her wind magic. But noooo," Luke bowed his head as Joshua continued, "You had to convince her to do this the Jedi way."

"The Jedi way is the Fairy Tail way. It allows someone to surrender before we bring out the big guns."

Joshua acted offended for a moment, "I do it the Fairy Tail way too. I give my enemies a chance to surrender while I have my lightsaber at their throats, not before." Luke glared at Joshua, "That's the same thing right?"

"That's forcing them to surrender."

"It's the same damn thing!"

"No…" Luke strained as he closed the chamber on his lightsaber hilt, "It isn't."

Joshua let out an irritated sigh and leaned back, "You Jedi and your damn code of honor."

"You Sith and your complete lack of one." Luke retorted as he rotated the hilt in his hands, inspecting to make sure it was properly constructed.

Joshua rolled his eyes and rubbed his chin, "Thankfully Lando is there to make sure the girls will be ok if things do go south."

"And," Luke pointed the lightsaber at Joshua, "It things do go south, Lando contacts us. And then," Luke ignited the lightsaber, allowing an emerald green blade to emerge from the emitter, "Then we can use these."

"Yes!" Joshua grinned.

"After we try to talk to them on more time."

"Dammit Skywalker!"

Luke frowned, "You agreed to do this my way."

Joshua crossed his arms and slumped in his seat, "That was before I learned that your way involved an overcomplicated mess of a plan like this." He bowed his head an shook it, "You and I could've just gone in and-"

"No." Luke said firmly.

"But my lightning!" Joshua whinned.

"No. We do this my way until we are out of options." Luke deactivated the lightsaber and tossed it to Joshua who easily caught the spinning object, "My friend, my planet, my way of doing things. Got it."

"Fine." Joshua grumbled before looking at the lightsaber hilt in his hand, "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Requip it. I want to go in weaponless if we have to go."

"Ok, now you're just being stupid."

"It's in your requip. I can have it in seconds because of that."

"And if we get separated?" Joshua asked.

"That won't happen." Luke reassured Joshua.

"And what about if we do run out options? When is that point, Luke?"

Luke finally let his frustration out, "I don't know!" He snarled as he slammed the wooden chest closed and slid it back underneath the bed, "Maybe when they want to throw us in a pit in the ground!"

….

The twin suns of Tatooine slowly rose over the flat horizon of the planet. The relative frigid conditions of the night were swiftly being replaced by the blazing heat that accompanied the rise of the twin suns. Any creatures that could not take the heat were quickly retreated to their burrows or caves in order to shelter themselves. Meanwhile, two humanoid figures slowly walked towards a large palace built on a rocky foundation located on the fringes of the Northern Dune Sea.

The first figure was a slim humanoid figure wearing layers of brown survival material and an optically enhanced helmet, attire typical of Ubese armor. The helmet featured a voice scrambler which helped to further hide the identity of the person inside the helmet. Beside this figure walked another armored figure. This one however, wore worn out scout trooper armor repainted yellow and red. It was clear that this figure was a female human due to the shape of her body. She was slightly shorter than her companion and had a lithe build to her. Wisps of blue hair fell out of the Scout trooper's helmet that she wore over her head.

The figure in Ubese armor carried a heavy blaster pistol in his arms while a lance blade was strapped to his back. Multiple bandoleers were strapped to his chest which had multiple thermal detonators clipped to them. The woman in scout trooper armor carried a standard Imperial blaster along with a heavy pack on her back filled with survival supplies. As they approached the palace, the woman in scout trooper armor glanced at her companion.

"Is that it?" She asked.

"It is." The second figure replied, her voice also sounding like a human female's, "When we enter, I will be scrambling my voice into Ubese."

"Noted." The scout trooper nodded as she yanked along their prisoner, a towering, brown haired Wookie with a heavy chain around his neck. The wookie barked in protest.

"Sorry Chewie." The Scout trooper said, "But we have to make this look convincing." She then glanced back at the bounty hunter on the other side of the Wookie, "This is a very complicated plan."

"I know. But it's Luke's plan. So I trust it."

The Scout Trooper simply nodded and turned to face the massive durasteel door that was now in front of them.

"What do we do now?" The Scout Trooper asked, "Knock?"

Before they could do anything else, a small robotic arm with an electronic eye at the end popped out of a port in the iron door. The eye then rattled off a series of words that were completely indecipherable to the Scout Trooper. The bounty hunter replied.

" _Yatay, Yotoh, Yatay."_

The Scout Trooper glanced at her companion, as did the Wookie. Chewbacca let out a confused whimper while the scout trooper just sighed and shook her head.

 _Just roll with it._ She thought.

The electronic eye then glanced at her. The scout trooper jumped a moment at how close the eye came to her face before she gave an awkward wave. Then the eye looked at Chewbacca, chuckled lowly, then retracted back into the door.

"Uh…" The scout trooper uttered, "What?"

The bounty hunter raised a hand as if to say, "Wait for it."

A moment later, the massive durasteel door began to groan and slowly rise up, revealing a long dark tunnel that led into the depths of Jabba's palace. As soon as the door was open enough for both to easily walk through, the two figures and their prisoners strode in. They got no more than a few meters before a Twi'lek with ghost white skin, orange eyes, and rich clothing rushed up to them.

"Coo are uba?" The male Twi'lek asked quickly as two Gamorrean guards shuffled up beside him.

The bounty hunter replied in the Ubese language before yanking on Chewbacca's chain.

The Twi'lek flashed a wide grin revealing razor sharp teeth stained yellow. His eyes lit up with glee and he waved for the two to follow him down the tunnel. As soon as they saw the smile, the two Gamorreans grunted and moved to the side once again.

The female scout trooper glanced at her companion before cautiously following the pale skinned twi'lek. What he led them two was something she was not expecting.

It was what some might consider a throne room/party room. Aliens of all shapes, sizes and colors lined the walls. It was impossible for the scout trooper to discern all of them. But one alien stood out above them all. The sight of this particular creature was absolutely revolting.

It was a massive, slug monster. Slime ran down it's wrinkled skin while massive orange eyes lazily looked down at the two bounty hunters as they marched up with Chewbacca between them. The twi'lek raced up beside the massive slug creature and whispered in it's… what the scout trooper could only guess was it's ear.

The slug rumbled out a phrase in Huttese that neither bounty hunters understood. Thankfully, a gold plated protocol droid shuffled forward to translate.

"The mighty Jabba," C-3PO started, his voice a mixture of revulsion and eloquence, "Bids you welcome and thanks you for the capture of such a dangerous target as Chewbacca."

Chewbacca barked in response. Out of the corner of her eye, the scout trooper saw a familiar Mandalorian in scuffed green armor nod in approval to her and her companion. Then the slug rumbled out another few phrases.

"In thanks for your services, the mighty and grateful Jabba will gladly pay you a reward of twenty five thousand."

 _TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND CREDITS!_ The scout trooper cried in her head.

Her partner said a quick phrase. Everyone in the room glanced in confusion to each other before C-3PO translated.

"Fifty thousand, no less." he said quickly.

Jabba roared in outrage and slammed a slimy arm into 3PO causing him to fall off the platform Jabba the Hutt was resting on. He then said another phrase, this time with a heavy twinge of anger in it. 3PO carefully rose from the floor, green slime on his chest casing. He then quickly translated for the Hutt.

"The mighty Jabba respectfully asks why you want fifty thousand?"

 _Respectfully my butt._ The scout trooper thought before she froze. The familiar whine of a thermal detonator was heard in her sensitive ears.

"Because he's holding an thermal detonator!" Threepio cried in terror.

Instantly everyone in the room either ducked for cover or hid. The Mandalorian in the corner of the room drew his blaster. Tension hung in the air as the Ubese bounty hunter held his finger on the thermal detonator's charge.

A loud, rumbling laughter echoed in the silent room. It took a moment before the scout trooper realized it was Jabba laughing. In fact, he was laughing hard from the looks of things. If the slug's thick lips could smile, he probably was. The scout trooper did not know whether to take this as a bad or good sign. Instead she kept her finger on the trigger of her blaster rifle. The massive Hutt said a phrase to Threepio.

"Jabba…." Threepio looked almost shocked, "Jabba says he likes you two. And is willing to settle for forty thousand."

The ubese bounty hunter said a quick phrase before deactivating the thermal detonator and pocketing the bomb.

"He agrees!" Threepio said cheerfully.

It took everything in the scout trooper's power not to facepalm at Threepio's gleeful declaration.

Two Gamorrean guards then shuffled forward and roughly grabbed Chewbacca away from the two bounty hunters. As Chewbacca was hauled away kicking and screaming, the two bounty hunters decided to mingle with the crowd inside of Jabba's palace. The scout trooper quietly went over to a wall and leaned against it, just trying to calm down after nearly having a thermal detonator blow up in her face.

"Well done." A growling voice said that startled the woman.

The scout trooper turned and saw the Mandalorian bounty hunter, Boba Fett, walking up to her.

"It must've not been easy capturing that Wookie."

"Well… it wasn't." The scout trooper replied, hoping to keep this conversation short.

Boba Fett nodded before leaning in close, "You need to be more convincing Wendy Marvell. They highly doubt you are a bounty hunter."

Wendy's eyes widened inside her helmet.

"Imitate your friend." Boba Fett advised, "She seems to be doing a fine job. Oh.." He slipped something into her hand, "Your other friend here says hello."

Wendy gulped as Boba Fett strode away. What was that supposed to mean? She knew that Lando was here. He was the only other one here in the palace beside Artoo and threepio. Natsu and Gajeel were forced to stay behind by Lucy and Leia. Apparently, they both agreed that it'd be a horrible idea to send the two dragonslayers on a stealth mission like this.

But... somehow... someway, Natsu managed to sneak on to the Falcon. So now, he was on standby. Or as Joshua liked to call it, Dragonslayer time out. Happy was with him, so if they needed him quickly, he could be there... hopefully. Wendy cringed as she thought of Natsu busting into this place and burning it to the ground. That would go over well with the other criminal syndicates.

Meldy and Levy also remained behind. Meldy because of baby Kento and Levy so she could prepare with the other pilots for the assault on Earthland. Zeb and Rex were reassigned to General Madine's personal guard, a reward for their long service to the rebellion. So they weren't able to accompany them either. That left Wendy, Leia, Lando, Joshua, and Luke to somehow break someone named Han Solo out of Jabba's palace.

Wendy gulped. Lando was the only other one here. And Boba Fett just sent his regards for him. Did that mean Lando was dead? Wendy carefully looked at the object in her hand. It was a small scrap of paper and on it read…. Wendy crumpled up the paper and tossed it away.

 _That smooth talking idiot!_ Wendy thought as she folded her arms and shook her head, a slight blush on her cheeks, _When I get my hands on him after this..._

A thought suddenly occurred to Wendy. How long was this going to actually take? Would they be stuck in this palace of filth (as her good friend Carla would describe it) for a long time. Wendy prayed that wouldn't be the case. As the partying around her continued, she decided to drift off to the side and quietly sit on her own. Waiting until Leia decided to make a move. All the while she got the distinct feeling that Boba Fett was watching her. Regardless of how this plan was, Wendy couldn't help but have a very bad feeling about all of this.

….

The orbit of Earthland was one of the most beautiful things the First Sister had ever laid eyes upon. The atmosphere and planet beneath shimmered like a priceless jewel in the blackness of outer space. The Executor slowly lumbered out of hyperspace and approached the small planet. As the immense Super Star Destroyer slowed down, the First Sister felt the shuttle she was on shudder and detach from the lower hanger before quickly drifting out into space in the direction of a small moon just inside of Earthland's orbit.

Beside her stood Darth Vader. His rhythmic, labored breathed rang in her ears in a steady beat. They had received their orders from the Emperor only a day ago. Report to the new Death Star over Earthland and ensure its completion. Destroy any rebels that get in your way. Production on the immense space station had ground to a halt, and the Emperor was not a patient man.

Vader was shockingly angry with his master when he had learned of the new Death Star. He had demanded to know why the Emperor had not disclosed this information to him. But when Vader and the First Sister learned why, they couldn't question the Emperor's reason. It was a brilliant plan in the First Sister's mind. There was no way it could fail. The Emperor seemed to think so as well. Because in a few days time, he would be arriving on the Death Star himself.

The shuttle quickly got clearance once the personnel on the Death Star learned who was on board. As the shuttle slowly flew towards the hangar, the First Sister could see several columns of Stormtroopers at attention, awaiting their arrival. She recognized this group of stormtroopers. It was Vader's personal legion, the 501st. This was the one legion that still had a majority of clone veterans from the clone wars in it. And they were the best legion in the entire Empire.

The shuttle finally docked and the ramp began to hiss open. Vader stood beside the First sister as the lowered. Standing at attention at he bottom of the ramp was a very anxious imperial officer. The First Sister smirked when she saw him nervously gulp as he saw Lord Vader step down from the shuttle with her in tow.

"Lord Vader this is an unexpected pleasure. We are honored by your presence." The officer said quickly with a clipped accent.

 _Another brown noser._ The First sister thought, _No wonder production has stalled. Ever since those organized outbreaks on the surface drew Thrawn back into combat…_ The first sister scowled. This was a weak man in front of her.

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, commander." Vader snarled as he quickly strode past the officer, barely paying him any mind. The officer quickly hurried to walk beside him. Vader then continued, "I am here to put you back on schedule."

"I assure you Lord Vader we are working as fast as we can. The workers can be rather difficult to persuade when it comes to their daily quotas."

"Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them?" Vader mused as he continued walking.

The officers face blanched, "I tell you… this station will be operational as planned."

 _And you have just pissed him off by backtalking._ The First Sister thought as Vader ground to a halt and turned to the officer, his imposing height making the sniveling man look like an ant.

Vader pointed a finger at the commander's chest, "The Emperor does not share you optimistic appraisal of the situation."

"B-but…" The man stammered, "He asks the impossible!" he protested, "I need… more workers."

Vader glowered at the commander, "Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives."

All color in the commander's face drained and he opened and closed his mouth several times before regaining the ability to speak again.

"Th-the Emperor is coming here?"

"That is correct, commander." Vader growled, "And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress."

"We shall double our efforts." the Commander said quickly, doing his best to dig himself out of the deep hole he was in.

"I hope so Commander for your sake," Vader threatened, "The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am." Vader continued walking with the First Sister leaving the commander to ponder his grievous mistakes in the recent conversation.

The two fists of the Empire, The First Sister and Vader quickly exited the hangar and strode towards the lifts that would deliver them to their quarters. As they stepped onto the lift, Vader glanced at the First Sister. He could sense conflict in her. But the origins of which he could not accurately pinpoint.

"You are troubled?" Vader asked.

"Not at all my lord." The First Sister replied.

"The proximity to your home planet will not be of issue, will it?" Vader pressed.

The First Sister shook her head, "No my lord. That planet is just a rock in space to me. I have no memory of it."

But she did. Ever since her battle with Joshua Scarlet… no, Darth Draconis, on Naboo, she had felt layers of deception being peeled away from her mind. Bits and pieces of her past life returned to her. But they never stayed long enough to fully analyze. All she could do was speculate on who she once was. Maybe this planet would deliver her more answers. Or maybe, like the battle on Naboo, it would only give her more questions.

"Good. Because you will be going down to the surface and conducting military operations with Grand Moff Thrawn." The First Sister looked at Vader, uncertain of what to say, "I shall remain here and motivate the workforce."

The lift suddenly stopped. The First Sister looked at the number on the lift. This wasn't the floor for their quarters. The doors opened, revealing a massive construction zone that opened up to open space. The entire area was protected from the vacuum outside by a thin shield.

All around the First Sister she could see Earthlanders using incredible magic abilities to assist in the production the Death Star. Fire mages used their flames to weld mandalorian iron. Mages with strength or takeover abilities helped move the materials. All the while, stormtroopers with high powered blaster rifles watched them.

"How are we keeping them in line?" The First Sister asked herself aloud.

"There is a peculiar type of stone that exists on this planet. I believe it is called Magic Suppression Stone." Vader explained, "Thrawn was able to learn the means of production for such stone from a Dark Guild named Raven Tail. They assist with guarding the shield generator on the ground in exchange for a place in the Empire."

"Erza?"

The First Sister heard her true name called again. It was from a massive, muscular man with spiky white hair. He wore rags and he looked malnourished.

"Erza!" he cried and was about to rush forward when the suppression stone kicked in and knocked him to the ground. "Help us Erza! Help us!" He man screeched as stormtroopers came over and jabbed him with electro staffs.

"I am not Erza." She simply muttered before quickly turning and walking back into the lift. The large man with white hair stared dumbfounded at her, tears beading in his manly eyes.

"ERZA!" He screamed before a stormtrooper kicked him the face, knocking him out.

The First Sister scowled in the disgust on the outside. But on the inside, she couldn't help but feel a pang of anger against the Empire. She didn't even know that man? Did she? She couldn't remember?

"When do I depart for the surface?" The First Sister asked as Vader entered the lift to go to his quarters.

"You have three hours. Use them wisely." Darth Vader ordered before the lift shut on the suffering wizards of Earthland.

 **And chapter! The Return of the Jedi has begun! Kinda fitting that it's chapter 100 too, right? Holy smokes…. This is chapter 100. How the hell did that happen!? I didn't think this would come remotely close to that! Wow… thanks you guys! This is absolutely amazing! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Have a nice day!**


	101. Chapter 101: Jabba's Palace

**Hello again everyone! Back with another chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 101

Night fell slowly over the desert planet of Tatooine. The jubilant atmosphere inside of the immense durasteel structure that Jabba the Hutt called home slowly began to die as the sun began to settle beneath the horizon. And Wendy was more than happy to see the many different aliens, guards, and bounty hunters slowly drop one by one to sleep on the dance floor, exhausted from the partying and alcohol. Finally, the dragon slayer had a chance to breath a little. The amount of debauchery and indecency she had witnessed in this one afternoon would've made Carla faint and fall into a coma. And while she stood uncomfortably in a dark corner of the palace, her companion in the Ubese armor acted like some of the more cautious bounty hunters. Preferring to fawned over by the scantily clad Twi'lek slaves instead of taking part in anything.

But eventually, even the slaves fell asleep as their revolting master snored behind a thick red curtain. The mere sight of Jabba the Hutt made Wendy want to vomit whenever she looked at him. She figured a crime lord would be a disgusting being, but Jabba brought the amount of revulsion and evil to another level.

As the sunlight was replaced by moonlight and the many lamps inside of the palace dimmed, Wendy too felt her eyelids beginning to droop. It had been a long day and she had been on edge for most of it. With the relative safety of night upon her, she finally felt the weight of today on her, and it was immense. What she would give to be able to lie down in a comfortable bed once again. But she couldn't afford to drift off now. She had a feeling that either Leia or Lando would use this as a prime opportunity to make a move.

And sure enough, Wendy was correct. Most ordinary people wouldn't have noticed the subtle ringing on wind chimes being tapped. But Wendy was not ordinary. She was an Earthland dragonslayer. And she possibly had the best hearing out of all of them. Her helmeted head snapped over in the direction of the quiet noise and she saw her companion freezing beside some wind chimes. Wendy cringed. Leia had accidentally run into them.

 _Carefully._ Wendy thought as he kept her eyes open while Leia approached her.

"You ready?" Leia asked quietly, her voice unscrambled for now.

Wendy nodded, "Let's make this quick. Then we can grab Chewbacca and Lando and make a run for it."

Leia nodded and quietly tip toed with Wendy down a small hallway that led to a dimly lit alcove. Inside of the alcove was what Wendy thought to be a sick excuse for a decoration.

It looked like a rectangular stone sculpture made of a strange gray stone. The sculpture looked like a man with his hands going up to defend himself in a desperate attempt to protect himself. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain while his teeth were grit.

"What is this?" Wendy asked in a hushed tone.

Leia gulped, "Han."

Wendy's eyes widened behind her mask. She didn't say anything else as Leia moved close to the sculpture and turned several dials on the side. The sculpture then shuddered an violently hit the ground. Wendy jumped and winced as her ears rang.

"Loud!" Wendy hissed.

"Sorry!" Leia hissed back, "I didn't think it'd do that!"

"Shhhh!"

"Wendy!"

"We're being loud!"

"Just- ugh! Let me work!" Leia snapped back in a whisper before turned another dial on the side of the sculpture.

Wendy's eyes widened as the sculpture begin to emit a dull throbbing sound. Then the gray stone began to glow bright orange around the man inside of the stone. Slowly, the stone evaporated away, revealing a man in his late twenties. He had long, dark brown hair and fair skin and wore a plain white shirt with blue pants and dark boots. Both Wendy and Leia waited a moment before the man took a sharp breath and pitched forward.

Wendy quickly moved forward and caught the man. Only problem was, she didn't realize how heavy he was going to be.

"Eeeep!" Wendy yelped as she slipped backwards with the man landing heavily on top of her, "Leia… help!"

The man was shuddering violently until he heard that name, "Leia? Leia?" he said weakly, his head lolling from side to side like he couldn't fully control his body.

The woman in ubese armor removed her helmet and cradled Han as Wendy struggled to get out from under him.

"I'm here." Leia said before kissing him deeply. Wendy's jaw dropped and her pupils shrank. Since when was Leia so forward!?

"I-I can't-" Han reached up to his eyes with a shivering hand, "I can't see!"

"You're eyesight will return."

"I'm on it." Wendy said as she let her healing magic race through her and into Han's eyes.

Han jerked away as he felt a strange tingling sensation in his head, but Leia's comforting hands held him still.

"It's ok. Wendy's just trying to help."

Han blinked. Everything wasn't dark anymore. It was still exceptionally blurry. But it wasn't dark anymore. Through his blurred vision he could make out a gorgeous blue haired woman with pale skin and bright brown eyes and wearing repainted imperial scout trooper armor. A green glow was on her hands as she hovered them in front of Han's face.

"Who? And how?"

"Later Han." Leia nodded to Wendy who stopped her healing magic and swung Han's right arm over her shoulders while Leia took the left, "For now we need to get out of here."

Han gulped, "And where is here?"

A deep, rumbling chortle rang out in the dark room. The laugh made both Wendy and Leia freeze in terror while Han gulped.

"Shit." Han muttered, "I know that laugh."

The red curtain swung open revealing a thoroughly amused Jabba the Hut and several more spectators. Wendy could make out Jabba's servant Bib Fortuna grinning ear to ear while Boba Fett simply stood beside the massive slug. Leia and Han also turned around to look at the massive slug.

"Wendy!"

Wendy's cheeks puffed out as she sucked in air, " **Sky Dragon's Roa-"** Wendy stopped as she felt a stone hit her wrists and wrap around them. In an instant, she felt her magic power completely evaporate. Her physical strength disappeared and she dropped to her hands and knees.

"Wendy!"

"What just hit me?" Wendy asked before glancing at her wrists and gulping in terror. She recognized the stones that latched to her wrists like handcuffs. She had seen them before, on Joshua. They were magic suppression stone.

 _But how-_

Wendy's eyes widened and she glanced over at Boba Fett who was holding a second set of stone cuffs just in case. Wendy then realized, he had thrown them at her and made sure they latched on. But how did he get this stone? Wendy gulped and let out a shaky breath. The loss of her magic power was one of the most uncomfortable feelings she had ever felt.

"Hey Jabba!" Han said quickly, trying to reason with the slug, "Look Jabba, I was on my way to pay you back and I got a little sidetracked." Han raised a hand, "It wasn't my fault."

Jabba rumbled and several of his guards marched forward and roughly grabbed all three of the rebels. Wendy squirmed in their grasps, doing her bests to break free. But eventually she conceded that without her magic power she was helpless right now. It would be better to save her energy for the right moment. She grit her teeth and gave Jabba the Hutt a deadly stare as she was slowly dragged down a dark corridor while Leia and Han were taken down other corridors. Her brown eyes never left the slug and she snarled in anger before letting out an angry cry. Off in a dark corner of the palace, a small blue astromech had finished transmitting a distress signal.

….

The next morning brought with it the same two suns and the same heat that made Joshua hate this planet already. He could understand why Luke was so reluctant to come back here. This place sucked. It was hot, it was dry, the sand got everywhere. He had no doubts that when he saw Wendy again she would frown at how he looked right now, dusty, dirty, and sun burnt.

So his mood was already really bad in the morning. Then Luke came to wake him up early, already a bad decision on the Jedi's part. But the news Luke brought with the rude awakening made Joshua nearly strangle him. The distress signal came from Artoo. Wendy and Leia had been captured. And now, Joshua and Luke were quickly striding towards the massive structure built on the edges of Tatooine's Northern Dune Sea. Joshua had been quiet for the entire trek, letting the anger stew inside of him for awhile. But when he saw the palace, he let it out. A quick blast of force energy made Luke jump, startled by the sudden outburst and sand flying in all directions.

"What was that for?" Luke asked, his hood drawn over his head to protect him from the twin suns.

"Oh… you know exactly what that was for." Joshua growled as he trudged through the loose sand, feeling several grains fall into his boots. He really hated this planet right now.

Luke sighed, "We didn't know they would get captured."

"We could've avoided this entire situation-"

"Here we go again." Luke mumbled.

"If you would've listened to me in the first place." Joshua finished with a huff, "If one hair on her head has been hurt I swear I will kill everything in that palace."

"No you won't."

Joshua glanced at Luke and frowned, "You can't stop me."

"Yes I can."

"I can beat you like a drum, Skywalker." Joshua growled threateningly.

"And I wasn't going all out in our little practice session earlier, Scarlet."

"Neither was I." Joshua grumbled.

"So we could annihilate each other and help no in that situation, correct?" Luke watched as Joshua's frown deepened, "Besides, we can't go into this situation swords drawn. We don't know the numbers of our enemy or their armaments. For all we know, an Inquisitor is here helping Jabba and his many guards."

"I can handle an Inquisitor." Joshua muttered.

"Can you handle one while being shot at by fifty blasters?" Luke questioned.

Joshua glared at Luke before cursing, "I fucking hate it when you're right."

Luke chuckled, "My way will work Joshua. Don't worry."

"You're way gives me a great cause to worry." Joshua replied as they finally approached the massive durasteel door that led into Jabba's Palace. Joshua glared at the door and tilted his head to the side, "Do we knock or-"

The mechanical arm with an electronic eye at the end popped out. Before it could say anything Joshua's saber slashed it in half, causing the smoking end to quickly retract back into the door. Luke sighed and looked disapproving at Joshua.

"It startled me." Joshua explained as he kicked the severed eye out the way. Luke sighed and shook his head, "It did!" Joshua protested again as the durasteel door slowly opened.

"Just put the sword away please."

Joshua began to clip it to his belt.

"In your requip!" Luke snapped as he wearily rubbed his eyes with his gloved right hand.

"You just have to make this more difficult." Joshua breathed as a golden light covered his lightsaber, allowing him to store it in his own little pocket dimension.

When the door finally opened enough for the two to pass through with bending over, they strode into the dark tunnel. The light from the suns outside the tunnel allowed both Joshua and Luke to see the two massive, Gamorrean guards rushing up to them before stopping and crossing their axe like weapons. A signal that they are not welcome.

"See… you upset them." Luke muttered to Joshua.

"I'm about to upset them even more." Joshua pointed a finger at the guards. The hog like creatures grunted then choked before shuffling back towards the wall and slumping unconscious. Luke cast Joshua a sidelong glance.

"My way works." Joshua smirked.

"No more." Luke said.

"But-"

"No more." Joshua groaned as Luke scolded him, "I swear Joshua, you act like a child sometimes."

"Just because I embrace my passions and enjoy choking someone; that doesn't make me a child."

Luke stopped and stared incredulously at Joshua as the Sith Lord paused and pursed his lips.

"That came out very wrong."

Luke nodded, "Yeah… yeah it did."

"Oh look! An albino Twi'lek." Joshua suddenly cried, desperately trying to change the subject.

Luke's head snapped forwards. Sure enough, an extravagantly dressed albino Twi'lek was quiclky marching towards them. His red eyes widened in fear as he saw the two guards unconscious by the walls. But the creature admirably kept marching forward and pointed a finger at Joshua and Luke. He uttered a quick phrase in Huttese causing Joshua to glance at Luke.

"I don't speak gibberish." Joshua commented.

"It's not gibberish, it's Huttese."

"Same difference." Joshua hissed, "Anyways, what did he say?"

Luke shrugged, "Does it matter?" He then waved a hand in front of the Twi'lek's face, "You will take us to Jabba now."

The Twi'lek's eyes glossed over and he repeated Luke's words back to him, only in Huttese instead of basic. A pale hand waved for the two to follow him. As they followed the Twi'lek down the dark tunnel and towards a large room, Joshua glanced over at Luke.

"And you say my methods are bad? At least I don't leave psychological damage."

"No, you just kill them." Luke retorted.

Joshua shrugged, "What works, works. Beside I-" Joshua stopped walking as he entered the room. He was about to shout a very insulting comment about the slug creature that rested in the center of the room. But what comment was about to be uttered got caught in his throat as he saw Wendy wearing a… Joshua's face went as red as his last name, both in anger at the people in this room and passion as he stared at Wendy's form.

Wendy's body was scantily clad in a metal bikini with a red sash running from her hips down the front of her legs. Her long blue hair was cascading down her shoulders causing Joshua to follow it's trail down to her chest. His gaze stayed locked there before he quickly gulped and attempted to refocus himself. He had seen Wendy wear a lot of things. But he had never seen her wear something this revealing before. As he glanced between her and the slug on the platform, he noticed the chain around her neck attached to a type of stone that he was all to familiar with.

Luke was completely calm in this situation. Despite seeing Leia in an equally embarrassing and exposing outfit, he kept his emotions in check. He was trained to do so after all. But Joshua was not. So when Joshua laid eyes on Wendy being forced to rest on the tail of a giant slug monster, he could feel the force ripple in fury.

"Joshua, calm down." Luke quickly hissed.

"Hard to do when I'm angry and aroused at the same time."

"Well you can-" Luke blinked, "Wait what?"

"Forget you heard that." Joshua hissed, "And forget this plan. They touched Wendy. I'm gonna kill them all!"

"No!"

"Luke-"

Jabba snorted as they stood before his… throne, if you could call the stone platform that. His large eyes were closed, showing that the immense crime lord was fast asleep. Meanwhile, Wendy looked worriedly at Joshua. Her brown eyes pleaded with him to keep his cool. And…. begrudgingly, he did.

"How many blasters do you think are pointing at us?" Joshua whispered to Luke as the Twi'lek stepped up to the side of Jabba's head.

"Too many." Luke muttered back, "Be cautious."

The Twi'lek tapped Jabba's temple causing the crime lord to let out a startled groan as he awoke, his deep voice throbbing in Wendy's sensitive ears, making her wince. As he awoke, Threepio shuffled up beside Jabba to help translate. Bib Fortuna said something in huttese to Jabba who quickly grew angry with the Twi'lek.

"What are they saying?" Joshua asked Luke.

Luke ignored him as he continued mind tricking the Twi'lek, "I must be allowed to speak."

The Twi'lek repeated this words to Jabba. But the slug managed to recognize the mind trick. Joshua even heard the repulsive creature utter those very words before tossing his servant to the side with one of his meaty arms. Luke stepped forward and quickly removed his hood while Joshua remained back, hood still drawn over his head.

"You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookie to me!" Luke barked at Jabba.

The slug looked at Luke for a moment before chuckling. Joshua scowled beneath his hood. He felt like he could end this with one swift movement. But he could also sense the intentions of the dozens of bounty hunters in the room. Even if he could avoid being shot, there was no way Wendy or Leia could while chained up to this monster.

 _Damn it all I hate this._ Joshua thought.

Luke began to respond to Jabba's insult, "Nevertheless…" He and Joshua took a threatening step forward, "I am taking Captain Solo, and his friends. You can either profit from this, or be destroyed. It's your choice but I warn you not to underestimate our powers."

Jabba glowered down at Luke. Suddenly, Joshua head Threepio begin to warn them about something when Jabba began to shout, enraged before saying something softly to Luke. Luke scowled and quickly jerked a blaster away from a guard with the force.

"AND I'M THE RASH ONE!" Joshua shouted before he felt as warning in the force. The floor suddenly gave out underneath him and Luke.

The Sith Lord quickly reached out with his cybernetic hand and caught the edge of the trap door while Luke fell helplessly down into the trap below. Using the force, Joshua threw himself back up out of the trap door. Just before he could requip his lightsaber and cut down these fools he felt a blaster touch the back of his head followed by the sounds of dozens more being primed, ready to gun him down.

"Don't move, Jedi." Boba Fett snarled as he held his blaster to the back of Joshua's head.

Joshua clenched his jaw. He looked up at Wendy and saw the sheer fear on her face. His yellow eyes blazed as he looked over at all of the people in the room.

"In a couple hours…. you will all be dead. Either by my hand or by my pyromaniac friend." Then Joshua glared dangerously at Jabba, "And you… fat ass. I will make your death a slow one. I want to savor the life leaving your body."

Joshua then quickly smacked a button on his belt. As soon as he hit the button he felt the butt of Boba's blaster smack him in the back of his head, knocking him out.

….

Joshua's eyes slowly fluttered open as he felt hands roughly dragging him along the floor. He winced and blinked as bright light filled his vision. His head throbbed with one of the worst headaches he had ever felt in his life. As his wits began to return, he noticed he was being dragged through the palace by some guards with Boba Fett in tow. Joshua grinned and was about to exact relentless vengeance on these people when he felt an all too familiar feeling on his wrists. Rage boiled up in him as he glanced down at his wrists and saw both magic suppression stone and force cuffs on both of them.

"How did you get your hands on this stuff?" Joshua groaned.

"The black market." Boba Fett replied stiffly, "And don't even think about breaking loose, even though you and I both know you are strong enough. The Hutt has your girl. And if you break free now, he will have her and your other friends killed."

"He can try." Joshua snarled.

"He definitely is." Boba Fett replied as Joshua saw the guards hauling him towards a small sand skiff. On the skiff were at least a dozen armed guards, Chewbacca, Luke, another man that Joshua could only assume was Han, and… Joshua grinned as a dark skinned guard wearing a concealing helmet nodded. There was some hope after all.

 _Lando you sneaky bastard._ Joshua smirked as the guards dropped him on the skiff.

Luke quickly bent down and helped the young Sith Lord to his feet.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine."

"What's the damage?"

"Well," Joshua winced, "I think I may have a concussion and-"

"Not to you," Luke nodded at the many guards on the skiff, "To them."

Joshua sighed, "None, unfortunately. Fucking Mandalorian was on my ass before I could do anything."

Luke grimaced then sighed while the taller, dark haired man beside him looked around.

"Everything is just a big bright blur." He muttered before looking in Luke's general direction, "And who is this person you're talking to Luke?"

"A friend." Luke replied.

"I'm just a friend!?" Joshua cried as the Skiff whirred to life and jetted out into the dune sea with another two skiff and a massive sand yacht beside it, "I thought with our close connection Skywalker you would call me best friend."

"Hey!" Han Solo growled, offended. "That's my distinction."

"Both of you are too much of a headache for me." Luke sighed while Chewbacca uttered a low groan.

"Well… you could at least introduce me to your self proclaimed best friend." Joshua said as he lazily looked out at the dune sea.

"Fine." Luke nodded at Han, "Joshua this Han Solo. Han this is Joshua Scarlet."

"Pleasure." Han grumbled, "It's so damn hot out here."

"I know right!?" Joshua exclaimed, "And it's made worse by how pissed I am at Skywalker."

"Joshua-" Luke started before being quickly interrupted by a very irate Joshua.

"Is this situation appropriate for me to finally say, 'I told you so'?" Joshua snapped at Luke.

"This situation is under control." Luke replied calmly.

"Sure it is." Joshua grumbled, "Are you going to give them another chance?"

Han raised his eyebrows as he looked at Joshua, "I kinda like this kid. He doesn't put up with your shit. Kinda like me."

"Believe me, you'll have to put up with way more of his shit than mine." Luke replied, "And for the record, Scarlet, I am."

"KRIFF! FUCKING SHIT! SKYWALKER!" Joshua bellowed as the skiffs slowly whined to a stop near a deep gouge in the dune sea.

Beside them, the massive yacht owned by Jabba the Hutt also came to a stop. Joshua glanced down at the deep gouge in the sand and saw it was a pit… with teeth. Joshua's face visibly paled and he glanced over at Luke.

"Um… I think this our-"

Luke nodded, "Yup...we may be out of options."

Joshua watched as a guard prodded Luke towards a metal plank that extended from the skiff. As Luke walked out on the plank and stood precariously over the pit they heard Threepio's amplified voice ring out in the air.

"Victims of the almighty Sarlaac!" Threepio cried.

 _Sarlaac?_ Joshua looked down at the pit with teeth and saw massive tentacles slowing rising out of it, _Yeah…. Nope, nope, nope!_

 __"His excellency," Threepio continued, "hopes you will die honorably! But if any of you wish to be for mercy the great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas!"

Joshua was about to shout a flurry of curses back at the protocol droid, but Han Solo beat him to the punch.

"Theepio!" Han shouted, "You tell that slimy piece of worm ridden filth; he'll get no such pleasure from us!" Han then glanced at Chewbacca, "Right Chewie?"

The Wookie groaned in agreement while Joshua nodded.

"What he said." Joshua quickly added in there.

Luke stared defiantly up at the yacht, "Jabba! This is your last chance!"

 _Finally!_ Joshua screamed in his head.

"Free us… or die!" Luke warned, boredom evident in his voice.

"Oh you are really going to convince him with that level of enthusiasm." Joshua muttered to Luke who shot a glance at him that was the equivalent of, shut up.

"Hey, I'm just saying." Joshua continued, "I don't want to get eaten by a butt hole in the sand."

"You won't be eaten." Han commented, "You'll slowly be digested over a thousand years."

Joshua eye's widened and his pupils shrank. Yup, this got a whole lot worse. As Luke finished his defiant declaration, Joshua could feel the amusement and laughter from the criminals on board the yacht. He could also feel Wendy's fear, coming in waves as she watched him about to be executed. He quickly closed his eyes and sent a calming wave to her through the force before he reopened his eyes and watched as Luke was being pushed towards the edge of the plank. Just before Jabba could give the order to push Luke in, Joshua whistled to Luke. The Jedi turned to look at the Sith.

"Hey Luke, before you die-"

"Please don't!" Luke pleaded.

"Just wanna say I told you so!" Joshua shouted.

Luke rolled his eyes before he was pushed over the edge.

….

The First Sister's eyes snapped open as she felt the shuttle come to a gentle landing on the surface of Earthland. The ramp quickly lowered for her as she rose from her kneeling position and turned on her heel to descend from the shuttle and set foot on a planet that was supposedly her home at one point in time.

As she got to the bottom of the ramp, the first thing she noticed was the brilliant blue skies of the planet. They seemed as blue as a sparkling sapphire. The clouds above her looked like small puffs of cotton floating in the air while the system's moderately sized sun shined brightly over her head. The air here, unlike on Coruscant, felt impeccably clean. Free of the corruption and pollution of major cities and production. It was cool and crisps, the trees around her had patches of leaves missing while other patches were slowly turning shades of orange and red.

 _It's fall._ The First Sister thought. Before she could marvel anymore at the planet's stunning beauty she noticed several imperial officers striding up to her. And at the forefront, was a Chiss male wearing a pristine white imperial uniform. Only instead of an admiral's rank on his chest, he now bore the rank of Grand Moff.

"My my." Thrawn said with a smirk as he stood before the First Sister, "You have certainly changed Erza Scarlet."

"Do not call me by that name Thrawn." The First Sister snarled as she strode towards the Imperial headquarters located in the center of the city they were in. A city named Crocus.

"My apologies, simply reminiscing about our previous meetings. I had forgotten how quickly you rose through the ranks, First Sister." Thrawn said, his incredibly calm voice causing the First Sister to grow slightly uneasy.

"Spare the boot licking Thrawn."

"That was not boot licking, First Sister." Thrawn's red eyes narrowed dangerously, "But it was a compliment. And remember your place, please."

This was one of the many things the First Sister despised about the Imperial hierarchy. The Grand Moffs were above everyone save the Emperor and Darth Vader, which meant that they were above her.

 _They wouldn't act so pompous with my lightsaber at their throats._ The First Sister thought as she entered a large golden palace with Thrawn.

As they walked in, they strode immediately up to an opulent ballroom on one of the higher floors. The First Sister blinked as she saw a memory form in her mind as she looked at a window with scratch marks in it. She saw her little brother standing on the balcony outside with a blue haired girl in his arms. And they were kissing. A spring of emotions emerged in her. Sadness, anger, and… joy… joy jumped in her heart when she saw that. The First Sister shook her head.

 _What a strange mix of emotions._

"Are you well my lady?" Thrawn asked as he sat down in a red cushioned chair.

The First Sister returned from her thoughts and looked at Thrawn.

"I'm fine, just… memories. I've been here before, so I was just… reminiscing."

Thrawn nodded, "Reliving happier times no doubt?"

The First Sister cocked an eyebrow, "I suppose."

Thrawn smirked before sighing and leaning forward, "I suppose I should inform you why you are here."

"To quell rebel cells that have sprouted on the planet." The First Sister answered, "Lord Vader already informed me."

Thrawn nodded, "Yes… and no. We do need your assistance, but I have reason to believe that what we are dealing with isn't a simple rebel cell. What we are dealing with currently, is a highly organized resistance that originated from the continent of Alvarez."

Erza scoffed, "You provoked Alvarez? That was a stupid mistake."

"So our allies, Raven Tail, have told me." Thrawn replied as he leaned back and crossed his legs, "Although that was never my intention. And in fact, I never provoked them. I left them alone, just as you advised us to do when you first arrived in our ranks. And they left us alone as well. They seemed very content to ignore us as long as we ignored them. But then… last month, that changed."

"They attacked."

"They didn't just attack," Thrawn replied, "They massacred… an entire legion of stormtroopers stationed in the northern reaches of Ishgar. And reports indicate that the massacre was done by one wizard." The First Sister's eyes widened, "Just one." Thrawn reiterated, "This wizard managed to level the landscape. The reports also say that there were eleven other wizards with her but all they did was watch her annihilate my soldiers. It was only when Raven Tail showed up that they scattered. Why? I don't know. Raven Tail are weaklings compared to these twelve that have now emerged. But my own theory is that the magic that has been slowly rebuilding over Ishgar is still weak. The ethernanos that were vaporized by Face over a year ago are slowly reappearing thanks to the other wells of magic on this planet. And it won't be long before the wizards on this continent can mount a counteroffensive to our forces and drive us off planet."

The First Sister quickly processed what Thrawn told her.

"You want me to prevent that."

Thrawn nodded, "Of course. You were once considered one of the most powerful wizards on this planet if I am not mistaken. You should be able to check these attacks and prevent further ones. Especially since you have received further training from Lord Vader."

The First Sister nodded, "Who is the leadership of these rebels?"

"We don't know who leads the twelve wizards that attacked our northern outpost. He is simply known as Emperor Spriggen. Beyond that, he is a complete enigma. I haven't been able to get any forces into the Alvarez Empire to do any sort of investigating." Thrawn sighed, "They keep winding up dead every time I try. However… we do know who is leading the more… local rebellions."

Thrawn pulled out a hologram disc and projected the image. The image was of a young man with short black hair. He wore a purple cloak over his black robes, an image of a witch was printed on the back of the cloak. Beside him was a woman with snow white hair and a maroon dress, a man with dark blue hair with a tattoo around his right eye, and a large, muscular, bald man with dark skin and wearing loose fitting robes.

"They only go by code names. The woman is called She-Devil, the blue haired boy is called Warlock, the rather large bald one is called Saint, and the last one is one we are certainly familiar with…" The hologram switched off, "Starkiller. And he will be the most dangerous of the three since he does have control over the force, unlike the others." Thrawn pocked the holodisc, "You are free to use any methods necessary. But make sure that all four are eliminated."

Erza nodded, "Understood." She spun on her heel and headed for the exit.

As she left, a small bird with white feathers flapped away from the windowsill. The bird shot through the air at high speeds before suddenly faltering. It's wings now weakly flapped in the air where just moments before it was flying easily.

 _My magic is low… already. I hate this._

The bird quickly descended down into the forest outside of Crocus before disappearing in a small puff of smoke. When the smoke disappeared, a young woman with an athletic figure and short white hair appeared. She wore a white turtleneck shirt and blue jeans as she tried to combat the steadily dropping temperature. The woman was the animal take over mage of Fairy Tail, Lisanna Strauss.

"Erza." Lisanna thought as she recalled what she saw and saved it into her memory, "She's working for the enemy? She's working for the ones who took Elfman?" Lissanna gulped, "The others must know." And she took off into the forest.

 **And chapter! That was a fun one! I can't wait to write the next one! It's gonna be action packed. And we may learn more about what happened to our friends on Earthland. It's gonna be a good one. Sadly, I have work tomorrow, so it's gonna have to wait a day. But it's coming soon! Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	102. Chapter 102: Lots of Chaos

**Hello everyone! New chapter ready! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 102

This had to be the most humiliating outfit Wendy had ever worn. But it wasn't like she had a choice. The Hutt literally made sure a blaster was held to her head so she would actually put the small bikini on. If Carla saw her now, the poor Exceed would probably have a heart attack. But what came next made Wendy feel absolutely sick. Boba Fett placed a collar made of magic suppression stone around her neck, added a chain, then handed her to the revolting, slimy, slug monster named Jabba the Hutt. And she was forced to sit there beside him. The entire situation made her want to vomit. And she wasn't alone either. Leia was in just as bad a situation as she was. And she looked equally humiliated and pissed about it all.

They weren't even allowed to talk to each other. Every time they tried Jabba would yank their chains so hard that they felt like their windpipes would collapse. And every time, Wendy would give Jabba a dangerous glare while allowing her sharpened canines to slightly show as she snarled at him. The slug would only rumble in amused laughter while licking his thick lips. Then the nausea would return.

The worst embarrassment of all though, was when Joshua and Luke arrived. The shocked look on Joshua's face coupled with the deep blush on his cheeks made her want to crawl into a corner and hide. She envisioned different ways he would look at her like that for the first time, but not like that, not while she was lying next to a giant slug crime lord. All hell broke loose after those few agonizing moments and she shouted in horror as Joshua was knocked out by Boba Fett. As his body was dragged away she glared at the Mandalorian and made a promise to herself that she never would've made before.

She was going to kill the Hutt and she was going to make Boba Fett pay as well. No one put her or Joshua in stone cuffs without paying dearly for doing so. And she would've made good on that promise too, if it wasn't for one thing. The executions that were about to take place were not going to happen at Jabba's Palace. They were going to occur out in the Dune Sea, which meant exposure to her one great weakness… transportation. And Jabba was not at all pleased to see his dragon pet curled up in a ball, cheeks puffed out, and on the verge of vomiting as he partied on his yacht. Even when the yacht finally came to a stop, the world continued spinning, only a little less violently than before. Couple that with the intense fear she was feeling as she watched the executions about to take place, and she was amazed she hadn't passed out like Natsu would on a train.

A sudden, calming breeze brushed by her. She felt her heart slow down and her stomach begin to feel a little better before a small, quiet voice whisper that everything would be ok. She knew that voice, it was Joshua. He sounded so confident right now. What the heck did he and Luke have planned? She didn't see their lightsabers on them when they walked into the palace earlier. So what were they going to do exactly? It would take time for Joshua to access his requip. Too much time. The bounty hunters on the skiff with him would gun them down in the seconds before he could draw his blade. They would need a distraction. And a big one at that.

The calming wave that brushed through her body quietly faded away and was quickly replaced by another wave of overwhelming nausea.

"Wendy, please pull yourself together." Leia hissed while Jabba was focused on Luke, Han, and Joshua shouting final insults at him, "We have to break free now!"

"I would if I- *ulp*- c-could…. Oooooh." Wendy's cheeks puffed out dangerously wide. She had avoided upchucking for now, since doing so would no doubt invoke the Hutt's wrath. But she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. She could feel the wind building up in her as she restrained herself.

She heard Leia mutter a curse before the brunette, in a similar bikini only with a purple sash over her pelvis instead of a red one, shook her head.

"What did Joshua do?"

"He took a moment to tell Luke, I told you so." Leia mumbled.

Wendy snorted out a small laugh, "Of course he did."

Leia gulped then looked out the window of the yacht again as she watched Luke step towards the edge of the plank.

"Whatever they're going to do they better do it soon." Leia muttered.

Then she saw Joshua smirk widely. Her breath left her body as Luke was pushed over the edge of the plank. Just before she could cry out his name, she saw a blue blur come flying over the Sarlaac pit and snag Luke before he could fall into the pit. The blue blur was followed by a loud yell that could only be produced by one person.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A massive stream of fire engulfed one of the three skiffs that guarded the prisoners. Leia's eyes widened as she saw the flames. They didn't look or feel cool at all. She could feel the heat from here. The fire was white hot. So hot that the metal skiff was starting to melt while the guards threw themselves into the sand to escape the fire, only to be quickly devoured by the Sarlaac.

"Natsu!" Leia exclaimed with a smile as she watched the dragon slayer fall from the sky towards the skiff Joshua, Han, and Chewie were on.

 _Oh…_ Wendy thought, _That's the plan. Mass chaos and destruction._ She smirked a little. _There's no one better for the job then._ Then her eyes widened as she realized something. They were about to fight on vehicles. Natsu... was about to fight on a vehicle. _Oh no…_

….

Joshua grinned widely as he felt the intense heat from Natsu's flames engulf the skiff behind the one he was on. Natsu may have been hesitant to fight, but give him enough of a push and he will obliterate everything in his path. The sight of seeing his friends about to be executed must've finally pushed Natsu to become his old self again. And the heat from his flames felt amazing. Joshua didn't care if it was already unbearably hot on Tatooine, he would allow the flames to keep burning forever. His grin only grew wider when he saw Happy zip back around Jabba's yacht with Luke in his arms. The two rocketed back towards Joshua with Luke holding his cybernetic hand out towards him.

 _That's my cue._ Joshua thought as he let his requip magic flow into his hands. Two lightsabers quickly appeared, on with a crossguard hilt, the other with a more traditional hilt. Joshua flung Luke's at the Jedi who easily caught it while Joshua ignited his blade.

Chewbacca howled and tossed a bounty hunter over the side, commandeering his blaster rifle as he did so. Han fell to the deck, still blind and just trying to avoid being shot or sliced in half by Joshua's whirling red blade. Lando tossed his disguise to the wind and began to wrestle with an alien bounty hunter twice his size while Luke and Happy zipped up towards the top deck of Jabba's yacht. Joshua then heard Natsu land on the far end of his skiff.

After Joshua finished dismembering a bounty hunter he turned to Natsu.

"Nice of you to join the… party… Natsu…" Joshua's voice trailed off as he stared at Natsu. The dragonslayer landed on the skiff then immediately fell into a motion sick heap on the edge of the skiff, "Fuck…" _How could I forget about that!? How could he forget about that!?_

A blast rocked the skiff. Joshua stumbled backwards and bumped into the railing behind him. He heard Lando scream as he was flung from the skiff due to the blast. Joshua glanced down below and saw the man desperately gripping a piece of debris that was still attached to the skiff, calling for help. Before Joshua could go to help him he felt a heavy, armored body hit him.

The air left his lungs as Boba Fett activated his jet back and sent both of them flying into the interior of Jabba's yacht. The pair landed roughly on the inside. Joshua moved quickly and slashed Boba's jetpack, causing a minor explosion to take place. Thankfully, Boba's armor shielded both of them from the blast. Joshua then viciously punched Boba's helmet, cracking the visor and sending the bounty hunter sprawling off of him.

"Ok…" Joshua growled, "I'm mad now." Joshua raised his blade and was about to cleave the Mandalorian in two when he ducked under Joshua's arms and tripped up the Sith Lord. Joshua's head bounced as he face planted into the metal floor.

"Oooh," Joshua blinked tears out of his eyes and shook his head, "What the fuck?"

"I could say the same given the fact that you just tried to kill me even though I saved your life." Boba Fett growled.

Joshua jumped back up to his feet and turned to face Boba, "I'm gonna rip you limb for- huh?"

"The cannon on top was pointing right at you." Boba said calmly, "And you weren't paying attention. I used my jetpack to get you out of the way." Joshua's jaw slowly fell open, "And now… you have a chance to save your girl and make good on your little promise to the Hutt."

Joshua gave Boba a wary look, "I thought protecting him was your job?"

Boba shrugged, "He doesn't pay me to protect his fat ass. Besides… I know better than to fight for the losing side."

Joshua narrowed his eyes and glared at the Mandalorian as he walked past him, "I'm watching you." Joshua growled before rubbing some blood from his nose and marching towards the doors. He quickly slashed them open and was greeted by a hail of blaster fire.

It was too easy to deflect the blaster fire. Especially since it was all coming from one direction. That being said, Joshua didn't feel like letting this idiots keep their blasters. After deflecting another blast he reached out with a hand and ripped their blasters from their grips.

"My turn." Joshua snarled, his yellow eyes blazing as he drank in their terror and used it to fuel his powers. It was completely exhilarating.

The many bounty hunters and guards scrambled to get away from the monster with the blood red sword in front of them. But they were all either too slow or too weak to do so. All of their fates ended up being the same. A red lightsaber slashed through their bodies like a knife through soft butter. Each slash precisely directed for an instant kill. And the more Joshua tore through the Hutt bodyguards, the more intoxicating the dark side of the force became. He was loving every second of this. He was embracing their fear, he was embracing his anger at the Hutt, just as he was taught to do. And his powers only grew.

Within minutes, he was knocking on Jabba's door. The guards no longer held their ground against him. They simply tossed their weapons down and tried to run. But that blood red saber cut them down two, leaving nothing but corpses with charred trenches in their bodies.

Joshua approached the locked doors that led to Jabba's party room on the yacht. He could sense the fear creeping out the room. It flowed like a steady stream. He took a deep breath and sighed, a wide smile on his face. He was looking forward to torturing the slug for what he did to Wendy. It was going to be so much fun.

….

"Why does it feel like there is an inferno near me Chewie!" Han Solo bellowed as he stuck close to his hair friend. He then sniffed the air, "Why does it smell like smoke?"

Chewie let out the Wookie equivalent of a smart ass reply.

"I know that blasters emit smoke, Chewie!" Han shouted back, "But-"

"Heeeelp!"

Han blinked, "Lando?"

"Help!" Lando screeched again as he struggled against the sand that threatened to slide him into the Sarlaac's waiting mouth.

"What's that bastard doing here?" Han asked Chewie as the wookie tossed the last bounty hunter off of their skiff.

Chewie howled back.

"I don't remember him being on our side!?" Han shouted back, "I seem to remember him handing me over to Darth Vader. And we know what happened next!"

Another blast rocked their skiff causing both to stumble. Chewie uttered a series of barks and groans at Han.

"Fine! Fine!" Han shouted, "If you like him so much I'll help him!" Han blinked, his eyesight was getting better, but everything was still very blurry. He glanced over the edge of the skiff and saw Lando clinging to some debris.

"Hold on Lando!"

"I'm trying!" Lando shouted back.

Another blast hit their skiff and the debris broke off. Lando screamed and rolled out of the way of the debris, sliding dangerously close to the Sarlaac's waiting mouth as he did so.

"Hurry!" Lando screeched.

"Chewie I need something long!"

The wookie handed him a long rifle. Han nodded to his old friend before lying down on the skiff and reaching out to Lando.

"Grab hold Lando!"

"I can't reach!"

"Well you better reach it dammit!" Han shouted back.

A brown blur shot through Han's vision and wrapped around Lando's leg. Lando uttered a terrified yelp. Another cannon blast hit the skiff causing it to tilt. Han felt his body slide until his boots caught the still intact railing.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Han gasped before shouting at Chewie to grab hold.

"A little further Han!" Lando shouted before feeling the Sarlaac tug him backwards.

 _This isn't working!_ Han looked back up at Chewie, "Chewie, gun!"

"WHAT!?" Lando screamed.

Chewbacca uttered an equally unsure grunt.

"Just give me the gun you fuzzball!" Han barked.

Chewie quickly handed Han a blaster pistol. Squinting through his poor vision, Han took aim at Lando.

"Just stay still Lando."

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE BLIND!" Lando squealed.

"It's alright. Just trust me." Han replied calmly.

"Aim higher, just a little higher!" Lando called.

Han held his breath and went with his gut. He contracted his finger and quickly pulled the trigger. The red blaster bolt screamed through the air and impacted with the tentacle wrapped around Lando's leg. It was a perfect shot. The Sarlaac screeched in pain and the tentacle retreated away, allowing Lando to clamber up the sandy slope and grab the rifle barrel held in Han's other hand. Han grinned, that actually worked.

"Chewie, pull us up!"

….

As soon as Natsu attacked one of the skiffs, all hell broke loose inside of Jabba's yacht. The many different aliens inside the party room began to scream in fear as they watched the skirmish begin outside. Their screams only grew louder when they saw a red and green lightsaber appear. Jabba's voice rose to volumes that made Wendy and Leia's rib cages rattle. And poor Wendy remained curled up, only now her ears really hurt.

She heard something explode and the lights suddenly went out.

"Wendy! Help me!" Leia cried.

"I-I-" Wendy's cheeks puffed out, "I'm gonna puke!"

A blast of wind so powerful Leia swore it had to have been one of Wendy's roar attacks erupted from the sky dragon slayer's mouth. A massive hole was torn into the side of Jabba's yacht and the blast of wind crashed into the skiff Han and Chewie were on, causing it to tilt to the side. Wendy's eyes widened and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

 _Much better._

"Wendy!" Leia barked.

Wendy blinked and shakily pulled herself up onto her hands and knees. She saw Leia jump behind Jabba, her slave chain wrapped around the slug's immense throat. The woman was pulling as hard as she could, but Jabba's neck was too thick for her to successfully choke him. The slug was thrashing about. His meaty arms swung in wide circles as he tried to grab Leia. Wendy saw her chance as Jabba was distracted, and she took it. The smaller woman raced to the other side of Jabba and wrapped her chain around his neck, ignoring the motion sickness in her body.

Her body was running on pure adrenaline at this point. She had no access to her magic, but she had adjusted to the loss of power and regained her physical strength. She stood on the other side of Jabba from Leia. The pair strained as the yanked and pulled back on their chains. Jabba was roaring not in anger anymore, but in fear. Wendy could hear the breath leaving his body. With one final tug both Leia and Wendy heard Jabba's windpipe crunch and the slug went limp, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Both Wendy and Leia's chests heaved as they tried to recover from the exertion of suffocating such a massive creature. Their arms felt exhausted and hung limply by their sides.

"N-Nice job Wendy." Leia breathed.

"You too, Leia." Wendy replied.

She then realized something. She just killed someone. She killed a living being… and she didn't feel anything. There was no regret, sadness, or disgust. There was.. satisfaction. A sense of relief in her that just felt wrong. Did she really want to kill Jabba the Hutt that badly? Wendy bit her lip and shook her head.

"Are you ok?" Leia asked.

Wendy shook her head, "I feel sick." And that wasn't a lie either. The motion sickness was starting to hit again now that the adrenaline was dying off.

Leia smiled, "C'mon, let's get out of here."

They both froze as they heard blaster fire and screams coming from the doors. Wendy heard the distinct sound of a lightsaber buzzing through the air and searing flesh as the screams continued. One last howl of pain echoed through the doors. There was silence for a moment as the last of Jabba's cronies huddled away from the rebels and the exit.

"Duck!" Leia exclaimed.

Both Wendy and Leia dropped to the floor when the door was blasted off of it's hinges and sent flying across the room, crushing several bounty hunters as it landed. Wendy glanced up and saw a terrifying sight in front of her.

This wasn't Joshua stalking into the room. This had to be his alter ego, the one she briefly saw on Naboo when he landed. His eyes glowed with a raw fury that made her shudder. An aura of power and dominance was exuded from his body as he swept into the room. Several of the bounty hunters that remained alive fired a couple rounds only for them to be deflected. Joshua then raised his right hand and sent a torrent of lighting at the last of the enemy. They all briefly screamed before the lightning cooked them right before Wendy's eyes. Wendy gulped. The monster storming Jabba's yacht was not Joshua, it was Darth Draconis. And he demanded prey to kill.

Draconis paused at the door and stared at the two girls on the ground. He then looked over at Jabba's massive body.

"He isn't moving." Draconis noted.

"Y-yeah…" Leia said hesitantly while Wendy remained speechless.

Draconis pointed his lightsaber at him, "Is he dead?"

Both girls slowly nodded.

A wide smile crossed Draconis's lips as he looked down at Wendy, "And you helped?"

Wendy gulped a gave a shaky nod.

"In that outfit?"

Another shaky nod.

Draconis uttered a long groan and sagged his shoulders.

"If only I could've seen that!" He cried, "And now that I know that… by the force Wendy I wanna-"

"Save it for later you two." Leia barked, "Just cut us loose already Joshua."

"Oh… right." Wendy saw the persona and aura of Draconis slowly fade away and Joshua's kind face returned. A relieved sigh escaped Wendy as Joshua slashed through her and Leia's chains.

"Luke is waiting up top with a new… acquaintance." Joshua stated before waving for them to follow him.

"But what about guards?" Leia asked as she grabbed a blaster.

"Don't worry yourself." Joshua replied as he picked Wendy up, the girl about to fall over due to motion sickness again, "I took care of them."

Leia's eyes widened, "All of them!?"

"No… Luke helped… a little bit."

Leia stared stunned at Joshua.

"He was taking to long on the deck. So I decided to handle the rest of the guards for him."

"You got some sick satisfaction out of this didn't you!?"

"I've got my girlfriend, half naked, in my arms and I just slaughtered some bad guys." Joshua smirked causing Wendy to turn red, "I am very satisfied right now. Now hurry up, I don't want Natsu blowing up the yacht before we get off."

"He wouldn't-"

" **FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!"**

A wave of heat slammed into them. Wendy smelled smoke beginning to come from Jabba's Yacht as well as another wreckage outside.

"He would." Joshua replied casually as he stepped over the bodies in the doorway and marched up to the deck, "C'mon Leia, we don't' have all day."

Leia shook her head, resigning herself to the fact that she would never understand the Sith Lord named Joshua Scarlet. The battle for Han Solo was coming to an end. The last of bounty hunters were being cut down by Luke and those that managed to survive, fled from Natsu's overwhelming fire. Leia found herself smiling as they reached the deck of Jabba's yacht. She couldn't wait to see Han again and be off of this miserable planet.

….

The First Sister shoved the wooden white doors open and marched into the room beyond them, startling the multiple Imperial commanders and causing them all, except Thrawn, to jump from their seats.

The level of fear in the room was intense. And the First Sister smirked in satisfaction. They all knew what was about to happen. Good, they deserved to be afraid after what had just happened today.

The red haired warrior strode around the rectangular table until she reached the end where Thrawn was sitting. Her crimson eyes glared at every commander as she marched by them. And they all looked away when her eyes fell upon them. She was enjoying this a lot. It wasn't often when she could cut loose on incompetent officers without Vader looking over her shoulder. This was a rare opportunity. And she was going to enjoy it.

"So," Her fingers tapped against the tabletop, "Can someone here explain to me the loss of another imperial battalion to a single Alvarez wizard?"

They were all silent. And Thrawn simply sat cross legged in his seat, his red eyes equally scrutinizing his subordinates.

"No?" the First Sister asked before her gaze snapped over to a balding captain with grey hair, "It was your battalion correct?"

The man paled, "Y-yes, my lady. They were under my comman- ack! *SNAP*" The man's neck was crushed and he fell face first onto the table top. Every officer flinched. Meanwhile, Thrawn acted as if nothing had happened.

"Learn this now, all of you." The First Sister growled, "You are not to engage any Alvarez wizards, at all. They are my territory, they are my prey. And I will not have my prey taken from me by idiotic men such as yourselves. Am I clear?"

All heads quickly nodded.

"Good." The First Sister smirked, "Then clean that up and get out of here. I wish to speak to the Grand Moff alone."

A pair of officers quickly rushed over to the corpse and dragged it out of the room while the others quickly shuffled out. When the doors shut, Thrawn rotated his chair to face the First Sister.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," The First Sister replied, "It got the message across. They would just continue wasting resources if they kept trying to attack Alvarez wizards. An example had to be made."

Thrawn grimaced, "Vader has really rubbed off on you hasn't he?"

The First Sister shot Thrawn a dangerous glare before the Chiss decided to change the subject.

"I received your request."

"And?"

Thrawn folded his hands in his lap, "I can accommodate that request rather easily. I have already called them hear to meet you, their new commander."

"Good."

Just as the First Sister said this, the doors burst open once again. Four Earthland wizards walked in. The first was a short, slight man with spiky black hair and dark rings around his narrow eyes. He wore a tight black skivvy with scaly patterned pants. His lips were covered in black lipstick, giving him a thin smile. The second was a young woman with a very curvaceous figure. She wore a long red dress with plenty of cleavage showing. A mad look was in her eyes and her long red hair was frayed in some places. The third wizard was covered head to toe in robes and wore a blue mask with a long nose and a top hat on top of his head. The final wizard was an older man. He had black hair that was beginning to bald on top and a long, pointed beard. He was very tall and very muscular and wore an ornate coat with a slick dress shirt and ascot.

When they saw the first sister, the first three wizards visibly paled and began to tremble. The fourth, the older one, grit his teeth in fury.

"I-it's T-Titania!" The red haired woman shook.

"She's actually alive!" The skinny, black haired wizard exclaimed in shock.

"What is the meaning of this Thrawn?" The eldest wizard demanded, "She is the enemy. And she has been for-"

In the blink of an eye, the First Sister was in his face, red lightsaber humming at his throat.

"You will not speak to Grand Moff Thrawn." The First Sister snarled, "That is no longer your place. You will speak to me. You will receive you orders from me. You will report directly to me… understand?"

"We don't take orders from Fairy brats." The older man snarled, beads of sweat forming on his head as the lightsaber hummed ever closer to his throat.

"Tell me, Ivan Dreyar." The First Sister growled, "Do I look like one of those Fairies to you?"

Ivan Dreyar stared at what he thought was Erza Scarlet. But it wasn't the famed Titania. Not anymore at least. This was a twisted version of Erza Scarlet. A version that was far more terrifying than the original, and wasn't the least bit concerned with whether he lived or died.

"No."

"First Sister, please act civil in my palace." Thrawn sighed.

The lightsaber switched off, allowing Ivan to breath a sigh of relief. The First Sister turned her back from them all and walked back towards the table. She stopped at the end of the table, her back still facing them.

"Tell me, Raven Tail… what do you know about the rebel leadership?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

"Are you hard of hearing or stupid?" The First Sister snapped, "I asked for information on the rebel leadership. Either give it to me or not. But I must warn you, the latter option involves your head rolling on the floor."

Ivan gulped. This was definitely not the famed Titania.

"What information do you require, specifically that is." He mentally kicked himself for acting afraid in front of this Fairy girl. But he couldn't help it. The woman was absolutely terrifying.

"Names, locations, affiliations, relationships, powers, anything that could give us an advantage."

"Names?" Ivan blinked. Did Titania really not recognize some of her former allies and guild mates? Just what exactly happened to her in the past year, "Well, um… the leader is named Galen Marek. We don't know much about him. He kinda appeared out of the blue over a year ago." The First Sister seemed very unsatisfied with that answer, causing Ivan to cringe from fear, "But we do know a lot about the others."

"Tell me."

"The She-Devil is Mirajane Strauss. A takeover specialist. But that kind of magic requires a lot of ethernanos, so she isn't very effective on the battlefield due to the lingering effects of the Face device. We believe she may be the current master of the remnants of the Fairy Tail guild."

The First Sister arched an eyebrow. That was not consistent with the reports she had.

"I was under the impression that your father was the master of Fairy Tail, Ivan Dreyar."

Ivan snarled, "He was. But we captured him early on, defending his guild as they escaped from us. He currently reside aboard the Death Star along with numerous other Fairies, assisting with constructing the station."

The First Sister nodded, "Continue."

"The next is named Jura Neekis, or as you may know him, Saint. He is a former wizard saint, the fifth strongest one to be exact. His magic is Earth Magic. Very easy to use and the simple spells do not require great concentrations of Ethernanos. He's a dangerous opponent currently."

"Then we shall make him a priority along with Starkiller." The First Sister replied as she turned to look at her new soldiers, "And the last one?"

Ivan raised an eyebrow. She seriously did not remember this one? Strange.

"Jellal Fernandes, a former wizard saint and council member turned outlaw. He is possibly the most intellectually savvy of the bunch. He's been the brain behind multiple rebel operations that have been particularly devastating. He uses Celestial body magic as his primary weapon, but also possesses multiple other abilities. And…" Ivan bit his tongue.

"And what?" The First Sister pressed.

"He was once crazy about you, ma'am."

Thrawn smirked a little and glanced over at a legitimately stunned First Sister.

"I have no memory of this Jellal Fernandes." The First Sister muttered, "He sounds far more dangerous than the others. He is clearly the head of the beast. In order to destroy the beast, the head must be cut from the body. Your priority now is no longer protection of the shield generator. You will now hunt down the rebel leadership. If you can, bring them before me. If unable to, kill them. I care not." She glowered at Raven Tail, "Am I understood?"

"They all nodded."

"Good. Then get to work."

They all quickly bowed and left the room. As they left, a little white bird raced back towards the forest after watching from the windowsill.

 **And chapter! And so ends the Jabba's Palace escape! A fun set of chapters that I loved writing. I'm excited to continue you guys! This is going to be great! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	103. Chapter 103: Emperor Spriggen

**Hello again everyone! Here's a new chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 103

The forests outside of the city of Magnolia were quiet tonight. The birds stayed eerily silent and the beasts that resided within did their best to hide in their burrows from the presence stalking the forest. A single man, average in height and athletically built strode through the thick forest floor. His dark hair was kept very short while his body was covered in a gray long sleeved shirt and dark pants. A purple cape rested around his shoulders with a symbol shaped like a witch stitched in red on the back. He stopped walking and took a deep breath, stretching out with the force. His piercing brown eyes scanned his dark surroundings, studying every shadow for even the slightest hint of treachery. When he was satisfied that nothing was amiss, he relaxed whistled three times.

He waited patiently for a moment before he finally saw the white bird descend from the treetops and land in front of him. THe bird then was enveloped in a small poof of smoke before reappearing as a young woman with short white hair and kind blue eyes.

"Good, you made it back." The man said with a relieved sigh, "The others were getting worried." he turned and began to walk in the direciton he came with the woman by his side.

"It's getting more and more difficult to spy on Thrawn and his pawns with the ethernano count rising again." Lisanna replied, brushing some of her hair out of her face, "The wizards they have convinced to join their side will be able to easily detect me soon."

The man grimaced, "Then we must hope that we can deal a death blow to these Imperials soon."

"Galen…" Lisanna sighed stopping in her tracks, "What if… what if there is no winning against the Empire?"

Galen Marek paused and glanced back at the younger woman, "There is winning against them. We've just been at a severe disadvantage."

"A disadvantage that keeps getting worse." Lisanna argued, "Especially with what I witnessed today."

"Save it for the council." Galen warned quickly, "We don't know who could be listening right now."

Lisanna nodded and silently followed Galen Marek the rest of the way through the forest. Their feet followed a small, secret trail that they had memorized long ago. It led to a small set of hills in the forest outside of Magnolia, just several kilometers away from Mount Hakobe. Inside these hills, were a series of caves. As they approached the caves they found the entrances sealed shut with rock.

"Jura is being cautious tonight." Lisanna muttered.

"He's been cautious ever since you told us Erza Scarlet turned traitor. He's refusing to underestimate her." Galen replied before tapping softly on the rock. Instantly, the solid stone wall melted away, revealing a long, dark tunnel. The pair quickly stepped into the tunnel. Galen glanced back to the outside world, checking to see if they were followed. When he was certain that they weren't, he tapped the cave wall and the rocky barricade replaced itself.

"It's too dark in here." Lissanna mumbled as she tripped on a stone.

Galen just shrugged his shoulders before catching a glimpse of the first of their many torches that illuminated the cave's depths, "Not anymore."

Torchlight flickered off the walls around them, casting a dull orange glow on the cave walls and floor. Eventually, the tunnel opened up to a massive cavern with a small underground spring in the center. All around the spring were a series of tents and cots that the few members of their small resistance used to sleep in.

No one was asleep right now. Everyone was awake, anticipating the return of Lissanna. As soon as she and Galen stepped into the cavern, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at them. Lisanna's heart shattered every time she saw them.

They all looked haggard, covered in dirt, and exhausted. Some of them looked malnourished while others had been sickly for months. The loss of their magic power had dealt a nearly fatal blow to all of them. Many of the wizards on the continent could not survive it. These were the few that had been able to escape death as well as the Empire. A measly one hundred wizards from the various guilds of Fiore. They all knew the fate of the others. They were either dead, or they were on the Death Star, working until they finished the space station or died. It was a desperate situation.

Galen silently guided Lisanna past the crowd of onlookers until they came to the largest tent where the leadership resided. Galen threw the entrance to the tent aside and strode into the tent.

A small lamp lit up the interior of the tent while a small round table and six chairs sat in the center of the tent. Six cots lined the edges of the tent. Beyond that, there was no other furnishings. Awaiting both Galen and Lisanna were what remained of the Earthland resistance.

Mirajane Strauss, the seventh guild master of Fairy Tail sat in her seat, her eyes drooping from exhaustion and her once perfect white hair fraying. Jura Neekis, the most powerful wizard in their small rebel cell sat on his cot. His long black beard swept down to his waist as he bowed his head, snoozing a little before their nightly meeting. Lastly, standing at the far end of the tent, a map in hand, was Jellal Fernandes. His spiky blue hair was longer than it used to be, and his face had lines on it that weren't there a year ago. But Lisanna had to admit, he was still quite the looker. When she entered the tent. Mirajane jumped to her feet, rushed up to her little sister, and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Thank god you're ok." Mirajane breathed shakily as she held her sister.

Lisanna wrapped her arms around Mira and smiled, "I'm fine Mira. Nothing bad happened… to me at least."

"You were gone longer than any time before." Mira replied as she broke away from Lisanna and gripped her arms, "We were all so worried."

"I'm fine Mira." Lisanna replied, "We've got more important things to worry about now."

"She's right." Jellal stated as he walked up to his seat at the round table and fell heavily into it. Jura followed his example while Galen and Mira remained standing, "What news do you have this time Lisanna."

Lisanna gulped, "I completed your request Jellal. And… I'm sorry but I have to confirm that Erza is indeed working for the Empire."

Jellal's jaw clenched and he bowed his head before stiffly nodding. The original news had hurt him far more than their original belief that Erza had died in Tartaros at the hands of Darth Vader. For him to know that she wasn't dead, but now a dangerous enemy, was a gut punch that he had not been expecting. It kept him up at night, the knowledge that the woman he was in love with was now actively trying to kill them all.

"Wait a moment, you said she was working for Thrawn last time. Now she is just working for the Empire?" Jura asked, his calming presence maintaining itself even in the face of total annihilation.

Lisanna nodded, "I was wrong in my original assessment. Thrawn holds rank over her, that much is clear. But he is not her captain."

"I thought so." Galen muttered, "A talent like Titania wouldn't just be made into a stormtrooper. No… she's directly under Vader or… even the Emperor's authority."

"We've drawn the attention of the heavy hitters then." Mira commented while running a hand through her long hair, "This is bad you guys. How long do you think it will be until Vader comes to the surface again?"

Silence was the reply. No one wanted to discuss that apocalyptic scenario. If Vader ever descended to the surface, their hopes of liberation would end.

"I keep thinking," Jellal whispered, "If she is alive… then maybe the others-"

"Don't kid yourself Jellal." Mira said with a downcast face, "If they were alive, they would've come back with help already."

"Don't say that Mira." Lisanna replied, "I saw them escape Tartaros. I spoke to them as they left to get help. They're alive, I know they are!"

"How do you know they weren't killed by the Empire on another planet?" Jura asked.

"I am in agreement with Lisanna actually." Galen replied quickly, coming to Lisanna's defense, "Before this week, the force had been steady. But now, it's moving again. It's churning and pulling towards the light with a ferocity I have not seen before. The light grows brighter, and with it, the shadow that is with it deepens. I sense Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker. They are alive."

Mira shook her head, "It's just difficult to believe that they wouldn't come to help us if they were alive."

"Have you ever considered that they just haven't been able to come to our aid?" Galen asked, "The Empire has forces all over the galaxy. It could be that they are preoccupied at the moment."

"A year is a pretty long moment." Jura noted.

"It is. But… we must trust the force." Galen said.

"You've been saying that for how long now?" Mira shook her head, "Guys, every week… we lose more of us. Last week it was Wakaba and Macao, taken to the Death Star. What about next week? Will it be Lissanna? Will it be Romeo or Asuka? What about Ichiya, Lyon, Juvia, Gray?" Mira gulped, "We can't keep this up much longer you guys."

"That's why I think this other bit of news I have will be good news." Lisanna said quickly.

Jellal looked wearily at Lisanna, "What is it now?"

Lisanna frowned, "It's fact this time Jellal. I heard it from Thrawn's mouth himself."

"Thrawn is a trickster." Jura warned, "He has ensnared people in traps so effective that no one can escape. How do you know this isn't a trap?"

"Because Erza was also there. And… and she killed an officer for this mistake I'm about to mention."

Everyone froze. Erza killed someone? That was difficult for everyone to fathom.

"Apparently…" Lisanna began, "Alvarez is finally on the move." Jellal and Jura's eyes widened, "They have a group of twelve wizards wreaking havoc in northern Ishgar."

"Only twelve!?" Mira exclaimed.

"That twelve Mira, wiped out a legion and a battalion of soldiers without a single casualty to their own ranks." Lissanna reported. Mira's mouth dropped open while Jellal and Galen stared incredulously at the young take over mage, "Erza ordered the high command to not engage Alvarez. Which gives me reason to believe that the Empire is legitimately afraid of Alvarez."

"Why?" Galen asked, "Why is Alvarez moving now?"

The tent flap opened a small foot falls padded against the stone floor.

"Emperor Spriggen."

The four leaders of the rebel group turned to see a small white cat padding into the room.

"What do you mean Emperor Spriggen, Carla?" Mira asked.

Jellal and Jura's eyes widened, "Has the Alvarez emperor returned? I heard he was missing for decades." Jura commented.

"He was." Jellal replied, "It was cause for great celebration in the magic council when it occurred. I remember Org telling me so when I was first appointed to the magic council. Emperor Spriggen's disappearance neutered the Alvarez empire." Jellal looked down at the small, white Exceed, "How did you come to the conclusion that he has returned?"

Carla gulped, "A vision." Galen's eyes widened, "The first one I have received since before Tartaros."

"You've seen the Alvarez Emperor?" Jura asked, stunned.

Carla nodded, "He was shockingly young. Dark hair, pale skin, dark eyes. He wore a long black coat lined with gold. A toga was over his shoulder. I saw him at the lead of a great army storming into Fiore, sweeping stormtroopers to the side with a wave of his hand."

Jura paled. Carla was rarely wrong in her visions. They had a stunning accuracy to them when they did occur. Even though it had been over a year since the last one, he did not doubt what she had seen.

"Do you mean to say that Emperor Spriggen plans to invade Fiore."

"Actually, I don't plan on invading… yet." A new voice entered the conversation, causing everyone to jump and look at the door. There standing in the doorway was a young man matching the description Carla just gave. Instantly, Jellal revved up his magic while Jura grabbed the man with a large stone fist. Galen activated his red lightsabers and Mira balled her hands up into fists.

"Really?" The man smirked, "Is this any way to welcome royalty."

"Who are you?" Galen growled, his lightsaber humming dangerously in his hand as he approached the man.

"I am Emperor Spriggen." The dark haired man replied.

"Impossible!" Mira exclaimed, "He's in Alvarez! And no one except our own can find this place. So… how did you?"

"Starkiller's force signature is rather large." Galen's eyes widened and his face paled, "I'm shocked the Empire hasn't used that as a way to pinpoint your location."

"You know of the force?" Galen asked, his lightsaber humming closer to Spriggen's throat, "How?"

"Contrary to my appearance, I am quite old, Galen Marek." Spriggen stated, "I have gone by many names in my life. But the most famous of which is one that will set you all on edge. I'm sure Carla will understand how I know the force when she learns my identity."

"Then tell us who you are, Spriggen." Jura growled, his stone fist tightening.

The man smirked and within an instant, the rock fist disintegrated. Jura's eyes widened in shock as the man stretched his arms and grinned with immense satisfaction.

"My name… is Zeref. And I wish to form an alliance with you."

Everyone in the tent blinked. Jaws dropped as their brains finally processed what this man just said. Galen was incredibly wary of Emperor Spriggen now. He had felt the power the man used to shatter Jura's rock. It was the force, no doubt about it. And Zeref was cloaked in the dark side of the force. Galen couldn't even catch a glimpse of what the man was thinking, his mental defences were that strong. But how could someone like him gain such a mastery over the force without a proper master.

"Impossible." Jura breathed, "You have to be at least four hundred years old."

Zeref smirked and closed his eyes, "More or less." he sighed, "I still have trouble believing it really has been that long. When you are cursed with immortality, time becomes a very meaningless thing to keep track of."

Galen gulped. The more he poked at Zeref's defences through the force, the more out of his depth he felt. This guy felt more like a Sith Lord than he could've ever hoped to be. Hell, he might even make his old master look small in terms of mastery over the force. Galen glanced at the man's hip and saw no lightsaber.

 _At least I have an advantage in something._ Galen thought.

"And why should we trust you?" Mirajane asked, "You are the black wizard Zeref. Your spells and demons have caused untold amounts of death and destruction."

"And just imagine if all of that was directed at the Empire?" Zeref said quickly.

Jellal and Jura's eyes widened while Mira's narrowed.

"There has to be some sort of string attached to this." Mira said.

"Only one." Zeref replied, "The Sith, the two that are alive that is, have two things in their possession that I wish to acquire. The first is a book they stole from me when Tartaros fell. I want that back. And the second, is a simple holocron. I want these two things. If you are able to help me get them, then I will provide the might of Alvarez to your efforts. The Empire wouldn't stand a chance."

"One country cannot possibly take on an entire galactic Empire!?" Galen replied, "And in case you haven't looked up at the sky recently, they're building a second Death Star up there. That thing can destroy planets once it's ready. Cause the Empire enough of a headache and they may just use it on us."

Jellal's face paled.

"But what you are doing isn't exactly getting you very far is it?" Zeref replied, "Thrawn and the First Sister are running circles around you. Meanwhile, you are still at the start line, worried about outcomes that will not occur."

"And how do you know they will not occur?" Carla asked, "Are you a clairvoyant as well?"

"Of a sort." Zeref replied, "The force allows the ability to see into the future, not clearly. But merely a glimpse is enough to anticipate a million different scenarios and plan for them. I've had four hundred years to plan for the day when the Sith would come for my planet. I'm confident in my country's ability to fend off a galactic empire. After all, one wizard of mine.. Can wipe out a legion of stormtroopers. And given the lack of ethernanos in Ishgar, you are unable to do the same. Quite the conundrum."

"But your wizards are in the same situation." Jellal replied, "They can only attack Ishgar for so long before having to return to Alvarez and gather magic again. The Empire at that point can just outlast you."

Zeref smirked then waved at the tent entrance. To everyone's shock, a second person entered the tent.

 _Kriff! We have no security!_ Galen scowled.

Jellal and Mira's jaws fell open as they saw the second person enter. She looked like an older version of Erza. Long, thick red hair fell over her shoulders in a tight braids with gold rings holding them together. Her outfit looked like a risque version of traditional witch's garb, parts of her stomach, hips, and thighs were revealed by holes in her dark clothing. On top of her head was a large, black witch's hat. In her hands was a large wooden staff with a u shaped prong at the top. Her eyes were brown just like Erza's. Only, unlike Erza, they hid a malicious intent behind them instead of Erza's kindness. Her lips, coated in red lipstick, curled into a smirk as she looked at the Fiore Rebels.

"Hello boys," She glanced over at Lisanna and Mira, "And girls."

"May I introduce one of my top lieutenants, Irene Belserion. Or as you might know her, the Scarlet Despair." Zeref stated plainly.

Jura's face lost all color and his teeth began to chatter. Meanwhile, Jellal clenched his teeth and felt his stomach beginning to cramp up. Standing before them all, were two beings with enough power to wipe them all out with a thought. Terrifying was not even remotely accurate enough to describe the situation.

"Ok," Mira gulped, "So… what can she do to remedy our problem?"

Irene smiled, "Universe One. An experimental spell I developed. It can change the entire topography and geography of the globe if I wanted it to."

Now Jellal's face lost all color. Galen stared stunned at the woman. He then glanced back at Jellal.

 _How the hell are Earthlanders that powerful!?_

"Irene is an enchantress. The most powerful one in existence. Only myself and my top lieutenant, August, surpass her in power." Zeref explained.

Irene arched an eyebrow, "You certainly surpass me. But don't get too confident about that old man."

Zeref softly chuckled, "Don't grow to confident in your own abilities Irene. It will be your downfall if you do."

"Ok…. back on topic." Mira shuddered, sweat beading down her forehead, "So you can change the entire face of the planet with just a spell?"

The red haired woman nodded, "It will take a great deal of magic power to do. But yes, I can. By doing so, I could possibly disperse the Ethernanos more evenly across the globe, allowing for you all to access your full magical reserves once again, even if only for a short while. In that short while, we could be able to drive the Empire from the planet."

"It will also cause tremendous confusion among the Imperial ranks. Giving us the element of surprise for out assault." Zeref continued.

"Assault on what?" Jellal asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"You don't know?" Zeref sighed, "No wonder you have been on the run for so long. You all fail to observe and learn anything about the enemy."

Lisanna frowned, "I spy on them regularly."

"Spying and learning are two different things." Zeref replied stiffly, "You must understand, the Empire does not care about this planet. They don't care whether you live or die. So why would they have thousands of soldiers on the planet? Why would they have someone like Thrawn and the First Sister come planet side?"

Everyone was silent. Then Galen piped up.

"They're protecting something."

"Exactly." Zeref clapped his hands, "You have one intelligent one in your group, excellent. What do you think they are protecting, Galen Marek?"

Galen's eyes widened, "It has something to do with the Death Star."

"Again, correct." Zeref grinned, "The Death Star, is protected by a deflector shield. A deflector shield of that side needs a massive shield generator. Now, the Empire, in their short sighted stupidity, didn't build the generator on the station itself, but rather on this surface of this planet. And they will do everything in their power to protect it."

Jellal stared stunned at Zeref, "How do you know all of this."

"I… _befriended,_ an Imperial pilot who managed to gather that by tapping into the Empire's communication channels on this planet." Zeref explained.

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Mira exclaimed, "Let's take out the shield generator."

Zeref clicked his tongue in disappointment and shook his head.

"Patience, Ms. Strauss. Patience. The Empire will use their best assets to protect that generator. Meaning it will not be guarded by stormtroopers. It'll be guarded by wizards under the employment of the Empire. And those wizards will be supplemented by inquisitors. And those inquisitors are under the direct command of the First Sister, whoever the Grand Inquisitor is, and Darth Vader. And if we were to attack now, from a position of weakness, those three will arrive and crush us."

"But you just said that Alvarez will support us!?" Mira exclaimed.

"Only if I get what I want." Zeref replied, "Otherwise, you will get nothing. I want that book and holocron. Then, only then, will Irene activate Universe One and my armies will attack in force. So… you have a new dilemma. How to retrieve those items for me."

"Can't you do that yourself?" Jura growled.

Zeref pursed his lips and scowled, "No… the book I could maybe get, since it is in Darth Vader's possession. But the holocron… that is in the possession the Emperor himself. And that may also be guarded by another Sith Lord named Plagueis. I cannot take all three on my own. That would be suicide. Even though I cannot be killed, I'd rather not rot in captivity for an eternity."

"So how are we supposed to get them?"

Zeref smirked before turning on his heal, "An opportunity will present itself. You just have to be paying attention when it does." And he left the tent, leaving the Fiore rebels speechless.

….

The escape from Jabba's yacht went resistance free after Joshua had successfully slaughtered almost all resistance. Luke, Leia, Wendy, and Joshua had all jumped from the yacht to the skiff while Natsu went crazy on the yacht, engulfing the large transport in flames within minutes. After that, they had quickly sped away in order to avoid any search parties that would no doubt be looking for Jabba the Hutt. They set a course for the Millennium Falcon, which was docked discreetly in the Jundland wastes. As they sped towards the ship, Wendy and Leia were given some loose fitting robes from Joshua's requip so they could cover themselves up. Joshua also removed the stone collar from Wendy's neck and not so subtly tossed it as far as he could into the Dune Sea. Other than all of that, the trip would've gone relatively event free. But that changed when everyone realized that Joshua had managed to sneak a new friend onto the skiff. A friend that Chewie nearly ripped limb for limb once the Wookie saw him.

"Don't hurt him you stupid carpet! He's an asset!" Joshua exclaimed as he tugged on Chewbacca's massive arms. Meanwhile, the Wookie's powerful hand was wrapped around Boba Fett's throat.

"Don't hurt him!?" Han exclaimed as the skiff they were riding on came within sight of the Millennium Falcon, "This is the same guy who delivered me to Jabba the Hutt."

"Oh you would've done the same for the right price." Joshua snapped back at Han before sighing and using the force to wrench Chewbacca free. The wookie howled in anger but a quick spark of lightning between Joshua's fingers made the wookie back down.

"I wouldn't have!" Han protested, "How much was I worth anyways?"

Boba Fett rubbed his throat as he coughed on his hands and knees. He shook his helmeted head and muttered, "Twenty five thousand."

Han blinked and drew back a little bit, "Ok… the kid may have a point."

"Han!" Leia gasped.

"What? That's a fair price I suppose." Han argued back as Boba Fett slowly rose back up to his feet.

"Can we stop arguing about who joins us." Luke muttered as he guided the skiff up to the Falcon, "In my opinion, the more help the rebellion gets the better."

"Thank you!" Joshua exclaimed, "At least the Jedi sees reason."

"I am not helping the rebellion." Boba said plainly.

"Kriff, Fett! You aren't making this easy for me!" Joshua groaned as he jumped off the skiff and into the loose sand below. He then spun around and caught Wendy before she hit the ground. Luke and the others quickly followed. While Leia, Natsu, Happy, Han, Chewie, the droids, and Lando walked towards the Falcon, Luke paused and looked at Joshua.

"You aren't going to let me go on my own are you?"

"Did I ever say I would?" Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head, "C'mon Luke, I wanna meet the guy."

Wendy titled her head to the side, puzzled, "Meet what guy?"

"Before we got here to Tatooine, me and Luke had another sparring session. While sparring, he told me about a Jedi named Yoda." Wendy's eyes widened, "Yeah, the same one you saw in a Force vision. I've seen him before too. In fact, when I did see him, we had a very entertaining conversation. I never got to finish that talk with him either. So, I plan on doing so."

Luke sighed, "Can't I just go alone."

"Nope." Joshua smirked.

"We can't even go together. My X-wing won't fit us all."

"Who said we were taking an X-wing?" Joshua replied, "Why do you think I brought the bounty hunter?"

Luke's eyes widened in realization. He then tossed his head back and laughed, completely giving up. There was no getting rid of Joshua Scarlet when he set his mind to something.

"Fine! Fine! You can come along."

"Yes!" Joshua pumped a fist while Wendy looked disapprovingly at him, "What?"

"You're driving him insane."

"I'm a Sith and he's a Jedi. It's kinda what we do to each other." Wendy frowned, "You don't think his brilliant plan to rescue Han from the Hutt didn't drive me crazy? I thought it was stupid and I knew how it would turn out!"

"I'm never going to live that down am I?" Luke asked.

"Not a chance." Joshua clapped a hand on Luke's shoulder before walking up to Boba Fett and explaining the situation. The bounty hunter simply nodded, named his price then waved for Luke to get back on the Skiff. The Slave I was a ways away from the Falcon.

"Hey Luke!" Han called as the Jedi walked towards the Bounty Hunter, "Where are you going?"

"I made a promise to an old friend." Luke shouted back to Han as he climbed up onto the Skiff, "And I can't afford to break this one."

"Don't worry Solo." Joshua called to the group boarding the Falcon, "I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble."

"Don't worry Leia!" Wendy called as she jumped onto the Skiff, surprising Joshua, "I'll make sure _he_ ," She nodded at Joshua, "doesn't get Luke into trouble!" Leia nodded worriedly and walked onto the Falcon.

The Falcon's ramp slowly closed and the ship's engines revved to life. Boba Fett went to the rudder of the skiff, fired up the engine and sent the speeder zipping along the desert landscape towards his ship's location. As they went, Wendy once again succumbed to her debilitating motion sickness. As she rested in Joshua's lap, she realized something that surprised her.

"You're actually letting me tag along." She mumbled, her eyes on the verge of spinning due to how fast the skiff was moving.

"Well… yeah." Joshua replied with a grin, "I mean, you managed to survive how many battles without me there. I think you can handle a little green alien if he gets hostile."

"If that little green alien gets hostile, it'll be because of you." Luke grumbled as he leaned against the railing of the skiff.

"Shut up Skywalker." Joshua replied before Wendy laughed weakly, "What?"

"You're so different now."

"How so?"

"You are like your old self. Before Tenroujima."

Joshua closed his eyes and smiled, "Am I really?"

"Yeah. Joking and irritating the crap out of everyone. Causing chaos and annoyance wherever you go." Wendy smiled.

"I didn't think I was that annoying when I was a ten year old."

"The adults at the guild begged to differ."

"Not Macao and Wakaba." Joshua replied.

"They were man-children."

Joshua laughed aloud while Luke just listened quietly. He still barely knew anything at all about Joshua and Wendy's past, let alone what their guild was like before the Falcon crash landed on Earthland. It was an interesting conversation to listen in on.

"Maybe they were a little bit." Joshua muttered before placing a kiss on Wendy's forehead, "Close your eyes and rest. I'll wake you up when we arrive."

"Mmmkay." Wendy mumbled before quickly dozing off, forgetting for a moment how much her stomach was bothering her.

When Joshua felt her breathing even out, he sighed and looked out at the twin suns setting below the horizon.

"You know. As much as I hated this planet," Joshua muttered, "I can't help but admit that is a gorgeous sunset."

Luke glanced up to see the twin suns steadily falling from the sky, allowing the dark shades of blue and purple to take over the skies of Tatooine. It had been years since he had seen a sunset like this. And he had to admit, being separated from such a sight for a while caused one to form a new perspective on the sight. The suns setting on Tatooine, slowly descending beneath the flat, sandy plains, was truly breathtaking.

"Hey Luke."

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wonder, what your life would've been like without the all cosmic force coming into your life? Without any of this craziness with Sith Lords, Empires, Jedi, and Rebellions coming along?"

Luke raised his eyebrows, "What brings this on?"

Joshua glanced down at Wendy then shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's the realization that… that maybe if none of this craziness happened, I'd be living a quiet life on Earthland with Wendy and the guild. Or maybe… in another life, I would be on Serenno, raised by my actual parents instead of being abducted by Maul. Or maybe I wouldn't even be alive at all." Joshua sighed, "There's so much that has changed because of just a couple events. Because of a couple… coincidences. It makes me wonder what could've been sometimes."

Luke nodded and smirked a little, "You have no idea what a coincidence is Joshua."

"Oh really?"

"Ever had a droid with the only hope to destroy a massive battle station show up at your doorstep looking for an Obi Wan Kenobi, only for you to find out that the old hermit who had saved your life multiple times is that very person, and it turns out he knew your father as well?"

Joshua chuckled softly, "Ok… maybe our my little coincidences aren't so bad then."

Luke chuckled as well before sighing, "I do think about it sometimes. What might've been. You know… I probably would've ended up being a pilot for the Empire."

"You're shitting me!?"

Luke shook his head, "That was my ticket off of Tatooine. The Imperial Academy, a way for me to live out my dreams of action and adventure. A way for me to never have to do moisture farming ever again." Luke shook his head, "God what a selfish desire."

"Not at all." Joshua replied, "Well, maybe it was a little. But you know, you gotta be selfish sometimes in order to get where you need to be. And if that isn't the Force's plan well then it'll shove you in the right direction."

"Like it did with you?"

Joshua grinned, "Yeah…" The Slave I came into view and Boba Fett slowed the Skiff to a crawl as they approached, "Like what it did to me."

….

The First Sister slowly descended the stairs of the palace that dominated the city of Crocus. Only torchlight lit the way, allowing her to easily hide within the shadows thanks to her black armor and cloak. No one would appreciate her being up this late. Especially Grand Moff Thrawn. He would be wondering what she was up to this late at night. Then he would start asking questions. And the last thing she needed, was that genius of a Chiss asking questions.

So she stayed hidden as she made her way down to the dungeons of the palace. It was the place where the most valuable prisoners Thrawn had captured were held. The most powerful wizards that couldn't be contained on the Death Star were held down here, in the cold, damp depths of the castle. The torches flickered on the stone walls causing her shadow to distort as she swiftly moved through the darkness.

Finally, she reached the dungeon entrance. Two former dark wizards from the guild Naked Mummy were guarding the door. When they caught sight of her, they lowered their magical spears and growled at her.

"Hey! Only high level… uh…officials can be down her."

"I qualify." The First Sister growled revealing her lightsaber hilt.

The two dark wizards grimaced and quickly bowed to her.

"Sorry my Lady. We didn't realize it was you. We will allow you to enter."

The First Sister nodded, "Good." The door was quickly opened for her. As she entered she waved her hands in front of the guards faces, "You will forget I entered here."

Their eyes glazed over, "We will forget you entered here."

The First Sister smirked, "Good. Now go to sleep boys."

Their bodies hit the floor with a heavy thud. It was quickly followed by loud snores. The First Sister silently shut the dungeon doors behind her and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Was she really anticipating what was about to occur this much? Was she so desperate to learn about her past that she was worried about getting caught snooping about? She shook her head and steeled her resolve. She had to learn. There were too many questions she had that the Emperor or Vader would simply refuse to answer. So instead, she had come to someone she knew would have all of the answers.

There was no light in this portion of the dungeons. Just cold blackness. The only way the First Sister knew what cells she was going to were the red electronic numbers above each cell that the Imperials had installed. She counted off the numbers until she arrived at the cell she had been looking for. She stopped walking and turned to face the iron bars. She took a few deep breaths and was about to speak when a voice talked to her.

"What do you want?" The elderly voice rasped, "Can't you see, I don't have anything for you?"

The man sounded hopeless. He sounded like he had given up long ago. The First Sister reached out with the Force and felt the man's emotions. He was like an empty shell. All life was gone from him. He was only a shell of what he once was. And surprisingly, the First Sister felt a deep sorrow when she sensed this.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked.

There was silence. Then the old man rasped out her name, "Erza?"

The old man looked away from the wall he was facing and saw two glowing crimson eyes, like burning coals, looking at him through the darkness. He rubbed his eyes, trying to convince himself that what he was seeing was real. Sure enough, he could see the scarlet locks of hair falling from her crown to her shoulders. He could make out armor plating covering her body. It was Erza, but her eyes were very different. They looked like-

"What have they done to you child?" The old man asked.

The First Sister knelt down in front of the cell, "I don't know what you mean, old man."

"You're eyes. They look like Joshua's, when he would lose control of his powers." The First Sister raised an eyebrow, "Don't get me wrong. I'm overjoyed," She heard him choking up, "I'm overjoyed to see you alive, Erza. We all… we all thought you died."

The First Sister frowned, "I-" She paused. This man, a man she couldn't even remember, had been mourning for her, "What was I to you, Makarov Dreyar?"

Makarov sniffled and crawled along the cell floor so he could see Erza better. His ankle and wrists were chained to magic sealing stone so strong that it reduced him to nothing more than a crippled old man. The once powerful wizard saint was on the verge of bawling as he saw Erza only inches away from him. He reached out with a trembling wrinkled hand until he barely brushed her cheek.

"You... were one my children, Erza. You were probably the closest thing to a daughter I ever had." Makarov sniffled, choking on some words before taking a deep breath, "What have they done to you?"

The First Sister gulped. She could feel strange emotions brewing in her chest that made her want to tear up as well. She couldn't understand it, but the sadness was there, even if the memories of this man who had been like a father to her weren't.

"That's… that's what I'm trying to figure out." The First Sister replied, "I have, no memories of the woman you knew. I only know what my Master has told me." Makarov's eyes widened in shock, "But… I can't help but feel that there is more to what I am than he has told me. And even though I feel him in my head, I can't help but pursue this urge to learn about who I once was."

Makarov gulped, "And you… you want me to help you?"

The First Sister let out a shaky breath, "You were supposedly my guild master at some point. That's what the records I managed to find say. So, I assumed you would-"

"Of course I will, Erza!" Makarov cried, "What do you want to know?"

Erza closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel her master's presence, it was subdued. He wasn't paying attention to her. Not now at least. She would use that to her advantage.

"Tell me everything, Makarov."

 **And chapter! A bit of a slow chapter just so we can all catch our breaths after the action that was Jabba's palace. It looks like Zeref is trying to make a move. Meanwhile, the Fiore Rebels are in bad shape. Raven Tail has been tasked with hunting them down. Joshua has made Boba Fett and ally, and the First Sister may have found her answers. It's going to get interesting from here! Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	104. Chapter 104: Glimpses of Possibilities

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait. My work schedule has been crazy for the past week. And it's only gonna get crazier this week took (freaking sucks). But I finally have time to write a chapter. Here you all go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 104

The Slave I erupted from hyperspace with a loud whoom as it slowed down in front of a large planet located deep in the Outer Rim territories. As they drew closer to the world, Joshua could see that the atmosphere seemed to be in a state of perpetual fog. A fog so thick that he couldn't see the planetary surface at all. Not wanting to go onto a planet blind, he closed his eyes and began to sense the planet through the force.

"The life form readings are off the charts." Boba Fett commented as he easily guided his ship into the outer atmosphere, "But… no major cities?"

"There's no civilizations on this planet." Luke commented while Joshua remained drawn into the force.

"It's all animals down there?" Fett asked, his voice briefly changing pitch due to his astonishment.

Luke nodded, "I could hardly believe it myself when I came here the first time."

Joshua couldn't blame Luke. He couldn't believe what he was sensing either. It wasn't just the enormous amounts of life on the planet that Joshua could sense. His connection to the force felt so much stronger here. Stronger than anywhere else. The only other time he had felt even remotely this in tune with the force was in the Sith Shrine back on Coruscant. But that had an artificial feeling to it. It was a pure dark side nexus. This planet, whatever it was called, was naturally strong in the force. He could feel goosebumps forming on his skin as he eagerly drank in the force's power, giving him clarity that he was rarely able to achieve on his own. The result made Luke's head jerk back to look at Joshua.

"You mind turning on the lights?" Luke said with a teasing smirk, "It's getting pretty dark back there."

Joshua's eyes fluttered open, "Sorry about that. I've never… I've never felt a place this strong in the force before. It's almost intoxicating." Joshua let out a satisfied sigh, "So, what is this place called?" He asked as he glanced out the cockpit windows to see the ship entirely engulfed in thick fog.

"This is the Dagobah system." Luke replied, "And it's where we will find our mutual friend."

"You're friend chose an interesting place to live." Boba commented, "How long until this fog clears up?"

"It won't." Luke warned, "Slow your descent, or you may crash into a bog."

Boba glanced over at Luke, "If she get's scratched," He tapped the console, "You're fixing it, Jedi."

Luke nodded, "Very well. You should be almost at the surface."

Unlike Luke's first time arriving at this planet, when he crashed his X-wing into a bog, Boba gently landed his craft in the soft mud that made up most of the surface. The ship sank a few feet into the mud before it finally settle on a solid patch of earth, allowing the Mandalorian to lower the ramp and let the Jedi, Sith, and Dragonslayer off of the planet.

"Stay here." Luke ordered Boba before turning to Joshua, "You coming?"

"Of course." Joshua replied, "Just let me wake her up." He gestured at Wendy, peacefully snoozing in his lap. He gently rubbed her shoulder, "Wake up, Wendy."

"No…" She mumbled before rolling over and burying her face into Joshua's robes. The Sith rolled his eyes and looked at look.

"This happens all the time." he stated before cracking his knuckles, "One sec."

Before he could even lift Wendy up with the force, the bluenette's head jerked up and smacked into Joshua's chin. Joshua's mouth snapped closed and his teeth bit painfully into his tongue.

"ARRGH!" Joshua bellowed as he fell backwards with Wendy.

Meanwhile, Boba looked at Luke, "You sure you want them wandering around a swamp?"

"I'm having second thoughts." Luke commented before stepping over Wendy and the disoriented Joshua.

Joshua quickly shook the fog from his mind and jumped to his feet, "You are not leaving me behind Skywalker!" He charged down the ramp after Luke with Wendy following quickly behind him.

As they followed Luke through the thick fog and foliage, Wendy sucked in some air and smacked her lips.

"Wow…. it's really damp."

"No… really!?" Joshua replied sarcastically while Wendy stuck her tongue out at him. Joshua then waved his arms, "I'm drenched in sweat! It's so damn humid!"

"Do you have to complain about every planet we visit?" Luke sighed as he jumped over a soupy puddle of mud.

Joshua and Wendy also hopped over the puddle, "Yeah!" Joshua replied to Luke, "Why can't we visit… I don't know, a planet made of beaches and palm trees. Or maybe a nice temperate forest world. That sounds nice. Not deserts or swamps, or Imperial infested cities."

Luke nodded his head back and forth, "I admit, that would be kinda nice." His march stopped abruptly and he peered into the fog to see a small light flickering in the darkness. A wide smile came across Luke's lips, "There it is."

"What?" Wendy asked.

"Master Yoda's hut." Luke replied, his pace quickening as he excitedly rushed towards Yoda's home. Joshua and Wendy rushed after him, both clumsily stepping in deep mud puddles while several weeks of training on this world allowed Luke to easily avoid them.

As they approached the hut, they saw the small wooden door open. A small green skinned creature with gray hair that sprouted in small wisps around the sides of his head, hobbled out with the assistance of a small, gnarled wooden cane. It's pointy ears twitched as it turned to see Luke approaching. It's wrinkled lips curled into a kind smile before the hunched creature slowly turned around and walked into his hut, leaving the small door open for Luke and the others to follow.

Luke ducked into the hut, his head avoiding that one spot in the short roof that he managed to hit almost every time he had entered the place before. Wendy entered next, also avoiding the small lump that was just behind the doorway. The dragon slayer turned back to look at Joshua.

"Watch your-"

*THWACK*

"OUCH!" Joshua bellowed while Wendy cringed.

"Head."

The small green creature suddenly croaked out a soft chuckle.

"Pay attention to your surroundings, you should." He chortled, not bothering to look at Wendy or Joshua. His small, wrinkled, trembling hands continued to work on the small stew boiling in the small fireplace on the far side of the hut.

Joshua sneered at the creature, "Build higher roof, you should have." He replied, mocking the creature's voice. He then rubbed his head, a small lump beginning to form where he smacked it.

Luke dropped to a crouch in the hut and Wendy and Joshua quickly followed suit.

"Master Yoda." Luke breathed as the little green man hobbled about his kitchen, "I've… I've come back. Just like I promised."

A heavy sigh escaped Yoda's mouth, "Come back, too late you did." The creature turned to glance at Luke, "Much too late, young Skywalker."

Luke gaped at Yoda, "What… what do you mean to late?"

Yoda hummed before violently coughing, "Nine hundred years old, I am." Wendy's eyes widened, stunned by his advanced age, "Mean what, did you think I did?"

Luke furrowed his brow, not understanding what Master Yoda meant. But Joshua understood. More than Luke could at the moment. As soon as he had entered the hut, Joshua had his mental defenses up to prevent the ancient Jedi from prancing through his mind. He also poked at Yoda's defenses. That's when he sensed how weak they were. Just a little over a year ago, during Joshua's vision of this place, Yoda's mental defenses were so powerful that they threatened to destroy Joshua if he even tried to break into the Jedi Master's mind. But now, the old alien barely put up any resistance. He wasn't just weak, or old, or sick. Joshua bowed his head.

"You're dying." He mumbled.

Luke's eyes widened in shock. He glanced back at Joshua before looking back at Yoda, worry in his eyes.

"No! No you can't die." The little green man shuffled towards his bed, leaving the stew to simmer in the pot, "We…. we have Wendy. She can heal you up."

Yoda weakly reached for the quilt on his small bed before slowly shaking his head, "Death, cheated it cannot be. Not forever." Yoda let out a pleased sigh as he managed to climb up onto his mattress and place the quilt over his small legs, "Better, that is."

"Wendy! Can you start-"

Luke gulped as he saw Wendy shake her head.

"I can heal wounds Luke. Some sicknesses too. But… I cannot prolong someone's life. No one is capable of doing that."

Yoda's ear twitched as he heard Wendy's voice. The green alien sat up a little in his bed and looked directly at her. A kind smile spread over his face, the kind of smile a great grandparent would give to a grandchild.

"Grown much, you have, young Wendy Marvell." Yoda began to chuckle weakly, "Much taller now, than last I saw you."

Wendy smiled sadly, "It has been a long time hasn't it, little guy?"

"Oh…. little!" Yoda chortled happily before pointing at Wendy, "Remember child, size matters not." His finger accidentally pointing at her chest.

Joshua and Luke took the meaning of that phrase literally. Size didn't matter when it came to power and knowledge of the force or magic. But because of where the old master's gnarled finger was pointing, Wendy clearly took the meaning differently than what the wise Jedi master meant. The girl blushed furiously while Joshua snickered off to the side, finally cluing into why Wendy was acting so flustered.

"I-I-" Her head bowed and she mumbled, "I'm not that small anymore."

Yoda's ears twitched again, "Oh… heh, heh, heh. Meant that, I did not. Not for that."

Wendy blinked, "O-oh!?" _It's nice to speak to a master who isn't perverted! Macao and Master Makarov could take a page from Yoda's book!_

Yoda sighed again as he struggled to pull his quilt over his trembling body. Luke quickly reached over and placed the small square of fabric over the Jedi Master.

"Thank you, Luke." Yoda sighed before looking over at Joshua. Instead of a smile, a slight frown appeared on his lips, "Darkness, taken you it has, Joshua Scarlet."

Joshua pursed his lips, biting back a scathing response. He wasn't going to insult someone this great and powerful on their deathbed. So he simply replied, "It appears it may have."

Yoda hummed disapprovingly, "Great warrior of the light you could've been. Much love, kindness, selflessness I still sense in you. For a Dark Lord of the Sith, strange this is. But… welcoming too." Yoda's frown faded away, "Perhaps, a new order, you will bring about. An order of peace." He nodded weakly, "Peace… yes… peace." Yoda glanced at Wendy, "Speak with these two in private, I must."

Wendy stayed frozen for a moment before blinking and quickly nodding.

"O-of course."

"Don't wander off." Joshua called as she ducked out of the hut.

Her head peeked back through the small, round doorway, "I won't."

As she exited the hut, Yoda tilted his head to both Luke and Joshua.

"Dangerous times come." he breathed, "The Force, darker it is, than I have ever felt before."

Joshua raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Really? I feel it being pulled towards the light."

Yoda nodded, "Pulled towards the light, it is. But… bright the light is, deeper the shadow becomes." He looked pointedly at Joshua, "Love her, you do?"

Joshua jerked, surprised by how direct the Jedi Master was. His cheeks when a slight shade of pink before he nodded. Yoda grumbled under his breath before coughing and speaking again.

"Wendy… a key, she is." Joshua caught his breath, "The future, so clouded it has become. For Wendy, clouded even more so." Yoda's eyes narrowed at Joshua, "Uncertain, her future is. But for you, it becomes clearer."

Joshua pursed his lips and nodded. Luke looked over at him in confusion.

"What does he mean by that?"

Joshua sighed and looked at Luke, "When I was a baby, I had a Sith Lord named Darth Plagueis sealed inside of me with Nightsister magic." Luke's mouth fell open, "He laid dormant for a while, gathering strength so he could break the seal. He was also waiting for my body to grow in power so that when he did break the seal and take over, he wouldn't have to work very hard to regain the power he once had." Joshua folded his hands, "My training on Malachor wasn't just to grow stronger Luke, it was so I could keep Plagueis chained inside of me. Keep him from breaking out and harming those I care about."

Luke nodded, "And you were successful?"

Joshua cast his eyes downward, "For now, yes. But… it is inevitable. Plagueis will eventually be freed from his chains. He's far too powerful for me… or really anyone, to hold back forever. The question now, is does he break out immediately, within a few years, or when I die?"

Luke gulped, "And you don't know which?"

Joshua shook his head, confirming to Luke that Joshua didn't know when this Sith Lord could burst forth.

"Careful you must be with the dark side, Joshua." Yoda warned, "Consume too much, and feed Plagueis you will. Fall too far, and the balance you have struck, destroyed it will be."

Joshua sighed, "But… I need to delve deeper in order to… in order to defeat the Emperor and Vader."

"No!" Yoda barked, his voice rising higher than Luke thought he could manage, "Plagueis, far more dangerous than either Vader or the Emperor. Keep him contained, you must! A battle with Vader or Sidious, only pain and hate will that bring. And release Plagueis more quickly, that will. Avoid a battle, you must."

Joshua grit his teeth, "I can't. Not after… not after what those bastards did to Erza."

"Vengeance, not yours it is to take." Yoda admonished.

"Then whose is it!?" Joshua shouted, "She is my family! My only family! And they took her from me! If I can't be the one to bring them down then who should it be-" Joshua stopped and looked at Luke. He quickly shook his head in disbelief, "He'll get utterly destroyed without my help!"

Luke reluctanlty agreed, "He's not wrong there."

Yoda sighed, "Like this situation, I do not. Stayed and completed your training, you should have Luke."

"That is why I'm here!" Luke exclaimed, "I have come back to complete your training."

Yoda sighed, "Teach you more I cannot Luke. And… no more training do you require." Joshua could see the Jedi Master's eyes beginning to droop. His presence in the force was quickly fading.

"But… I can't fight Vader! I can't! Joshua is a far better duelist than I am!" Luke protested.

"Oh… fight, did I say?" Yoda croaked, "No… but confront Vader you must." Yoda continued forcefully, "Only then, a Jedi will you be."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Joshua muttered to himself.

"But…" Luke gulped and let out a shaky breath, "I… I can't kill my own father."

It took a moment for it to register in Joshua's brain, but when it did, his yellow eyes widened and his mouth dropped wide open. He stared stunned at Luke and remained completely silent. Meanwhile, Yoda's life force was almost gone. Both Luke and Joshua could feel it. The Jedi Master's time was almost out.

"Remember, Luke… a Jedi's strength flows through the force." Yoda croaked weakly, his breathing becoming shallow, "Remember Joshua, restrain yourself… maintain the balance you two must." He took a heavy breath, "Luke… when gone am I… the last of the Jedi will you be."

Luke's eyes widened. It suddenly felt like the entire galaxy was being placed on his shoulders. Every hope of good in the universe was upon him now. And he felt completely unprepared for such a burden. He gulped nervously as he listened to Yoda.

The old green alien stretched his neck towards Luke. His voice dropping to a barely audible whisper.

"Luke… Luke." he whispered. Joshua felt the last of the his life force dripping away, "There… there is another…" It looked like Yoda was waging a war within his mind, fighting to remain living long enough to speak while also debating whether or not he should say what he wanted to say. He whimpered softly before breathing out, "Sky...walk...er"

Yoda's body sagged and his final breath slipped from his lips. Joshua sighed heavily and bowed his head. He may have disagreed with the Jedi Master on a great many things. But he could feel the impact his death made in the force. It was like a light as bright as the sun had been extinguished. And any being that had made that great of an impact on the force, deserved his respect.

Luke meanwhile mourned more physically than Joshua did. His blue eyes began to water a little and his chin quivered as he held back sobs.

"I was too late." Luke muttered.

To Luke's great surprise, Joshua wrapped an arm around him, "No… you were right on time." Joshua replied.

"But… he was supposed to complete my training."

"And how do you know that?" Joshua asked, "The Force, it makes some weird decisions. For some reason, it wanted you to train under a Jedi Padawan rather than _the_ Jedi Master. But you still managed to come back just in time for him to give you some more wisdom. Not many can say they managed to do that."

Luke wiped his right eye with the back of his hand before nodding, "Yeah… yeah." He then paused, his body becoming rigid, "Did he… say that there is another Skywalker?"

Joshua arm returned to his side, "He.. did, didn't he?" Joshua glanced at Luke, brows furrowed, "Cousin?"

"Force if I know." Luke replied with a shrug, "I wish he could've told me more."

Joshua nodded, "Well… he can't anymore." He glanced over at the small fire and saw the embers slowly beginning to die out, "I think it's time we grabbed Wendy and got home. The Alliance is waiting for us."

"Go on ahead." Luke said, "I'll be out in a moment."

Joshua grimaced. They couldn't afford to take too long. Their trip to Tatooine took longer than he had thought it would take. He could imagine how antsy the Alliance high command had become in their absence. But still, Luke needed at least a moment to mourn the loss of his master. And Joshua was more than willing to give him that moment.

"I'll be outside then." Joshua said quietly before leaving the hut.

Luke didn't respond. He just sat quietly beside Yoda for a couple moments.

 _How… how am I going to be able to do this?_ Luke thought, _I cannot possibly do this!?_

As he sat there, pondering what to do next, he saw the quilt that covered Yoda's body flatten. Luke looked up to see the Jedi Master's body gone. Not a trace of him was left. Any normal person would've been stunned to see something like that. A body that all of sudden vanished. But Luke payed it no mind. It seemed to be a trend with powerful Jedi. Obi Wan vanished when Vader struck him down. And now Yoda had disappeared as well. In a way, the sight actually comforted Luke. He knew how Ben ended up when he vanished. It was only safe for Luke to assume, that Yoda would be the same way. He wouldn't be alone now. He wouldn't be without guidance. Yoda's physical body had died. But his spirit still remained. Luke could feel his presence in the force resurfacing like a supernova. It felt different from before. It wasn't as potent but it felt more powerful than Luke could've possibly imagined. The embers in the fireplace died, small wisps of smoke spiraled into the darkness. Luke patted his thighs before rising from his seated position and exiting the hut, a small smile on his face.

….

Wendy sat quietly beside Yoda's hut for an entire two seconds. A moderate accomplishment in her mind. Curiosity still got the better of her. This planet just seemed so interesting. Her inner alchemist was bursting forth as she saw all the different alien plants, roots, and trees. At first she just investigated the damp flora nearby the hut, pondering how she could discern its properties and craft potions from them. She could only imagine the look of Porlyusica's face when she told her that she had managed to create a healing potion out of completely unknown plants. Wendy snickered, the old woman would be beyond jealous. Proud, but very jealous.

As she rose from the ground, finished with investigating a small root in the mud, she brushed some dirt from her knees.

 _Ok…_ she thought, _back to the-_ she paused as she saw what looked like the mouth of a cave at the base of a large tree. It was hidden beneath gnarled roots that were tangled up like an unsolvable knot. But there was a small space that a human could crawl into.

 _I shouldn't._ Wendy thought as she glanced back at the hut, _But… what if there is...a plant that cures all diseases in there! An infinite potion! I cannot pass up that opportunity! Right?_

She made up her mind. She wasn't wandering too far from the hut. After all, she was still within eyesight. She'd just go into the gave a few meters before turning back. There would be no harm at all. With an excited smile on her lips, she quickly slipped through the tangle roots and slid into the muddy cave.

It was even more humid in the cave than on the surface. Wendy felt sweat beading all over her body as she peered into the darkness around her. Before she took another step forward, her ears noticed something strange.

There were no animals in this cave. And that was strange. Wendy figured that a burrow like this would be perfect for animals to live in or hide from predators. Yet, she couldn't even hear a single insect. It was dead silent in the cave. Only her steady breathing could be heard. A slow rhythm that thrummed in her ears. A sense of discomfort crawled up Wendy's spine. The air felt like it was getting heavier the longer she stayed here. Her breaths became quicker and shallower. Then she saw a light in the cave.

 _What the?_ Wendy took a step towards the light and it instantly engulfed her.

She shielded her eyes with her arms and let out a quick, frightened gasp before gulping and peering between the spaces in her arms. Her brown eyes widened, stunned.

She was in Magnolia. But, it seemed different. There were some new buildings and shops along the canals. People she didn't recognize walked along the cobblestone streets. But her sight focused on a girl, sitting on the canal edge. Her legs swung out lazily over the crystal clear water. Long black hair covered her head and drifted over her face, covering up her left eye. She wore all black as well. A jet black shirt with black pants. Wendy then could see the Fairy Tail guild stamp on just beneath her sleeve on her left shoulder. It was bright pink.

 _Strange?_ Wendy thought.

The girl's head turned slightly, allowing Wendy to get a better look at her. Her eyes looked bored, but at the same time, they were a happy hazel color. Her lips seemed to be stuck in a permanent frown. To Wendy, she seemed very unhappy.

"Hey!" A voice called out causing Wendy to jump. She turned to see another teenaged girl rushing up to the black haired girl.

This girl was the spitting image of Natsu. Bright pink hair topped her head in messy waves while bright brown eyes looked happily at the black haired girl. She even wore a black vest trimmed with gold, just like Natsu. Only she left the vest open, exposing a toned stomach and a modest chest covered by cloth bandages. A sudden realization took over Wendy as she looked at this girl. She looked like a cross between Natsu and Lucy. Was she seeing the future?

"Why the long face, Maki?" The pinkette smiled cheerily.

The other girl just rolled her eyes and continued to look down at the water. The pinkette then plopped down beside her friend and swung her legs wildly out in front of her.

"C'mon Maki! Let's go do something fun, like we used to do!"

The girl named Maki snorted indignantly and kept looking at the water. The pinkette pouted.

"Oh fine. We can sit and talk then!"

"Can't you leave me alone this time Nashi?"

"Nope!" The pinkette replied, "You're my bestie! And it's in the bestie code that we do not leave the other bestie to be depressed by the canal alone! So…. I shall be depressed with you."

Maki sighed in despair, "You have a rock for a brain." she mumbled.

"Do not!" Nashi replied, "A rock would make my head really heavy."

A small sound escape Maki. It sounded like a mix between complete annoyance and sheer disbelief. But the black haired girl with pale skin just sighed and shook her head. This obviously disturbed Nashi, her wide smile disappearing, replaced by an anxious look.

"You normally snap at me already." Nashi said, "Alright… spill it! What's wrong!"

Wendy saw Maki produce a small silver ring from her pant pocket. On top of the ring was an opaque crystal that looked hardly remarkable to Wendy. It was certainly no diamond.

"Did someone propose to you or something?" Nashi asked before clasping her hands together and letting out an excited squeal that reminded Wendy very much of Lucy, "YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED! WHEN!?"

"NO YOU IDIOT!" Maki shouted angrily before letting her shoulders sag, "This… this apparently belonged to my mother. It was the wedding ring my father gave to her before… before he-."

Nashi's grin disappeared, "Oh…"

Maki nodded, "Aunt Meldy showed it to me after I asked her if my parents actually loved each other or if they were just a one time thing."

Nashi revealed a small smile, allowing her sharp canines to poke out from her lips, "How cute! A ring for your mom from your dad!"

"Sure… too bad he didn't stick around." Maki sighed before pocketing the ring, "You know… I don't even know who he is? I've never even heard his name."

"Well…" Nashi looked stumped, "I got nothing for that."

"And my Mom…" Maki snorted disgusted, "Disappears when I was two. Please? Can't we just say it already?"

"Say what?"

Wendy gulped, her heart thumping in her chest. If that was Natsu and Lucy's kid then who was the other one? For some reason, she felt like her heat was aching as she looked at the girl. Before the conversation could go any further. The vision faded away.

"No." muttered, "No! No! Bring it back!" Wendy cried.

And the light returned, only this time, bringing a different vision. A vision that made Wendy's blood go cold in her veins.

A man stood in front of her. His body clothed in jet black robes trimmed with white and gold. Blazing crimson eyes stared at her while black hair drooped over his forehead. A small tuft of hair poked up from the back of his head. Wendy felt frozen in place. She couldn't move a muscle.

"Interesting…." The figure said, "You have found a way to see me from the past." His deep voice throbbed in Wendy's ears.

A presence then entered Wendy's mind. She couldn't do anything to stop it as it violently tore through her memories and emotions, gleaning and sifting through information at a pace that made her head spin.

"Dagobah. Fifteen years in the past." The figure chuckled, "Of course, it is Dagobah. The dark side is incredibly strong there. No wonder you can see me. After all, the dark side is an interesting entity. If you know how to control it, it becomes an indispensable ally. But for the uninitiated and untrained, it is a poison. It can reveal your greatest fears and drive you insane with them." The figure stepped towards Wendy, "Am I one of those fears, Wendy Marvell?"

Wendy quaked at the presence of this man. He felt absolutely overwhelming. If this was how the dark side felt to someone who knew nothing of the force, then she wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to crawl away and hide from those piercing crimson eyes that seemingly gazed into her very soul.

"Wh-what are you?" Wendy shook.

The man smirked, revealing perfectly white teeth, "An old Emperor, ready to reclaim his empire."

And just like that, the vision ended, throwing Wendy back into the depths of the cave.

Her body was drenched in sweat. Her clothes stuck to her skin and her hair clung to the edges of her face. Her chest heaved up and down as she attempted to catch her breath and slow her racing heart. As she slowly regained her bearings, she heard a voice calling out from the cave entrance.

"Wendy!" It was Joshua, shouting for her, "Where are you!?"

Wendy took on last long glance at the cave and let out a shuddering breath. This place was evil, and she did not want to stay any longer. She scrambled out of the cave, not caring that her arms and legs were now covered in mud. As she emerged she felt hands firmly grip her, causing a panicked yelp to erupt from her lips.

"Wendy." Joshua held Wendy tightly as she looked at him, absolutely terrified. She was shaking like a brittle leaf in his grip. His hands relaxed and he quickly embraced her. She pressed herself against his body, seeking shelter with him from whatever terrified her. As she did this, heavy sobs erupted from her body, "It's ok." Joshua rubbed her back, "I'm here."

Luke emerged from Yoda's hut and saw the two holding each other.

"Is everything ok?" Luke asked.

Joshua was about to say yes when he felt Wendy's head rub against his chest, signaling no.

"What happened Wendy?" Joshua asked.

Wendy let out a shaky breath, "I-I wandered off. And I went into th-the cave." Luke's face paled instantly, "It's… it's evil in there!" she exclaimed.

Joshua held Wendy gently, trying to sooth her while he glanced over at Luke. The Jedi motioned to Joshua, telling him he would explain later. For now, they needed to get back to Sullust. Joshua cast a sidelong glare at the cave's mouth. He scooped Wendy up in his arms and as he turned his back from the cave, the roots were forced by his grip to curl up around the entrance, forever blocking entry to anyone.

….

The First Sister paced back and forth in the conference room, alone. Her mind was racing currently. The information she had obtained from Fairy Tail's third master, Makarov was… startling. It made her mind reel as she attempted to comprehend and process everything he told her. So much had been hidden from her that she could hardly believe it. After Makarov finished his tale to the First Sister, she quietly thanked him before returning to her quarters. She then promptly turned the extravagant room into a disaster zone with her fury. Hatred against her master, the Emperor, burned within her. How dare he keep her past from her!? How dare he brainwash her like this!?

She felt a desire to leave the palace in Crocus. To abandon the Empire and everything it stood for. Just to spite that old, crippled man that ruled it. But she could feel him in her mind, slowly whispering to her that she would regret such a decision. It slowly began to dawn on the First Sister that the Emperor was allowing her to speak to Makarov. He knew she would do so. And he knew how she would react.

This was a test. Why test her like this? The First Sister did not know. She could not pretend to know the mind of Emperor Palpatine. Maybe he just wanted to make sure she was totally loyal to him. And loyalty to the Emperor was greatly rewarded.

Another thought entered the First Sister's mind. _What if, he is using this to get information on the rebels?_ The First Sister's eyes widened, _I have just gained every single shred of information on the rebel leadership that I possibly could without the need for capture. I now know their temperaments, their philosophies, their histories. And as Thrawn always preaches, one must know their enemy to…_ she paused as she turned to look at large painting depicting the Dragon King Festival, _To defeat them._ She stared intently at a black dragon with blue patterns on it's scales. It seemingly dominated the battlefield it was painted on. Nothing could stand in it's way. None of the Brotherhood of Darkness could withstand its fury. No dragon could match its power. The painting was practically depicting death in dragon form. And it was fascinating.

"An interesting painting, is it not?"

The First Sister turned to see Thrawn entering the luxurious conference room. He quickly stepped up beside Erza and silently studied the artwork before continuing.

"I find myself staring at this piece quite often. It satisfies my curiosities greatly. It has taught me much of Earthland's history, it's culture… it's strengths and fears."

"It appears that they revere dragons." The First Sister commented.

"On the surface it may seem so." Thrawn replied, "But… in this particular work of art, a lone black dragon is slaughtering all in it's path. Dragon and man. To me, that does not depict a reverence for the massive mythical beasts. To me, it shows a great fear of them. As well as a tremendous amount of respect for their power and ferocity." He pointed at the multi colored dragons falling beneath the massive talons of the black dragon, "Take these, for example. Notice how they show the dragons falling gloriously in battle." His finger drifted over to the black clothed SIth Warriors, "Meanwhile, the mortal men flee and are killed like cowards. And notice, how they do not use magic. Only the dragons do." Thrawn smiled, "What I see here, is not a depiction of a civil war. But… an image into the combat philosophy of Earthlanders, as well as the origins of their unique abilities. Their magic comes from dragons, and just like these dragons, they fight with a tenacity that is rare to see. It makes them a formidable challenge." His red eyed gazed over at the first sister, "And I enjoy a challenge. But… enough about what I think. Tell me, First Sister, what do you see in this painting?"

The First Sister narrowed her eyes, "I see a black dragon crushing his foes."

Thrawn clicked his tongue, "No no. Such a simple view of art reflects a simple view of the universe. And you are far from a simpleton. Tell me truly, what do you see?"

The First Sister gazed at the painting once again. She remained silent for a few moments, "I… I see the Sith order, the last great one at least… being consumed by death. And the dragons that are dying show how indiscriminate death is. It consumes all," She looked at the many red, green, and blue dragons, "The righteous," She looked at the black cloaked warriors, "and the wicked. In the end, the black dragon is death. And it cares not who is consumes, just long as it is fed."

Thrawn nodded, "A very in depth view of the piece. A pessimistic one to be sure. But then again, this was painted during a very tumultuous time for this planet. Perhaps you are more correct than I. But then again… art is meant to be interpreted differently from person to person. It helps reflect the viewer just as much as the painting and artist itself." Thrawn looked at the First Sister, "And from what I have heard, you are very troubled and…. concerned. As if you were in as much turmoil as this painting is depicting."

The First Sister clenched her jaw tightly. Her fist slowly curling up at her sides.

"Do you fear for the old man in the dungeons? The one who is like a father to you?"

Thrawn smiled a little as the First Sister gave him a deadly glare.

"Do you fear he will die soon?" The First Sister was practically shaking with rage, "Ah… you do. How interesting? I thought you had no ties left to this world and it's people. Perhaps, your little visits with Makarov have compromised your beliefs."

"Nothing is compromised." The First Sister replied through gritted teeth. She was doing everything in her power not to strike the Grand Moff where he stood.

Thrawn smirked and the First Sister could clearly see that he didn't believe her. But, he wasn't going to let her know that verbally. Thrawn was too clever for that.

"I do hope not, First Sister. After all, that would make your mission to eliminate the rebels rather… difficult." Thrawn turned on his heal, "And… it would certainly put you at odds with out glorious Emperor. Now, wouldn't' that be a terrible situation."

The First Sister gulped. The last place she wanted to be was in the same room with an enraged Emperor Palpatine.

"The Emperor arrives tomorrow. I came here to inform you of that." Thrawn noted. Meanwhile, the First Sister called bullshit in her head, "He requests your presence when he arrives. He wishes for you to be alongside Lord Vader. Must be something very important for him to request that."

Thrawn began to walk out, his boot heels clicking on the polished marble floors. He said nothing more, leaving the First Sister to mull over the veiled threats Thrawn had just delivered from the Emperor.

 **And chapter! Wow, that was a beast of a chapter! Whew! Been awhile since I cranked one out like that in such a short time span (I wrote this in like two hours, my fingers really hurt right now). But it was a fun one! Lot's of insight and perhaps a sneak peek on the sequel I have planned out for this story. And yes, you read right, a sequel. It's in the late planning stages and as soon as this is done I will begin to work on that one too. But until then, that will be your only sneak peek! Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	105. Chapter 105: Planning the Strike

**Hey everyone! New chapter ready to go! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 105

Joshua cringed as he listened to the Mandalorian bounty hunter cursed so loudly and with such ferocity that it would've made an Earthland sailor blush. When he, Luke, and Wendy had finally made it back to the Slave I they found Boba Fett frantically rushing around his ship, which was slowly sinking deeper into the mud. When Luke suggested that he fly it out of the mud, the bounty hunter snorted and pointed to the mud and plant life that clogged the engines. And that meant one thing, they were stuck here for a little while. Joshua and Luke combined their strengths to gently lift the ship out of the muck, both straining at how heavy the Slave I was for them. But they managed to keep it from being swallowed by Dagobah. Now they waited as Boba Fett muttered curses and repaired his flooded engines.

As the trio waited, they sat on a rotting log, and stayed silent. Each had a heavy thought on their minds. For Joshua, it was his internal struggle with desiring revenge against Sidious and Vader, or following Yoda's wisdom and avoiding a battle that could unleash Plagueis. Deep down, he knew Yoda was right. The kriffing green alien was almost always right apparently. But... he couldn't bring himself to just accept Yoda's view of it. To Joshua, it was easy for Yoda to not desire a fight, it wasn't his family that had been taken by Sidious and Vader. It wasn't a personal issue for the late Jedi Master. And Joshua treated the harm Sidious and Vader had done to Erza very personally.

Meanwhile, as Joshua stewed beside her, Wendy's thoughts continuously drifted to the visions she saw in the cave. Her mind would wander to the images of the two teenaged girls chatting as they sat on the edge of one of Magnolia's many canals. The black haired girl who seemed so depressed, and the cheery pinkette who was staying beside her 'bestie'. Wendy swore she saw the future somehow. The pink haired girl, Nashi, she was the spitting image of Natsu and Lucy. But who the other girl was, Wendy could only guess.

And lastly, there was Luke, silently twiddling his thumbs while contemplating hard about his next move. Yoda had told him that the only way he could become a Jedi Knight was to confront Vader. That meant fighting him. That meant dueling his father, possibly to the death. That scenario made Luke sick to his stomach. Now that he was certain Vader was his father, he couldn't bear the thought of having to strike him down. He never knew his family. The only family he ever had was Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. But now, he had a father. A real father. And he was supposed to destroy him. The force had a twisted sense of humor in Luke's eyes.

Then there was the revelation Yoda said with his dying breath. There is another Skywalker. The possibility of Luke having more family made his heart jump for joy. The problem was, who? And where were they? Did they know he existed? Did they know who Vader was? Who he truly was?

"There seems to be much conflict in you, Luke." An old voice that stirred Luke out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the ghostly image of Obi Wan Kenobi moving towards the group through the thick swamps.

"Obi wan…" Luke breathed.

As he said this, Joshua's head snapped up. A heavy sigh escaped his lips when he saw the force ghost of the powerful Jedi Master.

"Another headache, great." Joshua muttered.

"Who are you talking to?" Wendy asked.

"The ghost that is taking a seat next to Luke." Joshua replied to her.

Wendy raised an eyebrow and glanced at the space beside Luke. It was completely empty. She frowned then put a hand to Joshua's forehead.

"You don't have a fever." She mumbled.

"I'm not sick!" Joshua exclaimed, "Maybe… maybe you can't see him because you aren't force sensitive?"

Wendy raised her brow and stared incredulously at Joshua before sighing, "At this point, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. This whole Force thing is just plain crazy."

"You can say that again." Joshua replied as he eavesdropped on Luke's conversation with Obi Wan.

It was very apparent that Luke was thoroughly frustrated with his former master. His tone was accusatory as he spoke to the ghost. Luke questioned why Obi Wan lied to him about his father. The answer was such a Jedi response that Joshua nearly laughed aloud from exasperation. Kriff he hated how Jedi spoke in riddles. He was very glad Luke didn't. Then Luke asked a pivotal question that made Joshua listen more closely. After all, he was curious as to who this other Skywalker could be.

"So what are the ghost and Luke talking about?" Wendy whispered to Joshua.

"The other Skywalker." Joshua replied.

Wendy blinked, "I'm lost. Other Skywalker?"

"Luke has some family apparently."

"I have a twin sister!" Luke cried in shock.

Joshua's eyes widened and his pupils shrank while Wendy gaped at Luke.

"That rules out my cousin theory." Joshua mumbled.

"I figured a parent or something." Wendy stated. Joshua nearly choked on his own breath, "What?" Wendy questioned.

"Nothing… just, you have no idea how close you are with that one."

"I'd like to know!" Wendy demanded.

"Not now."

"Well who is she, Ben?" Luke exclaimed as he continued shouting at empty space.

There was silence. Then Luke's face went ashen. Meanwhile, Joshua heard the name and he fell backwards, laughing so hard that he felt like he was going to cry.

"What did he say?" Wendy asked, utterly confused.

"You had a hard on for your sister!" Joshua cried, laughing loudly while Boba glanced over at the trio, wondering just what the hell got into them.

Wendy's cheeks reddened and she stared wide eyed at Luke, who was attempting to stammer out a reply to Joshua.

"It's Leia?" Wendy stated, unsure if she was correct. When Luke pursed his lips, Wendy knew she was correct. Leia Organa, rebel general and politician, was the twin sister of Luke Skywalker. Wendy's cheeks only got redder as she processed Joshua's delirious cries between his raucous laughter and Luke's irritated protests.

"Well…" Wendy mumbled, "At least you never kissed her."

Joshua let out a long breath as he tried to recover from laughing so hard, "Yeah… at least you did-" Joshua saw Luke look at the ground, "You didn't!?"

Wendy covered her mouth, "Oh god!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you Skywalker!?"

Luke raised his hands defensively, "It's not like I knew at the time!" Luke sighed, "And she kissed me, not the other way around."

"Like… on the mouth?" Wendy gulped.

Luke cursed under his breath before nodding.

"Quick peck or full make out session?" Joshua asked.

"Joshua!" Wendy snapped.

"What?"

"Stop making him feel miserable."

Joshua shrugged, "It's kinda what I do. It's how our relationship works. We make each other miserable." Joshua then nudged Luke's shoulder, "C'mon, how bad?"

Luke gulped and didn't respond.

"Oh hoh hoh!" Joshua chuckled, "You are so fucked." He smacked Luke hard between the shoulder blades, causing Luke to let out a surprise gasp. Joshua then stood and walked over to Boba. The bounty hunter was obviously struggling with reaching a certain part on the ship. And Joshua decided it would be in his best interest to go help the guy. At this moment, it looked like Wendy was about to pulverize him for antagonizing Luke so much.

As much as Wendy was upset with Joshua's attitude towards Luke's problem, she couldn't help but agree with him. Once Leia found out, the scenario could play out one of two ways. Either Leia will be too shocked to do anything. Or… she will beat the living tar out of Luke. Wendy tilted her head. The more she thought about it, the more Leia seemed similar to Erza.

"How do you think she will react?" Luke asked.

Wendy shrugged, "I can't say. But… it won't be pretty."

Luke gulped, "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Well…" Wendy started, "You can't avoid it. She's gotta know."

"I know." Luke nervously patted his knees, "I just… don't exactly know how to go about it."

Wendy nodded, "Want my advice?"

"It's gotta be better than your boyfriend's." Luke muttered causing Wendy to snort out a laugh.

"Don't pay him any mind. He just likes getting a rise out of others. He's been that way since we were kids. Seriously, you should've seen him when he battled dark wizards." Wendy was giggling as she recalled the stories Macao, Erza, and Natsu had told her. The rubber lady one was always her favorite, "He would make them so mad." She laughed for a moment before collecting herself and taking a breath, "Where was I?"

"Advice." Luke reminded her.

"Right!" Wendy stared Luke in the eyes, "Just tell her."

Luke stared at Wendy like she was crazy, "What?"

"Rip it off like an old bandage and tell her." Wendy elaborated, "It'll probably be painful at first. But it'll end better than if you beat around the bush with her. Leia is a very direct person. And she will take a direct answer better than if you danced around the issue with her."

Luke thought about that for a moment. And Wendy was completely right. He nodded but still grimaced.

"That won't be pleasant."

"You're right. It won't." Wendy folded her hands then winced when she heard Boba and Joshua barking at each other. "Those two are going to rip each other's heads off soon."

"Good. Boba would do me a favor if he did." Luke said wryly causing Wendy to hit his arm.

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about."

"That's the bane of my existence we are talking about." Luke replied, "I swear… he's going to drive me to an early grave."

Wendy chuckled, "And he's just getting started too. But…. the fact that he is giving you such a hard time means he likes you. He considers you a good friend."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "He sure has a weird way of showing it."

"Trust me Luke. He could do way worse." Wendy replied.

"Like what?"

"He once made a bet with a very," Wendy paused trying to find the right words, "relaxed, wizard in our guild. If she lost a game of cards with him she'd have to do a centerfold for the wizard magazine."

"What's a centerfold?" Luke asked.

Wendy's cheeks turned a little pink as she thought about it, "Well… it's when, it's when a girl model poses either scantily clothed or nude for a full body photograph."

Luke's eyes slowly widened, "Let me guess. He won the bet."

Wendy nodded, "Yup. And he hasn't let her live down since. But, Cana is a good sport about it. She gave as good as she got."

"Really?"

"How do you think he kissed me for the first time?" Wendy smiled, "Surprisingly, Joshua is kinda shy about romantic stuff. Not as shy as I can be but he is. It took losing a bet to his friend Cana in order for him to finally kiss me." Wendy's giggling returned as she thought about Erza's enraged reaction to such an indecent thing, "Those were better times. Happier times."

"Times without war." Luke muttered.

"Yeah."

Luke shifted in his seat, "Hopefully, the future will not be as painful as the present."

Wendy's shifted her jaw as the vision she had seen in the cave re-entered her mind, "I hope so too." She looked over at Luke, "Luke, what was that cave?"

Luke's face darkened, "You shouldn't have gone in there."

"Why?"

He gulped, "That cave, is some sort of dark side nexus. I don't fully understand it myself. But… you were right when you said it was evil. There is a darkness there that is so overwhelming that it is impossible to come out of there the same as when you entered."

"You've been in there too!?" Wendy realized.

Luke nodded, "I have, yes. I… I saw one of my worst fears in there."

Wendy gulped. The second vision was speaking the truth then, the dark side had revealed her worst fears. But… the first vision didn't show anything that she was afraid of. If nothing else, it showed her a future she could not quite understand. The two girls, what did they have to do with her greatest fears?

" _And my mother, disappearing when I was two?"_ She could here the black haired girl's voice, Maki, in her mind, " _Please? Can't we just say it already?"_

 __Wendy then realized. Her mother must've left her. But why? What kind of mother would- Wendy's blood went cold as she pictured the girl's face again. The resemblance was barely there. The black hair had thrown her off greatly, but she could see it clear as day in those hazel eyes. Those happy hazel eyes that belonged to only one other person she had ever known.

 _She's…. Joshua's._ Wendy realized. _Th-that means-_ She felt sick to her stomach. If that was the future she saw, then did that mean her and Joshua settle down eventually. What happens to them to cause them to leave their daughter? Wendy clenched her hands into small fists as they lay in her lap.

 _That is my greatest fear? Something that cannot possibly occur yet?_

"Are you ok?" Luke asked.

"Hm?" Wendy snapped out of her thoughts to see Luke staring intently at her, "Oh… yeah. Just-"

"Thinking about what the cave showed you." Luke grimaced, "Don't dwell on it. Whatever it showed you is not real, or it has not happened yet and can still change. The future is always in motion Wendy, it is never certain."

Wendy nodded, slightly reassured by Luke's comment, "Thanks Luke."

"It's no problem."

A loud bang rang out through the humid air causing Wendy to jump as it echoed in her sensitive ears. Then the dull roar of the Slave I's engines bursting to life filled the swamp.

"WE GOT IT!" Joshua shouted with a grin.

"I got it." Boba growled, "You just-"

"Found the screw you were missing."

Boba glared at Joshua, "Just shut up and get on the ship."

"Admit it Fett, you enjoy my company." Boba uttered a growl as Joshua smirked and waved to Wendy, "C'mon, let's get back to the Alliance!"

"Right!" Luke shouted back, standing up as he did so, "You ready?"

Wendy's face turned pale as she looked at the ship, "Do we have to fly?"

….

It felt good to be able to move his limbs again. And being free from carbonite was also very good for the joints too. Han felt far more limber now than he had ever been before. As he strutted into the rebel conference room aboard Home One, he projected an aura of confidence that bordered on smug arrogance. But no one dared question that grin on his face. Everyone on this ship knew what General Solo was capable of. He had the pedigree to match his confidence.

He slowly circled around the large hologram projector at the center of the white room when the roguish smuggler turned general caught sigh of a brunette woman chatting with a bombshell of a blonde. Still, in his eyes, the brunette was far more beautiful. Leia Organa had a toughness to her that completely impressed Han Solo. That grit was what made him crazy about her. Though he would never really admit that to her face. Not yet at least.

He smirked as he saw her flash a smile at him. His smirk only widened when the blonde nudged Leia and whispered in her ear. Even though they were leaders of the rebellion, Lucy Heartfilia and Leia Organa acted like schoolyard friends. The pair chuckled and Leia waved for Han to come sit by them. As Han waltzed over, he saw a dark skinned man wearing a general's uniform. He paused and stared shocked at the man.

"Well look at you!" Han exclaimed as he stood in front of his old friend, Lando Calrissian, "A general huh?"

Lando grinned sheepishly, "They must've heard about the maneuver I used when we blasted off of Earthland."

"So that's why they chose you to lead this crazy attack?" Han reasoned.

Lando chuckled, "I'm surprised they didn't choose you."

"Maybe they did, but I ain't crazy. That's your job remember."

"Now it is apparently." Lando replied.

Before the two could continue to catch up, a soft buzzer sounded and the white lights in the room dimmed. Mon Mothma, wearing her usual flowing white dress stepped towards the circular hologram projector. She stared out at the various generals, admirals, and squadron leaders that lined the walls and sat on the uncomfortable benches around the projector. When everyone was staring back at her, the Chancellor of the Rebel Alliance began.

"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come." Mon Mothma said quickly, her clipped inner rim accent ringing through the room. She pushed a button on the projector's console. A green holographic image of Earthland appeared. It showed, in shocking detail, the terrain of the planet as well as the major settlements, cities, and landmasses. Around the green planetary projection was a red space station that looked unfinished. But when everyone saw the space station they gulped in fear. There it was, the new Death Star, nearly operational.

"The information gathered for us by General Madine's Bothan Spies have allowed us to pinpoint the exact location of the Empire's new Death Star." Mon Mothma continued, "We also know, that the weapons systems of this Death Star not yet fully operational. With the imperial fleet spread across the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected."

Han's eyes widened. They weren't protecting this project? Was the Empire bigger idiots than they all thought?

"But most important of all," Mon Mothma paused, waiting for everyone's attention to return to her, "We have learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this battle station."

"Holy shit." Han mumbled.

Mon Mothma gulped, showing a rare flash of emotion on her face, "Many… many Bothans died, to bring us this information." She bowed her head before looking away, "Admiral Ackbar!"

The supreme commander of the rebel fleet stepped forward, pointer in hand as he gestured to the hologram.

"You can see here, the Death Star, is orbiting the planet known as Earthland. It is located deep in previously unexplored space. And although the weapons system of this Death Star are not yet operational, it does have a strong defense mechanism." He took a breath before continuing, "it is protected by an energy shield located just outside of the city of Magnolia." A red dot appeared in the southeastern corner of Fiore, a few miles north of a black dot labeled Hargeon, "The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted." Ackbar stated firmly, "Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while our fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor." Ackbar turned off the projection and the lights brightened in the room once again. A fin like hand then pointed at Lando, "General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the attack."

"Good luck!" Han uttered. Lando glanced at his old friend. Han just shrugged, "You're going to need it."

"Representative Heartfilia." Admiral Ackbar stepped away as Lucy rose to her feet and stood at the center of the room.

The blonde quickly cleared her throat before addressing the high command, "We have, reason to believe that numerous rebel cells exist on the surface of the planet. They seem to be especially concentrated in the Fiore region of Earthland. We also have reason to believe that the major power on Earthland, the Alvarez Empire, has yet to be conquered by the Empire. This means that there could be a large imperial ground force present on the planet." Lucy gulped, "Our spies also managed to inform us that the commander of Imperial ground forces is indeed Grand Moff Thrawn."

Murmurs sprouted from those in the room while Han gulped anxiously.

"How do we plan on getting to the shield generator then?" A captain asked from the crowd.

Lucy nodded, "An excellent question. We know that the generator is in the area around the city of Magnolia. However, we do not know its precise location. But… the rebel cell nearby may. They may also know the strength of our opponents and how to best combat them on Earthland terrain. The plan for now, is to use a stolen Imperial shuttle, procured by General Madine's special forces, to slip past any Imperial orbital guard and land on the surface. From there, we will attempt to make contact with the resistance leaders and formulate a coordinated assault on both the shield generator and the main imperial headquarters here," the hologram of Earthland reappeared and red dot popped up at the base of a mountain range at the center of Fiore, "In the city of Crocus."

"This is going to be a major battle, isn't it?" Han asked Leia.

Leia nodded, "Possibly the biggest of the war."

Lucy looked over at Han, "General Solo? Is your strike team assembled?"

"Um… well as long as you are ready to go then my team is ready." Han replied as a very surprised Leia glanced at him, "But, I don't have a command crew for the shuttle."

Chewbacca roared loudly beside him, waving his a furry arm in the air as he volunteered to help Han.

"It's going to be rough pal. I didn't want to speak for you." Han replied to Chewie.

The wookie barked in response. And that was enough to convince Han.

"Alright," Han said, "That's one for the command crew."

Leia smiled, "Make it two."

"How about three!?"

Everyone turned to see Luke Skywalker entering the room with Wendy and Joshua in tow. Luke walked up to Leia and wrapped her a large hug. As he did so, a wry smile crossed Joshua's lips. Before Wendy could stop him, Joshua opened his mouth.

"Why don't we get crazy and make it a foursome?"

Lucy face palmed while Han stared stunned at Joshua.

"What?" Joshua stated innocently, "I don't wanna to be left out."

"Like hell you are being part of the command crew." Han blurted out.

"Oh fine!" Joshua grumbled, "Strike team member?" He asked.

Han sighed and relented, "That'll be fine."

"Yes!" Joshua pumped a fist while Wendy shook her head.

"You are still a ten year old on the inside."

"Maybe a little."

Lucy smiled, "Alright then. Everyone… today is the day then. Today, we spark the downfall of the Empire."

….

Long columns of stormtroopers lined the massive hangar bay as a lone Imperial shuttle slowly docked inside, it's landing gear gently tapping the black floors as it hissed to a halt. The First Sister gulped nervously as she stood beside Darth Vader and Commander Jerjerrod. When she had learned of the Emperor's desire for her presence at his arrival, she had immediately left Earthland's surface and arrived on board the Death Star in order to prepare for such a momentous occasion. But even with all of her mental preparation, she was still incredibly anxious. The commander seemed just as anxious as the First Sister was. His jaw as clenched tightly as he stood on the other side of Lord Vader. Meanwhile, Vader seemed unfazed. His rhythmic breathing never missing a beat as he stood calmly between the two nervous underlings.

The underbelly of the shuttle hissed and the ramp slowly lowered. As it did so, six royal guards in red robes and helmets, armed with powerful force pikes, descended the ramp and lined up along it's path. Then the Commander Jerjerrod kneeled, followed quickly by Lord Vader and the First Sister. But while the commander simply kneeled, Lord Vader and the First Sister bowed before their master as he slowly descended the ramp with the assistance of a black cane.

When the decrepit figure in black reached the base of the ramp he held out a hand to both the First Sister and Vader.

"Rise." he croaked forcefully. And they rose, quickly falling in step beside the Emperor. As they quietly walked, the First Sister caught a glimpse of Grand Inquisitor Mara Jade striding down from the ramp. She heard her bark orders to the royal guards, who quickly formed a lean column behind her and dutifully followed the Emperor.

 _Someone has been taught discipline._ The First Sister thought as she glared for a moment back at Mara Jade before returning her attention to the two Sith Lords in front of her.

Darth Vader towered over Darth Sidious. His massive frame was nearly two of the Emperor. If one were to guess by physical appearance alone, they would've claimed Vader to be the more powerful of the two. But, the force was a deceptive mistress. And the Sith, equally deceptive and treacherous. The decrepit state of Darth Sidious successfully hid a well of dark side power so deep that the First Sister couldn't even fathom its depths.

"The Death Star will be completed on schedule." Vader suddenly reassured the Emperor, no doubt sensing his masters displeasure with the state of the space stations construction.

"You've done well, Lord Vader." The Emperor tilted his head up, "And now… I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker."

Vader glanced at the Emperor, "Yes, my Master."

"Patience, my friend." The Emperor gently advised, "In time, he will seek you out. And when he does, you must bring him before me. He had grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the dark side of the force."

The First Sister's eyes widened in surprise. That was why the Emperor and Vader always ordered her to only capture Luke Skywalker, not eliminate him. They wished to turn him. Probably the same way that they turned her. To have a potential ally as Luke Skywalker would certainly bring about the end of any rebellion in the galaxy. It was strong plan. But one that hinged on a large 'if'. It would only work if they could convince Luke to fall. And the First Sister had the sinking suspicion that Luke Skywalker was not as fallible as the Emperor seemed to believe. He was far too bright in the force to be able to fall so easily.

"As you wish." Vader droned.

The Emperor grinned, "Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen." The group exited the hangar and continued through the corridors of the death star towards the Emperor's private quarters. The silence lasted for several minutes before the Emperor glanced back at the First Sister.

"I sense some conflict in you, young one." The Emperor said quietly, causing the First Sister's muscles to tense up, "It seems that close proximity to your long time home has brought up some… old feelings that have long since been repressed."

The First Sister let out a shaky breath, "I admit master. There are some feelings… memories of this place, that I cannot understand."

The Emperor nodded, "Your focus on your past in unclear. You must wipe away your past life, First Sister. It clouds your judgement and caused you to lose focus. Only when you let go of your past can you truly grow strong and be an effective servant."

 _In other words. Get in line or be forced back into line._ The First Sister thought as the Emperor smirked. The First sister cringed. He sensed her think that.

"I'm glad you understand."

"We know what we plan to do with Skywalker." Vader interjected, "But… what of Joshua Scarlet."

The Emperor's chipper mood darkened, "The pretender… will be dealt with, most severely. I have foreseen his desire to rescue you First Sister. Just as Skywalker will seek out Lord Vader, he will seek you out. When that does happen, you have two options. Eliminate him, or bring him before me so that I may bring the wrath of the Sith down upon him." The Emperor snarled, "I do not tolerate rivals."

"Yes master." The First Sister replied.

"Now then… what information have you uncovered of the little rebel cells on the surface?" The Emperor asked.

The First Sister smirked. _Time to impress._

"I managed to pry the information from a prisoner who was once very close to the center of the rebel cell. An old man by the name of Makarov Dreyar." The First Sister smirked, "All it took was tempting him with a little bit of my old self, and he sang like a canary. He willingly told me everything. Who the leadership is. What their strengths are, their behaviors, their mannerisms. How they interact with their comrades. Who they are more likely to risk their lives for. What they are likely to risk. And he told me all of this by simply trying to reveal my past to me."

The Emperor grinned approvingly as he turned to look at the First Sister. Behind them, the royal guard and procession came to a halt.

"Impressive." The Emperor grinned, "A well done manipulation of an unwitting prisoner." he turned to continue down the corridor, "We shall make a Sith of you yet, First Sister."

The First Sister felt her chest well up with pride. Behind her, the Grand Inquisitor glared hatefully at her, jealously beginning to overtake her. The First Sister was getting all of the praise from Lord Vader and the Emperor. She, Mara Jade, was supposed to be the impressive one. She was supposed to be the next apprentice. The first in a long line of Sith acolytes and warriors that would help rule the Empire. Yet here was her subordinate, usurping her title from under her nose. Mara Jade glared hatefully at the Emperor as well. The old man was a cripple, clearly. He was powerful for sure, but he couldn't handle a lightsaber duel anymore. There was just no way he could with the physical condition he was in.

 _Humiliate me more, Master._ Mara Jade thought angrily, _Make me feel inferior._ She marched behind him, _Give me a reason to want to strike you down and claim the throne for myself. Give me a reason to learn all of the Sith's secrets before casting you aside and ascending above all of you fools._

All she needed was patience. Her time would come eventually. The Emperor could not rule forever. And Mara felt confident about a battle with Darth Vader. He was old too. A relic of an age long since forgotten. He would be cast aside like trash as well. First the Emperor, then Vader… then she would take her time with the First Sister. Maybe even turn her into her first apprentice. The plan grew in Mara Jade's head as her ambitions ballooned.

 _Yes… that would be very good._ She thought, _But first, I need to learn._ She thought. The Emperor had to have some sort of holocron that contained all of his knowledge. She would get her hands on that then use it to overthrow him. _But first… there are rebels that need to be ensnared in our lovely little trap._

 **And chapter! A calm before the storm sort of chapter. The throwdown on Earthland and the Death Star is almost here! It's gonna be epic! I'm so excited to write it! Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	106. Chapter 106: Return to Earthland

**Finally! A day off of work! Let's get another chapter going! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 106

"That is one big ship!"

Han Solo's head snapped back to look at the young Sith Lord leaning over his shoulder.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the hold with the others!?" Han growled.

"I'm not officially part of the rebellion so you can't tell me what to do, General." Joshua replied snarkily.

"Bullshit." Han muttered as their stolen Imperial shuttle slowly approached Earthland's orbit.

As they approached the planet, Joshua and the others finally caught a glimpse of the Death Star circling the shimmering orb in space. And it was massive. The partially finished super weapon could have easily passed for a small moon if one were looking at it from a distance. Joshua could see the unbroken sphere of metal suddenly dipped into a massive dish shape on the northern hemisphere of the station.

"So, this thing kills planets?" Joshua asked, his playful demeanor gone, replaced by a seriousness that Han had yet to see.

"Yeah. That dish on the side of the station, it fires a super laser that can blasts a planet to pieces in one shot." Han explained as he and Chewie carefully flew towards the planet.

Joshua grimaced, "It's a good thing we are going to destroy it then."

"You have no idea." Leia mumbled as she sat in the navigator's chair of the Imperial shuttle.

Joshua narrowed his eyes as he saw a black triangular ship slowly knife through the vacuum of space, just beyond the Death Star's small perimeter. The ship was immense, easily the largest Star Destroyer Joshua had ever seen. The same could be said for Han, Luke, and Leia. All of their eyes widened and they held their breath as they drifted closer to the hulking ship.

"Again," Joshua said, "That's a big ship."

"That must be the command ship." Han muttered, "No wonder the rest of the fleet isn't here. That one ship could take on our entire Alliance fleet."

"I pray that's just an exaggeration." Joshua gulped.

He really hoped it was. While almost all of the Earthland wizards accompanied Han Solo and his strike team on this mission. One person didn't. That person was Levy McGarden. She was the lone pilot among the Earthland wizards that had joined the rebellion. And she readily volunteered to help General Calrissian assault the Death Star. If such an attack wasn't suicidal enough, assaulting the massive super star destroyer was even crazier. The rebellion simply didn't have the manpower or weapons to take both down.

"Alright here we go." Han mumbled as the comm inside of the shuttle buzzed.

" _We have you on our scanners, please state your business."_ A man with a heavy inner rim accent stated.

Han pushed a button on the comm and leaned towards it, "Shuttle Tydirium requesting deactivation of the deflector shield for landing on the planet surface."

" _Shuttle Tydirium transmit your codes then stand by."_

"Now we see if this shuttle is worth the price we paid." Leia mumbled quietly as they all waited nervously.

"It'll work." Han said, trying to reassure everyone, including himself. However it was unsuccessful.

"Vader is on that ship." Luke mumbled.

Joshua felt it too. Vader was indeed on the command ship, his presence in the force was absolutely overwhelming. A long shadow hung over the ship and reached out with a dark hand towards their shuttle, as if he was attempting to sense them out as well.

"I'm endangering the mission." Luke gulped, "I shouldn't have come."

"If you're endangering the mission, then I've guaranteed it's failure." Joshua whispered to him.

"Don't get jittery you two." Han replied as they waited impatiently for their clearance, "There are a lot of command ships." He then gulped and looked over at Chewie, "But try not to get to close ok, buddy. I don't want a brush with Vader ever again."

The Wookie barked back at him, confused by how to do that.

"I don't know!?" Han remarked, "Fly casually."

The comm buzzed again and Han braced himself.

" _Shuttle Tydirium, deflector shield has been deactivated. Your are cleared to proceed."_

A wide grin spread across Han's face, "I told you they'd go for it. I told you."

Leia rubbed Han's shoulder while the shuttle carefully entered the atmosphere. What Han saw below took his breath away. This had to be the single most beautiful planet he had ever encountered. The atmosphere was incredibly clear, allowing the sky to be a brilliant cerulean color. The planet's sun radiated a warmth that made him instantly feel more relaxed and comfortable. Below the shuttle, he could make out rolling plains covered by small patches of dense forest. Off on the horizon, he saw snow capped mountains jutting up out of the surface. They were so high that he swore they could kiss the sky.

"Wow…" he mumbled.

Meanwhile Joshua remained completely silent as he saw his home for the first time in over a year.

"This is your home?" Han asked.

"It's close." Joshua replied, "Turn several degrees east, put us down in the forest."

"You sure?"

Joshua's face lit up as he saw a small city slowly appearing in front of them. He recognized it's white stone houses, shimmering canals, and bright walls. His heart jumped in his chest as a wide smile came across his face. Now, he was home.

"I'm certain."

"We need to find the rebels on this planet quickly." Leia stated, "How can you be sure that-"

"Fairy Tail would never abandon Magnolia." Joshua said quickly, "The guild and the city love each other too much. Plus… this gets us close to where the shield generator might be. And that should be our main objective."

"Agreed." Han replied as the ship hovered over the treetops before folding it's wings and gently descending down to the forest floor.

….

The cavern that Fairy Tail and the other Fiore rebels called home was dead silent. No one made a sound and no one moved a muscle as they heard the terrifying whine of an imperial shuttle passed over their new home. The roof of the cavern shuddered and trembled, causing dust to fall down on their heads. Several spires of stalagmite cracked as it felt like the shuttle landed right on top of them. As they all held their breaths and reduced their magical signatures, a young teenager with dark purple hair and dark eyes held a little girl with brown hair and a straw, cowboy hat on her head. Her crying was muffled by his red waistcoat as she buried her face into it.

"It's ok, Asuka." the boy whispered as he rubbed her shoulders.

The boy then felt a strong hand grip his shoulder. He looked up to see Jellal Fernandes standing beside him.

"Romeo, keep an eye on her. We're going to go check it out." Jellal said as Galen Marek, Laxus Dreyar, and Azuma strode past him, purple cloaks drawn over their shoulders.

Romeo gulped, "Be careful Jellal."

"We will be." Jellal replied, "Stick close to the others. Mira and Jura will protect you all."

Romeo nodded and watched worriedly as the seal on the cavern quickly opened, allowing the four powerful wizards to exit, before it quickly closed shut once again, darkening the cavern.

It was strange to be out in the daylight for Jellal. It was never safe during the day. The Empire was hyperactive during the day. They would see columns of stormtroopers and transports marching the roads during this time of day. And Jellal never wanted to risk going outside with that many enemy soldiers present. The magic in Fiore may be slowly returning, but no one was close to their old strength. And then there was Grand Moff Thrawn. He was an incredibly cunning individual. A tactical genius. Earthland was well under the boot heel of the Empire once he arrived to crackdown on their open rebellions. In order to preserve what they had left, Jellal had moved the rebellion underground and lessened their operations. They couldn't win a pitched battle now. They had to wait, until their strength had returned.

But the imperial shuttle they heard settle atop their home was cause for him to ignore his rule of avoiding the daylight. Himself, Galen, Laxus, and Azuma strode out of the cave and out onto a small trail, barely visible through the dense foliage around them. The shuttle had landed atop the hill that their cavern was in. And it wasn't a small hill either. It would take them several minutes to make the climb.

They finally reached the base of hill after carefully moving through the trees. Their footsteps crunched on twigs and fallen leaves that had gathered on the ground. The autumn air brushed through their hair, delivering a cooling touch that made Jellal shiver. He was not used to being outside anymore. The sun was so bright for him, he had to squint just to be able to see.

"Are you alright?" Galen asked.

"I need to step outside more often." Jellal replied.

Galen nodded, "It'd probably do you some good. You look like you're having some trouble."

"That obvious?"

Galen nodded his head side to side, "You're doing a good job hiding it from the others. But you can't hide that kind of thing from me."

Jellal snorted, "That force of yours allows you to be way too observant."

"Maybe a little." Galen abruptly stopped and raised a hand, causing the other three to halt in their tracks.

"What is it?" Laxus asked lowly, his blue eyes darting around him.

Galen closed his eyes and took a breath before grabbing one of his lightsabers and quickly activating it, "Inquisitors!" he shouted.

Four red lightsabers burst to life around the three wizards and force adept. Their red glow revealed the four lithe figures covered in black armor and black masks. Beside them stood several dark wizards that Lisanna had warned them about several days ago.

"Raven tail too." Laxus snarled as he balled up his fists and amped up what little magic energy he had. He gazed at all three Raven Tail wizards. He saw one with fraying, long red hair and a manic look in her eyes. Another small, skinny man wearing a black body suit with black eyeliner around his eyes. And the last was a man wearing long robes and a long nosed blue mask on his face, disguising all of his features.

"Shit." Azuma mumbled as he sank his feet into the earth, becoming one with the nature around him.

Jellal calmly glanced around at the enemies that surrounded them, "They took a shuttle to come here?"

Galen twirled his lightsaber in his right hand while activating his second blade in his left, "Doubt it. But who knows?"

"Finally!" The red haired woman with the insane grin on her face giggled, "We have located them. The First Sister is going to be pleased."

"Indeed Flare." The black haired, skinny man said, "Should we move in and eliminate them, Master?"

 _There's a fourth!_ Jellal realized suddenly as he felt a familiar magical presence step up behind him. He slowly turned to see Ivan Dreyar behind him, arms crossed and lips sneering.

"Of course Kurohebi. Kill them, then find their hideout and eliminate the others."

"Right." Kurohebi chuckle as the inquisitors slowly advanced on the four wizards, tightenign the circle around them.

"Galen, can you take the inquisitors?" Jellal asked.

"Maybe two, but I'm not sure about all four at once." Galen replied, "I gotta worry about protecting you guys too after all. Then there are those Ravens." Galen shook his head and grit his teeth. There was just too many for him to handle on his own. "I don't know Jellal."

"Well…" Laxus growled as he stared angrily at his father, "If this is how we go down, then let's take them with us." Lightning bolts crackled around him as he charged at Ivan, "This is for gramps!"

Ivan smirked and swiftly dodged Laxus' wild right hook while unsheathing a blaster pistol from within his robes.

"What a disappointment." Ivan snarled as his finger pulled on the trigger.

At the last second, Galen force pushed Ivan, causing him to jerk away from Laxus and miss his shot. Laxus tumbled in the leaves and grass around them before jumping to his feet and finding himself face to face with an inquisitor. The red lightsaber hissed through the cool air and nearly cut his head off. He could feel the heat of the blade trimming some of the hairs on top of his head. Laxus then launched a heavy kick at the inquisitor's chest, but the slim figure swiftly backpedaled, easily dodging the kick before slashing with his saber. Laxus felt burning pain in his calf as the lightsaber severed the muscle. He cried out and collapsed to the ground, his large hands wrapped around the smoking wound.

Meanwhile, Jellal was dodging the attacks of Flare Corona and another inquisitor. He had requiped a sword into his hands and was using it with moderate success. But he was no swordsman. It would only be so long before that red blade cut through the magically enhanced metal. Flare Corona's attacks were just as devastating as Jellal barely dodged her deadly spells.

Galen was battling two inquisitors at once. His red blades a whirlwind of crimson light as he took the black armored figures to school. Two was not a problem for him. But his thoughts were on Laxus and now Azuma, who had just been clipped by a blaster bolt courtesy of Ivan Dreyar. His focus slipped as he saw his old friend drop to the ground, in pain. That was when he felt one of his lightsabers get slashed into pieces. He let out a cry as the hot metal burned his left hand. Galen instinctively dropped the hot metal of his ruined hilt and retreated from the advancing inquisitors until he was back to back with Jellal.

"This is not looking good." Galen muttered as he struggled to utilize his lone blade against his aggressive attackers.

"My sword is cracking." Jellal hissed.

A warning screamed through the force, drawing Galen's attention to the blaster bolts being fired at him and Jellal. Ivan was now trying to subdue them. And with the help of his other forces, he was almost achieving his goal. Galen couldn't block the dozens of blaster bolts while battling now three inquisitors. He was good, but not that good.

"Jellal. This might be it." Galen growled.

"I know." Jellal replied somberly, "You ready?"

"I hope so."

Galen deflected one more strike before he felt a sudden wave of cold slam into him. His skin grew goosebumps. The area around him suddenly felt completely lifeless, as if all the warmth had been driven away by an entity so dark it could blot out the sun. The inquistors apparently felt it too. They hesitated with their next attacks and instead drew back, wondering if it was Galen Marek generating this disturbance in the force.

"Galen?" Jellal asked in a whisper.

"I have no idea."

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!" Ivan roared at the inquisitors, "END THEM!"

Galen's eyes widened when he saw a figure clothes in all black robes emerge from behind Ivan. He appeared literally out of thin air. His head was covered in a deep hood that shadowed out his face. But Galen could see locks of long brown hair peaking out of the hood as well as a chin covered in brown stubble. He took a step forward and snapped a branch beneath his boot. The sound caused Ivan to whirl around and see this new figure.

"Who the hell are you?" Ivan asked, "Get lost before I order you… killed….too." His voice became a small squeak as the figure's head rose to reveal blazing yellow eyes that burned with such hatred that it made everyone in the area quake with fear.

"Ivan Dreyar." The black robed figure growled menacingly. Before he said anything else, a red blade burst to life in his left hand. A cross guard red lightsaber, "My name is Darth Draconis. And you will die now."

"Huh?" Ivan squeaked before the lightsaber slashed through his chest. Within seconds, Ivan Dreyar fell to the forest floor, dead.

The sudden death of their commander spurred the inquisitors and raven tail wizards into action. The raven tail wizard named Obra charged at Darth Draconis only for him to be cut down just as quickly as his master. Kurohebi reached him next. Draconis didn't slash into him, but instead balled up a fist and lifted the wizard into the air, crushing his throat before sending him flying into a large tree. Flare Corona stopped her charge and dropped to her knees, utterly terrified of the monster that had interrupted their apparent victory.

Galen then watched in awe as Darth Draconis battled the four inquisitors simultaneously. His red lightsaber was a blur as he easily deflected and countered the inquisitors. Galen could see a grin on Draconis' face as he relished in the thrill of battle.

"This is too easy." Draconis grinned before sidestepping a thrust and impaling that same inquisitor with his lightsaber. As he withdrew his blade from the inquisitor's dead form he turned to face the other three, "Give me a challenge already!"

As the one sided duel continued, Galen couldn't help but wonder just who the hell was this guy. He was so well trained. His blade work was so graceful and nearly flawless. It looked like a perfectly choreographed dance. It was painfully obvious to Galen that this force user was simply toying with the inquisitors, trying to squeeze out a little bit of fun before cutting them down in the same brutal fashion as their comrades.

Out of the corner of his eye, Galen saw Flare gather what little courage she had left.

" **Hair shower: Wolf Fang!"** she screeched as her long red hair took the form of a snarling wolf.

The wolf charged at Draconis. Before Galen could shout a warning, before Jellal could shout anything, before even Draconis could turn around to deal with the woman attacking him, a loud voice rang out through the forest.

" **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A cyclone of wind burst forth from the trees and slammed into the red haired wolf, dispelling the deadly spell and causing Flare's jaw to drop as she heard a spell come from a person that should be dead. Then more loud voices roared through the forest.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

" **IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

 ****" **OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL: TAURUS!"**

"FIRE BLASTER PISTOL!" A man in a black vest and long sleeved white shirt shouted before blasting away at the inquisitors.

Blasts of scorching hot fire and iron shrapnel slammed into Flare Corona while a bull wielding a large, double bladed axe charged headlong at the reeling dark wizard. Behind the bull, a group of humans and aliens clothed in mottled green and brown colors emerged from thicket, blasters firing. The inquisitors battling Draconis broke away to deflect the blaster bolts. Galen and Jellal dropped to the ground, just to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Galen struggled to see anything through the ensuing chaos. But he managed to make out a green lightsaber emerge from the brush and join Draconis is dueling the remaining inquisitors. Those inquisitors didn't stand a chance as Draconis had his fill of fun while the human wielding the emerald blade swiftly struck down his opponent. In the span of a few minutes, the entirety of Raven Tail and the inquisitors that had found their hideout had been wiped out.

Galen and Jellal kept themselves pressed to the dirt, waiting a few more moments as they tried to figure out if it was safe to get to their feet again. Galen gulped and looked up at where Draconis was. A startled cry escaped Galen's lips as he saw the man named Draconis crouching directly in front of his face, yellow eyes glaring at him.

Galen's chest heaved up and down. Was this man going to kill him? Why was he so damn terrified of him? He had never been afraid of someone like this before, with the exception of Darth Vader. As he stared fearfully at Draconis he saw the man's lips spread into a wide grin before he startled laughing loudly.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Draconis roared as he rubbed his eyes and rose to his feet before holding a hand out to Galen, "Gotcha Starkiller!"

Galen's jaw slowly fell open as he recognized that voice. His eyes widened and he stared at the gloved hand in front of his face.

"No way." he whispered.

"Where are the wounded!?"

Galen's head snapped over to see a gorgeous blue haired woman in a green dress racing across the forest floor towards the battle ground. He recognized that blue hair. But he could still hardly believe it. Then he saw a young man with spiky pink hair emerge. Beside him was a gruff looking man with long, wild, black hair and iron studs in his face. Both with wide grins on their faces and they saw Galen and Jellal's stunned faces.

"Hey!" A pair of fingers snapped in Galen's face causing him to return his attention back to Darth Draconis, "You gonna stand up or do I have to pick you up?"

Galen narrowed his shocked eyes, doing his best to save his tough reputation.

"Fuck you Scarlet!" Galen growled while the man in front of him laughed and backed away, allowing Galen to get up on his own.

"Nice to see you again too." Joshua chuckled before looking over at Jellal, "You look rough, blue haired bastard."

Jellal let out a strained chuckled, "I was doubting if it was really you or not. But only you call me that name, Joshua." He quickly embraced Joshua, forgetting the past animosity the two had between each other, "It's good to see you again."

Joshua took the hug about as awkwardly as everyone who saw it expected. He hesitantly returned the hug before quickly breaking away and adjusting his robes. Joshua then turned to Wendy, who was crouching beside Laxus, attempting to heal his wounds.

"How's Sparky?" Joshua asked as he walked over.

"He'll be ok." Wendy muttered before letting out an exhausted sigh, "I can't do much more Joshua. The magic is just-"

"Don't strain yourself." Joshua interrupted softly before grabbing Laxus and slinging his over his shoulders. A feat that surprised everyone, since Laxus was nearly twice Joshua's bulk, "Galen, Jellal! Where to?"

"Just follow us." Galen replied stiffly, but just before he could start walking a loud, happy cry erupted from near Natsu and Gajeel.

"GALEN!" Meldy burst forth from the trees and plowed into Galen, tackling him to the ground and wrapping him in a massive hug.

Galen lost all sense of care when it came to his reputation. He enveloped Meldy with his arms and held her close.

"I was so afraid Galen. You… I thought-" Meldy stammered, tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm ok." Galen replied, "Took a little bit to recover from those injuries. But I'm ok now." Galen then held her arms, "I don't mind being like this, but we do need to get a move on."

"Oh… right!" Meldy clambered to her feet and helped Galen up. She gripped his hand tightly before walking him towards one of the rebel soldiers in the group.

"Wrong way Meldy." Galen sighed.

"Nope." Meldy then let go of his hand and took a bundle of cloth away from the rebel soldier. Galen then saw a small face inside of that bundle of cloth. The face had dark brown eyes that stared at him with a sense of wonder and curiosity.

"Say hi, Kento." Meldy smiled as she held the little boy. The little bundle in her arms cocked it's head slightly to the side, confused by the strange sounds coming from his mother's mouth.

Galen froze, "K-kento?" His entire body was trembling.

Meldy grinned ear to ear, "Yup, Galen this is your son."

Galen let out a shaky breath and wiped his face, "My son?"

"Uhuh." Meldy smiled.

He let out a heavy sigh that shook as he took a breath before gently taking Kento from Meldy's arms. He cradled the small bundle in the crook of his right arm and smiled wide.

"Hi there Kento Marek." he grinned.

Off to the side, Joshua stood beside Wendy, Lucy, and Natsu. Natsu looked completely confused. Lucy was on the verge of tears while Wendy was grinning wide. Joshua meanwhile was holding his breath, waiting for the bomb to drop.

"Don't forget his middle name." Meldy smiled, slyly.

"What's his middle name?" Galen asked, oblivious to her mischievous grin.

"Starboy."

Galen's smile dropped and he turned to look at Meldy, right eye twitching.

"Eh?"

"And there it is." Joshua chuckled softly while Wendy jabbed her elbow into his ribs.

"Starboy?" Galen repeated.

"Yup! Don't you love it!?" Meldy exclaimed.

Galen sighed. Force he hated that nickname. But he couldn't help but love it now that it was his son's name. The smile returned to his lips and he shook his head.

"Your goal in life is to vex me isn't it?"

"Isn't that why you're crazy about me?"

"Ahem!" Joshua cleared his throat, "We need to get moving you two. There could be stormtroopers in bound."

"Joshua's right Galen." Jellal stated as he threw Azuma's arm over his shoulders, "We should get back home."

"R-right!" Galen replied before handing little Kento back to his mother, "Follow me everyone."

….

They slowly approached a solid wall of rock at the base of the hill their shuttle landed on top of. As they approached, Han frowned, noticing that this Galen and Jellal characters were coming to a stop in front of it.

"Looks like a dead end." Han muttered.

"Wait for it." Leia replied.

Han's eyes practically bugged out of his head when he felt the earth rumble. The rock wall seemingly melted away, allowing passage into the depths of a long tunnel lined with dim torches. He heard several of his soldiers, including Rex, priming their blaster rifles just in case. The first to step into the tunnel were Galen and Jellal followed closely by Joshua and Wendy. The other two dragonslayers, Happy, and Lucy then entered next followed by the rest of the Rebel strike team. As soon as the last soldier passed through the mouth of the cave, the earth rumbled again and the rock reappeared and hardened into solid stone once again.

"That's insane." Han muttered as he stared wide eyed at the sealed entrance.

Leia nodded, "And this is what they can do with barely any strength. You should've seen them when they were at full power a year ago."

Han smirked, "We might be able to win this battle pretty easily then."

Leia frowned, "Don't get overconfident. The Empire still has Vader on their side."

The tunnel then opened up into a massive cavern that housed hundreds of small tents. A small spring fed pond sat in the center of the cavern. As the group entered, everyone emerged from their tents. Eyes widened and the various wizards began to mutter among themselves as they saw Joshua. They didn't recognize him. Romeo definitely did not know who the stranger in black was.

 _Who exactly did Jellal bring back with him?_

Then they all saw the blue haired girl next to the black clothed stranger. Eyes lit up around the cavern. Several began to fill with tears while others began to smile. Wendy looked out at them all. They all looked so exhausted and undernourished. They were so weak. The lack of magic wreaking havoc on their bodies systems. It made her heart break on the inside. But their somber demeanor was swiftly switching to joy as they watched her enter with Joshua, Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, and Meldy in tow.

They all paused in front of the crowd that had gathered at the encampment entrance. Wendy subconsciously grabbed Joshua's hand and squeezed. She could already tell he was seething with fury. The sight of those he considered his friends and comrades suffering was enough to make him want to charge right at the Emperor himself with rage.

"No way!" Wendy saw a purple haired boy emerge from the depths of the crowd. His dark eyes were wide with shock, "It's… your back!"

He rushed at Wendy and Joshua. He finally recognized Joshua after Wendy silently grabbed his hand. As soon as Romeo rushed forward to embrace them, everyone else moved forward as well. Like an unstoppable wave they rushed towards the group of rebels, wide smiles on their faces. Cheers and cries of joy echoed through the cavern. Meanwhile, Han, Luke, Leia, and the rest of the rebel strike force stood of to the side as all of the wizards reunited with their long lost comrades. Before the place could grow any more rowdy, a loud boom echoed throughout the cavern. Han's attention turned to see a large bald man with a long black beard standing in front of the largest tent in the cavern. Beside the man was a beautiful, white haired woman with bright blue eyes.

"Clear a path for them!" the man boomed with a powerful voice as he raised his staff from the ground.

The wizards instantly parted so the rebel group could move past and make their way towards Jura and Mira. Meanwhile, Jellal and Galen rushed Laxus and Azuma over to Porlyusica, who was silently watching as she leaned against a stalagmite column.

Joshua and Wendy led the way as they strode up to Mira and Jura. Behind them walked Natsu, Gajeel, Happy, Lucy, and Meldy. After them stood Han, Leia, and Luke, the commanders of the strike team. The other soldiers followed Captain Rex's example and sat down near the cave entrance to rest.

Joshua came to a stop in front of the wizard saint. Jura could only marvel at how grown up the young boy had become. It was nearly nine years ago now that he had first met Joshua Scarlet at Master Bob's second vacation home in the Worth Woodsea. He was so vibrant and joyful, so young. Now standing in front of Jura was a grown man. Brown stubble lined his chin that was slowly beginning to become a beard while his brown hair was long and ran down to the base of his neck. His eyes were a different color too, no longer hazel but a blazing yellow color that reminded Jura of molten lava. The two stared at each other silently before Joshua grinned widely.

"I still haven't gotten your autograph." A small trading card appeared in Joshua's gloved hand. The picture on top was of a much younger Jura Neekis. The wizard saint looked down at the card then back up at Joshua before chuckling and placing a hand on the Sith Lord's shoulder.

"You have no idea how great it is to see you all alive." Jura rumbled as he laughed louder. The tension Han felt when he first entered the cave died away. They were among friends here.

Joshua laughed with Jura before quietly placing the card back in his requip, "I'm guessing you'll sign it later."

Jura took a breath as he tried to stop laughing. He wiped a tear from his eye and nodded, "Later yes. For now, we have a lot to catch up on." Jura then looked at Wendy, "There is someone in the tent who would love to see you."

Wendy's eyes widened as the group of leaders and wizards followed Jura and Mira into the tent. As soon as they entered the tent, Wendy's gaze fell on a white cat waiting quietly at the entrance. Instantly, tears filled Wendy's eyes before she dropped to her knees and scooped the small Exceed in her arms. Carla was crying just as much.

"WENDY!" Carla wailed as she held her long time friend.

"I'm here Carla." Wendy said softly as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Don't you dare, leave me behind again! Got it!" Carla cried as she was held by Wendy, "Don't you dare!"

"I won't. We always stick together, Carla from now on."

Joshua couldn't help but smile as he watched the two friends reunite. Wendy had been shattered when she realized that she had left Carla behind on Earthland. Even though he and the cat weren't each other's biggest fans, Joshua was happy for her. Wendy was practically the only family Carla had. And living without family was an incredibly painful experience.

After a couple more moments, Carla and Wendy parted and stood side by side while Jellal and Galen entered the tent. Jellal casually removed his purple cloak, tossing it onto his bunk in the tent before falling into one of the four chairs that surrounded a small wooden table.

"I'm sorry, we don't' have more seats." Jellal said as the others gathered around.

"It's ok." Wendy smiled while Joshua grumbled under his breath. Another elbow to his ribs shut him up quickly, "We don't mind standing, right?" she said threateningly as she looked over at Leia, Luke, and Han.

"Not at all." Han replied swiftly

"I'm good." Luke stammered.

"Standing is good." Leia said.

"Good!" Wendy smiled as Mira, Jura took their seats. Meanwhile, Galen made Meldy sit in his chair with Kento.

Leia was the one who approached them first, "So, this is the rebel cell?"

Jellal nodded wearily, "This is it." he said, "Us," he gestured at the four wizards sitting at the table, "And the roughly one hundred wizards in the cave."

Joshua's eyes widened and he crossed his arms, "Only a hundred? What about the others?"

"Captured." Galen growled, "The less powerful ones were taken to the Death Star to be made into slave laborers. That's how that damn thing was build so quickly."

"And the more powerful ones?" Joshua asked.

Galen shrugged, "Either they were taken to a separate prison or…" he gulped, "Or they were eliminated shortly after the invasion."

Joshua clenched his teeth and nodded. He hadn't seen Master Makarov in here. Even though he had his disagreements with the old man, he still hoped he was ok. He was practically Erza's father after all. The last thing he wanted was to hear he was killed and having to tell Erza that when he rescued her from the Emperor.

"Is this all you brought with you?" Jellal asked as he peaked out the tent entrance to see the roughly two dozen rebel soldiers sitting with some of the other wizards, the two groups making awkward conversation.

Leia nodded, "The Alliance didn't want to risk a large ground assault that could be easily detected."

Galen raised an eyebrow and leaned over the table, "Assault?"

Leia nodded, "The alliance has learned a weakness in the Death Star's plans. And we plan on taking it out and destroying the station."

"That will only prompt the Emperor to build another." Jellal commented.

"Not if the Emperor is on it when it explodes." Joshua said.

Galen's eyes widened as he whipped his head over to Joshua, "He's on it!?"

Joshua nodded, "He's personally overseeing the final stages of construction. We plan to take out the Death Star, the Emperor, and Vader, all at the same time. With one brutal strike."

Galen nodded, "So… that requires a fleet. Not a small ground team."

"The Death Star is protected by an energy shield." Leia explained, "It's generator is located somewhere around Magnolia."

Jellal caught his breath, "That's what they've been building!"

Han looked over at the blue haired man, "You know where it is?"

Jellal nodded, "We've been observing a large construction project taking place. We haven't done anything to sabotage it because we weren't entirely sure what it could be." He requiped a large map of the local area onto the table. He pointed at a dense section of forest to the north of Magnolia, "It's a large complex of sorts. A landing pad big enough for a star destroy, several walker bays, and it may even extend underground. There is a large satellite dish on top."

"That probably helps project the shield." Joshua said.

"Possibly." Galen stated before looking at Jellal, "I told you we should've sabotaged that."

"Well, there is nothing we can do about that now Galen." Jellal sighed before rolling up the map, "We couldn't afford to draw the Empire's attention at the time."

"How do you plan to destroy the generator? Especially with how heavily it is guarded?" Mira asked Han.

"Well… explosives obviously." Han replied casually, "We will infiltrate the complex, strap some bombs inside of it, and make it go boom."

Leia sighed as she shook her head, "Yes, surprisingly, it is that simple."

"Nothing is ever that simple when you have an adversary like Thrawn." Jellal replied, "How do you plan on managing him?"

"That's where you all come in." Leia said, "While we attack the shield generator, you will conduct an assault on Crocus."

Jura looked at Leia like she was crazy, "You're insane." He said, "My lady, we do not have remotely enough power to pull off an effective assault on Crocus. And the common folk don't have the weapons to help us."

"It may be a risk we have to take in order to give them an effective shot at destroying the Death Star and killing the Emperor." Galen remarked.

"There's always option three." Mira whispered.

Jellal bowed his head and shook it while Joshua looked over at Mira.

"Option three?"

"We were… approached by the Emperor of the Alvarez Empire… Zeref."

Joshua's eyes narrowed, "Approached? By the black wizard himself!"

"Mira, that is not an option." Jellal growled.

"You may not have good dealings with him in the past Jellal, but his proposal could give us an edge."

"What proposal?" Han asked.

"He has a mage in his army that can cast a spell that can effectively alter the entire geography of the planet." Jura stated. Joshua's jaw dropped along with the other Earthland wizards while the off world rebels stared at Jura stunned, "His theory is, that by altering the planet, it could spread the ehternanos over Alvarez out to the rest of the world. Allowing us to have a level playing field in a way. We still wouldn't be near our full power. But we would be stronger than we are now."

"That's insane." Joshua breathed.

"That's awesome!" Natsu exclaimed, "We should totally do it!"

"No." Jellal replied, "As always, when it comes to dealing with Zeref, there is a caveat."

Joshua frowned, "And that is?"

"He wants to things that are currently in the possession of Darth Vader and the Emperor themselves."

Joshua's face paled, "And… those are?"

"A book he wrote that Vader stole." Jellal explained, "And something called a holocron."

Joshua's face darkened, "What holocron?"

"You know what that is!?" Jura exclaimed, "Can you explain?"

Joshua scowled, "A holocron is, depending on it's source, a prism that contains vast amounts of knowledge, or… absolutely terrifying power." Joshua shook his head and pursed his lips, "That option is very risky. Not only would we have to possibly infiltrate the Death Star, but we would have to make a deal with the Black Wizard." He sighed, "I don't like it."

"Neither do I." Mira said, "But if we are to stand a chance in the battles that will no doubt occur during and after the destruction of the Death Star, we need our magic power. This is our chance to get it back quickly and deter a full scale invasion by the Empire in retaliation for our actions."

Han nodded, "She has a point. The Empire will still be around, even if the Emperor dies. They'll want to retaliate."

"And the retribution would be swift." Joshua smacked a hand on the table in frustration, "We're backed into a corner with no good options."

"Joshua," Wendy mumbled, "We need to give everyone a fighting chance."

He nodded, "I know, but at what cost? Giving Zeref a holocron is like giving a flame thrower to Natsu. The results could be catastrophic."

"HEY!" Natsu shouted before being silenced by Lucy's hand.

"If they don't' have their full magic power then they could all die attacking Crocus." Wendy reasoned, "We can deal with Zeref later. Right now, the Empire is the more immediate threat. And it needs to be taken care of, so that we can all be free again."

Joshua nodded subtly, reluctantly agreeing with Wendy.

"I agree with this idea." Han remarked, "Anything that allows you guys to do more crazy stuff to the Empire is something I will gladly take in this plan."

Jellal again shook his head, "Zeref is not to be trusted."

"We don't really have a choice. Unless we all are prepared to die." Galen commented, "And I don't think we want that."

Jellal pursed his lips, defeated, "It appears I'm on the losing end of this issue." he sighed, "But how do you plan on acquiring the book and holocron. We can't just go up to the Emperor and Vader and ask about them."

Joshua glanced over at Luke. The Jedi knight instantly knew what Joshua had in mind. He nodded, agreeing with the crazy idea even though Joshua never said a word. He trusted Joshua's judgement. After all, most of his harebrained schemes had resulted in victory or, at the very least, survival in the past. And he was more skilled with the force than Luke was presently. In Luke's mind, that meant he was possibly more in tune with it. That was just due to his greater experience with the force. And if he had a feeling about something, Luke trusted his judgement.

"Actually…" Joshua said with an excited grin coming over his face, "Me… and Luke," He nodded over at the Jedi, "Kinda can." He leaned forward, yellow eyes twinkling as Luke stepped forward to hear what Joshua had in mind, "Here's the plan."

 **And chapter! Tada! They have finally returned to Earthland! Galen has met his son Kento. Wendy has reunited with Carla. And they have formulated the plan to take down the Death Star. I decided to take a different direction for how Luke ends up on the Death Star rather than him just having to confront Vader. I decided to give him a goal he had to achieve as well. Just a little something extra thrown in there. The battle is about to begin everyone! One or two more chapters then all hell will break loose. I promise! And it will be glorious! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	107. Chapter 107: Passions and Confessions

**Holy crap… I actually have a Friday off. Hell must've frozen over. But regardless, I would've gotten you guys a new chapter. This one is just coming out sooner! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 107

The sun had slowly set below the horizon, allowing the night sky and twinkling stars to blanket the world around them. As night came, the wizards and their new rebel allies had emerged from their hours of planning and plotting. That was when an old alcoholic friend of Joshua's shouted that it was about damn time they had an old fashioned Fairy Tail party. After all, the friends that they thought had been dead had miraculously come home to liberate them from the Empire. That was cause for celebration.

They didn't have much in the way of food or liquor. But there was enough. A roaring fire burned next to the fresh spring. Orange firelight danced off of the rippling water as the youngest of the children that had managed to avoid capture by the Empire splashed about. Across the spring, the first of many brawls had broken out between Natsu and Gray. They didn't even last ten seconds after reuniting before deciding to thrown down. Wendy was tempted to go and break it up, but Lucy (Of all people) told her to leave it be. The little brawl that was beginning added a sense of normalcy to the night that everyone had been lacking for a long time. In a way, the growls, cries, and shouts of Natsu, Gray, and whoever managed to get tangled up in the brawl was comforting to those who didn't participate. It reminded them all of better times.

Wendy sat with Carla next to the spring as she watched Asuka play in the spring with Romeo. Macao's son had become a sort of big brother figure to the little girl through all of the chaos brought about by the imperial invasion. He had been the one taking care of her ever since Macao, Wakaba, Bisca, and Alzack were captured and taken to the Death Star. Romeo had a little help of course. But he had taken it upon himself to watch over the little girl.

Their wide smiles and loud laughs brought a small grin to Wendy's lips. This is how it should've been since the beginning. No wars, no Empire, no Sith or Jedi, just Fairy Tail and Magnolia. She would've taken jobs and made her fame as a wizard with Joshua and her friends by her side. But that was a reality that would never come. The war with the Empire had brought irrevocable change. The world would never be the same after all of this. And that realization caused the gentle smile on Wendy's lips to drop.

"Hey Carla."

The white cat glanced up at her friend, "Yes?"

"It's stuffy in here. I'm going to get some fresh air." Wendy said as she got to her feet to walk towards the cavern exit.

"Be careful Wendy!" Carla warned, "Don't go too far from the cave!"

"I won't!" she replied before stepping up to the sealed entry. She gently tapped it with her hand and the rock split to allow her through.

Jura, Jellal, Galen, and Mira had all decided to make exceptions tonight. There would be no curfew for the fugitive wizards. If they wanted to go outside and enjoy the fresh air on this night of celebration, then they were free to. So long as they didn't attract Imperial attention.

As of right now, Wendy was the only one to take this opportunity. Everyone else had grown so used to hiding from the Empire that, even with the opportunity to stretch out among the grass and trees once again, they remained in the cave. But for the Sky Dragon Slayer, being underground did not feel natural. Plus she needed some room to think. Some peace and quiet. The visions she had on Dagobah still plagued her mind endlessly. And it had only grown worse when she heard the plan Joshua had in mind to retrieve Zeref's book and the holocron he was after.

She hated the plan. To her, it was just as bad as Luke's rescue plan when they were on Tatooine. Joshua and Luke literally planned on going to Magnolia and getting themselves caught. They were banking on the stormtroopers being ordered to bring them before Vader and the Emperor. Joshua would hide their weapons in his requip during the time they were being transported to the death star. Once on the death star, Joshua would use a hidden comm device to contact their escape shuttle (whoever that could be). Meanwhile, they would have two other wizards stow away on the shuttle that was taking them prisoner. Two wizards that could wreak absolute havoc on the Death Star and free all of the prisoners on it before the Rebel Fleet arrived. Natsu and Gray were the ones who volunteered. They then quickly volunteered due to the prospects of working together, but a quick, severe glare from Joshua brought them back in line.

It was a completely reckless plan. One fraught with risks. It made Wendy sick to her stomach just thinking about it. For a few moments during this plan, Joshua would be at the complete and total mercy of Vader or the Emperor. Who knows what would happen at that point? She let out a long sigh and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air.

What would she do if Joshua didn't come back? When the incident on Tenroujima happened, she at least knew he was alive and kicking somewhere in Fiore. And she couldn't lie, she did have feelings for him, even back then. They had just matured quite a bit as they got older. She also had the other members of the guild to be her rock when all of her closest friends had been lost on Tenroujima. But now, if Joshua's plan failed, not only would he be gone, but a majority of the people she considered her family would be lost too. Macao, Wakaba, Elfman, Master Makarov, Natsu, Gray, they were all at risk with this mission. Not to mention everyone who would be fighting here on the ground. A failure at the Death Star would mean death for everyone. This was going to be their one and only opportunity to bring down the Empire. And it was so, so risky.

The thought of Joshua never coming back continued bouncing around in her mind. The vision on Dagobah, of Joshua's daughter saying he didn't stick around, enhancing the fear she was feeling to levels that made her want to just fall back on her butt and curl into a ball.

Then there was the second vision. The one of the man in a black coat with gold trimmings and a white toga. Wendy swore there was something familiar about him, but she couldn't place it. But beyond the familiarity in physical appearance, she felt an unholy evil being generated by the man that made her lose all feeling in her body. It was an overwhelming darkness that threatened to consume her and make her nothing more than a slave to his will. And Wendy got the sense that he wasn't even trying that hard. If it wasn't for her vision of Maki, she would've been far more afraid of that man than what could happen during this battle.

And of course. Joshua had made sure she would not be going with him onto the death star. Why? He hadn't explained yet. But before she could argue with him, the others agreed to the plan. At least, everyone except Jellal did. He absolutely refused to trust anything involving Zeref. But that made sense. After all, at one time he thought he had been possessed by the spirit of the black wizard.

Wendy let out a long breath before leaning up against a tree and sliding down the smooth bark. She needed to sit, clear her head. That's what Joshua always did after all. But then again, he has the force to help him. As she gulped another deep breath she tucked her knees to her chest, her mind still plagued with worry.

 _He's got an unfair advantage at this._

….

Joshua tipped his head back and shook his head, feeling the burn of whiskey running down his throat. He then smirked and placed the small shot glass down on the stone table before nodding across to Cana.

"You're up." He smiled confidently.

On the other side of a mountain of empty glasses, Cana swayed back and forth in her chair. A wide grin on her face as she had a challenge she hadn't had in years. But, she had to admit, her eyes were swimming in alcohol at this point. She couldn't even see clearly anymore. Was there one Joshua or six? She shook her head then shakily raised her own glass.

"Anosher down the hash!" She slurred before missing her mouth entirely and falling backwards.

Meanwhile, the spectators for their drinking game stared in awe. While Cana was passed out drunk on the floor, Joshua got to his feet with a smile. He wasn't even swaying. But he did belch a little while hiccuping.

"H-how!?" Laxus stammered.

"I have a… unique advantage."

"What advantage?" Natsu asked as he hovered over a mumbling Cana.

"The force. If they know how, a force sensitive can purge toxins from their body at a fast rate. This of course includes, alcohol." Joshua smiled, "Although with how much I just drank, I think I may be a little drunk."

"So you cheated." Han Solo commented, eyes still somewhat wide as he wondered how Cana's liver wasn't pickled at this point.

"IT WASN'T CHEATING!" Joshua roared, some of the alcohol starting to take affect. He crossed his arms and pointed his nose in the air, "It was using my resources and abilities to achieve total victory."

"This isn't a battle Joshua." Luke sighed as he stood beside Leia.

"A drinking game with Cana is always a battle!" Joshua declared.

Jellal and the others felt beads of sweat go down the sides of their heads.

"He's just like Erza when he's drunk." Lucy mumbled, nervously sweating.

"Loud and obnoxious?" Meldy asked.

"You should've seen the Christmas Party we had." Lucy said, shuddering at the memory, "The game she forced us to play when she was drunk…" Lucy was now visibly shaking from the horrifying memory.

"Sounds like this Erza lady is a good time." Han smirked before Leia gave him a warning glance, "What?" Han asked.

"She was fun to be around before she turned traitor." Laxus grumbled before getting socked in the chin by Joshua's fist.

"SHE'S NOT A TRAITOR, SPARKY!" Joshua pressed his foot down on Laxus' chest, preventing him from getting to his feet, "She is a victim of the Emperor! He's twisted her mind into what you all saw! The First Sister is not Erza! Plain and simple!"

"Joshua… let Laxus up." Lucy said hesitantly.

Joshua's head slowly turned to look at Lucy. His cheeks were turning pink now as the alcohol began to take full effect.

"I see the politician wants to suffer the same fate as Sparky!" Joshua's right hand crackled with lightning, "So be it!"

"AAAAAH!" Lucy raced to hide behind Natsu. But her loyal protector didn't stay very long as Joshua accidentally punched him in the nose. This in turn, caused Natsu to slam a fist into Joshua's gut. Joshua fell backwards and landed on top of Gray, knocking the ice mage on top of Juvia, who was blushing redder than a tomato.

"My beloved Gray is on top of me." Juvia said breathlessly.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA FLAME BRAIN!" Gray roared as he jumped to his feet and got into Natsu's face.

"That wasn't me, that was Joshua!" Natsu pointed at Joshua, who was drunkenly swaying on his feet.

"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fight Joshua, ash mouth!?"

Natsu opened his mouth, paused to think about it, then replied, "Yes."

*WHACK* *BAM* *WHOMP* *CRACK*

The brawl spread out to the rest of the cavern. Soon everyone, except for the non Earthland rebels, were involved in brawling with someone. Leia and Luke stood off to the side, wide eyed as they watched the wizards beat the crap out of each other. Cana still lay mumbling incoherently on the floor. Han was smiling wide while reminiscing with Chewie over one of their many bar fights. The craziest of course being when a old coot pulled a lightsaber on a particularly unruly patron. Good times.

Meanwhile, Joshua slipped away from the brawl unscathed. That was the advantage of being able to slip into the force and physically disappear. It was nothing more than a force illusion, but it was an incredibly effective one. And it was the only one he was good at, so he used it liberally. Besides, he wanted to get away from the brawl. He had seen Wendy slip out of the cavern as it first began to break out. And he wanted to make sure she was ok.

He bumped into the rock wall that made up the entrance. Joshua swayed back and forth for a moment, shook his head to try and clear some of the alcohol induced fog before pounding on the rock.

"Open the fucking door Jura!"

The rock split open, allowing him out into the cold night. He stumbled outside and chuckled to himself. He found tripping to be a wholly entertaining experience right now.

"Holy smokes." Joshua breathed, "I'm… wasted."

"Sure does look that way."

Joshua turned his head to see Wendy sitting beside a tree, legs curled up to her chest. Her green dress slightly drifting in the breeze with her long blue hair. Joshua blinked as he looked at her in the starlight. Every time he saw her alone, he couldn't help but marvel at how drop dead gorgeous she was.

"There you are!" Joshua smiled widely, "C'mon, the party is getting lively in there now."

Wendy stayed put and slightly shook her head, "You go ahead. I just need some fresh air."

Joshua saw the expression her face and he quickly determined that now would be a good time to completely purge the alcohol from his body. He stood still for a moment, closed his eyes, and allowed the force to flow through his body. He felt the toxins slowly fade away and his equilibrium and balance were restored.

"I don't need the force to see that something's wrong." Joshua said, no longer slurring his words. He walked up to Wendy and looked down at her, "Mind if I join you?"

Wendy blinked, "You're sober?" She then cocked an eyebrow, "The force?"

"Yeah." Joshua replied, as if that was all the explanation he needed.

"I thought so." Wendy replied before sighing, "You gonna sit?"

"Oh… right." Joshua dropped to the ground beside Wendy. The blue haired girl instinctively nestled closely to him while he wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. She liked it when it was his right arm holding her. It wasn't cold metal like his left arm.

They sat quietly for a few moments, Joshua softly tracing Wendy's shoulder with his fingers before he looked at her.

"You can talk to me Wendy. I'm here for you, ya know?"

Wendy nodded, "I know. It's just… it's a difficult topic."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Wendy gulped, "The cave on Dagobah. I saw… I saw some terrifying things." she gulped, fear crossing her face as she relived the visions.

"What things Wendy?"

"Please don't go through with this plan of yours!" She suddenly cried, gripping the front of his robes tightly and staring at him with a pleading look.

Joshua closed his eyes and sighed, "Wendy…"

"Don't Wendy me!" she snapped back, "This is going to be the most dangerous mission you will have ever done! You will be going before the Emperor, Vader, the First Sister, and god knows who else, weaponless! Probably bound in magic suppression stone! And you expect me to just be ok with that!?" Wendy felt some tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I'm… I'm really afraid Joshua."

Surprisingly, Joshua didn't break away from her. Instead, he drew her in closer and rubbed her arms, "That's ok." He said softly as Wendy felt some salty tears run down her cheeks, "It's ok to be afraid." He then lifted her chin up with his left index finger so that her brown eyes were staring directly into his yellow ones, "But if there was another way for me to make sure we could win this war, then I would've taken it long ago. I will not allow our friends, our family, to die when I know I could've done something to help prevent it." There was no venom or anger in his voice. There was no frustration. He just spoke softly to her. Trying his best to comfort her, and to explain himself.

"Then… why can't I go with you?" Wendy asked.

"You know why, Wendy." Joshua replied, "I love you way too much to put in that much danger."

"It's going to be just as dangerous here." She argued back, placing her head against his chest.

"The danger is different. Here, you only have to worry about stormtroopers and an inquisitor or two. You guys are more than capable of handling that. I know you are." His breathing was so steady. And somehow, despite her frustration with him, she found herself calming down and growing even more close to him, "You are so powerful Wendy." Joshua said quietly, "You… you stood against Vader. And put him on his ass."

Wendy snorted out a laugh due to how simple Joshua put it, "I didn't really do that."

"That's not what I've heard from the soldiers." Joshua replied before suddenly standing up, "They said that you became a tornado of wind and shot at Vader with a force so powerful that it ripped the armor from his body!" He said with a loud, exaggerated tone while Wendy just laughed, "And you managed to escape because he was so distracted due to being naked on the battlefield."

Wendy snorted at Joshua's recounting of the events on Mon Cala.

"That story is highly over exaggerated." Wendy replied between giggles as she got to her feet as well and stood close to Joshua's face.

"Maybe." Joshua said, "But… it still proves the point." They found themselves drawing closer, "Plus… I thought that story was way funnier."

"It is." Wendy smiled.

Their foreheads were touching together now. Some of Joshua's long brown hair was brushing against Wendy's soft cheeks.

"You need a haircut." Wendy smiled.

"Do not." Joshua replied, "And you can't make me."

"Oh really?"

Wendy then whipped up some wind in her hand and tackled Joshua. The two fell to the grass. She landed on top of him and straddled his torso as she tried to snip the hair with the wind between her fingertips. Meanwhile, Joshua just chuckled and maintained a perfect defense of his glorious brown mane.

Wendy then thought she finally had an opening. She lunged at the top of his head. Just before her wind scissors could snip away, she felt Joshua's strong hands grip her wrists and pull her farther forwards. Their lips pressed together. Wendy's cheeks reddened but then she relaxed and leaned into the kiss, the wind between her fingertips dying away.

Then Joshua did something he had never done before. He kissed her neck. It was such a sudden thing that it made Wendy gasp in surprise. And that only spurred him onward. His hands ran up her arms then down the sides of her dress. Meanwhile, she leaned her head back and sighed before wrapping her legs around his waist. Her fingers seemed to move on their own as she undid his cloak, allowing it to fall to the ground around them.

She felt something stirring in her that she hadn't felt before. An instinctive calling that commanded her every movement, forced her muscles to act on their own, and suppressed the shy side of her brain as she felt Joshua's kisses against her neck and lips. They engaged in one more deep kiss before they broke apart, both staring shocked at each other.

"Wendy?" Joshua whispered.

"What are waiting for?" She breathed heavily, "This is the moment isn't it?"

"What moment?" Joshua cluelessly asked.

She pouted, "The moment that Erza and Carla always feared."

Joshua's eyes widened and his cheeks turned red. He gulped, "Oh… that moment? Well… I guess I was waiting for permission?"

The shy Wendy was gone. Replaced by a Wendy that couldn't help but love the man she was with. He was still so clueless.

"Well," Wendy kissed his lips again, "Go ahead."

That was all it took. Joshua felt the passion race through his veins. In his mind, the dark side of the force roared with desire as he flipped Wendy over. She laughed as he did so and raised her arms. She didn't care anymore. Any shyness was gone now. If this was to be their last night together. If Joshua was not going to make it home-

 _No._ She thought resolutely, _He will come home._

But she still wanted this magical moment. The moment where the two, dragon and sith, became one. It didn't take much longer for the pair to be naked in each other's arms. Their pants and Wendy's mewls of pleasure filling the air around them. Wendy's eyes were half closed as they continued. The ecstasy was immeasurable. And Joshua was no doubt feeling the same way.

After several more moments. She felt Joshua give one last thrust while she uttered one more cry of ecstasy before he sighed and slid off of her. The two lay breathlessly in the fallen leaves around them for a moment before Wendy cuddled up beside Joshua and closed her eyes. In her last few moments of consciousness, she felt him place his discarded cloak over them.

 _He thinks I'll catch a cold._ She smiled happily before drifting off to sleep.

….

Luke and Leia had made a quick exit from the center of the party and decided to stay closer to the walls of the cavern. After all, neither had any intention of joining the hundred wizard brawl taking place around the spring at the center of the cave. Luke gaped at Han as he, Rex, Chewie, and the other soldiers began to place bets on who would come out on top of the brawl.

"It's irresponsible for them to condone this." Leia thought as she saw Han groan in disappointment as Gajeel was knocked out by a flaming fist.

Luke smiled though, "It helps them get their mind off of tomorrow." He replied, "A last moment of fun before…" He trailed off, Leia understanding exactly what he meant.

"Before some don't make it back."

Luke nodded grimly, "Yeah." He sighed and shook his head, "Just think. If we hadn't crash landed here, these people-no… this family, they would be this happy all the time."

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS SNOWFLAKE!" both of them heard Natsu shout loudly.

"WIN MY BELOVED GRAY! WIN!" Juvia roared furiously.

Leia raised an eyebrow, "If this is happy, I'd hate to see angry."

Luke laughed, "Me too." Before his smile quickly faded and he cast his eyes down at the ground.

There was so much going through his mind right now. First of all, Joshua's plan was so crazy. So crazy that it just might work, kind of crazy. Even then, Luke thought Joshua was insane. But at the same time, Luke could not think of a better solution. It wasn't like they'd be able to sneak onto the Death Star without anyone noticing. Well… Joshua could possibly do it. But Luke could not. Plus, Joshua needed back up for this mission. He even admitted that himself. There was no possible way he could take on Vader, the Emperor, the First Sister, and stormtroopers all at once. It was impossible.

But the craziness of Joshua's plan wasn't the only thing bothering Luke. The prospects of confronting his father, of confronting Vader, was causing him tremendous hesitation. He didn't know why he was so hesitant to duel his father. He hardly knew the man at all. The little he knew of him was not good. After all, he had been going by the moniker Darth Vader for Luke's entire life. And any records of Anakin Skywalker were a closely guarded secret of the Empire. Especially his 'last' years of life.

But for some reason, he felt an incredibly strong connection to the man. In the span of just a year, he went from hating Vader more than the Empire itself, to having tremendous empathy and compassion for the man inside the suit. The more he learned about his father, the more he found that Anakin Skywalker was much like Joshua's sister, Erza Scarlet. He was a victim of the Emperor's manipulations. An unwitting cog in a machine that was designed to easily dispose of him if needed. Luke couldn't imagine how horrible a life that must be.

Leia saw the melancholy on Luke's face. Her attention immediately left the brawl that was still ongoing in front of them.

"Luke, what's wrong?"

Luke gulped, "On this mission, I'll have to confront Vader."

Leia pursed her lips. Nothing made her more afraid than Luke having to battle Vader again. The last time they fought, he nearly killed Luke. It was only thanks to their miraculous landing on Earthland and discovery by Joshua and Wendy that he survived and made a swift recovery.

"It's ok to be afraid Luke." Leia said.

Luke shook his head, "I'm not afraid, Leia."

That surprised Leia. If she were in Luke's position, she'd be curled up on the floor. Well… not exactly. She'd still do what she had to do, but she would be very afraid of Vader. For Luke to say he wasn't afraid confused her.

"Why not?"

Luke gulped, "I guess I'm lying a little bit. I'm not afraid of Vader. I know he won't kill me." Leia looked puzzled, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill Vader."

"Why?"

Luke let out a heavy sigh, "He's… he's my father."

Leia stared dumbfounded at Luke. She had barely registered what he just said when she questioned him again, just to make sure she heard correctly.

"Your father?"

Luke nodded, "I only learned about this… a year ago now, on cloud city. And I only accepted it very recently."

Leia gaped at Luke, "And just because he all of a sudden claims to be your father means you can't kill him? Luke, do you have any idea what he has done to the galaxy?"

"I'm very aware of what he has done to the galaxy." Luke replied back, doing his best to keep his sudden anger in check, "Look at where we are Leia. I'd say his impact on the galaxy is plain enough for me to see."

Leia bit her tongue. He wasn't wrong. The evidence was there for him to see. But that just frustrated her more.

"I don't understand." She said shaking her head.

"I don't expect you to." Luke replied, "But… I will say that I sensed good in him. It's there, buried under thick layers of pain, suffering, and hatred. But it's there. I felt it on Cloud City."

"He tried to kill you on Cloud City, Luke!"

"No," Luke replied, "He tried to turn me to the dark side. I nearly killed myself by falling down that gas vent. He had nothing to do with that, other than cornering me." Luke grimaced, "This is going to be far more difficult than I imagined."

Leia felt some sympathy for Luke. He looked so lost right now. Unsure of what to do once the time came for him to go to the Death Star.

"Maybe Joshua can fight Vader?" Leia suggested.

Luke shook his head, "Vader is my fight." He then sighed, "I have no choice but to trust in the force."

There was silence between the two for a moment before Luke asked a question that was completely out of the blue.

"Leia… do you remember your mother? Your real mother?" Luke asked suddenly.

Leia raised an eyebrow, "A little bit. It's very unclear, the memories are so old. I can't help but think that she was very beautiful. Why are you asking me this?"

Luke nodded glumly, "I have no memory of my mother."

 _There's something else bothering him._ Leia deduced quickly. And it wasn't his conflict over Darth Vader.

"Luke, tell me what is going on?"

Luke gulped, "Leia, if I don't make it back you are the only hope for the Alliance."

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Leia quickly scolded, "You have a power I do not understand, and could never have!"

Luke shook his head, "You're wrong Leia. You have that power too. And in time, you will learn to use it as I have." Luke glanced anxiously at his feet, "The force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it," He paused and looked up at Leia, "My sister has it."

It took a moment for Leia to realize that Luke meant her. And even then, she stared at him in disbelief.

"Yes," Luke said quietly, "It's you, Leia."

Leia gulped and shook her head, "H-how? How do you-" She wiped her mouth, "I know…" She said, something sparking in her. A feeling that she could not place until now. A connection with Luke that she knew she had but failed to truly feel, let alone understand, until now, "Somehow… I've always know? But how?"

"And that's why I have to face Vader." Luke said, "No only do I believe that I can bring him back, to the good side. But so that, in case I can't, he cannot get to you."

Leia gulped as she stared at looks somber face. She slowly nodded in understanding.

"Luke…" She wrapped her arms around him in a large hug, "Be careful… please."

"I will." Luke and Leia held each other for a few more precious moments before he broke away, gathered up Natsu, Gray, and Happy from the middle of the brawl. And slipped out of the cave without anyone noticing.

….

"Why did you take me away from the fight!" Natsu exclaimed angrily as he jerked in Luke's strong grip, "I was winning!"

"No you weren't flame brain!" Gray roared back, "I was winning."

Luke let out an exasperated sigh as the pair pressed their foreheads together like two stags about to face off.

"You wanna settle this now, Ice Pop!?" Natsu growled.

"Anywhere, anytime, fire breath!"

"And now is not the place, or the time." Luke grumbled as he pried the two away from each other with is hands, "You two need to put your petty quarrel aside."

"PETTY QUARREL!?" Gray and Natsu roared, Natsu not entirely understanding what quarrel meant.

"Uh oh." Happy commented as he floated beside Luke, "You made a mistake."

"What do you me-" *POW*

Luke was sent sprawling backwards by two fists. One from Natsu, and the other from Gray. The pair smiled as Luke tumbled. When he regained his wits enough so that he could stand up. He saw Natsu and Gray fistbump each other.

"Got him!" Natsu grinned widely.

"We showed him." Gray smirked.

Luke's eye twitched before he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a very long mission. He waved at the pair as he strode by them.

"C'mon. Let's find Joshua, I saw him walk out this way."

Natsu sniffed the air before wrinkling his nose.

"His scent smells weird."

Gray raised an eyebrow as they walked through the darkness. Their feet crunched on the fallen leaves as they marched.

"What do you mean smells…" Natsu's, Gray's, and Happy's eyes widened while their pupils shrank to a the size of a pin point. Luke meanwhile sighed and bowed his head, once again pinching the bridge of his nose.

Lying down in the leaves and grass, surrounded by dew, were Joshua and Wendy. Both were only covered by Joshua's black cloak. It took a moment for the scene to register in Natsu and Gray's brains. But when it did their noses began to bleed.

"J-Joshua…" Gray stammered, "A-a-and-"

"W-wendy…" Natsu chattered.

"They're naked!" Happy shrieked loudly, causing Joshua to jerk upright. Meanwhile, Wendy just moaned and turned over. Thankfully, the cloak still covered her. If it didn't, Natsu and Gray may have ended up passing out.

Joshua rubbed his sleepy eyes before yawning and scratching the back of his neck. Subconsciously, he muttered, "Shut up Happy."

"Hey!" Happy yelled, "That's not nice you jerk!"

"I don't' care you blue pain in my-" Joshua sucked in his breath and held it. His cheeks instantly turned red and he stared wide eyed back at Luke, Natsu, and Gray. Natsu and Gray's jaws were now hanging open.

"Well…. fuck." Joshua mumbled.

"That is apparently what you just did." Luke said quietly.

Joshua cocked his to the side as he stared at Luke, dumbstruck, "Is that a sense of humor I heard, Skywalker?"

"Just get dressed. We need to go now." Luke said firmly before turning his back.

"No need to look away from me." Joshua said before reaching into what little magic he had in his body at the moment. Thankfully, requip didn't require a lot of magic power, "Requip!" A golden light shimmered all over Joshua's body. He now wore black robes once again with a jet black hooded cloak over his shoulders, black boots, and black gloves covering his hands. Just before he got up, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Wendy's lips.

"I'll be back soon… I promise." Luke then saw Joshua slip something out of his hand and place it next to Wendy's hand. It was a small silver ring with what looked like a kyber crystal on top, "I need to come back for this after all." Wendy smiled in her sleep before rolling over in the leaves once again.

Joshua slowly rose to his feet then winced, grabbing his lower back.

"Friendly advice, don't have sex in the woods. Roots go in all the wrong places."

"Ok that's enough!" Luke exclaimed, "Let's go everybody, before the sun rises."

Joshua nodded and walked up to Natsu and Gray, who were still stuck in place, suffering from shock.

"You breath a word of this to anyone and you will wish it was Erza punishing you two." Joshua said lowly, "Understand?"

They both gulped and nodded quickly.

"Good. Now stop staring at beautiful girlfriend and get a move on!" Joshua snapped, "You're all lucky she's a heavy sleeper, otherwise she probably would've died of embarrassment. Then no one would be safe from my wrath."

Gray and Natsu gulped as he was pushed after Luke by Joshua.

"Did we just see what I think we just saw." Gray asked Natsu.

Natsu gulped, "I don't know who should be more afraid. Us for seeing it, or Joshua and Wendy for doing it."

Gray felt his blood go cold, "Doesn't matter in Carla's book. Or… or Erza's."

Natsu agreed as he too began to shiver with fear, "Either way… we are all dead. So very, very dead."

"Not me." Happy chirped, "I can fly away."

Tick marks formed on Natsu and Gray's heads.

"NOBODY ASKED YOU!"

Meanwhile at the front of their little group, Luke glanced over at Joshua.

"So you finally did it?" Luke smirked.

"Shut it Luke." Joshua snarled.

"Just asking." Luke asked, "I mean... was it any good."

"You have five seconds to rephrase that before I smack you with the back of my cybernetic hand." Joshua growled.

"What I meant." Luke replied, "Was... oh hell, that's exactly what I meant."

Joshua scowled before suddenly grinning, "Well, if the Jedi really wants to know, since he'll never get any in his life becuase he has a crush on his sister-"

"Now I want to backhand you!" Luke snapped.

Joshua chuckled, "It was... it was amazing."

"And that ring?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "What ring?"

"You think nobody noticed you put a ring by her hand?" Luke asked.

"Well I know for a fact that tweedle dee and tweedle dum didn't notice." Joshua gestured back at Natsu and Gray, who were still trying to get out of their shock induced fog, "They were too busy trying to get a peak at Wendy. Speaking of which, if either of you saw anything you're dead!"

"Aye sir!" They both called at once.

Luke shook his head as he smiled, "So... a kyber crystal instead of a diamond?"

Joshua nodded, "I found it at the academy on Malachor. There were several unused crystals in storage there. And those krystals are far more valuable than any gem in existence."

"Did you plan on doing this for a while?" Luke asked.

Joshua shrugged, "I'm not sure. I want to be with Wendy, for certain. I love her to death. I can't imagine being without her. I didn't really imagine giving her a wedding ring like that, but then again, you all didn't really give me time to wake her up and ask her."

Luke nodded, "I'm sorry about that. But hey, you can ask her once you get back."

"Yeah." Joshua smiled, "It gives me extra motivation."

Meanwhile, Natsu and Gray snickered at a joke Happy made.

"Happy?" Joshua asked.

"A-aye s-sir?" The blue cat quaked as he felt Joshua's overwhelming presence press down on him.

"Did you make a joke about Wendy?"

"N-no." Happy denied, terrified.

"He joked about Wendy's boobs!" Natsu exclaimed fearfully.

"You snitch!" Happy cried, exaggerated tears going down his face. Meanwhile, Joshua glowered at the cat, his eyes shadowed out by his hair.

"Joshua?" Luke said hesitantly.

"Luke, we need to come up with a convincing story for Happy's death. Maybe we make it a glorious one instead of the one he about to receive!" As a lightsaber hilt appeared in his left hand.

"NATSU! GRAY! LUKE! SAVE ME!"

 **And chapter! The next chapter, the battle will begin! As for this chapter, I hope I did a good romance scene. I haven't written very many of this type of thing and in all honesty, I'm not sure if it was any good. But, I'm gonna go with it and hope for the best. Anyways, here we go folks. The final act is upon us! Let it begin! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	108. Chapter 108: The Sun Rises

**Ever have those moments as a writer when you think you're done writing for the day then your brain is like, "here's a great idea!". Well, this is the result of one of those moments, a second chapter for the weekend folks! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 108

The First Sister kneeled quietly on the durasteel floor in her small quarters. She had neglected to go down to the surface after the Emperor arrived. There were too many compromising thoughts going through her mind. And those compromising thoughts could become dangerous if she had an encounter on Earthland that would turn those thoughts into actions. The last thing she needed was the Emperor, Vader, and Mara Jade out to kill her along with the Rebel Alliance.

She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The revelations provided to her by Makarov Dreyar, the former Master of Fairy Tail, and shaken her very foundations. She could feel an inkling of Erza Scarlet beginning to stir inside of her consciousness. And the more she thought about those lost memories, revealed to her by Makarov's stories, the more Erza Scarlet began to awaken. Recently, she found herself craving something called strawberry cake. Yet the First Sister had no idea what in the world strawberry cake was. But her body certainly did. As soon as that delicacy entered her mind, her mouth had started to involuntarily water and her stomach began to growl. What made this worse was that she was in the middle of a summons with her Master when it happened. After that little fiasco, she had quickly come here to her temporary quarters and delved into the dark side of the force, attempting to rebuild the wall that separated the First Sister from Erza Scarlet.

But slowly, she was finding out that her efforts would be fruitless. Erza Scarlet's willpower was incredibly strong. Her feelings for her friends and family insurmountable, impossible to contain any longer. The First Sister now understood why her Master had taken her memories. He had recognized Erza Scarlet's will, her strength, determination, her bonds, and he had determined those to be a significant threat to the First Sister's development. And now she had awakened all of those, most likely against her Master's wishes. For now, he tolerated it. She had no doubt he could sense the shift in her through the force. But at any moment, her Master's patience could disappear and she would be dealt with, violently. And that terrified her to her core.

So she sought solace in the force. Asking for it's guidance and protection. A very un-sith thing to do in her mind, but she felt like she had no other way to turn. She doubted she could go to Joshua Scarlet. If how he fought on Naboo was any indication, he wanted her to come back to him. But, he was a target of her Master. And her Master was very persistent when it came to eliminating rivals. There was so safety with Joshua Scarlet. There was only death there as well.

She scowled as she heard the door to her quarters hiss open. She swore she locked the door. But when she felt a dark, manic presence enter the room, she knew that locking her doors would've been useless anyways.

"What do you want?" The First Sister growled, remaining in her kneeling position on the floor, eyes closed and breathing easily.

"Can't I come and check on my dear, sweet, sister?" The sinister voice of Mara Jade asked as she sauntered into her quarters and flopped down on her cot.

"I don't need to be checked on like some child." The First Sister replied.

"Oh really? Lord Vader begs to differ." Mara Jade replied, "He seems to think that you are… hm… how did he put it? Changing your allegiances?"

The First Sister's crimson eyes opened. She turned to glare at Mara Jade, "My allegiances are in the right place."

"Ah… but you didn't say with us, did you?" Mara Jade noted, "Very interesting."

"If you plan on using grammar semantics to get me killed, I hate to disappoint you, but the Emperor is a man who likes harder evidence than that."

"Kill you?" Mara Jade guffawed, "I don't want to have you killed, sister. No… no you have so much more use to me alive than dead."

The First Sister eyed Mara Jade carefully as the other red head stood up from the cot and crouched in front of the First Sister.

"Tell me how you feel about our master?"

The First Sister narrowed her eyes, "Our master is very powerful and wise."

"Yes he is." Mara Jade conceded, "But how do you, yourself, your own selfish consciousness, feel about him?"

The First Sister remained silent.

"Not very fond of him it seems." Mara Jade grinned, "Good. I can use that."

"Use?"

"You see, I grow rather… tired of our Masters constant teasing of us possibly becoming Sith Lords." Mara Jade rose to her feet and quickly closed then locked the door, "Let's face it. He will never anoint us as Ladies of the Sith. No, he is too prideful to break the oh so precious rule of two." She grinned maniacally, "And he is too arrogant to realize that his power grows weak."

"If you think Master Sidious grows weak, then you are fool." The First Sister snapped quickly, "And you are even more foolish to even think what you are thinking."

"And what am I think, sister?" Mara Jade craned her ear towards her, "I want to hear it from your own lips."

The First Sister didn't say a word. She just stared dangerously at Mara Jade, her patience wearing thin with the mad Grand Inquisitor.

"What is holding you back from admitting it, Erza?" Mara Jade drawled, intentionally dragging out the syllables in the First Sister's true name, "What is keeping you from joining me and destroying the Emperor? Claiming the Empire for ourselves? Claiming the power of the dark side of the force as our own?" She snickered, "I think it's about time we had two dark ladies of the Sith and not two dark lords."

The First Sister remained straight faced, unmoved by Mara Jade's words, "You are a poor manipulator, Mara Jade."

Mara Jade's face dropped, "Oh really? That's a shame. I was hoping you would be smarter than that. Because… I have figured out a way to destroy our master."

The First Sister's head snapped up to look at Mara Jade, who was now leaning in the doorway.

"You see," Mara Jade continued, "During my time under his tutelage, I discovered a certain artifact he was keeping. A possession that he treasures above anything else. Possibly even his own life." she grinned, "Wanna know what it is?"

The First Sister had to admit. She was slightly intrigued. But she refused to waver, preferring to give as little information on her state of mind to Mara Jade as possible.

"I'll tell you anyways." Mara Jade leaned in close to the First Sister's ear, "The holocron of Emperor Vitiate."

The First Sister's eyes slowly widened. Her master had an artifact of that magnitude in his possession!? The only reason to have something like that was to study the dark side of the force. Which meant-

"Again, you are a fool." The First Sister stated, "No doubt our master has studied from that holocron. That makes him far more powerful than we can even comprehend. This line of thought is nothing more than a quick route to the grave."

"Perhaps." Mara Jade nodded, "But, you act as if we would battle Sidious now, as we are. What I have in mind is much more… conservative in approach."

 _That would be a first for you._ The First Sister thought.

"What I have in mind is… we take the holocron. And we learn its secrets. We unlock the power within it and take it for ourselves. With that holocron we can practically become goddesses of the Sith!" Mara Jade declared proudly, "Sidious and Vader would be no match for us! And when we do finally confront them. They will crumble before our might. The galaxy would be ours. The Dark Side would be ours, and ours alone."

The First Sister stared down Mara Jade, carefully studying her insane grin. If her state of mind was comprimised, then Mara Jade's no longer had a state of mind. Sure her plan was… rather tempting. But the part of the First Sister that was Erza Scarlet screamed defiantely against that course of action. Thoughts of the Earthland wizards she had once called friend, even family, raced through her mind. To go through with such actions would mean the deaths of everyone Erza Scarlet had been close to. And to be honest, the First Sister was very hesitant to see that occur. She considered herself weak for it, but… she just couldn't help it.

"What do you say, sister?" Mara Jade held out a hand, just as Joshua Scarlet had done on Naboo. There were two paths she could take. She could follow Mara Jade's insanity, she could return to being Erza Scarlet, or she could remain where she was. And the chances of living were much higher being by the Emperor's side.

"No." The First Sister said with a sense of finality, "And you shall leave before I change my mind about not bringing this to our master."

Mara Jade's face paled momentarily before it turned red with anger. She took a seething breath before balling up her fists.

"Very well." She hissed, "But… I also came here to tell you that the old man you chatted with on Earthland is scheduled to be executed." The First Sister's breath caught in her throat, forming a tight knot, "Along with all the other captured wizards saints and guild masters. A little tidbit for you to mull over. After all, it kinda is your fault that they are all about to die."

Mara Jade cackled as she left. The door hissed closed behind her, once again leaving the First Sister all alone.

Once she knew Mara Jade was gone, the First Sister bolted to her feet and rushed over to a communications hologram. She tapped the button on the console and quickly got a hold of the Imperial prison in Crocus.

"My lady," The officer said surprised, "We were not expecting any contact from-"

"Makarov Dreyar!" The First Sister barked, "Is he schedule for execution?"

The officer knitted his eyebrows together, puzzled as to why an inquisitor would ask about a prisoner. But still, he shuffled through a data pad and found the name she was looking for.

"Yes he is my lady. For tomorrow morning."

"You are to call off that execution immediately!" The First Sister ordered.

The officer shook his head, bewildered. "I apologize my lady, but I am not authorized to do so."

"If these orders come from that blue bastard Thrawn," The officer looked at the First Sister with an appalled expression, "Tell him to call of that execution or I will gut him with my saber personally!"

"I-I cannot my lady. The orders come directly from the Emperor himself."

The First Sister's eyes widened. Defeat dug its claws into her heart. As always, her Master knew just the right place to strike at the exact right time in order to force her to submit. There was no saving Makarov Dreyar now. With his death, her past may very well go with him. Her body shook with fury at that possibility.

"Very well then…" The First Sister sighed as her door hissed open again, a black imperial astromech gliding inside to deliver a message, "Thank you for your assistance."

The officer was greatly puzzled as the hologram ended. The First Sister never thanked anyone. And she usually killed people who refused to follow her orders. The hologram winked away and the astromech warbled behind Erza.

"What message?"

A hologram was projected from the astromech showing an image that stunned the First Sister. It was Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker, bound by force cuffs and magic suppression stone and being guarded by a pair of stormtroopers.

"Um.. First Sister, ma'am." The taller stormtrooper stammered, "We uh… captured these two as they surrendered themselves in Magnolia ma'am."

"Aye!" A small voice echoed from the shorter stormtrooper.

The First Sister raised an eyebrow. These were some odd stormtroopers. Nevertheless, they had captured two highly valued targets. That was to be praised.

"Very good. Tell me, what's your legion and commanding officer?"

"Uh…" The high pitched voice droned.

"We are part of Governor Thrawn's personal guard ma'am. We were assigned gate duty in Magnolia while he oversees some matters regarding the city." The taller one quickly said.

The First Sister narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Thrawn's personal guard were Death Troopers, not normal stormtroopers. These two were liars. However, she was curious. What exactly was Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker's plan. No doubt it had something to do with killing the Emperor, a scenario that the First Sister now found to be entirely agreeable. Perhaps she should play ignorance.

"Very good then. Inform your commander of your work. You will be rewarded. Lord Vader is currently on his way to Magnolia in order to inspect the shield generator. He will take possession of the prisoners when he arrives."

"Uh… sure." The taller one said.

"Aye sir." the shorter one with the squealing voice cheered.

The First Sister smirked. Time to drop off a little information, "Oh… and do get good seats for me at Makarov Dreyar's execution tomorrow morning. I hear it will be quite the show."

Joshua Scarlet visibly jerked upright, shock on his face. Luke Skywalker kept a blank expression on his face. The two obviously fake stormtroopers were also seemingly taken aback by this new information, with the shorter one rasping in a deeper voice than before.

"We won't let that happen!"

The First Sister had to suppress a chuckle. These two were amusing.

"Did your voice modulator malfunction soldier?" She said pointing at the shorter one, "I suggest making sure it is working properly before addressing any more officers of a higher station." She then nodded to the hologram. "Be on your way then."

"Aye!" they both stated quickly before awkwardly saluting and disconnecting on their end.

The First Sister smirked before shaking her head, chuckling under her breath. As the astromech wheeled out of her quarters, she rubbed her face and walked over to the mirror on the opposite wall.

 _Ok fairies._ She thought as she approached the mirror.

To her utter shock, when she looked at her reflection, she saw that her skin looked healthier and her eyes were looking a more reddish brown than crimson color. But instead of being disturbed by this, she welcomed it. Although it could not last. She'd have to correct this physical trait. Her master would not be pleased if he saw this. He would take it as a betrayal of her allegiances. Meditation would help. As she knelt back down on the floor she closed her eyes.

 _Make your move fairies._ She thought. _And we shall be waiting for you._

….

"We are fucked!" Joshua bemoaned as he sagged in Stormtrooper Natsu's grip, "F-U-C-K-E-D! Fucked!"

"We are not!" Natsu replied as he pulled Joshua along towards a landing pad just outside of Magnolia, "She totally bought it."

Both Joshua and Luke turned their heads to look at Natsu. Then Luke glanced at Joshua.

"He's seriously that dense?" Luke asked.

"Aye!" Happy's muffled cry was heard from inside Natsu's backpack.

"Shut it jerk!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Both of you can it!" Gray growled through his helmet, "I'm trying to figure out how to send a transmission to the others."

"Let me." Luke said quickly as Gray handed him a small communications device. Luke quickly cracked it open, "Just need to tweek the signal," A spark and a small stream of smoke followed by a smile from Luke signaled that they were in business. He snapped the device's casing closed and handed it to Gray, "Go for it."

Gray hesitantly grabbed the communicator, "You sure you got it?"

"Yeah. The signal is tuned for Han and Leia."

Gray gulped, "Ok then." he put the communicator up to his lips, "Hey uh…. Fairy Glitter? Anyone home?"

Static.

"Drunk Cana?" Gray asked.

More Static.

"Carla freaking out that Wendy had sex with Joshua?"

" _SHE DID WHAT!?"_ Carla screeched over the comm.

"DAMMIT ALL GRAY!" Joshua bellowed as Natsu struggled to restrain him from destroying Gray where he stood.

The comm quickly made several scratching noises followed by the sound of Carla screaming before another voice finally came over.

" _Gray, what the hell are you doing?"_ Jellal hissed over the comm.

"We've got an emergency Jellal." Gray said quickly, "And by the way, thanks for not picking up right away. Now I'm pretty sure Joshua is going to kill me in my sleep."

"OH IT WON'T BE IN YOUR SLEEP BUDDY! YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL EVERY SINGLE BIT OF PAIN AS I SKIN YOUR FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND-" Natsu clapped a hand over Joshua's mouth.

"Thank god for those handcuffs." Natsu breathed as Joshua struggled against his tight grip, unable to ask the force for help.

Luke felt a bead of sweat go down his head. Gray meanwhile gulped in fear before relaying the situation to Jellal.

"Gramps is going to be executed in Magnolia tomorrow."

There was silence on the other end of the comm. Gray and Luke waited patiently while Joshua flailed about on the ground, trying to get Natsu to let go of him. In Natsu's armored backpack, Happy could be heard hurling up a fish as he was tossed about.

"Jellal?"

" _I'm here still. Galen and the others are with me now too."_ Jellal replied, " _Thank you for relaying this information."_

Gray cocked an eyebrow, "Aren't you guys going to do something about it."

" _We don't know yet Gray."_ Galen said over the comm, " _It'd be risky to attempt a rescue right now_. _We need to talk our next move over."_

Gray scowled, "Well figure it out quickly. Because if Gramps dies, I'm pinning it on you guys."

"Same here!" Natsu called before Joshua suddenly bit his arm, "GAAAH!"

" _We understand Gray. Really, we do."_ Mira stated over the comm, " _We'll do what we can on our end. Just complete your mission. It's more important right now. You got me?"_

Gray pursed his lips and nodded, "Yeah… got you."

" _Good."_ Mira stated, " _Don't contact us with this again. You are to go comm silent until you return to the planetary surface. Good luck you four."_

" _AND WHEN JOSHUA GETS BACK I WILL SHRED HIM WITH MY CLAWS AND-"_

Static.

Gray sighed then took the comm and smashed it beneath his boot. He then grabbed Luke's arm again and turned to look at Natsu and Joshua.

"You two ready?"

"If you mean ready to kill you then yes, I am very ready to kill you." Joshua snarled.

"Just apologize to him Gray! Before he bites me again!" Natsu cried.

"You bit him?" Luke reiterated, stunned.

"Yeah… so what?" Joshua growled, "You wanna fight me about it?"

"Save it for the Sith Lords, buddy." Luke smiled nervously.

Joshua scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, "Fine." he grumbled.

As he said this, the loud whine of an Imperial shuttle passing overhead drew their attention. All four of their heads looked up to see a large Lambda class shuttle settling over the landing platform. As the lights to the shuttle blinked, all four could make out a large satellite dish in the background.

"I think we found our destination." Luke muttered.

Joshua nodded the slyly smirked at Luke, "Alright everyone!" he barked, "Be on your best behavior! We are about to meet Luke's parents!" Luke face palmed, "Or just parent? I think? Just don't do anything stupid."

Everyone silent save for Happy who muttered a weak, aye, before passing out in Natsu's backpack.

….

All of the rebel leaders on Earthland sat silently around their small wooden table. Leia and Han were sitting beside each other. Han was nervously tapping his foot on the stone floor while Leia sat completely still. Jellal had his elbows on the table and head in his hands and he tried to figure out what to do now. Galen and Jura had their minds made up. Going after Makarov was too much of a risk to take. No one was powerful enough to take on the soldiers that would no doubt be guarding such high value prisoners.

"We can't just abandon him." Mira suddenly started, breaking the awkward silence between them all, "He's our guild master!"

"Technically, you are Fairy Tail's guild master, Mira." Galen remained the white haired beauty.

"I don't care what I am!" Mira exclaimed, "Master Makarov is one of the ten most powerful wizards on the continent. Freeing him will give us a tremendous advantage on the battlefield."

"Plus he knows Fairy Law." Jellal noted.

Galen looked quizzically at Jellal while Jura's face went ashen.

"That spell… it would be devastating-"

"For the enemy yes." Jellal replied.

"But for Makarov as well." Jura noted, "That spell requires a tremendous amount of magical power. Something we sort of lack right now. And we don't have our other two force sensitives to assist us in a very risky jailbreak."

"Not to mention," Galen cut in, "That this could very well be a trap." The others looked over at him, "I mean seriously, think about this for a moment. Does anyone really think Thrawn would willingly allow this kind of information to leak out!?"

Jellal shrugged, "There is a first time for everything."

"Not with that Chiss." Galen replied, "He is a damn genius. No doubt he has planned for the exact scenario we are discussing."

Han slowly raised his hand. Leia sighed and shook her head.

"Just speak Han, you don't need to raise your hand!"

Han glanced at Leia, "My apologies your worshipfulness. I wanted to make sure I didn't interrupt anyone." He looked back at the others, "I may be a roguish scoundrel but I do have manners."

"What did you want to say General Solo?" Jellal asked quickly, "We don't have time to banter."

"Do you think Thrawn has planned for a duel assault on the shield generator and Magnolia?" Han proposed. Jura and Galen leaned in closer, intent on hearing him now, "I mean, no doubt he's planned for an attack on both. But not from a strike team of soldiers from the alliance itself."

"What are you getting at?" Jura asked.

"We change our plans. R2 will contact the fleet and they will begin their attack on the Death Star as soon as they can. Meanwhile, we pull the trigger on Thrawn's trap before he is ready while also dividing his attention between two very valuable targets. Does he want to save powerful prisoners and himself? Or does he want to save the shield generator and the Death Star? We attack both simultaneously. You four will lead the attack on Magnolia. We will make it seem like all you care about is saving Makarov. Therefore, Thrawn will believe his trap worked. Meanwhile, my strike team blows the shield generator to kingdom come."

Jellal nodded, "Thrawn and the Empire won't know what hit them… at all."

"And hopefully, the generator will be down in time not only for your fleet to destroy the Death Star, but also for Joshua and the others to escape it with Zeref's artifacts. Then we might be able to get Alvarez involved in all of this." Jura commented.

"Exactly!" Han exclaimed.

Galen shook his head, "It's still a high risk, high reward operation."

"Aren't they all?" Leia asked casually.

Jellal smirked, "The lady-"

"Princess." Han quickly corrected.

"The princess," Jellal restated with a wry grin, "Has a point. The risk is no different than operations we undertook earlier in this war. So… you all know my position on this. What say you three?" He asked eyeing Mira, Jura, and Galen.

"Aye!" Mira said quickly, smacking a hand down on the table, "This is our opening! We need to take it!"

Jura nodded, "I am hesitant. But I do not think we will get a better opportunity."

Everyone looked over at Galen. The former Sith Apprentice rubbed his chin before shrugging.

"Fuck it. We all die at some point anyways. Might as well gone down spells blazing."

Jellal nodded, a grin on his face, "Alright." He nodded more emphatically, "Alright!" he rose to his feet, "Everyone! At dawn, we return to Magnolia. And we bring the Empire crashing down!"

"AYE!"

….

The pinks, yellows, and oranges of the rising sun dyed the once black sky as the dawn slowly came over Magnolia. The air was eerily quiet today. The birds had decided to remain in their nests, the deer and lizards scurried back to their burrows despite it being a cloudless autumn day. Two people rose early enough to witness the sun rising over the horizon. And from their position in hills a few miles from Mount Hakobe, the view was absolutely breathtaking.

The first figure was a voluptuous middle aged woman wearing a revealing witch's outfit that exposed plenty of her midriff, cleavage, and thighs. A large witches had topped her head and in her right hand was a long wooden staff. Her red lips curled into a smile as she saw the sun rise. Despite her advanced age and lack of any physical senses, she still loved the sunrise in Fiore. It was always a breathtaking sight from these hills near the mountains.

"The sun rises." her companion commented as he lounged in the long grass around them. His black coat with gold trimming and white toga still spotless despite resting on the ground for most of the long night, "And with it, a crossroads appears."

The red haired woman in the witch's attire looked down at her companion, "What do you mean your excellency?"

The man rose to his feet, his black air lazily falling over his forehead as he stood.

"What I mean, is that the force has decided to accelerate events. I foresaw the battle taking place after the holocron and END had been delivered to me. But now… it begins today. Today, the fates of many hang in the balance." The man glanced over at his older companion, "Irene, please contact my pilot. Tell him to prep my shuttle for immediate take off. I want to be able to depart to the Death Star at a moment's notice."

Irene glanced over at her Emperor, "You don't believe those Fairies will successfully retrieve the holocron and book?"

"I believe they can do it. The question now becomes, do they have the time to do so. The rebel alliance is very keen on destroying the space station. And I do not want my prizes being destroyed with it. After all… END's book took me so long to complete. It'd be a waste for him to die on the Death Star." Emperor Spriggen looked at Irene, "Well?"

"My apologies your excellency, I shall contact your pilot immediately."

Emperor Spriggen nodded, "Very good. When I do end up departing for the Death Star you are not to commence an attack until I return, holocron and book in hand."

"Shall I keep the armies at the ready?" Irene asked.

The man thought about it, "Yes… after all, I hope to be successful in this endeavor. No, I will be successful in this endeavor. But for now, we see if our Fairy friends can accomplish this task. After all, I did make a deal with them. I intend to honor it."

He took a deep breath of the crisp morning air before loudly exhaling. As he did this, the first explosions rang through the air from Magnolia. He looked down at that gem of a city and saw fireballs stretching across it's forest filled outskirts. Red blaster bolts screeched through the air around the city. The battle had begun. But that was not what he was excited about. Today was going to be the day. The day he acquired what he had been searching for for so long. Today, the mighty black wizard Zeref, will finally die. He could hardly contain his excitement.

 **Wow! I cranked that one out fast! The next chapter probably won't come out until tuesday so I hope this will be good for now! I got a lot of work coming up. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	109. Chapter 109: Interrupting an Execution

**Hello everyone! I managed to get some free time so here is another chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 109

The first thing she felt was the warmth of the sun on her skin as it lazily rose over the horizon. The cold air of the previous autumn night retreated away and was replaced by a warm breeze that signaled the last gasp of summer before the cold winter months. She let out a happy breath before her brown eyes slowly fluttered open. And she was alone. Her heart sank in her chest and she quickly raised her head and glanced around the woods.

Joshua was gone. Luke, Natsu, and Gray must've called him for their mission. Wendy's face fell as worry filled her as well as sadness. He didn't even say goodbye. She shifted her body and winced when she felt something sharp poke her forearm. She quickly raised it and saw something that made her both want to leap for joy and shake with fear. Sitting on a crumpled red leaf was a small, silver ring with an opaque crystal on top. The same ring she remembered seeing in her vision on Dagobah. She reached down with a trembling hand and plucked it from the ground, staring at it's gem on top as well as how remarkably beautiful the simple piece of jewelry was.

 _He wanted to give this to me?_ Wendy thought as she turned it over in her hands. Before she could think anymore about the ring, she felt the wind whip by her body causing her to shudder. _Why does the wind feel… weird…_ She glanced down and saw that she was completely naked save for a black cloak covering her from her chest down. Her brown eyes widened and her pupils shrank as she suddenly remembered where she was and what exactly happened last night.

 _Oh…_ Her cheeks grew redder and redder, _Ooooh…_ She gulped. This was not going to go well with Carla.

"Wendy!" A voice called out, it was Cana, "Where are ya!?"

"Girlie!" A gruffer voice called into the woods.

That was when she began to panic and frantically search for her green dress.

 _Where did it go!_

The twigs crunched to her left.

"Wendy?"

"KYAH!" Wendy cried before frantically scrambling behind a tree and carefully peeking out to see Cana staring at her, wide eyed.

"Wendy?" The resident alcoholic of Fairy Tail stated again, "What are you doing?" She glanced at the black cloak that was resting where Wendy was once lying, "I'm all for sleeping in the nude Wendy but you need to chose a better spot than a pile of leaves."

Wendy's face turned even redder, "I-I d-didn't intend to um… sleep in the um… woods." She squeaked.

"What?" Cana arched an eyebrow puzzled, "Did you just pass out at random or…" Cana blinked before her eyes narrowed at Wendy and her lips curled into a sly grin, "Oooh… oh hoh hoh!" She clutched her stomach and began laughing loudly, "NO WAY!"

"Cana, please keep it down!" Wendy pleaded.

"He banged you!" Cana exclaimed loudly.

"Cana!"

"And you… oh wow!" Cana breathed as she continued to chuckle, "Can I just say that I was the one who made this happen."

Wendy blinked, "How?"

"He kissed you for the first time because of a bet he made with me." Cana replied proudly, "So yeah… your welcome."

"If Carla kills him, I'll blame you." Wendy mumbled.

"If Carla kills who?" Gajeel finally arrived where the two girls were and Wendy quickly tried to hide behind the tree again, "Where's Wendy?"

Cana shrugged, "Dunno, but-" Cana waved at Gajeel to come closer before quietly whispering in his ear. The Iron Dragon Slayer's cheeks turned as red as the leaves around him and he gulped.

"I-I'll be going then." Gajeel stammered before quickly striding away.

"That'd be a good idea." Cana commented with her hands on her hips. As soon as he was a good distance away, the card mage waved to Wendy, "Alright c'mon! Let's find your clothes."

"What did you tell him?" Wendy asked warily.

"I told him I came out here to have some fun… by myself." Cana smiled cheekily, "Don't worry. Your little secret is safe with me."

Wendy stared wide eyed at the card mage, "Th-thank you."

"But you owe me one kid." Cana pointed out.

"A-aye!" Wendy replied before frantically searching for her dress. As she did so, she subtly slipped the silver ring on her left ring finger. But that too failed to escape Cana's attention.

"What's that?" She asked as Wendy wrapped the black cloak tightly around her so she could shield herself from the elements.

"What's what?" Wendy replied.

"Don't bullshit me kid. Remember, I got your little secret safely in my head." Cana then smirked, "But I could always tell the others. Maybe embellish it a little."

Wendy stared wide eyed at Cana and gulped, "Y-you wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" Cana replied, "Because I think I would."

Wendy gulped again before sighing in defeat and holding her left hand out to Cana. This time it was Cana's turn to be shocked. She stared stunned at the silver ring on her finger with the opaque crystal as the gem that held it all together.

"Wow…" Cana mumbled, "He… I didn't see that one coming."

Wendy smiled a little, "Neither did I? He um… he left it next to me last night. Before he left with Luke, Natsu, and Gray."

Cana nodded, "Yeah… wow!" She breathed before nodding, "It's gonna be a hell of a party the day the wedding happens."

Wendy smiled, "You think so?"

"Kid, I know so!" Cana replied before blinking and exclaiming triumphantly as she pointed at a low hanging tree branch, "There's your dress!"

Wendy turned and saw the dress. She raised her eyebrows in confusion, "How'd it get up there?"

"You tell me." Cana replied, her sly grin returning, "But if that is any indication, I'd say Joshua is good in bed."

Wendy blushed bright red before grabbing her dress and quickly throwing all of her clothes back on her body. She then marched past the giggling Cana.

"Let's get back to the cave already." Wendy muttered shyly.

"Sure kid. Sure."

….

Wendy quietly slipped towards the large tent that housed the leadership of the Fiore rebellion and served as their makeshift meeting hall. As she quietly walked in, she noticed that Jellal, Galen, Jura, Mira, Leia, and Han were all already deep in conversation. She also noticed that they were all geared up. Jellal had donned his Crime Sorciere armor, Galen was wearing his old inquisitor armor from the Grand Magic Games, Mira was wearing a different maroon dress than normal, and Jura was wearing his usual robes but a look of determination was etched on his face. Meanwhile, Han had a camouflaged coat flung over his black vest and white shirt. Leia was wearing the camouflage armor and helmet just like the other rebel soldiers that were waiting patiently outside the tent. And Chewbacca sat in the corner, polishing his bowcaster.

"What's going on?" Wendy asked as she slowly walked up to the group.

Jellal's head snapped up, "Oh… there you are."

"Wendy beware of-" Mira started to warn before a white blur swept across the table and launched at Wendy.

"WHERE IS HE!?" Carla roared as she plowed into Wendy, sending her sprawling on the ground.

"Carla!" Wendy exclaimed.

"What did he do?" Carla demanded between angry cries and sobs, "Did he… was what Gray said true? Did-"

"Carla." Wendy sighed before rubbing her eyes, "It's too early in the morning for this."

"No it's not!" Carla shouted, "You need to wait for marriage and-" She blinked as she saw the silver ring on Wendy's finger, "What's that?"

Wendy stayed quiet while Carla's face turned ghost white. She then shook her head and glared at Wendy.

"You are way too young Wendy Marvell!" Carla cried.

"Carla!" Wendy suddenly barked causing the exceed to fall silent, "I'm going to be twenty years old. So is Joshua. I don't need…" She sighed and let out a calming breath, "I love him Carla. And he loves me. And… and I'm very happy about all of this." A small smile was on her face, "This is my decision. Ok?"

Carla felt some tears form in her eyes before she felt her shoulders sag, "I miss my little Wendy." She mumbled.

Wendy picked Carla up and hugged her tightly, "I know. But… I gotta grow up too."

Carla sniffled, "I know. It was just… so fast."

Han suddenly cleared his throat, "I'd hate to break up this heartfelt moment, but we have very important things to do and we are pressed for time."

Carla blinked, "Oh… right! That! We need to tell Wendy."

"Absolutely." Jellal began, "She is very important to this plan anyways."

"Plan? What plan?" Wendy asked.

Galen pursed his lips as he prepared to deliver the devastating news given to them by Gray, "Wendy… Master Makarov is scheduled to be executed in just a few hours."

Wendy's face paled. She slowly shook her head, "No…" She breathed, "We… we have to do something!"

"And we are." Jellal replied, "We have decided to accelerate the operation." Wendy felt a pit form in her stomach, "The rebel fleet is already on it's way here. We are going to use the breakout of Makarov and the other prisoners as a distraction to keep Imperial attention away from the shield generator. But we cannot just straight up attack the city. Thrawn will just kill Makarov more quickly if that happened. The attack needs to begin from the inside. That is where you and Gajeel come in."

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "Me and Gajeel?"

"You two are dragonslayers." Jura said, "Which means you can cause a lot of havoc in a very short span of time. And yes, we understand you are primarily a healer. But we need your offensive capabilities for this assault. After all, you and Gajeel currently have more magic than any of us in this room just because you managed to avoid getting hit by the Face pulse."

Wendy nodded hesitantly, "Ok." She gulped, "So me and Gajeel are the ones that have to grab Master and get him out of the city."

"Yes." Jellal said firmly, "Bring him immediately back here, Romeo and Mira will be waiting with Asuka and the others too weak to take part in the assault."

"As soon as you have Makarov. You will fire this," Galen tossed Wendy a small flare gun, "That will be our signal that you have extracted Makarov and we can begin our assault."

"As that happens." Han continued, "My strike force will attack the shield generator and attempt to take it out before the fleet arrives."

Wendy nodded, "That… that is a brilliant plan." A worrying thought entered her mind. The fleet was arriving soon. Joshua and the others just left to enact their end of the operation, "What about Joshua and the others on the Death Star?"

"They understand the situation." Jellal said, "Joshua and Luke will take on the Emperor and Vader. Hold their attention. While that happens, Gray will search for the holocron and book and Natsu will free our prisoners and call for a mass evac."

"And how is Joshua getting off that ship before it explodes?" Wendy asked, her voice hitched with concern, "There's no way he is getting off there at the same time as Natsu and Gray. Not if he has to battle the Emperor and Vader."

Jellal grimaced, "He told us that he has it worked out. We're just going to have to have faith in him and Luke."

Wendy felt the worry build in her. If Joshua and Luke failed to escape the Death Star in time- she quickly shook her head, refusing to allow such a horrifying thought to enter her mind.

"Do you understand the plan?" Jellal asked.

Wendy nodded.

"Good." Jellal nodded, "Alright everyone, let's get a move on. We don't have much time."

"Aye!"

….

Joshua waited patiently beside Luke while Natsu tightly gripped his bicep, acting like a stormtrooper would when handling a prisoner. They all stood on a small catwalk that led to an elevated landing platform attached to the shield generator. As they stood there, they saw a large AT-AT walker lumber towards the platform. When it came to a stop, both Luke and Joshua felt the force shift and become cold.

"Well, I think our waiting is done." Joshua muttered to Luke as he steeled himself for being face to face with Darth Vader once again.

Luke gulped, "Yup."

"I don't get why this guy is so scary." Natsu commented through his helmet.

"You haven't met him yet." Joshua replied as he tightened his jaw.

A small ramp emerged from AT-AT. A squad of stormtroopers marched off of the AT-AT. They all lined up to guard the man in black armor quickly descending the ramp. Darth Vader's breathing instantly echoed in Natsu's ears, causing them to ring loudly.

"He's a heavy breather." Natsu mumbled quietly.

"Shut up!" Gray hissed before stiffening as Vader approached.

The cold oppressive feeling they all felt only grew as the Dark Lord drew closer. And now, Natsu fully understood why Luke and Joshua feared this man. He didn't have the force, yet the dragon slayer could feel the raw power and dominance coming from Darth Vader. An oppresive cold ran over his body and he could feel dark tendrils of the force probing the area around all of them. But they seemed especially concentrated on Luke and Joshua. The lidless eyes of Vader's helmet turned to silently look at Natsu and Gray.

"Good work." He boomed, making Natsu's ears throb, "Board the shuttle. The Emperor will want to reward you personally."

Gray quickly saluted, imitating the many stormtroopers he had witness on Earthland. Natsu simply gulped and followed Gray's example before both quickly rushed into the shuttle that was on the landing platform. Once they disappeared inside, Darth Vader turned to his personal guard.

"Leave us." he ordered.

Without hesitation, the stormtroopers marched off of the landing platform and down into the shield generator complex. Now, Darth Vader was alone with his quarry. The prey that he had spent years hunting.

But in the one year they had managed to evade him, Darth Vader couldn't help but be impressed by how much they had changed in such a short span of time. Luke Skywalker, his son, looked like a Jedi. There was no visible fear being shown, although Vader could feel some anxiety within in son. Nonetheless, Luke executed his Jedi training perfectly. His emotions hidden behind a steely expression on his face mixed with a glance that was filled with naive compassion for the Sith Lord. It both sickened the Dark Lord and made him somewhat proud.

 _No!_ Vader berated himself, _Anakin Skywalker would've been proud. But Skywalker is my enemy._

Vader then turned to assess the other man on the catwalk. The man with the most drastic change in presence he had ever felt. Luke felt like an improvement of what he once was. A massive improvement to be certain, but still merely an improvement. A much more focused and controlled Jedi. No longer simply a student. But Joshua Scarlet went from being a raging yet timid presence in the force to one that gave Vader some serious pause. He was beginning to wonder if he and his master may have underestimated the boy's possible abilities.

The dark side of the force swirled around Joshua Scarlet with a smoothness that showed the boy had grown comfortable with it. In fact, it seemed as if Joshua Scarlet treated the dark side of the force like a constant companion rather than a tool to be used. It ran around him like gently flowing streams whereas before it would only trickle like drops of water before bursting forth like geyser when he was enraged. He exuded complete and total control not just of the dark side, but of his emotions and powers. If his master didn't consider him a pretender, then Vader would've assumed him to be a true Sith Lord. Only a true dark lord could be so comfortable with the dark side of the force yet be seemingly unaffected by it's tempting whispers of power.

But there was a strangeness to the dark side around Joshua Scarlet. In Vader's experience, the dark side of the force was an oppressive cold, void of life. But Joshua Scarlet's presence felt like a warm fire. So full of life and optimism despite the nature of the force he dealt in.

 _Interesting._ Vader thought before he finally spoke.

"So... you have surrendered yourselves?"

Joshua glanced at Luke before nodded, "Obviously."

Vader glared at Joshua. The boy had a tongue on him. He was already very tempted to cut it out of his mouth. But his master wanted Scarlet and Skywalker delivered to him alive and unharmed. And he intended to do just that. Without another thought on the matter, Vader then looked at Luke.

"And you, there is no conflict that I can sense." Vader started, "It seems that you have accepted the truth."

Luke frowned, "I have accepted that you were once my father, Anakin Skywalker."

"That name no longer has any meaning to me!" Vader snarled before noticing something. There were no lightsabers on their belts. Scarlet was hiding them within his strange magic. Vader held out a hand, "Your lightsabers… now."

"Shit! I hoped he wouldn't notice." Joshua muttered.

"And I told you he would." Luke replied.

"Yeah yeah." Joshua scoffed while Vader nonchalantly waited, "Give me a moment." Joshua winced as he attempted to access his requip, "These stupid stone cuffs make it a little… difficult." A golden light shimmered at Joshua's feet and two lightsabers appeared, on a traditional, slim hilt. The other a crossgaurded hilt.

"There you go." Joshua said.

Vader glared at Joshua before bending down to pick up the weapons.

"Oh, you are bowing to me, Vader!?" Joshua taunted, "How sweet!"

*SLAM*

A blast of the force sent Joshua careening into the side railing of the catwalk. He yelped and fell to a knee before rolling his left arm.

"Thankfully that arm is metal." He mumbled, "Otherwise that would've left a mark."

"You just had to antagonize him." Luke sighed.

"Well he's your old man. And I consider it a personal pastime to antagonize Skywalkers." Joshua smirked as he got back to his feet. Meanwhile, Vader looked back and forth, completely puzzled by the two.

"You've only known me for just over a year." Luke replied.

"And it's already one of my favorite things to do." Joshua smiled, "Luke if I stop teasing you, then you have reason to worry." Joshua then raised an eyebrow and looked over at Vader. He felt a momentary lapse in the dark lord's mental defenses and felt the Sith's confusion over how Joshua and Luke were interacting, "He's confused." Joshua nodded to Vader.

"Why?"

"He probably doesn't approve of my friendship with you."

Luke stared incredulously at Joshua, "I don't think he really cares."

"Well… let me put it this way," Joshua turned to look at Luke, choosing to completely ignored Darth Vader's growing irritation, "You seem to think there is still good in that." His bound fingers pointed at Vader, "And if that is the case, I doubt Anakin Skywalker would approve of his little boy being friends with a Sith Lord."

"You are no Sith Lord." Vader growled, "You are a pretender. And I kill pretenders."

"If you need to say that to make yourself feel better, you are more than welcome to." Joshua commented, "Besides, I have it on good authority that you won't lash out and kill me right now."

"And why wouldn't I?" Vader replied.

Joshua nodded at Luke, "You wanna make a good impression for this guy."

The awkward silence that came from Vader afterwards confirmed this. Vader bowed his head to look at the two lightsabers. He quickly activated them both in his hands, causing Joshua to freeze in place and cautiously look over at Vader. He bristled at the fact that Vader was handling his lightsaber, but considering that he was currently defenseless, he decided to do the smart thing and hold his tongue about it.

"I see you both have constructed new lightsabers." He carefully analyzed Luke's green lightsaber while uttering a disgusted growl when he looked at the abomination that was Joshua Scarlet's lightsaber design. His son's lightsaber was shockingly similar to his old master's, Obi Wan Kenobi. Very utilitarian and minimalist in design. Function over flair. And the mechanic that remained in Vader from his youth approved, "Your skills are complete." He told Luke before deactivating the lightsabers, "Indeed, you are both very powerful as the Emperor has foreseen."

"Thanks Luke's dad." Joshua leaned over to Luke, "I think he likes me."

*POW*

Joshua slumped over the railing, knocked out by Vader's fist. Luke glanced back and forth between the knocked out Joshua and Vader.

"I'll admit," Luke commented, "He had that one coming." He then sighed, "And now, it gives us a chance to talk."

"There is nothing to talk about." Vader replied.

"Yes there is!" Luke exclaimed, "You can't deny it! There is conflict in you. I can feel it. Let go of your hate! Free yourself!"

Vader stared shocked at his son. He still believed there was good in him. How naive. His son was about to learn a lesson that Obi Wan should've taught him. The dark side of the force is all consuming there is no coming back from it. But, a pang of regret did run through Vader.

"It is… too late for me son." Vader admitted. And indeed it was too late. Anakin Skywalker died over two decades ago. He died with his wife. He died in the fires of Mustafar. And Darth Vader replaced him.

"The Emperor is expecting you." Vader explained, "He is your master now."

Luke watched as Vader roughly grabbed Joshua by the back of his robes and dragged him towards the shuttle with Luke following. Vader then heard Luke muttered under his breath.

"Then my father is truly dead." Remorse filling his voice as he whispered it to himself.

But Vader heard it. And for the first time in years he felt a pain in his heart that made him feel almost human again. Vader's breathing cut out for just a brief second before he pushed his emotions away, burying them under the anger and hatred that dominated his existence. He tossed Joshua's limp form beside the two stormtroopers that captured him before ordering the pilot of the shuttle to take them to the Death Star. The Emperor was waiting. And he was not a patient master.

….

Levy McGarden was sleeping peacefully in the pilot's barracks aboard Home One when it was all rudely interrupted by a long, loud siren. As soon as that siren sounded, her brown eyes burst open and she bolted upright in her bed. Around her, she could see through bleary vision the other pilots jumping down from their bunk beds and quickly outfitting themselves into their flight gear. The blue haired girl then realized that the long siren was the call the fleet had been waiting for. Adrenaline began to pump through her as she jumped down from her top bunk and popped the trunk that held her personal belongings open.

Inside was a small orange flight suit, personally made to fit her petite form. Beside the orange flight suit was a white vest with a bulky control panel attached to it, and a helmet with an orange tinted visor. Levy smiled as she saw the helmet. She just recently painted it. The symbols of Fairy Tail painted in red on the sides of the helmet. But she had no time to admire her handiwork. The call was given, and she had to answer it.

She was the lone Earthlander to stay behind with the rest of the fleet when the plan for the assault on Earthland was created. She was a pilot after all. And as much as she wanted to go with her friends back home, she knew the rebellion needed all the pilots they could get. They were hopelessly outnumbered by the Imperial fleet. So the more X-Wings, A-Wings, and Y-wings they had in the air, the better.

Levy quickly slipped the orange flight suit on before grabbing one of the other small items in her trunk, a light pen.

 _Just in case._ She thought as she pocketed the pen. She then placed her helmet in the crook of her arm before rushing out with the other pilots towards the hangar.

As she entered the hangar, she could see the three main squad leaders waiting to brief the roughly four dozen pilots on Home One. The activity was insane inside the hangar. Engineers and fighter personnel were rushing and weaving between ships, preparing them for combat. The groan of shuttles loaded with fuel could be heard in the hangar as they carefully filled the fighters for the battle to come. All the while, more pilots gathered. Once they were all gathered in a semi-circle around the squad leaders, General Calrissian stepped forward.

"I know this is very abrupt. But we got the call from General Solo." Lando started, "The assault on the Death Star is green lit to go."

All the pilots in the room glanced anxiously at each other. This wasn't supposed to happen until they heard that the shield generator was destroyed. Why are they getting called in now?

"Events on the planet have escalated to the point where General Solo has deemed it best to begin the assault on the Death Star immediately." Lando explained, "When we do arrive, hopefully, the shield generator will be deactivated. If it is not, follow your squad leader's orders." Lando then took a breath, "We will be running in three squadrons, call signs Red and Gold. Red squadron will be led by Commander Antilles." Wedge nodded to his right, "And Gold squadron will be led by me in the Millennium Falcon. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Everyone barked, meanwhile Levy uttered a quick 'Aye Sir!'

Lando nodded, "Good. Personal call signs are already coded into your ship. Board and begin pre-flight checks. I want everyone ready to take off when I give the order. Move out!"

Levy and the pilots scrambled towards their fighters. As she arrived, she saw a small, rust colored astromech being gently lowered into her. A series of sass filled warbled came from the droid while a pair of small arms appeared from its dome.

"I know I'm not your first choice, Chop." Levy smiled as she settled into her cockpit and slipped her helmet over her blue hair. She then lowered the visor and began to prime her fighter's engines, "But we gotta work together on this one."

More distressed and angry warbling caused Levy to chuckle.

"You can hate me later Chopper." Levy laughed, "How's the ship looking?" She waited for the response. It was quick chirp and warble, "Good." Levy nodded, "Everything checks out then." She flicked a switch, "Comm is on!" She called through her helmet, "Comm check, Comm check."

" _Red three, tower hears you."_ She heard in her ear.

"Roger." Levy replied, "Engines are hot. Awaiting orders."

The entire hangar began to roar as every fighter's engines burst to life. She waited patiently in her ship before Lando came over the comm.

" _Alright everyone."_ Lando stated, " _Exit Home One."_

"Roger." Levy replied along with the other pilots as each one took their turn to guide their fighter out into space.

When it was Levy's turn, she carefully turned her X-wing and, with Chopper's help, guided it out of the hangar and out into the stars.

It always took Levy's breath away when she flew her ship in outer space. To be so close to the stars was always a breathtaking experience. To only have a sheet of transparisteel and metal separating her from the vacuum of space was both terrifying and exhilarating. The rumble of the engines in her ears and the jerking of her vessel as she carefully flew beside the Rebellion's capital ship gave her a thrill that always made a smile come over her face. She couldn't help but think that this was what Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy must've felt like when they flew on their dragons on Earthland. And now, she got to experience that same rare sensation of flight.

" _All craft!"_ she heard Admiral Ackbar's voice crackle over her comm, " _Prepare to jump to lightspeed."_

" _Roger, stand by."_ Lando commented as everyone turned their fighter's towards the direction Earthland was in.

Levy finished her turn and felt a long breath escape her lips as she stared at the black void in space that contained her small home planet. In the grand scheme of things, it was nothing more than a speck of dirt in the middle of a vast, dangerous galaxy. Yet now, it was going to be the center of the Rebellion's last desperate push for freedom. It was funny how things worked out. Perhaps the force truly was a omniscient cosmic presence if such coincidences occurred often.

"You ready Chopper." Levy asked.

The small droid in her ship warbled back in response.

"Good. Hyperdrive coordinates are locked in."

" _Alright everyone!"_ Lando stated, " _We are going into unknown space. Make sure your coordinates are correct. It's going to be a long jump, so get comfortable. We will be in hyperspace for several hours. Until then, may the force be with you all."_

And with those final words, the ships around Levy jerked and burst into hyperspace. Levy quickly followed, punching her hyperdrive and allowing the stars to become a tunnel of bright light around her.

….

Today had been an interesting day so far. He kinda knew what was going to happen today. If the presence of the stormtroopers guarding him wasn't enough, then the fact that he was being transported somewhere else on an imperial prisoner transport. And with him were people that he very much recognized. Eight of the ten wizard saints were with him in the speeder. Where they were going, he didn't know.

The majority of them looked like they didn't care anymore. The once mighty bastions of power and hope named Draculos Hyberion and Wolfheim were shells of their former selves. Their magic power robbed by a device they never knew had even been created. Their freedom taken by an Empire they had never known even existed. And they were both powerless to stop it. Both of their aged eyes looked down at the floor in sullen silence. At one point in the past, Makarov would've joined them in their somber silence, in their sighs of defeat.

But just a few days ago, the old man with a full white beard and stringy long hair had been give hope once again. Just a few days ago, he had seen Erza again. She was so different than he remembered. Her eyes held that tint of crimson that Joshua's always held when he had lost control of his powers and she wore imperial armor, but she was Erza. He could feel it. She may have been referred to as the First Sister, but the way she spoke to him, the way she listened so eagerly to his tales of her exploits with the guild, screamed to him that she was indeed Erza. The real her was buried for now, but it was beginning to break through the darkness that had permeated her mind. If that was Makarov's final act, saving one of his beloved children from evil, then he would die a happy man.

And he knew he was about to go and die. Everyone in this transport knew it. They were going to be executed, very publically executed. It would be the nail in the coffin for Ishgar. The symbols of their power, the wizard saints, all executed simultaneously by the Empire. That would leave only Jura and God Serena to stand against the tide of evil. And if Makarov was going to be honest with himself, God Serena was far to unpredictable to be relied on for anything.

Maybe Erza would break free of the Empire's grip on her. Makarov hoped she would. He hoped with everything he had that Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, Levy, and yes, even Joshua, will return and drive the Empire from their home. But on the ride to his execution, he slowly began to realize that he would not live to see that day. His last sights of Ishgar would be as a prisoner, staring at an occupied world. A melancholy way to die.

There was yet one cheery soul on the transport though. He was the eldest of the wizard saints, and quite possibly the most senile. His human skin and body had long ago been replaced by tree bark and small twigs, but he was still the legendary Warrod Sequen. The fourth of the wizard saints, Warrod was an insanely powerful wizard. His plant magic was second to none. But with old age came a quirkiness that would often appear at very inappropriate moments. And this just happened to be one of those moments.

A wide smile spread across the old tree man's face, displaying some teeth missing from his grin, "Hey Makarov," Warrod smirked, "I bet your death is going to be a brutal one."

"It most likely will be Warrod." Makarov sighed waiting for the punch line from the crazy old man.

Warrod began chuckling, "Maybe they'll put that centerfold of Cana Alberona in front of your face and make you nosebleed to death."

Makarov's eyes widened, "Wha-da-uh-" he sputtered.

Warrod waved a hand. His loud laughter drawing annoyed glares from the wizard saints and confused shrugs from the stormtroopers.

"Just kidding!" He chortled loudly.

A vein bulged in Makarov's head, "I swear, if you weren't a founding member of Fairy Tail I would excommunicate you right here and now." He said through gritted teeth.

Warrod frowned and crossed his arms, "But I am a founding member, so there is nothing you can do about it."

Makarov glared at Warrod before thinking about what he said more thoroughly. "On second thought, death by looking at a naked Cana wouldn't be such a bad fate."

Both he and Warrod began to share a loud laugh. It was a sound so unfamiliar to Makarov that he hardly recognized it. It had been too long since he had heard the sound of his own laughter.

"How can both of you be like this?" Draculos asked as he stared angrily at Warrod, "We are all about to die. And with our deaths, Earthland will be lost."

Warrod sighed, a sudden seriousness appearing on his normally jovial face, "I am an old man Draculos. Death doesn't scare me like it does you youngsters. As for your other observation, maybe it was Earthland's destiny to fall."

Makarov stared at Warrod, his jaw hanging open in shock.

 _Did he seriously just say that?_

A wide grin came across Warrod's face, "Just kidding."

Every wizard saint face faulted while the stormtroopers just passed this off as normal behavior.

"I really hope someone kicks every Imperial's ass for me." Warrod smirked.

The transport shuddered to a stop and their guards rose to their feet. Makarov was roughly pulled to his feet, his weak legs barely holding his meager weight. The door to the transport hissed open and bright sunlight streamed in. It nearly blinded Makarov. A full year spent inside of a dark cell with no light had taken it's toll on his old body.

"Move it." A stormtrooper snarled before nudging Makarov forward.

After the initial blinding ended, Makarov could see that he was being pushed through a crowd of somber onlookers in- his eyes widened, this was Magnolia. He recognized his guild's city anywhere. And he was being pushed towards Kardia Cathedral.

When they arrived in front of the Cathedral, they were all put up onto a wooden platform and tied to a pole. The warm sun beat down on them as they stood silently, tied in place. Makarov stared resolutely into the crowd of terrified onlookers. His eyes scanning the crowd as he saw familiar faces from the town. Some even had tears in their eyes. But most were too afraid to cry. They could only watch helplessly.

Boots clopped against the planks of the wooden platform. Makarov's gaze shifted to see the blue alien named Thrawn walking past them. His red eyes scanning their faces, looking very satisfied to see the resignation on their faces. Then he came to Warrod and Makarov. His smug grin fell away as he saw Warrod's wide smile and Makarov's icy stare.

"You two still have some fight in you." Thrawn observed, his smooth voice slipping through the air and into Makarov's ears like a velvety poison. His red eyes fell on Warrod, "I still wonder why you are so happy."

"Saw a naked girl on the way here." Warrod grinned.

Thrawn raised an eyebrow.

"Just kidding!" Warrod chuckled.

Thrawn closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh of irritation before looking at Makarov, meeting his icy stare with an equally cold glare.

"But you," Thrawn said, "I know exactly why you aren't broke right now." He looked down at the shorter man, "You think Erza Scarlet has returned don't you?"

"I don't think." Makarov growled, "I know. And if you value your life, you will not anger her."

Thrawn chuckled lightly, "What a naive old man. That cell of yours has turned your brain to nothing more than paste made of old gray matter. What you fail to realize in all of this, is that Erza Scarlet no long exists." Makarov clenched his jaw and his withered fists, "The Emperor has personally seen to that. If she did exist, she would've attempted to save your life by now."

Makarov snarled, "Erza is alive. You are just too confident your Emperor's abilities in order to see that. And if my last act was to free her from the Emperor's grip, then I will die with a smile on my face. At least I managed to save one of my children before I left this world."

Thrawn stood taller in front of Makarov, "Your… passion is to be admired Makarov Dreyar. But sadly, such passion must not be allowed to exist among the Emperor's enemies."

Thrawn nodded to his Death Troopers. The elite soldiers in black armor marched onto the platform, each one taking a position in front of the wizard saints. Their armor was so clean that Makarov could see his reflection in his executioner's breastplate.

 _God I aged badly._ Makarov thought as he saw himself. He then glared up at the Death Trooper's face, staring directly into the helmet's lifeless eyes.

"Ready!" Thrawn barked loudly.

The soldiers raised their rifles and pointed them at the heads of their prisoners.

"Aim!"

A pause. The air stood still for a single moment. Then Makarov felt it. The warm air that signaled summer's last gasp began to whip into a fury around them. A small cyclone burst forth from the crowd. The howling wind causing Makarov to become deaf to the screams of fear that erupted from the crowd. The death troopers were flung away from their positions, their blasters firing prematurely and all of them missing their mark. Governor Thrawn barely had time to register the attack before it hit the platform, sending him spinning through the cathedral doors. As the blast of wind turned the platform into splinters, Makarov could hear a lone powerful voice ring out through the howling wind.

" **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

 **And chapter! The battle has begun! The fleet is on it's way! Wendy has started the prison break! Natsu and Gray are going to retrieve the book and Holocron! And Joshua and Luke are on their way to face the Emperor, Vader, Mara Jade, and the First Sister! Here we go folks! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	110. Chapter 110: The Death Star

**Hello everyone! I apologize for the wait, it's been a very busy week. I just got a new job and I've been running around like crazy running errands all week. But I'm finally able to sit down and write! And as a thank you for your patience, this chapter is extra long! So here you go. Enjoy everyone!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 110

The first thing she saw was darkness. Nothing but the darkness. Then she saw figures beginning to appear from the darkness. Their features growing clearer as they drew closer to her vision. The first figure she saw was Joshua Scarlet. He looked older. His features far more grizzled than now. The stubble that previously covered his chin was now a full beard with flecks of grey staining it. His long hair was gone, replaced by a closely cropped haircut. But his eyes were the same. A blazing yellow color that showed a raw passion that burned like an inferno inside of him. In his left hand, was a new lightsaber. A far more elegant looking hilt, curved for more leverage and missing his preferred crossguards.

The second figure appeared behind him. This one was an older Luke Skywalker. Power radiated from him just as it did from Joshua Scarlet. Only instead of a raw fury like Joshua, Luke's power had a calming serenity to it that steadied the First Sister's racing heart. His hair was longer and he too sported a thick beard, blonde in color but beginning to show small white wisps of hair hidden within the many follicles. The two stood side by side as they faced a new figure.

The third was a man who seemed far younger in appearance, but also gave of an ancient aura. His yellow eyes showed that he too was a dark side practitioner. And unlike Joshua Scarlet, his power was like a blizzard in the force. Cold, unrelenting, and vicious. An amused smirk was resting easily on his pale lips, as if he was observing the two incredibly powerful friends like they were merely children. His hair was jet black and drooped over the center of his forehead. Black robes trimmed with white and gold covered his body. He carried no lightsaber, but the First Sister had the feeling that he didn't require one. The amount of power being generated from this lone man was enough to make her feel like she was suffocating.

The showdown between the three seemed to be taking place on a small island in the middle of a vast ocean. An ancient stone temple that had long ago been reduced to abandoned ruins surrounded them all. Off to the side, The First Sister could see a teen girl with chestnut hair and hazel eyes. Fear was etched on her face as she stared at the three. A moment of silence passed through the tropical air around them all before Luke and Joshua charged while the girl screamed in fear.

The vision abruptly changed, startling the First Sister. This entire experience was new for her. She was not used to visions. She was never very prone to them at all. Yet now, of all times, the Force had decided to grant her not one, but multiple.

This new vision made her heart freeze. She saw herself, only it wasn't her. No… it was Erza Scarlet. The brown color in her eyes gave it away. She looked older, some lines on her face caused by years of worry and stress. But there was also a peacefulness to her features. Her long hair was tied back in a low ponytail and she wore cream colored robes with a brown cloak over her shoulders. She saw Erza look back at a teen boy with pink hair and brown eyes. He seemed familiar for some reason and it was obvious that Erza deeply cared for him. The First Sister watched as the two began to slowly spar with each other inside of a simple room. A smile spread across both of their faces as they practices. And the First Sister could feel her own lips curl into a small smile. This wasn't a dark side vision. This was a vision of the light. And it felt amazing.

The vision rippled and now she stood in the rain, in front of a building completely engulfed in a blazing inferno so hot that she felt like her skin would melt from her bones. Around her were six figures clothes in black robes and armor. At the lead was one with a black mask trimmed with silver and a cross guarded red lightsaber that crackled with unstable energy. The figure raised his blade at her as if to strike her down. And that is when the First Sister jolted awake.

He head snapped up and she felt her breaths come and go in quick rasps. It took her a moment to realize that she had awoken from her meditations. She then scrambled to her feet and stumbled over to a small sink that was in the corner of her tiny quarters. Cold water splashed over her face as she took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm her racing heart.

 _It was only visions._ She thought as she looked down at the basin in front of her, _Only visions._

She looked up and jumped. Her eyes were not crimson, they were a rust color. More brown began to spread through her irises without her even realizing it. That strange craving for strawberry cake began to gnaw at her mind once again. Erza Scarlet was breaking through.

The comm on the end table beside her bed buzzed. She attempted to ignore it for now. She didn't want to be disturbed. But when it began to buzz endless, she uttered an irritated growl before seizing it and winking the hologram awake.

"What?" She snarled.

An officer, a captain, cringed as he ducked behind a large chunk of debris. A blast of wind whipped past his cover, causing him to lose his hat.

" _The executions have been halted!" The officer cried over the roar of battle around him, "Makarov Dreyar and the other wizards have escaped! Magnolia-"_ The hologram groaned, struggling with interference, " _under attack! Immediate-"_ It crackled again, " _Needed."_

" _ **Iron Dragon's Roar!"**_

The officer let out a cry of terror before the hologram cut out. Only static remained.

The First Sister set the comm down on the end table, forgetting to shut it off as anxiety and fear filled her veins. Magnolia was under heavy assault, which meant that the rebels had begun their assault on Earthland. And now, she had to be the one to inform the Emperor. She gulped and wiped her face.

The timing couldn't have been any worse. Lord Vader was on his way with Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker. The First Sister had no doubts that her master planned to test in her in some way when they all arrived. After all, he had suspicions about where her loyalties lay. Now, she also had to inform him of a rebel attack. A successful rebel attack from the sounds of things. Right under their noses.

She let out a shuddering breath before donning a black cape over her armor. As she approached the door, she took another deep breath. Her irises returned to their crimson shade that she was familiar with. Only then, did she exit to meet with her master.

….

The turbolift raced up the long spire that protruded from the side of the Death Star. It was merely an observation tower, meant for technicians and officers to look out over the surface of the Death Star and inspect the outer shell. But when news of the Emperor's arrival reached the massive space station, this place of solitude was quickly converted into a suitable private quarters for the Emperor. It even included something Darth Sidious highly prized. A very comfortable chair.

There he sat upon his leather throne, gazing out at shimmering planet below the Death Star. Even he, a Dark Lord of the Sith, couldn't help but marvel at Earthland's tremendous beauty. Even from above it's atmosphere, the planet seemed to be rich with life. He had never encountered a world with such a diverse environment before. And why such a planet even existed still fascinated him. From his perch high on the Death Star, he could see snow capped mountains covered by swirling puffs of clouds. Stretching away from the many mountain ranges that jutted up from the continents were vast plains and rolling hills dotted by spots of dense forest and jungles. Crystal clear blue water covered what remained of the planet. This planet truly was a gem hidden in the stars.

Perhaps he wouldn't' destroy this planet with the Death Star. Perhaps he would simply wipe out the inhabitants. He could build a new capital here. A planet of such beauty shouldn't be wasted after all. And Coruscant could be such a dreary and dull place to live.

His thoughts however, were interrupted as the doors to the lift at the end of the room hissed open. Instantly, Sidious sensed the presence of the First Sister enter the room. He hadn't seen in her in quite some time. He had elected to have Vader train the volatile girl after the incident at the Jedi Temple. It was clear she needed discipline as well as instruction in a lightsaber. And Sidious felt there was more potential in Mara Jade than Erza Scarlet at the time. So he had sent the First Sister away to Vader. A little acolyte for his apprentice. Little did he know at the time that she would grow to possibly surpass Mara Jade in every way.

Her control over the force, one incredibly minuscule, was now strong. Her skill with those twin blades she carried showed that she had swiftly adapted her prior training to lightsaber combat and had created a fighting style that was highly unpredictable, violent, and ruthlessly effective. Very much a mirror of Vader in a way. It slightly disturbed Sidious how effective Vader was at moldling the First Sister into a weapon for the Empire. If he could so easily train an apprentice of this magnitude, then it would be not much longer before he could possibly attempt to dethrone Palpatine. And that was a prospect that Sidious both feared and eagerly looked forward to. It would be a showdown of titans in the Dark Side of the Force. And only one would emerge victorious… and alive.

But, that conflict would have to wait. He could sense Vader's shuttle docking in one of the Death Star's many hangar bays. And with Vader were none other than his prodigy of a son, Luke Skywalker, and- Sidious' lips curled into a hateful snarl. The pretender was with him as well. And he was alive. Sidious would've much rather seen Joshua Scarlet brought to him dead. But Vader was a cautious apprentice. Perhaps there was more to this than he thought.

The First Sister knelt before the Emperor's throne. As if to acknowledge her subservience, the throne slowly turned to face her. The Emperor's face shadowed out by his deep hood as his yellow eyes glowed fiercely down at her.

"You were not summoned." he croaked.

"Forgive me Master." The First Sister said, "But, I bring you some… bad news." There was no other way to describe what she was about to say after all.

Sidious waited quietly, his wrinkled hands peacefully resting on the armrests of his throne.

"The executions in Magnolia were thwarted by a group of rebel wizards." The First Sister gulped and looked fearfully up at her Master. She recalled the wind whipping around the officer as he contacted her. She knew that magic. She knew who it belonged to, "We identified one to be the rebel Dragon Slayer, Wendy Marvell."

She was expecting the lightning to hit her there and then. Or to be choked until she felt all of her breath completely forced from her body. But there was no reaction from Emperor Palpatine. He simply sat silent for a few moments. Then came the unsettling sound of the Emperor's cackles.

"Good." he cackled, "Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen."

 _What!?_ The First Sister thought.

"Governor Thrawn has laid his trap perfectly." Palpatine croaked, "And soon, what remains of those Earthland wizards will be wiped out. It has even forced the Rebel Alliance to move far too soon. We now have them within our grasp."

The First Sister gulped, "I do not understand master."

"All in due time, First Sister." The Emperor replied before looking behind her to see the lift open once again, "Our guests have arrived."

The First Sister turned her head to see three figures striding into the room. The first was Darth Vader, his mechanical breathing echoing off the walls of the empty spire. In front of Vader were Luke Skywalker and Joshua Scarlet. And from the looks of things, the pretender was nursing a welt on the side of his head. She could see him subconsciously rubbing it as he was marched forward by Vader.

They were now mere feet away from the Emperor. A smug, triumphant grin was etched on her master's face as he observed the two walking towards him.

He looked at Vader and nodded in approval before turning his attention back to Joshua and Luke, "Welcome." He said with a cold smile, "I have been most looking forward to your arrival." His eyes quickly glanced down at the binds on their wrists, "You no longer need those." With a simple wave of his fingers, the binds around Joshua and Luke's wrists clattered to the floor. Luke's arms quickly fell to his sides while Joshua gently rubbed his own wrists, pain flaring up from very old scars that had been given to him by previous cuff.

"Guards," The red robed guards near the lift door stiffened, "Leave us."

As they left the spire, Palpatine glowered down at Luke, "I am looking forward to completing your training." He rasped, "In time, you will call me, Master."

Luke was waiting to hear a snide comment come from Joshua. But when none came he quickly glanced over at him and saw his friend nearly shaking with rage. His yellow eyes were glued on the First Sister standing to the left of the Emperor while he spoke to Luke.

 _Easy Joshua._ Luke thought before looking up at the Emperor, "You are gravely mistaken. You won't convert me as you did my father."

"Oh no." The Emperor rose from his seat and stalked towards Luke, "You will find, that it is you who are mistaken. About a great many things."

The Emperor's gaze then turned to Joshua, "And you… the pretender."

Joshua glared furiously back at the Emperor, his mouth etched into a scowl as his own yellow eyes stared directly back at the Emperor's

"Learn your place." The Emperor growled, "You are very fortunate to still be alive. Although… that may not last much longer."

Vader then extended a hand to the Emperor. In his large hand were two lightsaber hilts, "Their lightsabers."

The Emperor's decrepit hands reached out and gently plucked the hilts from Vader, "Ah yes… the weapons of a Jedi," He glanced at Joshua, "And an acolyte."

Joshua didn't react. Instead he quickly looked over at the First Sister, who remained standing silently beside the throne.

"Oh…" The Emperor droned, forcing Joshua's attention back to him, "You are not here for a battle. No…"

Joshua grit his teeth behind his lips as he suddenly felt an overwhelming presence try to enter his mind. Every single defense he had was put into place instantly as the Emperor attempted to break into his very thoughts and seize control of them. But resistance was futile. With a pained sigh, Joshua fell to his hands and knees, panting as the Emperor broke through his defenses as if they were a wall made of paper.

The Emperor grinned triumphantly, "You are here for her." The First Sister stiffened as her master gestured towards her, "And you…" Luke also felt an overwhelmingly dark presence attempt to pierce his mind. But it was far less violent than what he felt happen to Joshua. Sidious' approach against Luke was far more subtle. Attempting to slip into the mind rather than shatter it into pieces.

To the Emperor's surprise, the young Jedi was very strong mentally. His guard held and Sidious could not break through with this method. He was tempted to shatter the boy's mind just as he did with Joshua Scarlet, who was still gasping for air on the ground. But he pushed that notion to the side. He could be as violent as he wished with the Pretender. His fate was sealed. Skywalker however was like a blank canvass for Sidious. He wished to paint upon that canvass, not rip it to shreds. So he let Skywalker have this little victory. It was a meager thing after all. Besides, it was obvious to Sidious why Skywalker had come so willingly. He looked over at Vader.

"And you," He said hoarsely, "Wish to save your father." He sneered at Luke, "By now you must know that your father can never return from the dark side of the force! And so will it be with you."

Luke shook his head, "You're wrong. I will not turn. And you will be destroyed, along with this battle station."

Sidious chuckled at Luke's declaration, causing both Joshua and Luke to feel a chill run down their spines.

"Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your rebel fleet?" Sidious suggested, "Yes," Luke gulped and frowned as Sidious's lips curled into a snarl, "I assure you, we are quite safe from your friends here."

As Sidious turned away from Luke and the writhing Joshua, Luke replied.

"You're overconfidence is your weakness." He snapped quickly.

The First Sister's eyes widened at the boldness of Luke's statement. Meanwhile, Vader cast a quick glance at his son before regaining his composure and turning back towards his master.

The Emperor twirled around, "Your faith in your friends is yours."

Joshua groaned, "I can't believe I'm gonna say this." He then shakily got to his feet before rolling his shoulders, "But I believe in my friends, just as much as Luke does. And that's all the comfort I need."

"Oh really?" Sidious asked, "Then tell me this, how goes the execution of Makarov Dreyar? Or as you know him, Gramps."

Joshua's face instantly darkened while the First Sister lips twitched as the Emperor brought up her old master. The man who was so incredibly kind to her despite what she had become.

"I can tell you how it is going. As well as how it will end." Sidious started, "You see, your friends, your little family… are walking into a trap. As is your fleet." Sidious's eyes sparkled with menace, "It was I who allowed the Alliance to discover the location of the shield generator. Did you really think that I would be so careless as to leave it wholly unguarded on Naboo as it was?"

Joshua eyes widened in frightened realization as his gaze whipped over to the planet outside of the vast spire windows.

"Everything that has transpired," Sidious continued as Joshua became to feel tremendous fear building up in him, "Has done so according to my design. In the end, your guild...all wizards on Earthland will be annihilated. Then the Alliance will be crushed by my own fleet." Joshua began to tremble while Luke stared shocked at Sidious, "Oh… and I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive."

"Wendy…" Joshua breathed.

"Ah yes, the little dragon slayer that you are so fond of." Sidious drawled. Joshua's yellow eyes blazed with fury as he turned to look at Sidious, "Tell me, Joshua Scarlet, how does it feel to know that you left her to die."

"YOU BASTARD!" Joshua roared as he jumped at the Emperor only for the First Sister to quickly step between them, her twin blades activated. Joshua skidded to a halt, his face mere inches away from the First Sisters. His fist were curled tightly into fists at his sides while every breath that left his body betrayed the amount of rage in him.

"Yes…" Sidious stated, "You are a pretender. You love someone. Since when is a Sith capable of that?" Sidious then pressed a button on the side of his throne, opening up a comm channel, "Mara Jade, there are two intruders going under the guise of stormtroopers. They arrived with Lord Vader. I want them found and eliminated," Joshua's face paled, "Immediately."

"Joshua, step back." Luke warned.

"Now you must choose, Joshua Scarlet." Sidious drawled, "Your lovely little…" He lips curled into a smile as Joshua felt his presence plunder his mind, "Fiancee?" The First Sister's eyes widened, "Your good friends Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster," Sidious's smiled ear to ear, "Or attempting to strike me down. But I warn you, The First Sister here will not readily allow you to do so."

"Joshua," Luke desperately called, "Be patient!"

Joshua's eyes darted down to the armrest where his lightsaber hilt rested beneath the Emperor's grip. He then looked back at Luke. For a brief moment, the Jedi thought his words got through. But then Joshua's power burst forth from his body.

"I don't have any more patience." Joshua growled before extending a hand and calling his lightsaber to him.

The blade burst to life as soon as it hit Joshua's hands. Just before he could charge at the Emperor, the First Sister extended a palm and launched a powerful force push at Joshua, sending him flying down the steps that led to the throne. As this occurred, Luke frowned and called his own lightsaber to his hands. The green blade hummed to life and he too charged at the Emperor, only for Vader's fist to smack him on the cheek and send him tumbling down the stairs after Joshua.

When the initial pain of his fall faded, Luke jumped to his feet with Joshua by his side. He could feel the intense anger being generated by his friend. He tried to convince himself that Joshua could help it. That his rash actions were just a result of his training. But still, his impulse to strike the Emperor down had thrown the whole plan down the tubes. They were supposed to wait until the fleet arrived, that way they could distract Vader and the Emperor. Keep them from focusing on the battle that would occur outside. But now, they had to fight. And not on their terms either, but on the Emperors. The Sith Lord had successfully provoked Joshua, and in doing so caught him off balance.

"Kriff Joshua!"

"Shut it, Luke." Joshua snarled as he glared up at Vader and The First Sister, who resolutely guarded their master.

Meanwhile, the Emperor cackled, "Good Skywalker… good. I want you to strike me down. You can do, end this war. But you will only ever reach me by giving into your hate." Luke glowered at Sidious, "And I can sense it beginning to bubble to the surface." He smirked, "Perhaps you are more similar to your father than you want to be?"

"I hope so," Luke retorted, "Because I remember the stories of my father. And he was a hero!"

Both Joshua and Luke raced up the steps towards the First Sister and Vader. Vader quickly ignited his crimson blade while the First Sister called her twin lightsabers to her hands from her requip space. And Sidious's smile only grew wider as the lightsabers of four potential apprentices clashed.

….

The mission on board the Death Star had gotten off to a rather chaotic start. It all started when Gray and Natsu exited their imperial shuttle. And as usual, Natsu was shaking like a leaf due to his crippling motion sickness. Thankfully, Gray thought quickly and managed to pull himself and Natsu away before Vader could notice. Joshua and Luke did a fantastic job of holding the Dark Lord's attention while he and Natsu slipped away.

It then took a good deal of slaps and persuading in order for Natsu to be convinced that the Death Star was not a vehicle but a space station. The key word of course being station. Gray used that to make the Dragon Slayer think that the hulking sphere of metal was in fact not moving at all over Earthland. And shockingly, it worked… somewhat. Natsu was actually able to move on his own and his face was now only slightly paler than usual. Gray also thought that flame brain was also actively trying to suppress his motion sickness. The importance of their mission was not lost on the dragon slayer, who seemed much more mature on jobs than when he was when he had left Earthland.

 _The war must've really changed him._ Gray thought as they both crept through the Death Star's corridors.

Then the second variable neither of them prepared for took effect. Gray began to subconsciously strip, right in front of a squad of stormtroopers. And that had sent the mission into complete and total chaos, made only worse by the announcement by the Grand Inquisitor that there were intruders on the Death Star and that they were to be eliminated on sight. So that added to the difficulty of their mission, which was already incredibly difficult. Joshua had described what a holocron looked like to Natsu and Gray, and judging by how small Joshua said it was, it was gonna be impossible to find. This station may not be completely finished yet, but it was still massive.

And so, Gray made the decision to split up from Natsu. Flame brain would make sure their secondary objective, freeing as many prisoners as possible, was achieved. Meanwhile, Gray would sneak through the Death Star and find the book and holocron. Besides, Natsu was not exactly the sneaky type. He could feel the Death Star shudder a little every time Natsu burned through a squad of stormtroopers.

 _He's already going overboard._ Gray thought as he turned a corner and entered an empty hallway.

This hall was different from the others. It seemed much cleaner than the others. There wasn't a speck of dust nor a single fingerprint on the steel walls. There were no boot scuffs on the floor either. Now Gray would've initially just dismissed this a level recently cleaned, but he had a gut feeling that was not the case. After all, the hallway did dead end to a single, small blast door. And in front of those blast doors were two guards wearing bright red robes and helmets. Thin pikes were in their gloved hands as they stood dutifully in front of the door.

 _Those are some weird stormtroopers._ Gray thought as he cautiously approached, subconsciously tossing his shirt to the side.

It was that sharp movement that alerted the guards to his presence. The instantly lowered into a defensive stance and pointed their pikes at Gray.

"Oh so that's how it's gonna be." Gray muttered as he balled up his fists and continued walking towards the doorway, "Alright then."

The first guard raced towards Gray, the tip of his pike humming in Gray's ears as he drew closer. That low hum convinced the ice wizard that he should probably be a little more cautious about this battle. And he was glad he made that choice. He had quickly ducked away from the tip of the pike and heard the sickening screech of metal being sliced open as the pike barely grazed the walls.

 _Definitely need to be careful!_ Gray thought before rolling away from another lunged by the guard.

Then the other guard charged and impaled his pike in the floor just as Gray danced away from his new attacker. He quickly balled up his fist and cupped it in his other hand. Gray gathered what little magic he had in his body.

" **Ice Make: Hammer!"** He bellowed, forming a large hammer in his hands.

He swung hard at the first guard but cursed as his attacker sliced through the ice with his pike.

 _This will be difficult._ He didn't have his full magic power. He hadn't had those kind of reserves for over a year. If he did, these guys would've been human popsicles already. _Gonna have to do this the hard way._

Gray prepared himself to fight the guards hand to hand. If he could get his hands on one of their pikes, then he may be able to stand a chance. He shuffled back and forth in front of the guards, arms raised in front of his head so he could block the pike from touching his torso. The plan he thought of was a good one. But it relied on the guards actually giving him an opening to snag a pike. And they were not allowing him any sort of opening. He was constantly on the retreat. Ducking, twisting, and dodging the pikes.

Pain lanced through his hip as one of the pikes grazed his side, drawing blood. The thick liquid dripped down his hip. Gray quickly froze the wound closed and he felt the pain die away. He couldn't' take another hit like that. He couldn't afford to waste his magic covering wounds when he would need it to escape the Death Star with Natsu.

 _Think Gray think! I gotta beat these guys!_

 __A pike came dangerously close to his neck. He could feel the heat of the vibroblade kiss the skin near his jugular. Gray scrambled backwards then slipped up on the slick metal floors. The breath left his lungs as he landed hard on his back. The guards then pounced. A red boot pinned Gray's body to the ground while the second guard raised his pike to impale Gray. The ice wizard raised his arms to defend himself.

A loud hum filled his ears and Gray squeezed his eyes shut, thinking that the pike was thundering down to kill him. But instead of the cold embrace of death greeting him, he heard the sound of two bodies falling to the ground with a dull thud. The hum passed over his body again before it dissapeared. And he stayed on the ground, eyes squeezed shut.

"Are you going to get up yet?" A woman's voice asked, a slight twinge of mania in it as she spoke to him, "Or do I have to pull you up?"

Gray cracked an eye open and saw a woman with fiery red hair staring down at him. Crimson eyes stared down at him. They twinkled with amusement and anger that made Gray shudder. The freckled face staring down at him smirked before turning towards the door.

"I suppose I'll let you live." the woman said, "After all… you're kinda cute."

Gray felt his cheeks burn a little. He then quickly picked himself up.

"I'm not cute." He grumbled.

"Whatever you say cutie." The woman replied, "Beside, that's not my only reason. So don't flatter yourself." Her hand darted over to a control panel beside the door. With a few taps, the door slid open, revealing a lavish room covered with thick carpets and bathed in dim light.

This wasn't just any room, Gray realized. This was the room of someone very important. And this woman had direct access to it.

"Who are you?" Gray asked.

"Me?" The woman glanced back at him, "I'm just the one who put the order out to kill you. Nothing more."

"Nothing more!?" Gray exclaimed.

"Correct." The woman replied as she stepped into the room. She then peaked back out, "Are you going to come inside, or do I have to pull you in."

"Why would I go into a room alone with a woman who has orders to kill me?" Gray asked.

"I don't know." The woman shrugged, "Why wouldn't you?"

"I'm not stupid." Gray plainly replied.

"But you are honest at least." the woman replied, "It appears my feminine wiles need to be sharpened in order to lure someone like you to me. Oh well, I guess I shall return honesty with honesty. My name is Mara Jade, and I want to dethrone the Emperor."

Gray stared puzzled at the woman, "Huh?"

"Are you deaf?" Mara Jade asked, "Fine… I suppose I shall repeat myself."

"No, no need." Gray stated, "I just wasn't sure if I hear that correctly. Did you just say you wanted to dethrone the Emperor?"

"Yup." The woman replied, "So c'mon inside." She said with a wave of her hand, "In here is the answer to defeating him."

Gray knew he shouldn't go into the room with her. Every instinct in him told him to turn around and leave. But, as the phrase goes, curiosity killed the ice wizard. He quietly entered the dim room and watched as Mara Jade closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Silence, Earthlander." She hissed, "I am trying to hear it's call."

Gray raised an eyebrow, "What call?"

"Shut up!"

"Fine!"

And the silence returned. Gray waited with his arms crossed. And while he waited he carefully studied the woman. She was athletically built, a result of years of intense physical training. And it was obvious that she carried a lightsaber. Despite her seemingly carefree demeanor, Gray noticed that her right hand never strayed too far from her hip. And attached to that hip, Gray could see a hint of silver behind the black cloak that was draped over her body. She was prepared for him to attack her, and Gray had no doubts that she could easily kill him. She was a force sensitive. And in Gray's experience, force sensitives were a dangerous bunch. If he had his full magic powers, he may stand a chance. But he didn't have that luxury. He'd have to find some other way to defeat her if it came down to it.

Her eyes shot open and her head snapped over to the bed.

"Of course." She mumbled before she marched over to the bed and reached underneath. A small, wooden chest emerged with her hand. The chest's dark wood was finished to a pristine shine, showing that whoever owned it was very wealthy.

 _Definitely not a normal room on the Death Star._ Gray thought.

Mara Jade's eyes sparkled with delight as she popped the chest open. Gray felt his breath get caught in his throat as the saw a red glow emerge from the chest. He leaned over Mara Jade's shoulder. Inside of the chest was exactly what he had been looking for.

It looked just like how Joshua described it. A small pyramid made of metal with a dim red glow emerging from the center. The holocron was just sitting on a small purple cushion inside of this wooden chest. It was his for the taking. He felt a hand reaching out only for it to be slapped away by Mara Jade.

"Naughty, naughty." She smirked," This little treasure is not meant for a weakling such as yourself."

"Weakling?" Gray repeated, offended.

"Yes, weakling." Mara Jade repeated, "You fail to understand what we have just uncovered."

"Oh I understand it." Gray replied, "That is a holocron." Mara Jade's smirk disappeared, "And it is the ticket to my planet's freedom."

Mara Jade tilted her head to the side as she helt the holocron in her hand, "Is it really?" She asked, her voice growling with menace.

Gray saw it coming. Her right hand raced to her hip. The ice make wizard jumped backwards, barely getting out of reach of Mara Jade's lightsaber. The red blade hummed dangerously in the room, casting a red glow all around them.

"This holocron is not your freedom." Mara Jade snarled, "This holocron is my way to power. I will not let it be robbed."

Gray narrowed his eyes, "Well… I can't just let you take it."

Mara Jade scowled, "So… you wish to die by my hand." Her lips spread out into a crazed smile before, "I've never fought an Earthland wizard before. Perhaps you can entertain me as I attempt to leave this station."

Gray frowned, "I won't entertain you." He got into his stance, readying himself to use his magic, "I will beat you, and take that holocron from you."

Mara Jade smirked, "You will try."

She lunged at Gray forcing him to scamper back out the door and into the broad corridor. As he retreated from Mara Jade, the Grand Inquisitor laughed maniacally as she swung wildly at him. Her wide swings allowed him to dodge her deadly strikes. But each sweeping blow came dangerously close to hitting Gray. And she wasn't giving him any time to set his feet and use his magic. Mara Jade came across as unhinged. But already, just by observing Gray preparing to fight her, she had deduced that his magical style required time and stability to successfully use. And she was not going to give him a chance to have either.

Gray also realized that she had him figured out already. The woman he previously thought was just insane was now both insane and intelligent. A dangerous combination. He was not going to win through power alone. He needed to move this fight to where he would have every advantage as well as a means of escape.

 _Back to the hangar then._ Gray thought while praying that Joshua would contact their means of escape and that Natsu would be there waiting for them.

….

"Happy!"

"Yeah Natsu?" The blue cat asked as he gripped Natsu's back.

"FLY FASTER!" Natsu yelled as red blaster bolts screamed past them.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Happy replied as he weaved and twirled, doing his best to avoid the blaster fire behind them while also attempting to navigate the Death Star's labyrinth of hallways, corridors, and rooms.

Natsu felt the heat of a blaster bolt brush past his left cheek causing his eyes to bug out in shock and fear.

His part of the mission had not gone according to plan at all. As soon as he separated from Gray he had managed to run into an entire squad of stormtroopers. And those stormtroopers proceeded to chase him and Happy through the Death Star's many levels. All the while, their numbers swelled behind the fleeing exceed and dragon slayer. Natsu would wheel around every so often and launched a fireball at them. But he could only do so much when he had several dozen blaster rifles all aiming to take him and Happy out of the air. Add in his fading magic reserves, and genuine concern began to fill Natsu. He was beginning to wonder if they would be able to make it through this mission at all.

A strange scent hit Natsu's nose. It smell like clean, pressurized air along with an ancient, moldy smell that shouldn't be a space station. He trained his gaze to where the smell was coming from.

"Happy left!" He barked.

"But Natsu, the construction is just ahead." Happy protested.

"I know it is! But I smell something."

"Is it fish?" The blue cat asked.

"No."

"Then it is not worth it!"

"DAMMIT ALL HAPPY TURN LEFT!" Natsu roared, flamed leaking out of his mouth.

"Oh fine!"

The cat banked hard to the left, barely avoiding the wall as he executed the incredibly sharp turn. Behind them, the stormtroopers struggled to keep up. None of them anticipated that a flying cat could be so fast.

Ahead of Natsu, he could see a small blast door that was sealed shut. Two stormtroopers guarded it. When they saw the cat and dragonslayer careening towards them, they raised their rifles and began to fire at them, not caring if their blaster bolts hit the crowd of stormtroopers chasing Natsu and Happy. Their orders were to protect this room at all costs, or face the wrath of Lord Vader. That meant no one was going to go near it. Not even their own fellow soldiers.

But every shot they took badly missed and felled a stormtrooper instead. Natsu grit his teeth as they got closer. He sucked in a large breaht before forming a funnel with his hands in front of his mouth.

" **Fire Dragon's Roar!"**

A stream of flame erupted from Natsu's mouth and slammed into the doorway. The flames ignited the stormtroopers armor causing them to flail around before falling to the ground. The amount of force behind Natsu's attack shattered the blast door, allowing his to race through the opening. Meanwhile, the rest of the stormtroopers chasing them screeched to a halt on the otherside of the doorway as the flames only grew hotter in front of them.

"That should hold them." Natsu said as he and happy took cover behind the wall.

"Natsu look."

Natsu turned to see what his buddy was pointing at. In the center of the room was a large black sphere that was separated at the center. The inside of the sphere was a brilliant white. A large arm hung from the center of the sphere while a large rectangular screen faced the leather seat at the center of the sphere.

"That's a weird spot for a lacrima vision." Natsu commented.

"I don't think it's lacrima vision." Happy muttered.

"Well… what else could it be?"

Happy shrugged, "I don't know."

Natsu sniffed the air again. Through the smoke produced by his flames, he could make out that same dirty, moldy smell from before. It was at the center of the black sphere. He gulped then jumped forward. Blaster bolts raced by him and slammed into the sphere. The Dragon Slayer ducked inside the sphere so he could avoid being turned into Swiss cheese. He then sniffed the air again before he saw it. Sitting on a the chair in the center of the sphere was a old, leather bound book. In bold black letters on the book were the letters "E" "N" "D". Natsu blinked.

"I'm the luckiest dragon slayer in the galaxy." He mumbled.

"Natsu!" Happy called over the screams of blaster fire, "Are you ok?"

"I am!" Natsu called back before he carefully snatched the book from the chair. He stayed crouched behind cover, blaster fire racing past the sphere and slamming into the far wall of the room, "I found it Happy!"

"Found what!?"

"The book!"

Happy blinked, "NO WAY!"

Natsu raised the book overhead so Happy could see it, "Yes way!"

"NATSU WATCH OUT!"

He quickly jerked his hand back down just before a blaster bolt could shoot the book out of his grasp. His eyes were as wide as saucers and he took a few deep breaths. That was almost disastrous. He shook his head and regained his composure before peaking out from cover.

His flames were beginning to die away. Only embers remained in front of the doorway. And the stormtroopers were slowly edging towards it, their blaster rifles constantly firing so Natsu wouldn't' have the chance to counterattack.

 _Crap!_ Natsu thought.

"What are we gonna do now Natsu!?" Happy asked.

"I don't know! Just let me think!"

"We don't have time for you to think!"

"Shut it Happy, I'm concentrating!"

There was no way out of this. No secret exit out of this room. No other doorway. If he and Happy emerged from cover, they would be torn to bits by blaster fire. Natsu grit his teeth in anger. He and Happy were possibly going to die. He looked down at the book, fury in his eyes. He and Happy could die all because of this book.

"Why does he even want this thing!?" Natsu roared over the screaming blaster fire as he gripped the book tightly in his hands, "Why is thing worth our lives!?"

"Natsu?" Happy whimpered, "How are we-"

"I don't know!" Natsu roared furiously, "I don't know how we are getting out! I don't even know why we are even bothering with this book! I mean seriously!" He grabbed the leather bound cover and threw it open, "What's the point!?"

Suddenly, ribbons of black runs jumped free from the book and filled the air. The blaster fire instantly stopped as the Stormtroopers became puzzled by what they were seeing. Natsu stared stunned as the ribbons of foreign black runes raced before his eyes. They snaked around him and sped in front of his eyes faster than he could even read.

He felt like he was in a trance. His limbs were no longer capable of movement as he stared blankly at the runes racing around him. They seemed to be forming a tight circle around his body, as if the runes belonged to him. His mind began to go blank and for a brief moment he could hear Happy calling out his name. Then all went dark.

….

The squad leader of Alpha team had no idea what he was looking at. One moment, the Earthlander they were chasing had been hiding inside of Lord Vader's pressurized chamber, unable to do anything as they rained suppression fire down on him. The next moment, black letters that no one recognized were circling through the air and then began to rocket downwards at where the pink haired Earthlander was hiding. The flames that were licking at their armored feet began to die away and they all kept their blasters trained on the pressurized chamber. Their fingers trembled over the triggers of their blaster rifles, each soldier unsure of what to do. And they were all unsure about what they had just witnessed.

The squad leader uttered an audible gulp as he saw a hand cloaked in black flames grip the edge of the pressure chamber. The flames wildly flickered over the hand. They then began to take the form of a large claw that they could only belong to a demon of some sort. Each soldier began to shake with fear as another black flaming claw grabbed the side of the chamber, it's fingers crushing the metal in it's grip.

The chamber groaned as it began to glow, heated by black flames that began to emerge from the center. They could all hear the blue cat they were chasing utter a fearful whimper before a head popped up from cover.

It looked like the boy they were chasing. But he was completely engulfed in demonic black flames. His eyes didn't' look human. They glowed red and shimmered with blood lust. His lips curled back into a wicked smile, revealing razor sharp teeth behind the wall of fire that seemed to make up his body.

" _ **Where is Zeref?"**_ It snarled with a gravelly voice that caused them all to take a hesitant step back.

One of the soldiers squeaked out a brief reply.

"Wh-who?"

The demon's smile disappeared and it growled, it's voice causing the corridor to rumble. Then it uttered a terrifying scream. Every soldier began to fire sporadically at the demon as it rose to it's full height inside of Vader's chamber. But every round that seemed to hit merely melted into the black flames that surrounded its body. The squad leader saw the demon look back at the blue cat that was now cowering in the corner, tears streaming down it's terrified face.

The demon's face turned into a hideous snarl before turning to the stormtroopers. It's flames rose higher and began to incinerate Vader's chamber. It then uttered an ear piercing wail that made every soldier scream in terror.

They all tried to run, tried to escape the monster they had unwittingly helped unleash. But it was futile. All were engulfed in black flames. All… were reduced to ashes.

 **And chapter! I bet you all didn't see that ending coming. And unlike Hiro Mashima, I'm not gonna tease you with END, I'm giving you guys END. I tried to make him absolutely as terrifying as possible, befitting of the description Tartaros gave him while also attempting to stay true to how he was presented in the Alvarez arc (albeit, Natsu wasn't all the way in END form during that arc in the manga, so who knows how END truly behaves. I couldn't find much information on that matter, though I did try.)**

 **Gray is playing a game of cat and mouse with Mara Jade as he tried to snatch the holocron from her. How that will end, we shall see won't we?**

 **And of course, Joshua and Luke have engaged the First Sister and Vader. And to Luke's great displeasure, very prematurely. It'll be interesting to see how that battle plays out. I'm excited to write it!**

 **As always, let me know what you guys think! I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice evening!**


	111. Chapter 111: Fairy Law

**Hello again everyone! I've got a new chapter ready to go! This one actually took me a bit to put together. It was a little more difficult than I thought. I went through several different versions before deciding to go with this one. In the end, I hope it turned out good. Anyways, enjoy everyone!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 111

Through bleary eyes, Makarov could see blue hair whipping around a beautiful young woman in the cyclone that had engulfed the shattered wooden platform. Her slender arms were raised to her sides and her fingers splayed as she conjured a powerful gale that made his very bones shake. Fury was in her usually cheerful brown eyes as she tossed Imperials to and fro with her mighty wind. For Makarov, it was a sight that filled him with awe. For standing in the center of the scrambling Imperial forces was Wendy Marvell, no longer hesitant or unsure of her abilities like she had been only a year prior. This was the new Wendy Marvell, a dragon slayer of such power that Makarov believed few would ever come to rival her. And to see her not only coming to rescue little old him, but to see her alive as well, brought tremendous pride and joy to his aged heart.

Civilians ran screaming through the city streets, fighting against the supernatural force that was Wendy's unrestrained power. Makarov's eyes widened further as he saw her hair flicker from the deep sea blue to a bright pink color. With a loud sonic boom, her body changed entirely. Her hair growing wild and permanently turning pink. White feather like scales covered her ankles, feet, wrists, and sprouted from her shoulder blades. As if they were dragon wings on her back. Her normally shy brown eyes were replaced by eyes that matched the color of her hair. Long canines poked out from her lips as she snarled at the stormtroopers that were beginning to slowly recover from the sudden onslaught.

Just as the first stormtrooper began to get to his feet, he was launched across the courtyard in front of Kardia Cathedral by a large pillar made of iron. Stomping beside Wendy was Gajeel Redfox, his skin now covered in iron scales.

Makarov's children had come for him. They had come to free not just himself, but their home. And nothing was going to stop them.

"Move girlie!" Gajeel snarled before twisting and clubbing a stormtrooper across the face as he staggered to his feet.

Wendy launched towards Makarov and the Wizard Saints with incredible speed. The blaster bolts began flying through the air in an attempt to stop her. But within seconds, she was beside Makarov. Her wind covered hand slashed through his chains before her arms scooped the small, old man into her arms.

"I've got him Gajeel!" She shouted.

"I'll get the others then!" The iron dragon slayer shouted back as he weaved through blaster fire. He returned the favor with several blasts of iron shrapnel from his gaping mouth, "Get the old man to safety!"

"Right!" Wendy nodded before sprinting away from Kardia Cathedral as blaster bolts screamed by her.

Makarov couldn't find the words to speak. He just stared teary eyed up at Wendy Marvell as she hauled him down the wide city streets that lined the main canal in Magnolia. She was alive, and she had come back. That meant Natsu was alive. Lucy was alive. Gajeel, Meldy, Levy… his weary eyes welled up even more; even that gigantic pain in his rear Joshua Scarlet was alive and kicking. If he wasn't so weak from being imprisoned for so long, he would've flung himself from Wendy's arms and jumped for joy.

He jerked in her arms as she skidded around a corner and entered a narrow alleyway. She then pressed herself against the wall of one of the shops and held her breath. The stormtroopers came racing past the alley. Their random firing had ceased, but they were still searching for her and Makarov.

"The governor has given the order." Makarov heard one of them say through his helmet, "Shoot to kill. No prisoners."

The old man gulped but a gentle hand on his shoulder quickly calmed him. Thankfully stormtroopers were not the most observant of soldiers. They failed to notice the alleyway and instead raced across the bridge that spanned the canal and led to the other side of the city.

As soon as Wendy was certain they were gone, she released her held breath and let out an exhausted sigh. Her pink hair faded and was replaced by her normal blue color. The scales that had formed over her skin disappeared as well. She then carefully set Makarov down against the wall and smiled.

"We said we'd come back." She grinned widely.

Makarov choked on his words before throwing his small arms around her.

"I-I knew y-you would." He shuddered, "Where are the others?"

Wendy gulped, "Jellal is readying them for an attack on Magnolia."

Makarov's blood went cold, "N-no." He stammered, "He cannot attack the city!"

Wendy raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

Makarov shook his head. How did he not see it before? Thrawn could've easily had him executed in Crocus. It would've been just as public, just as humiliating, and just as powerful of a message. But for Thrawn, this wasn't about sending a message anymore. Makarov gulped, this was about total victory for the Empire. Thrawn wanted the executions in Magnolia, because he knew that Jellal's rebels were based near the city. He wanted them in Magnolia because he knew the Fairy Tail wizards couldn't help but risk it all and rescue him from a cruel fate when he would be so close to them. This wasn't a mistake by Thrawn, this was a perfectly laid trap.

"We need to warn off Jellal!" Makarov exclaimed as he attempted to rise to his feet, only for his weak legs to wobble. Wendy quickly reached out and caught him.

"Why?" Wendy asked quickly, "Why do we have to warn him off?"

"Don't you get it?" Makarov said, "You are dealing with an genius of an enemy. Thrawn doesn't do anything without an ultimate goal in mind. His goal in all of this wasn't my death, or the death of the wizard saints. No, he wants the rebel leadership. He wants Jellal, his rival, dead."

Wendy's eyes widened and she quickly picked Makarov up. There was no further need for explanations. Wendy began to sprint out of the alley. Just as she exited the cover of the stone buildings around her, she heard the sounds of blaster fire screaming towards her. With a yelp, she ducked behind some crates.

"I don't have a lot of magic left!" Wendy shouted as she curled up behind the crate.

She was out of options. The Empire had her pinned. And she didn't have the magic power to plow through them all like she did before. The ethernanos in her body were running dangerously low. Dragonforce may not have been the best idea. But it did get the Imperial's attention long enough for her to snag Makarov and make a run for it. But now she was nearly defenseless. She couldn't do much against a squad of stormtroopers without her magic. Even if she could get in close, it would only be a matter of time before one of them blasted her.

"I can't call off the attack." Wendy muttered.

Her only chance of escape with Makarov now, was for the stormtroopers to be drawn away by a much larger threat. That threat was Jellal's rebels. Wendy's hand scrambled to her hip and she drew her flare gun.

"Wendy don't-"

She squeezed and the fired. With a loud pop, a bright flash erupted into the crystal clear skies above her. It then exploded in a flurry of red flashes. The flare had been fired, the attack was going to happen. After she was certain the flare work, she tossed the gun to the side and began to look for an escape route. She could go back into the alleyway, but that could end up being a trap too. She would be too easily cornered there. Charging out into the open was not an option, the blaster fire was too thick. Wendy's eyes then fell on the canal that rang alongside the road she was on.

"Master."

"Yes Wendy?"

"Get ready to hold your breath." Wendy ordered before grabbing him and sprinting towards the canal.

She only feet away from the canal when she saw a flash of red followed by a searing pain in her right hip. She screamed and tumbled with Makarov into the frigid fresh water below. Pain went through her body, pricking her skin and muscles like millions of sharp needles. The smoking wound on her hip burned hotter than any fire she had ever been near. The pain alone threatened to make her black out. But adrenaline began to pump through her veins. She couldn't falter now. She quickly found Makarov in the water and gathered him up in her arms once again.

All pain had to be ignored. She had to escape. And the canals offered her the best chance at making it out alive. She furiously kicked with her legs, pain lancing up her right side with every frantic kick. Her lungs burned as she resolved herself to stay underwater for as long as possible. There was no reason to give the stormtroopers something to aim at. The less she had to resurface, the better.

Makarov's hand began to furiously tap on her forearm. She looked at him and saw his face turning red from strain. He needed air, his old lungs couldn't hold it like hers could. Wendy nodded and shot to the surface of the canal.

Both she and Makarov gulped in air with loud heaves. Water dripped down their faces as they floated at the water's surface. There was no more blaster fire. No sound of stormtroopers pursuing them. Wendy slowly blinked the water from her eyes. Had they lost the stormtroopers?

Her answer came with the sound of mock clapping that made Wendy's stomach flip. She quickly rubbed water from her eyes as she heard Makarov rumble a furious growl. Her head craned up to see a blue skinned Chiss standing at the edge of the canal, flanked by soldiers wearing jet black armor. Wendy's lips curled into a snarl as she saw the alien in a pristine white uniform. She glared at his solid red eyes.

"Thrawn." She growled.

Thrawn ended his clapping, "An admirable attempt, Wendy Marvell." he noted, "But… that is all this will be. An attempt. And a failed one at that."

"How did you know where we would run!?" Makarov shouted angrily.

Thrawn glanced at him, "It was simple really. The design of this city is based on the waterways that criss cross it. If you were unable to find a viable means of escape on land, then using the canals would be your only other option. It was then just a matter of choosing the right canal to watch." Thrawn smirked, "As soon as it was reported to me the direction in which you were fleeing, it was only a matter of process of elimination in order to determine your means of escape." He waved his hand and the two Death Troopers aimed their rifles, "Send my regards to your friends, Wendy Marvell."

Wendy's eyes narrowed as she cast Thrawn a dangerous, defiant glare.

"I'm sure you will be reunited after the Emperor has finished them."

In the distance, a large explosion jerked the Death Troopers attention away from Wendy and Makarov. The large explosion was followed by several smaller ones as loud booms caused the ground to rumble and the water to ripple around Wendy. Thrawn calmly turned to see large plumes of smoke billowing up from the other side of the city. Several columns of earth shot up in the air in the distance before collapsing down on what was likely to be outmatched stormtroopers.

"So it begins." Thrawn muttered, "The trap has been sprung. And my quarry has been caught in it's teeth." He said this as a bright light filled the air followed by a thunderous boom as heavenly body magic was cast across the city. Thrawn pulled a comm from his belt and put it to his lips, "Allow them into the city. Then call in the 501st. Surround the city," Wendy's face paled, "Cut off all means of escape." He smirked triumphantly at Wendy, "What is the Earthland expression for such a scenario as this? Shooting fish in a barrel? Correct? I believe I once heard a guild mate of yours say that as she was picking off my men with her magic sniper rifle. That was before I had her captured of course."

Wendy was now filled with fear. This whole thing was indeed a trap, just as Galen feared it would be. And Wendy knew about the 501st. They were Darth Vader's personal legion of stormtroopers. Soldiers who had seen action in every major conflict. Battle hardened warriors. Some were even veterans of the clone wars. Captain Rex had told Wendy all about them once. And he would know all about them. After all, he was at one time the commander of the 501st legion in the Grand Army of the Republic. She knew of how skilled they were. They had never lost a battle since the clone wars. And those that fought them were ruthlessly eliminated. Those who weren't outright killed were captured and delivered directly to Lord Vader.

Wendy began to tremble. Was this how it was going to end for her and all her friends? Death by Vader's fist, as the 501st were known.

"Ah… what a pleasant sight." Thrawn commented as he pulled up a hologram and saw a hundred wizards stream into the city, unchallenged, "As soon as the last one crossed through those gates, they will shut. And the bombardment will begin. And I shall be far away from here." He nodded to his Death Troopers, "Fire."

Wendy squeezed her eyes shut as the Death Troopers took aim once again. Then her arms were forced back, away from Makarov. The small elderly man began to grow in size. His muscles bulging and ripping his prison robes free as he began to grow monstrous in size. His eyes glowed gold as magic power rippled through him. For the first time ever, Wendy saw genuine surprise on Thrawn's face as Master Makarov towered over him.

"You will not harm my children!" Makarov boomed, "NO MORE!"

He clapped his hands together. In Thrawn's hologram, the 501st legion moved dangerously close to the city. The death trooper hesitated once again as they gaped up at Makarov's titan form.

"There may not be much magic anymore." Makarov bellowed, "But there is more than enough for this."

Wendy's eyes widened. She saw how he was holding his hands. She had only heard legends of the spell that was about to be performed. One of three great fairy magics. A spell so powerful that it could wipe out everyone that the caster deemed an enemy. But the spell required a tremendous amount of magic power. So much magic power, that it took a few moments to charge. Wendy could feel the ethernanos being sapped away from the air. There was no way there would be enough for the spell. If Makarov used it, he would have to exchange his own life for more power. Wendy's eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

"As is customary Thrawn," Makarov growled, "I shall give you to the count of three."

Wendy saw Thrawn's eyes bulge. Thrawn was no fool. When he had arrived on Earthland to lead the campaign against the wizards, he had done his research on the powers of his enemy. At the time, Makarov Dreyar was leading the rebellious wizards. So he carefully studied him, learned everythign he could from his own son, Ivan Dreyar. Ivan had warned him of a spell that his father knew. A spell known simply as Fairy Law. Thrawn didn't have time to think about it anymore. His blue skin paled to a lighter shade. Fear coursed through his veins.

"Take him down!" Thrawn shouted at his guards before turning and sprinting towards the canal's exit, hoping to escape the city and therefore the blast radius.

"You cannot escape!" Makarov boomed as he was pelted by blaster fire.

They pelted against his skin like sharp stones. Wounds began to open up in his flesh as the bolts of plasma clove into him. Makarov bit back the growing pain as he began to count.

"One!"

"KILL HIM!" Thrawn screamed as he continued sprinting away only for Wendy to burst from the canal and pin him to the ground.

"You are not going anywhere."

Thrawn roared and snapped a kick at her chin, knocking Wendy flat on her back.

"TWO!"

A golden light, brighter than any sun Wendy had ever seen began to emerge from Makarov's hands. He held his hands apart, allowing the golden light of Fairy Law to shine bright over Magnolia. Thrawn scrambled to his feet before dodging a flurry of punches from Wendy.

He had no time to escape the blast radius. Thrawn frantically looked for a way to escape certain death. He wasn't ready to die. He didn't want to die, not yet. His mind raced as he thought of a way to avoid his coming fate. Then it clicked. The blast wouldn't harm those the caster saw as a friend. His red eyes narrowed at Wendy Marvell. And he waited patiently for her to attack again. She swung her leg in a wide roundhouse kick. With lightning fast reflexes only years of training could achieve, Thrawn snagged Wendy's leg and yanked her towards him.

"THREEE!" Makarov screamed as the blaster bolts continued raining down on him.

The old man took a shuddering breath. His vision was going blurry. The magic in his body evaporated away. His heartbeat began to slow down as the golden light engulfed not just his towering body, but the entire city as well. With the last of his strength, his eyes looked down at Wendy, who was continuing her brutal fist fight with Thrawn despite what Makarov was doing. It seems that Wendy had accepted was about to happen. She didn't try to stop Makarov, didn't' plead with him to change his mind. She knew what he was doing, and therefore knew why he was doing it. And for that, Makarov was grateful. He smirked as he saw her flip Thrawn over her shoulder and slam him into the stone.

 _Go on Wendy._ He thought, _Live a happy life. And thank you for giving me the chance to save my children one last time._

With a loud cry, Makarov clapped his hands together.

"FAIRY LAW!"

….

Han brushed one of the many tree branches that blocked his path to the side as he silently crept through the brush towards the target. Behind him, his task force of thirty rebel soldiers slowly trudged behind him. Their breaths hushed as they drew closer to the shield generator. Han's eyes widened as he got a closer look at the compound.

It was a vast structure. Towering high over the trees was the actual satellite dish that projected the deflector shield up to the Death Star that orbited the planet. Below the dish was a large, durasteel structure with many different catwalks and platforms crisscrossing it's outer shell. And inside that structure were the components to the generator that Han had to blow up.

His eyes scanned the compound's surroundings. Minimal guards. Just a few scout troopers lazily patrolling the perimeter. And that gave Han pause. Something didn't seem right. Why was there so few guards?

"Han?" Leia said as she drew up beside him.

"I don't like this." Han mumbled, "I feel like they are just waiting for us."

Leia arched an eyebrow, "The two guards that I see?"

Han shook his head, "No, there's more. They are just hiding. I know it." He drew his blaster pistol and held it tightly in his left hand, "Keep your eyes peeled."

Leia nodded and then waved for the strike team to cautiously move forward. They all barely made a noise as they crept through the foliage of the dense forest around them. Soon, they were at the edge of the trees. In front of them was several hundred yards of open terrain that led up to the shield generator. No cover, no hiding places, no shadows, just wide open space. Han cursed under his breath as he took in the situation. This was a sharpshooter's paradise. It would be too easy for a good soldier with a blaster rifle to pick them off as they raced across the open field.

"What do we do know?" Leia asked as they crouched low to avoid being seen.

Han grimaced, "It's like this all the way around." He rubbed his mouth, "We got no choice but to go for it."

Leia gulped then nodded, drawing her own blaster pistol. Behind her, she could hear Rex quietly ordering everyone to ready their blasters. Chewie uttered an anxious groan as he awaited Han's orders.

"Alright." Han said, "Let's go!"

They rushed out of the brush… and we instantly met with blaster fire coming from soldiers hidden in a long trench in front of the shield generator. Han quickly dropped to the ground along with his men, but not before several uttered quick screams of pain before falling limp.

They all hugged the ground, trying to be as small as possible as the red blaster fire screeched over their heads. Through it all, Rex scrambled towards Han and slid up beside him.

"Just like Umbara." He snarled.

"Huh?" Han replied,

"Wide open path, only one way to attack. Turrets everywhere and no where to hide. It's Umbara all over again." Rex grumbled, "Only this time, I don't have an entire legion of my brothers at my call."

Han gulped, "So what do you suggest?"

"Give me a moment!" Rex replied as his veteran eyes surveyed the situation, "We are right fucked aren't we." he mumbled before clearing his throat, "There's a turret up top." He pointed at a platform, "Three in the trench in front of us. The turret up top can handled with a well placed shot. But the three in the trenches-"

"That's what thermal detonators are for boys." Leia grinned before unclipping a humming orb from her belt, pressing the button on top and chucking it at one of the turrets in the trench. A few seconds later, a fiery explosion erupted inside the trench and flung several stormtroopers up into the air. Leia grinned at Han and Rex.

"You enjoyed being that Ubese bounty hunter way too much." Han commented as he looked stunned at Leia.

"Maybe a little." Leia replied.

"Alright, that takes care of those." Rex noted, but then the turret above them opened fire, "MOVE TO THE TRENCH!"

The strike force scrambled to their feet and raced to the now empty trench in front of them. Han dove into the trench just as blaster fire raked where he had been running. He brushed dirt off of his black vest and craned his neck to look at the turret on the platform above them.

"At least we have cover now!" Han shouted as blaster fire zipped by above them.

"There are more guards now." Leia observed.

"More bucket heads to take out." Rex replied, "It's been awhile since I've been in a fight like this."

More blaster fire strafed the trench, causing dirt and mud to kick up all around them. Han scowled and popped up from his cover. He fired his blaster pistol once. The deadly shot whizzed through the air and slammed into the soldier manning the turret. Leia gaped at the shot then looked at Han.

"What? I didn't like him getting my vest dirty." Han shrugged.

"Forward!" Rex barked.

Chewie howled just as he said this. His large paw frantically pointed to their left. Han's face paled at what they saw. Lumbering towards them was a massive, four legged, AT-AT walker.

"Of kriffing course!" Han groaned.

"Move towards the compound! Don't stop!" Rex barked as the AT-AT's head turned to look down at the sprinting rebels.

Two loud whines filled the air followed by thunderous bams as the walker's cannons fired down at the rebels. Dirt and fire flicked up around them as they sprinted towards the compound. The blaster fire leaving craters in their wake. After several more terrifying moments, the strike team slammed their bodies against the walls of the shield generator, forcing the AT-AT to rethink its liberal cannon usage.

"Head count!" Han shouted.

"We've lost twelve!" A soldier shouted back.

Han grimaced before looking at the shield generator doors, "Artoo! Get her open!" He thumbed at the doors.

The brave little astromech whirred and zipped forward on its treads. Cannon fire blazed around the lucky little droid as it screamed towards the door. It's steel cylinder body bumped against the wall before it whipped out it's data probe and inserted it into the door's control panel. The droid whirred and beeped as it worked.

"Hurry Artoo!" Leia shouted as she saw a squad of stormtroopers moving to flank the rebels.

Artoo screamed back at Leia before rotating it's head back to it's work. The astromech then uttered a loud, triumphant squeak and the blast doors hissed open. Han smirked and lunged towards the doors with the others. They had only just entered when they froze. A loud hum filled their ears followed by the red glow of lightsabers.

"Shit." Han mumbled.

"So that's where the Inquisitors were hiding." Rex whistled.

"Ever been in a situation like this before?"

Rex shook his head, "Nope."

"Then in your expert opinion." Han started as he began to back away from the spinning red blades slowly moving towards them, "What do we do?"

"Heh," Rex winced, "Run?"

"I agree."

All of the rebels raced out of the shield generator only to see a second AT-AT walker lumbering towards them, cutting off their escape. Han frantically looked around. He couldn't see any way to escape. They were all trapped. Caught between two walkers and two inquisitors.

"Plan B, Rex?"

Rex grimaced, "Go out swinging."

Han nodded before whirling around so he could fire his pistol at the encroaching inquisitors. Just before he could squeeze the trigger a blur of red hair whizzed by his strike team. The inquisitors uttered short cries of surprise before their helmets were caved in by a violent, blunt force. As they slumped to the ground, Han caught a glimpse of their apparent rescuer.

She was a very tall and voluptuous woman. Long, thick red hair cascaded down in two thick braids from her head to her hips. Her clothing was rather risque, exposing generous portions of her stomach, cleavage, and legs. A large witches hat topped her head while in her gloved hands was a large, gnarled, wooden staff. Her brown eyes gaze over at Han and she flashed an amused smirk at him as his eyes constantly drifted down from her face to her breasts.

"There is time to admire later, Correllian." She said wryly before pointing her staff at the AT-ATs, "You must focus on the task at hand. My master does not wish for you to fail."

Suddenly, the ground shook and two black columns of energy annihilated the walkers. There was nothing left of them, but smoldering hunks of metal fluttering to the ground like ruined confetti. From the smoke of the destroyed walkers, a man stepped forward. He was much younger than the woman and wore a black coat trimmed with gold. His dark hair drooped over his forehead and his eyes blazed crimson for a brief moment before returning to a dark onyx color. A white toga was knotted over his shoulder as he marched towards the rebels.

Han wasn't sure what to do right now. And he could tell Rex was uncertain as well. Their two 'saviors' were clearly earthlanders. But their magic was far and away more powerful than anything they had ever witnessed before. Rex knew that the dragonslayers he had befriended were very powerful, but he had never seen them effortlessly defeat Inquisitors before. Much less, destroy two walkers in the blink of an eye.

And it shouldn't have even been possible for these two to be this powerful. The magic on Earthland, from what Jellal had told them, was very, very weak. It was impossible for them to utilize such destructive powers without risking their own lives. Yet these two did so without any effort at all. To Han, that meant one thing. He remembered Jellal and the others mentioning a country called Alavarez. An Empire on Earthland that had been unaffected by the magic pulse bomb known as Face. And home to some of the most powerful wizards to ever exist. These two, the woman and man, had to be from there.

"Who the hell are you?" Leia asked the woman in the large witche's hat.

"Me?" She asked before nonchalantly thwacking her staff over one of the inquisitors helmets again as the creature tried to rise to it's feet, "I'm nobody significant. It's my master that you want to speak to."

Leia turned to look at the young man that had approached them.

"Hello Leia Organa." The man said in a soothing voice, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"How do you know my name?"

The man smirked, "Does it matter? All that matters now is you must destroy that generator. My pilot friend has informed me that your fleet is arriving over the planet, and we don't want them getting caught in the Emperor's oh so cleverly placed trap."

"It was a trap!" Han exclaimed. He then glared at the man, "Hey! You're super powerful right!? How come you couldn't destroy the generator."

The man shrugged, "I wanted to see how you fared. It was rather entertaining."

"You sick bastard." Rex snarled.

"Actually no. If I cared about your lives, you would all be dead." The man warned, "So actually, by not giving a damn, I saved your lives."

"That makes absolutely no sense." Han muttered while Chewie uttered a bark of agreement.

"Such is the nature of the curse of contradiction. It never makes any sense." The man replied, "Now hurry up and destr-" The man paused and his onyx eyes widened in shock.

"Lord Zeref?" The red haired woman inquired as her master suddenly went silent.

"His book has been opened." Zeref whispered, "END has been awakened." his head snapped up to look at the Death Star high above them all, "Irene! Ensure this mission does not fail! I must go now!"

"Now hold on a moment!" Han barked, "You can't just leave without-"

A black ball of energy formed in Zeref's hand and he aimed it directly at Han's face.

"Do you want me to do your job for you? If you do, know that you will be destroyed along with the shield generator. That is punishment for trying to get in my way."

Han gulped and shook his head slowly.

"Good. Our plans have changed Irene. Assist the Fiore rebels in any way you can. The Empire has decided to open my book. They will pay dearly for doing so." Zeref began to march towards the forest.

"What do you plan to do, my lord?" Irene called.

"I will retrieve END and the Holocron myself." Zeref replied, "After this battle concludes, await my return. I will have new orders for you."

Irene bowed, "Yes, my lord."

Zeref disappeared into the trees. Irene cast one long glance at where he had slipped from her sight before she glanced at Han Solo and Leia Organa.

"Aren't you going to blow it up?"

"Can't you?" Rex inquired.

Irene shot him a venomous glare, "My Emperor instructed me to make sure your mission does not fail, not to accomplish it for you. Understand?"

Rex scowled. He was about to retort when Han quickly cut in on the conversation.

"Understood miss." Han replied, "Chewie, the charges!"

The wookie howled and tossed a heavy bag to Han. They two then disappeared into the shield generator. Meanwhile, Irene kept the inquisitors on their backs. Knocking them out with a quick strike with her staff every time they merely moved a muscle. They all waited a few more moments when Han and Chewie came sprinting out of the shield generator.

"MOVE!" Han barked as he waved for them to run for cover.

While the rebels ran, Irene raised her staff and created a small magical shield around her. Within seconds, a loud rumble emerged from the bowels of the shield generator. With a loud hiss, fire erupted from the open blast doors. Then bang! A mammoth explosion engulfed the building and satellite dish, causing debris to rain down from the sky. Through the fire and debris, Irene could see an Imperial shuttle quickly zipping towards the Death Star that was high in orbit above them.

 _You don't have much time my Emperor._ Irene thought, _Move swiftly._

….

The smoke began to clear and the blinding light that had engulfed Magnolia faded away. Wendy slowly opened her eyes and blinked, trying to remove the dark spots from her vision. The warm power she felt radiating over her came to an abrupt end. And with it, the sounds of battle became quiet around her. The cannons had stopped firing. The blaster bolts had ceased their screaming. All was silent. She slowly sat herself up off of the cold stone ground and rubbed her eyes.

 _Thrawn!_ She jumped to her feet, her mind instantly on guard as she readied herself for the Chiss' next attack.

But it never came. Thrawn was no longer there. And neither were his two death troopers. The only sound that filled her sensitive ears, was the gentle lapping of the water from the canal as it flowed around a small statue made of stone.

Wendy looked over at the stature and sorrow filled her. But she didn't cry. She refused to cry. This was Master Makarov's choice. His last act of love for those he called his children. The mighty third master of Fairy Tail, was now a small stone statue standing resolutely in the waters of Magnolia. Hands clasped together in an eternal act of power, defiance, and love. Wendy slowly moved towards the edge of the canal, her feet plopping in the puddles of water that had splashed up due to the violence of the spell that had just been cast.

She stared at the stature of Master Makarov. His eyes were closed when he completed the spell. And his stone lips were spread in a pleased smile. He had given it all up just to help save her, just to save everyone from Thrawn's trap. In Wendy's mind, there was no braver master than Makarov Dreyar.

She dropped to her knees and bent at the waist to the ground, giving her respects to the fallen master. The man she had considered to be a grandfather to all of Fairy Tail. And she stayed that way for several moments. Letting the gravity of what had just occurred sink in.

In one devastating spell, Makarov had guaranteed victory. His magic power, his love for his family, was the one variable Thrawn had not accounted for. Thrawn had assumed there was no magic left in this world. At least, not enough to wipe out his armies. But love has a funny way of creating magic out of thin air. Wendy had seen it many times before. Every time she fought, she felt stronger when defending those she cared about. Everytime she had seen Joshua fight, he fought for those he loved. And it made him so powerful that it sometimes scared her. Thrawn hadn't accounted for that. His cold, calculating mind couldn't account for it. It was a variable without measure, and so it had been his undoing.

Where he was, Wendy didn't know. If he had been claimed by Fairy Law, then Wendy thought good riddance. The galaxy was rid of another vile snake then. If not, then she had a feeling they would not be seeing or hearing from Thrawn for a very long time.

She rose from her bow, but remained on her knees as she stayed at eye level with Makarov. A gentle smile spread over her lips as she stared at his smiling face. He had sacrificed himself for her. A deed she would never forget for as long as she lived.

"Thank you, Master." Wendy whispered before rising to her feet and marching towards the renewed sounds of battle.

Jellal still had his hands full it seems. And he would need a dragonslayers help to deal the finishing blow.

 **And chapter! The battle is raging. Makarov has used is trump card. Zeref has decided to intervene and he is now heading for the Death Star. Which means he is heading straight for Sidious. A scenario that Mavis warned of all the way back in the GMG arc. And Irene has decided to enter the battle. The question now is, did Thrawn survive Makarov's Fairy Law? And how is the space battle going to go now that the shield generator was taken out? And of course we can't forget our epic lightsaber duel in the Emperor's spire. Add in the chaos being caused by END's rampage and the chase occurring between Gray and Mara Jade, and we've got an exciting few chapters ahead. Ooooooh, it's gonna be good! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	112. Chapter 112: Enter the Beast

**Ok, two chapters in a day folks! And I feel pretty good about this one! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 112

Her cockpit was as silent as the space outside of the transparisteel surrounding her. She could only hear the roar of her hyperdrive and the subtle in and outs of her own breathing. It had been growing more and more heavy as the time dragged on. The anticipation had mounted inside of her, forming knots inside of her stomach that refused to go away. Levy McGarden had been in a few small skirmishes, but never a pitched space battle before.

The stories she heard of those, the titanic wars in the stars that filled the blackness with clouds of blaster bolts, terrified her. She had listened to pilots like Captain Wedge Antilles recount their war stories. Of swarms of Tie Fighters zipping around their X-wings like angry wasps. Of massive, lumbering Star Destroyers with enough firepower to turn anything into simple dust. And of the first Death Star and the impossible mission it had been to destroy it. The terrifying trench run that she could only envision in her mind. A trench run that Captain Antilles had lived through, and it haunted him still. Every time he spoke of it, he would get a faraway look in his eyes. As if he was reliving every maneuver, strafe, dogfight on that fateful day over Yavin 4. That faraway look, the million mile stare, terrified Levy. She didn't want to have that stare when she one day told others her story. But that knot in her stomach told her otherwise. She would have that stare, if she lived to acquire it. Such was the nature of being the pilot of small snub fighter.

The time alone in the cockpit, in the quiet, gave the Solid Script mage lots of time to herself. Lots of time to think. That was a rare thing to have happen nowadays. Everything before this had been training, drills, exercises, eat, sleep… then repeat. Day in and day out. Constant drills, constant practice, constant vigilance of the Empire. Her body had grown used to the routine. The exercises had sharpened not only her body but her mind as well. She knew what she had to do when she was being tailed by one, two, five, ten fighters. She knew what had to be done if she found herself stuck in a Star Destroyer's crossfire. She had studied it all. Yet… she didn't know if any of that meant squat when it all actually happened. So in the quiet of her cockpit, she mumbled her knowledge to herself. Her near perfect memory recounting every holovid she had studied. It was her way of passing the time of dread that preceded the battle to come.

Every so often, Chopper uttered a bored whir that would make Levy chuckle. She liked the old brown astromech. He had a touch of sass that she could appreciate. She could understand why the other rebels liked having it around. He was entertaining, honest, he displayed a personality that made the men love him. And a few hate him of course. But Levy found those people to just be sour in general. She enjoyed the droid's silent company. And during the long hours in hyperspace, she spoke back and forth with the belligerent little droid. And she laughed a good many times.

But between their conversations and her ritualistic recital of drills, was the silence of her thoughts. What would happen after all of this? She knew it was stupid to think of the aftermath of this battle. For all she knew, she would be shot out of the sky. Destined to be engulfed in a ball of flames before embracing death's cold hands. But she just couldn't help it. The thoughts of seeing Earthland again, living on Earthland again… with those she loved, it was so enticing. Her thoughts occasionally drifted to the wild haired iron dragon slayer that she had grown so close to since the war with Phantom Lord. She smirked as she thought of how the cold, iron shell he had was actually just a front for the dorky, warm man beneath. She couldn't help but love him for it. Even if it was a shy love, one that both of them were too nervous to outright admit, it was still love. And she couldn't help but feel her cheeks burn red at the thought of the two of them living together, having a family, living their lives as Fairy Tail wizards. Hopefully that dream would come to pass.

The comm crackled causing Levy to jump in her seat.

" _All ships, prepare to drop out of hyperspace."_ Admiral Ackbar crackled over the comm.

Levy gulped and rested her small hand over the lever that controlled her X-wing's hyperdrive. This was it. The battle was here. There was no going back. There was no choice but to succeed. Failure here, over her home, was not an option. If they lost here, the Death Star would wreak havoc over the galaxy. And her planet would be the first to succumb to the Emperor's vicious wrath.

She wondered if the others were safe. If they were succeeding on their missions. She wondered if Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu were leading the charge as they torched Imperial facilities on Earthland. She wondered if Leia and Han had successfully destroyed the shield generator. She wondered if Joshua and Luke had managed to successfully confront the Emperor, Vader, and the First Sister.

Then she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as Chopper powered the hyperdrive down and fired up the sub-light engines. Her ship screeched to a halt and in front of her was what she thought to be the crown jewel of the galaxy. A planet so beautiful that you couldn't help but feel your jaw fall open as you neared its orbit.

" _By the force…"_ She heard Captain Antilles mutter in his open comm as they circled Earthland.

All thoughts of the Death Star were gone. In it's place, was the stunning beauty of Earthland. It's crystal clear atmosphere proudly displaying the shimmering seas and green lands. The snow capped mountains and rolling plains. Small swamps and large swaths of forest. Swirling white clouds gathering over the continents, promising rain to thirsty earth. That was home for Levy McGarden. She felt her jaw set firmly. She'd be damned if she never set foot on it again. With iron resolve, she tore her gaze from the planet, only to have fear fill her gut as she saw a large, silver orb appear in her vision.

" _Kriff… that thing is as big as a moon!"_ She heard one of her fellow pilots exclaim.

" _Steady now!"_ Lando Calrissian calmly ordered, " _There it is everyone."_

There was a pause as they drew closer. Levy could make out the lines of the Death Star now. The many trenches, pockets, and craters that criss crossed the previously smooth surface. She could see the section that was currently under construction. It's area protected by a thin shield. Levy let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.

" _All wings…"_ Lando called over the comm, " _Report in!"_

Captain Antilles was the first to sound off, " _Red Leader Standing by."_

Levy checked over her various instruments and computers as she heard the other members of Gold and Red squadrons sound off. When she was certain everything was functioning properly, she opened her comm channel.

"Red Three standing by." She called.

The last of the pilots sounded off, including Gray squadron. A squadron made mostly of A-wings which had now emerged from one of the hulking rebel dreadnoughts.

They drew closer to the Death Star. Not a sound was uttered by anyone. It was the silence before the sounds of death to come.

" _Lock S-foils in attack position!"_ Lando barked.

Levy felt her X-wing shudder as her wings split in half, forming the craft's distinctive 'X' shape. As they unfurled, her weapons were freed by Chopper. She could feel the yoke in her hands shudder from the rumble of the other ships around her. They were just several hundred meters from the Death Star now.

A bright red light began blinking on Levy's console. She peered at the light then felt her breath get stuck in her throat.

" _PULL UP! THE SHIELD IS STILL UP! PULL UP!"_ Lando shouted as Levy watched the Falcon pull of a stomach turning flip away from the Death Star.

Levy quickly yanked on the controls. She felt the blood rush from her head to her feet as she pulled her craft upwards. Spots began to form in her vision from the sudden action. She quickly shook her head, fighting to stay awake as the g-forces pulled on her body.

"What do we do now?" She asked as her craft leveled off.

" _Look! Nine o clock!"_ Gray leader said in his comm.

Levy's head snapped in that direction and her face paled. Thundering out of hyperspace was an entire fleet of Star Destroyers. And at the lead was the dreaded black death named the Executor. Darth Vader's personal flagship.

" _Oh Force!"_

 __" _It's the Executor!"_

" _Kriff… we are so dead!"_

Then the Death Star's turrets began to fire. The green blasts of plasma were then followed by swarms of TIE fighters emerged from it's cavernous hangar bays.

" _We're caught in the middle!"_ Wedge shouted.

" _IT'S A TRAP!"_ Admiral Ackbar exclaimed as Home One lumbered to a halt before it got in range of the Death Star's turbolasers.

" _All fighters, cover our ships."_ Lando ordered, " _If we can't take out the Death Star then the least we can do is take a few Star Destroyers with us."_

"This is going to be interesting." Levy gulped as she pointed the nose of her craft straight at the Executor.

Already she could see dark clouds of TIE fighters emerging from the hangars of the entire fleet. There had to be hundred- no thousands, of TIE's filling the once empty void between them and the Rebel Fleet. They had to outnumber the Rebels a hundred to one. How were they even going to survive this.

" _Stay in pairs everyone!"_ Wedge barked as the space between them and the TIE fighters narrowed, " _Stick with a wingman. Watch each other's backs. Do not get separate, or you will get picked off."_

"Copy Red Leader." Levy replied, "Red Seven, you with me?"

" _Right behind you Red Three."_ The rasping voice of a Trandoshan pilot replied.

She could now see through the glass of the nearest TIE fighters. She could see the black armored pilot staring blankly through tinted lenses back at her. There were several more seconds of quiet. Then, like two ancient armies bashing shields, the fighters collided.

Blaster bolts raced through the space around Levy. A shower of green energy bolts aiming to destroy her clouded her vision. Her brown eyes widened and her pupils dilated as she felt adrenaline race through her veins.

It was a rush unlike anything she had ever felt before. To be so close to death, that just a crack in the transparisteel around her could steal her life away, was a heart pounding realization that made her tremble. But despite the enormous fear in her body, her hands remained steady, her mind remained clear. Whether that was her constant hours of training, her experience with combat as a wizard, or just nerves of steel, Levy didn't know. But her composure remained in place.

Her finger pulled on the trigger and her cannons began firing a concentrated cluster of red blaster fire into the swarm of TIE's around her. She could see fireballs forming around her as she raced through the cloud of TIE's, evidence of her and her wingman's shots connecting. It took her a few moments before she began to hear loud screams in her comm being suddenly cut out before being followed by muffled explosions outside of her cockpit.

"Red Seven, how are you holding up back there!?" Levy shouted into her comm as she pitched the nose of her craft into a dive, trying to escape the death zone that had surrounded her.

" _Still here!"_ The Trandoshan rasped, " _But we've got three on our tail."_

Levy cursed under her breath, "Chopper give me an idea of their location!"

The droid warbled back to her and she grimaced. They were close, practically on their asses.

"Red Seven, swerve and accelerate around me. Let's see if they take the bait and focus on you."

" _YOU'RE USING ME AS BAIT!"_

"Do you want them off of your ass or not!" Levy barked.

" _Kriff!"_

 __Levy watched with bated breath as her wing man swerved right and accelerated past her own X-wing. Meanwhile, Levy hit the brakes. Her ship screeching to a halt, allowing the TIE's to frantically maneuver around her. Levy grinned, she had them now.

"Chopper, lock on!"

She took visual aim, the squeezed. Blaster bolts rocketed towards the three TIE fighters. A muffled, quick explosion claimed two of the TIEs before the third broke away. Levy grinned widely. Now that is what she called a victory.

" _I'm on the third!"_ Red Seven snarled.

Levy paled, "Red Seven, I can't maneuver around to cover you in time!"

" _Don't worry. I'll be fi-"_

He never got the chance to finish as his craft collided with a crossing TIE interceptor. Levy's heart jumped to her throat as her wing man was engulfed with fire. Her eyes then widened in horror as she saw the burned body spinning out of control in outer space, surrounded by drifting debris.

Her breaths came out in short, panicked rasps. She was exposed and alone in a sea of death.

"I-I- can't-"

" _Breath Red Three. Just breath."_ Wedge's unnervingly calm voice broke through her delirium, " _I'm on your six right now. Focus ahead."_

 _How the hell can he stay so calm!?_ Levy screamed mentally as her trembling hands gripped the controls. Her leather gloves creaked at how tightly she was squeezing.

" _Bank right Levy."_ Wedge's calm voice said in her ears, " _Move along the Executor's flanks. Hug her close. Don't give those cannons any space to fire."_

"R-right." Levy muttered back as her X-wing zipped along the side of the Super Star Destroyer.

She was so close to it. She could practically make out every weld and bolt in place on the thing. And that gave her protection. The cannons couldn't properly lock onto her. All she had to worry about now was the TIE's that swarmed towards her and Wedge.

" _Let some fire loose, Red Three."_ Wedge said plainly, " _Give the Executor a taste of what an Earthlander can do!"_

Levy gulped and clenched her jaw before fire volleys of red plasma into the sides of the Executor. Her actions caused little damage. The deflector shield of the mammoth ship easily absorbed her meager fire. But just the action of landing a hit, of punching the face of a giant such as the Executor, made Levy's fear slowly fade away and turn back into confidence.

"I hit it Wedge!" She smiled.

" _I saw that."_ the leader of her squadron replied, " _You ready to hit it some more?"_

"More than!"

" _Let's get above this thing then!"_

The two X-wings moved in perfect sync, zipping up and over the side of the Executor. The pair hugged the hull tightly, staying low so the turbolasers couldn't fire upon them. All the while, their own cannons sent a smattering of fire down on the Executor's powerful shields. Levy could see the shield ripple as her fire rained down on it.

Her ship shuddered violently and for a brief moment, Levy feared that she had been hit. Then she heard Wedge shout a rare whoop. Levy glanced back to see one the Executor's escort star destroyers break apart as Home One ripped it to shreds. The comm the crackled around her.

" _THE SHIELD IS DOWN! THE SHIELD IS DOWN!"_ A Mon Calamari officer aboard home one shouted excitedly.

" _General Calrissian-"_ Admiral Ackbar started before being cut off by the man designated as Gold leader.

" _Already on it! Red leader, Red Three, Red six, Gold four, Gold five, with me. We're going into the belly of the beast."_

"AYE!" Levy replied enthusiastically before flipping her fighter end over end and accelerating back towards the Death Star.

She weaved through the TIE fighters and turbo laser fire. Wedge was right by her side, both firing non stop at the clouds of enemy fighters so that they could gain access to the Death Star's vulnerable superstructure.

Her ship zipped around the Death Star's construction zone. Levy cast a quick peak and her jaw dropped. Inside, she could see Earthland wizards… fighting. Mutinying against their captors. And at the lead was a man engulfed in unholy black flames that made a shiver run down her spine. Whatever was breaking the prisoners out was not human.

" _Levy! Look out!"_

Levy gasped and jerked her ship to the left just as green fire from a TIE interceptor raced by her. Her fighter shook and she heard Chopper roar out curses in binary. Her eyes glanced over at her top right wing and she could see a small trail of smoke coming from the area near her the cannon.

"Crap!" She winced.

" _Levy! Are you alright?"_ Lando asked.

"He got me, but not too bad. She'll hold together."

Wedge chuckled in his comm, " _If I didn't know any better, I'd say your fighter was an indestructible beast. I swore you were about to go up in flames."_

Levy grinned widely as they neared the gaping hole that led to the Death Star's insides.

"A dragon does not fear fire, Wedge." Levy replied before turning hard and spinning into the Death Star's superstructure, following red and gold leader into the belly of the beast.

….

Joshua grimaced as he blocked a devastating strike at his head from the blade in the First Sister's right hand. Even though it had only been a few short weeks since they had last fought, he could tell that she had improved her technique. But with her improved technique came the realization that she had lost a considerable amount of force behind her strikes. As the lightsaber duel raged between himself and the First Sister, Joshua began to take notice of every instance where she would attempt to utilize a powerful swing. And every time she swung hard, he noticed that she was way overemphasizing it. Realization dawned on Joshua. The First Sister was pulling her punches. But why?

Just like before, he refused to strike at her. Reverting to Soresu instead of going on the assault, as he had done in every battle with her before now. He could tell it was frustrating the First Sister. But he didn't care. In his heart, the First Sister was still Erza, his sister. He had seen her nearly come back from this dark road back on Naboo. She had reached for his hand, only for the Emperor's vile grip to stop her and bring about tremendous pain on her fragile mind.

Their red blades locked together in front of their faces and Joshua cast a sidelong glance at Sidious. Rage fermented in him the more he stood in that monster's presence. The fury built up even more the longer he battled the First Sister. Darth Draconis wanted nothing more than to leap at Sidious and lop his head from his shoulders. And he could've done it too… if it was just the First Sister standing in his way.

But instead, at the top of the steps, close to the Emperor's throne, two other lightsabers clashed. One blood red. The other emerald green. Unlike Joshua who used quick, twitch like movements as he fought, both Vader and Luke swung their blades like a broadswords. They hacked and slashed at each other. Especially Vader. His powerful fighting style came bursting forth against Luke. And he kept the young Jedi mostly on the defensive, although Luke did manage a quick burst of offense every now and then.

Joshua beamed as he saw Luke deflect one of Vader's slashes before kicking the Sith Lord down the steps to his level. Luke then jumped down and landed beside his friend, reigniting his green blade as he did so.

"Trade?" Luke asked, breathing heavily.

"Gladly." Joshua replied turning around and catching a powerful overhand chop from Darth Vader.

"Hello, Luke's dad." Joshua smirked, his yellow eyes burning like hot coals, "My name is Darth Draconis. I've been looking forward to our rematch."

"Was our first encounter even a match to begin with?" Vader retorted.

"Oh, that one actually stings a little." Draconis snarled, "Good insult."

Their blades screech apart. Draconis quickly adopted Makashi's light footed style and he deftly danced around the clunky Darth Vader. But despite his advantage in agility and speed, Draconis could not penetrate Vader's guard. The Sith Lord was incredibly skilled. It became obvious that Vader's insult was in fact not an insult, but a fact. Their first duel on Tartaros was not a duel at all, but a small morsel of entertainment for Vader before he executed his plans. This was the true duel taking place now. And it was taking every bit of training Draconis had in order for him to keep the opposing Sith Lord on his toes.

For ever quick flick and thrust of his saber, Vader returned in kind with devastatingly powerful chops and slashes that made Draconis' bones shudder in his body. He reverted to using his left hand as his main fighting hand, because he knew that the cybernetics would hold up better against the raw power of Vader's attacks.

As soon as Draconis had engaged Vader, he found himself on the defensive. Slowly, he dipped back into Soresu's defensive posture. Guiding his lightsaber in subtle movements as he attempted to conserve his energy and find an opening in Vader's fighting style. Draconis's eyes glanced at the control panel on Vader's chest.

 _There!_

He parried a three chop strike from Vader before flicking his lightsaber at Vader's control panel. The Sith Lord scrambled back, avoiding the tip of Draconis' blade by mere centimeters. He then roared in a fury as he was continuously pushed back by Joshua's incredibly precise strikes.

Vader was forced into a box. He kept his arms tight against his sides as he formed an impenetrable defense around the most vital portion of his suit. And Draconis reveled in his perceived advantage. He backed the other Sith Lord back towards the steps at the base of the Emperor's throne, a wide grin on his face as he relished in the thrill of battle.

The dark side uttered a warning, but too late. Draconis felt a blast of the force send him flying backwards. If it wasn't for the railing that guarded the catwalks in the room, Draconis would've plummeted down the spire and into the Death Star's core. A long fall to his death. He gulped and quickly clambered to his feet.

He was surprised to see that Vader did not pursue him, but stayed put. Meanwhile, the First Sister slid up beside Vader, swiftly backing away from Luke. Luke paced over towards Draconis, his breath coming out in deep, heavy heaves. Draconis felt his heart racing as well, but he controlled his breathing, taking deep breaths and letting out long exhales.

 _Keep control._ He kept thinking, _Keep control._

The pause in the duel gave each combatant a chance to catch their breaths. Draconis could hear Vader's regulated breathing going from strained back to it's normal rhythm. He smirked. He actually made the Dark Lord sweat a little. Good to know.

The First Sister was panting. Her engagements with Joshua Scarlet and Luke Skywalker had already sapped her of her energy. The pair were powerful on their own. But when fighting together, she thought they were nearly unstoppable. She cast a glance over at Vader. She could tell he was struggling to keep up with their younger opponents furious pace. That, and she could sense the hesitation in Vader. He had the same hesitation she had when she fought Joshua Scarlet. She could feel the connection to him, to what remained of her family. And she couldn't bring herself to go all out against him. Just like Vader couldn't bring himself to lash out at his own son.

And apparently, Luke Skywalker felt the same way. She watched in quiet silence as the Jedi deactivated his emerald blade and lowered the hilt to his side. Joshua Scarlet did not follow suit. He kept his glowing eyes trained on Vader.

"What are you doing, Luke?" Joshua growled.

"I won't fight my father."

"Then I'll fight him. And you can fight Erza. But if you kill her I swear-"

"Oh and you can kill my father!?" Luke cried.

"Yes!" Joshua replied, "Do you not see the double standard I have set up! I'm the Sith, you're the Jedi! You're the goody two shoes! Your supposed to care about other's lives and shit like that. I'm the selfish one here. I care about getting my way!"

Luke narrowed his eyes at Joshua, "I have a severe urge to knock you upside the head."

"Do it, and you will have to block four red blades instead of just three." Joshua snarled.

The Emperor's cackles interrupted their argument. Joshua and Luke both glanced up to see the decrepit man looking out the window to his right.

"Your fleet has arrived it seems." The Emperor laughed, "And so, their destruction begins."

The First Sister's face paled a little. Her heart began to drop as she saw a look of desperation cross Joshua's face.

"We need to end this quickly, Luke." Joshua whispered.

"I know. But can we?"

"Can we do what must be done you mean?"

Luke nodded and Joshua gulped.

"I don't know Luke."

The First Sister gripped her blades tightly. There it was again. The hesitation in the Sith Lord, Darth Draconis. The hesitation to attack her. He genuinely believed there was good in her. He genuinely believed in saving her. He genuinely cared about her… loved her, despite all she had done. She looked over at the Emperor and saw his eyes glowing with malice. She then looked at Vader and felt his uncertainty through the force.

This wasn't a glorious duel. This was a cruel punishment. The Emperor was forcing her to fight Joshua Scarlet. No… he was forcing her to fight her family. She was being forced to fight her little brother just so he could keep his ancient hands around the power he so obsessively hoarded. And why would she want to serve someone like that? A master that did that to his most loyal servants was not someone who loved his pupils. It was someone who treated them like tools to be used and discarded at his leisure. And it sickened the First Sister.

It sickened Erza Scarlet.

"What are you waiting for?" The Emperor snarled at Vader and the First Sister, "Finish them both!"

Vader took a step forward before jerking back. The Emperor's eyes narrowed dangerously as he glowered at the red haired woman. She held one her lightsabers out to the side. The red blade humming near Vader's neck.

She saw the surprise on both Luke and Joshua's faces. And she felt the genuine shock from Darth Vader. She turned to look at Vader, and she could see her own brown eyes looking back at her from the reflection in Vader's helmet.

"Joshua Scarlet!" she barked. She glanced over at her little brother, "I better get a good explanation for all of this."

Joshua gulped.

"And… I want my cake once we're done here."

A broad smile spread over Joshua's face and he twirled his lightsaber.

"Sis, I'll buy you a ten layered strawberry cake once we're done here."

Erza Scarlet grinned widely then glared over at Vader. Her face turned into a scowl and she yanked her red blade back, aiming to sever Vader's head from his shoulders.

She was going to strike down this villain. This monster who had caused her so much pain and put her family through so much turmoil. The First Sister faded away into her subconscious, along with her memories. And in that monster's place, returned Titania, the Queen of Fairies… Erza Scarlet. Everything came bursting to the surface for Erza as she watched her blade slice through the air towards Vader's throat. It was only centimeters away. Just a little further, and he would be dead.

The Dark Side of the force roared in fury around her and Vader's full power and rage came bursting forth. He easily deflected her reckless slash at his neck. And before Joshua Scarlet could move to help her, Vader's fist planted itself into Erza's jaw.

It all happened in slow motion for Joshua. He watched in horror as Erza stumbled backwards, her arm swinging out to the side. He saw it coming and could barely utter a terrified scream as Vader's crimson blade shot up in a deadly arc.

In a sudden flash of burning pain. Her right arm was gone. Erza blinked and looked over at where her arm had been. It felt like it was still there. The phantom feeling of her lower arm still attached to her now severed elbow. But a split second later, the pain registered. It seared through her flesh and bones. Blurring her vision with white hot pain. She let out a ear piercing wail as she dropped to her knees before the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"You shall die a traitor's death." Vader growled as he prepared to thrust his blade into her chest.

A loud cry of pure rage filled the spire, causing Palpatine to grin in delight. Joshua Scarlet bull rushed Vader. The force with which he collided with the Sith Lord made his bones crack and his muscles groan as he lifted the Sith Lord off of his feet and heaved him away from Erza's falling form. He forgot all thoughts of form, technique, or self preservation as he charged at the staggering Vader. The red blade in his hands slashed erratically at Vader. Slicing through the durasteel floors, thin catwalk railings, and metal planks that made up the stairs that led to the Emperor's throne. His vision had gone red as soon as Erza's knees touched the floor beside her severed arm.

He bashed at Vader's defenses. Wildly flailing like a northern berserker in a blood rage. He had no self control. It had evaporated. And when he heard Erza's body hit the floor with a dull thud, he snapped completely.

Joshua's mind went blank. And deep inside of his consciousness, a powerful Sith Lord roared in triumph as his chains snapped free.

 **And cliffhanger! Yup, I'm gonna be that guy! The space battle is now under way. Erza has come back but now is out of commission. And Joshua has gone absolutely berserk while Palpatine watches with a wide smile. How is this going to go down now? It's gonna be good! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	113. Chapter 113: Duel of the Fates

**Hello everyone! I'm back again with another chapter! Before we begin, I just gotta say, this has been one heck of a journey writing this story. And it's almost over… wow… that's amazing to think about. Only a few more chapters to go. BUT… before we get all emotional, I have the sequel planned out. Other than running a crap ton of errands the past few days, that is what I have been doing. So yeah, it's gonna be good! But first, we must finish this story! Here's a new chapter for you all! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 113

Luke could not believe what he had just seen. He believed with everything in him that it was possible. For someone to turn from the Dark Side. The reason why he believed so firmly in this was because his good friend was a Sith Lord. He was dark in every way of the word. When pushed, Joshua's presence would become blacker than midnight. He was truly a terrifying sight when that happened. Luke had only witnessed that several times before.

The fist time he had seen it was on Naboo. When Wendy was nearly killed by the First Sister. It was the only time Luke ever saw Joshua charge at his sister. And the amount of rage leaking out from him during those brief moments had made his legs shake, even as he fought Vader with Ahsoka's help. The second time was at Jabba's Palace. And again, it was when Wendy was in danger. Joshua had absolutely let loose on Jabba's men. Luke never saw it. But he felt it in the force. Lives being snuffed out then devoured by the dark side of the force. The Sith Lord named Darth Draconis feeding on the terror he was creating as he carved his way through Jabba's yacht. It made Luke's stomach flip. It made Luke wonder how he was friends with Joshua Scarlet? Why was he friends with him?

But then, when the fighting was done. When his anger and hatred were reeled back in and he was finally allowed to breath again, Luke saw why he was friends with Joshua. In a lot of ways, Joshua was far more of a Jedi than many could've ever claimed to be. As much as he said the Sith were selfish, Luke never saw anything but selflessness from him. As much as he said the Sith were ruthless, he treated the ones he loved with such a gentle hand that it was almost like he was handling a delicate flower. And as much as he said that the Sith were a miserable bunch, he laughed… and laughed loudly. Mostly at Luke's expense of course, but he couldn't really fault him for that. As Dark Side as Joshua Scarlet was, he was undoubtedly good.

And that was what made Luke believe that the Dark Side of the Force was not some all corrupting force of nature. It was not something that destroyed all good in someone. He had seen that for himself. It was why he refused to fight his father. He firmly believed that there was good in Darth Vader. He believed Anakin Skywalker was still inside of that black suit of armor.

But belief only goes so far. He wasn't certain of his theory at all. It wasn't until he saw the First Sister's crimson eyes fade away completely that Luke realized he and Joshua were correct. There was a way to come back. The sheer joy he saw on Joshua's face as he grinned at Erza was incredible. But all of that joy, all of that happiness came crashing down in a span of seconds.

First, Erza lashed out at Vader. Then Vader struck. Like a lightning bolt violently striking the land, Vader bashed against Erza and took her right arm at the elbow. And all Luke and Joshua could do was stare. It was so fast, both didn't even see it coming. The terrifying nature of Vader's retribution made Luke shudder. But what came after made the Jedi shake uncontrollably.

The force screamed out in agony. And it came squarely from Darth Draconis. Before Luke could stop him, he blindly charged at Vader. Picking the other Sith Lord up off of his feet and throwing him away from Erza. Then their battle ensued. And once again, Luke could only watch.

Draconis was fighting with blind rage. There was no control anymore, no technique. He was flailing his lightsaber against Vader. And for a while, it worked. The raw power Draconis tapped into thanks to his roaring anger and hatred for Luke's father allowed him to tap into the Dark Side of the Force in ways that Luke had never seen before. The Force rippled around Vader and Draconis. As if a violent storm had suddenly washed over them and sent waves crashing violently around them at random. It took all of Luke's strength to to crumble at the raw power pulsing through the room. As their battle continued, Luke scrambled over to Erza.

She was alive, but badly wounded. Vader's blade had severed her right arm at the elbow. Whatever strength she had was gone. The powerful red head looked incredibly weak. Her eyes were sunken in from pure exhaustion. Dark rings were around them and they stayed half open. But through those half open eyes, Luke could see terror as she watched Draconis and Vader battle each other.

"Get me up." She whispered hoarsely.

"It's better for you to stay down." Luke replied as she rolled over onto her back.

"I wasn't asking." Erza snarled, "Get me up!"

Luke gulped and nodded. No point in second guessing the one person that actually struck true fear into Darth Draconis. Luke slung Erza's left arm over his shoulders and heaved her onto her feet.

She instinctively reached to grab the railing near here with her right hand, only to stumble and nearly fall once again. A harsh curse escaped Erza's lips and she winced in pain before having Luke guide her left hand over to the railing. She gripped the thin metal bar tightly, her knuckles turning white as she leaned up against it. The mere act of standing up winded her.

"Luke… you need to stop Joshua." She breathed.

Luke raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"He's losing control." Erza said quickly.

Luke's eyes widened and he whipped his gaze over to Joshua and Vader.

The duel had now carried itself up to the Emperor's seat. The seemingly frail Palpatine didn't even flinch as the two Sith Lords unloaded on each other. Neither held back their full powers. Their lightsabers collided with such force that Luke could hear Joshua's bones and joints cracking and creaking. Sparks flew from their red blades as they hacked and slashed furiously at each other. But as Luke watched, he could clearly see which way the battle was swinging.

Joshua was no longer fighting with the grace and poise he once had. His movements were now erratic and uncoordinated. He was completely out of balance. And that was a dangerous place to be when dueling Darth Vader. Luke had been there once before, and he lost his hand for that mistake. Vader began to gain ground on Joshua. He pushed the younger Sith Lord back. Joshua's defense was nowhere near as precise as before. Rage was blinding him. He was out of focus.

Luke formulated only one idea as to how to remedy the situation. He had to throw Vader off balance. And the only way to do that, was for him to join the fray. He had to make Vader pull power away from his strikes. He had to take the Dark Lord's attention away from Joshua. That way, maybe Joshua would be able to refocus himself.

"Stay here." Luke said to Erza before reactivating his lightsaber.

Attacking his father was the last thing Luke wanted to do. But he also didn't want to lose a friend. Luke flew up the steps, emerald blade humming in his hands as he rushed to engage Vader.

Vader had Joshua pressed up against the railing beside one of the vast, bay windows that comprised the walls behind Palpatine's throne. The Sith Lord dominated his younger opponent. His more powerful fighting form pushing Joshua's red blade closer to his own throat as Vader bared down on him.

Joshua hissed his pain as his hip was shoved up against the railing. He felt the communicator attached to his belt beep as the signal was pushed in. Normally, this would've made Joshua a little anxious. It was too early to call their escape ride. But the haze in his mind completely ignored it that little problem. He instead focused on the pain and attempted to use it as more fuel to his powers. He had to get Vader off of him. Break this blade lock. There was no way he would out muscle Vader. His strength was practically superhuman.

 _ **"Break the last of my chains boy."**_ Joshua heard in his mind. A sinister voice that whispered to him promises of vengeance and power. _ **"Break them and I shall slay them both for you."**_

Joshua clenched his jaw tightly shut. The temptation was tremendous. With Plagueis's power, Vader and the Emperor would be easily destroyed.

 _But at what cost?_ Joshua thought.

As he struggled to hold back Vader, he envisioned the consequences of allowing Plagueis to walk free. He saw the outcome of taking that much power for himself. Sure, he would defeat Sidious and Vader. But then, what? Plagueis would be allowed to roam free, unchecked and unchallenged. It would be replacing one tyrant with another. It would be signing the death warrant for all those he held dear.

 _No._ Joshua growled back to Plagueis before quickly repairing the chains that ensnaring the fuming Sith Lord.

 _ **"If you do not do this you will die! Your friends will die!"**_

 _You don't know that._ Joshua replied, _No knows what could happen. But I will not risk the one certainty in all of this._

 ** _"That being?"_**

 _Your own evil. Now submit!_

Plagueis growled but spoke no more as the chains that had previous snapped ensnared him once again, preventing him from breaking free. He needed more patience. Plagueis had no doubts he would soon be free. He could hear the Dark Side telling him so. All he had to do was wait while the boy squandered his strength on an unwinnable battle.

Both red blades hummed dangerously close to Joshua's neck. But he payed them no mind. Instead, his blazing yellow eyes stared hatefully at Vader's. Before the blades could begin burning into Joshua's skin, Luke arrived. A sudden roundhouse kick sent Vader stumbling away from Joshua.

"I got this, Joshua." Luke said.

 **"** **Out of my way, Jedi."** Joshua snarled, his voice practically unrecognizable.

"NO DON'T!"

Joshua charged at Vader. The Dark Lord simply remained still and raised a hand before balling it into a tight fist. It looked like Joshua hit a brick wall. His mouth fell open and his lightsaber clattered out of his hands as he reached up to grab his throat.

"I've had enough of you, Joshua Scarlet." Vader boomed before tossing Joshua towards the edge of the catwalk.

As Joshua flew through the air, Luke charged at Vader. Only to nearly get his head taken off by a quick slash from the dark lord's saber. Luke skidded to a stop just before Vader's blade could catch him. Vader lunged forward, attempting to take advantage of Luke's sudden lack of footing. But the young Jedi was too quick. In the blink of an eye, he had back flipped up onto a maintenance catwalk, high above Darth Vader.

"Don't do it Father." Luke said as he deactivated his saber again, "I don't want to fight you. Not when I know there is still good in you."

"You have no choice." Vader snarled as he followed Luke, who slowly walked along the maintenance catwalk.

A snarky response came to Luke's mind. A response that Joshua would completely approve of. Maybe he was beginning to rub off a little too much on the young Jedi. But at this point, Luke didn't really care.

"Well, you can't exactly fight me right now anyways. I have the high ground."

Vader stared silently at Luke. The Jedi smiled at his jab.

 _See, I've got a sense of humor Scarlet._

"I've heard that one before… son."

Luke's eyes widened and he jerked his head away as Vader's saber whizzed towards him, slicing through one of the catwalk's supports and causing the entire structure to come crashing down.

And Luke tumbled violently to the ground. His body ached and protested as he quickly got to his feet and hid in the shadows that now surrounded him. He could hear the Emperor laughing. Sidious was very pleased with what he was seeing. First Joshua was seemingly knocked out of the fight. And now Luke was hurting. And Vader was on the prowl. As he hid in the darkness underneath the platform where the Emperor sat, Luke closed his eyes and attempted to hide his presence. Much like how Joshua would do when he needed a quick escape.

"You cannot hide forever Luke." Vader growled in the darkness.

Luke opened his eyes, "I will not fight you!"

He saw Vader stop where he was walking and turn towards the sound of his voice as it echoed off of the many shadowy metal supports.

"Give yourself to the dark side." Vader said, much more softly than before, "It is the only way you can save your friends."

It hit Luke like a rampaging bantha. Vader's presence slammed into his mind and began to try and pry it open. Luke let out a shaking breath as he tried to put up his mental defenses in time. But the Sith Lord was throwing everything he could into his attack on Luke's mind. His face twisted in pain as the Vader's power peeled away the layers of his defenses and hammered against in consciousness' walls like a battering ram.

"Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong."

Luke's breath got stuck in his throat. There was one wall he could not allow to fall. One that he would not allow Vader to conquer. Vader sensed this, and he pounced, pouring his entire strength into toppling a mental wall that Luke guarded so closely. Luke cringed and gasped. He couldn't hold it. Vader's presence was too powerful. And so, the wall crumbled.

….

Vader smiled beneath his mask. He had defeated his son. The boy was formidable with a lightsaber but he was mentally weak. A disappointment in that regard. Then again, he was the son of Anakin Skywalker. Another man who was just as mentally weak. As Vader rifled through the information in Luke's mind he could hear the Jedi wincing in pain. And he fed off of it.

 _He is almost broken._ Vader thought confidently.

Then he froze. His regulated breathing paused and his lightsaber slowly lowered to his side.

"Sister?" He said in a barely audible whisper that was amplified by his suit.

He had another child. Not only did he have Luke, but he had a daughter as well. Vader felt rage build in him unlike any before. It wasn't enough for Obi Wan to hide his son from him. No, he had to hide his daughter from him too! If it wasn't for the fact that his master was sitting right above him, Vader would've made this entire room collapse in on itself with just his rage.

"So…" He said more loudly now. He could feel Luke's fear leaking out as he spoke, "You have a twin sister? Your feelings have now betrayed her too. Obi Wan was wise to hide her from me." He felt immense satisfaction build up inside of him, "Now his failure is complete."

He turned again, his lidless eyes scanning the darkness for his son. Then an idea formed in his mind. If he had a daughter, then she was no doubt as powerful as Luke was. Perhaps he did not need to convert Luke after all. He was proving to be incredibly stubborn in that regard.

"If you will not turn to the dark side," Vader taunted, "Then perhaps she will."

A loud cry erupted from the far side of the darkened space. Along with it, the dangerous sound of a lightsaber hissing to life. Vader whipped around to see Luke charging headlong at him. He barely had time to set his bulky form before Luke began to viciously hack at him. And he didn't stop when his lightsaber hit Vader's. Luke pulled his blade back from Vader's with a loud screech before slashing violently at him again. And again, and again, and again.

Vader found himself backpedaling out of the darkened area beneath Palpatine's throne and out towards the catwalk that connected the platform with the turbolift. He had no room to breath, no time to gather his thoughts, no time to even mount a proper defense as Luke Skywalker unloaded on his off balance form. He slashed left and right, high and low. Vader quickly ducked away from a savage overhand chop that slashed through the railing to his right. He felt his boot slide out from under him. His gloved hand reached out and gripped the other railing as he attempted to hold himself upright. Meanwhile, his sword arm kept his lightsaber over him as Luke bashed against it relentlessly. Vader heard his cybernetics groan as Luke hit again and again. Then Luke slapped his lightsaber to the side. Before Vader could even blink, the emerald blade rushed down once again and severed his hand from his arm.

Vader cried out in pain before falling backwards. Luke's blade was now mere inches from his face. His son snarled at him, anger painting his face into a hideous portrait. Vader raised his lone hand over his body, in surrender.

….

Joshua hit the ground hard and began to skid across the slick floor surface. Then the floor disappeared from beneath him as he slid under the railing that guarded the edge of the spire's floor. The Death Star's reactor core sat miles beneath him. A brilliant blue light far of energy down below him. His yellow eyes widened as his body tipped over the edge. He swiftly reached out for the floor's edge with his left hand.

Only to miss.

Just before a cry could escape his lips. His body jerked to a stop. Joshua's legs kicked frantically at the empty space beneath him. He stared down, wide eyed at how. His breath came out in shaky huffs as he realized that he had come that close to a long, slow death.

 _Who just caught me?_

He glanced up and saw Erza staring back down at him. Her legs hooked around the railing while her one remaining hand gripped his mechanical one.

"You aren't leaving me just yet!" Erza cried before mustering the last of her strength to pull him back up onto the platform.

As soon as he was safe back on the platform, Erza released her grip on his hand and collapsed in a heap on the ground. She had no strength left. Her body was entirely exhausted from the duel she had just participated in, losing her arm to Vader, and saving her brother's life.

"Saved you again." Erza breathed.

Joshua smirked, the rage slowly dying away as he saw his sister staring back at him.

"Just like old times." Joshua replied before rising to his feet and hauling Erza up with him.

Just as they got to their feet. Joshua head Luke utter an enraged roar. He peered into the darkness beneath Sidious' dais and saw Luke's green blade slashing frantically at a retreating Darth Vader.

Both Joshua and Erza stared wide eyed as Luke slashed at Vader. The terrifying Dark Lord of the Sith was in full retreat from the enraged Jedi. Then Vader slipped and Luke pounced. With a final cry, Luke brought his lightsaber down on Vader's sword hand. Joshua's mouth slowly fell open as he watched Vader's hand and lightsaber plummet down the reactor shaft towards the Death Star's core.

"W-we won?" Erza whispered, stunned as Luke stood over Darth Vader.

"No. We haven't won yet." Joshua muttered.

Erza saw him nod over to the throne. She felt her heart go to her throat as she slowly looked to see the Emperor rising from his throne.

….

He no longer felt any pleasure. He only felt incredible wrath as he saw his apprentice surrender to Luke Skywalker. That wrath only grew when he saw Erza Scarlet rise to her feet with the pretender's help, Joshua Scarlet.

Everything had been going so well. All four were dueling each other. All four were potential apprentices for the Dark Lord of the Sith. If Vader won, he could keep his potent apprentice. And he wasn't complaining about that possibility. Vader was a shell of what he could've been, certainly. But he had proven himself more than worthy to be a Dark Lord of the Sith. Perhaps, Sidious would've finally started grooming him to take over the Empire as Sidious had originally intended so many years ago. Before Mustafar.

If Sidious's ideal scenario occurred, then he would've had a new Skywalker by his side. A better Skywalker. A successor with far more potential than Vader could ever have. That was a tantalizing possibility for Sidious. Luke Skywalker would've been everything his father was not. It guaranteed the continued reign of the Sith over the galaxy.

The third possibility was that the First Sister managed to win. As unlikely as that was to Sidious, he had prepared for such a possibility. If that occurred, then he would groom the First Sister to be a Dark Lady of the Sith. She wouldn't be nearly as powerful as the Skywalkers. She never could be. It just wasn't possible. But there was a vicious efficiency to her that pleased Sidious. She would've made an effective tool. Not necessarily a successor.

Then there was Sidious's worst case scenario. Joshua Scarlet coming out victorious. He would not tolerate any rivals. And a rival is what Joshua Scarlet claimed to be. He had even been given a title by a mysterious master that Sidious had yet to unmask. He was called Darth Draconis. An interesting name for a Sith Lord. No doubt named in part because of his Earthland heritage. Draco and Dragon did sound very similar. And from what Thrawn told Sidious, Dragons were symbols of tremendous power on Earthland. Maybe, if this had happened, Sidious would've crippled the boy. Turning him essentially into another Vader. Bound to him as a servant and nothing more unless he deemed otherwise. But more than likely, Sidious would have outright killed the boy and found an entirely new apprentice.

All of these outcomes Sidious had prepared for. But he had not prepared for the outcome that occurred. In front of him, he saw Joshua Scarlet. He was not only alive, but mostly unharmed, save for a few scrapes and bruises. Beside him was Erza Scarlet, the First SIster purged to the dark recesses of her consciousness. Sidious had tried yanking the First Sister back into line during the battle. But Vader made sure that wouldn't' happen when he severed her arm. She was a useless combatant now.

Then there was the biggest disappointment of them all, Vader himself. He lay broken and defeated at the feet of Luke Skywalker. His hand held out above him as if he was begging for mercy. A Sith Lord… begging for mercy! The mere thought enraged Sidious. He could barely keep his emotions reined in. If he unleashed his full fury, they would all be consumed by the vacuum of space as this entire section of the Death Star would crumble.

He had not anticipated this at all. His apprentice being defeated, his rival still standing with a traitor by his side. The only salvageable portion of this entire situation was Luke Skywalker. But even now, Sidious could see the boy's anger subsiding away as he stared wide eyed at Vader's severed hand. The anger faded completely as the boy looked at his own cybernetic hand. Sidious knew in that moment, the boy would not turn. He had been reminded of what the Dark Side had done to his father. So, he would not follow that same road.

Sidious saw Luke turn to face the Emperor, his emerald blade hissing back into his hilt.

"It's over." Luke said firmly, "You've lost."

"Oh, have I?" Sidious growled, "Your arrogance is remarkable young Skywalker. Did you really think it would end so easily?"

Luke set his jaw and squeezed his lightsaber tightly in his hands. Meanwhile Joshua leaned over to Erza.

"I can't find my lightsaber." He whispered to Erza.

"And I can't get you another." Erza breathed weakly, "I'm… out of magic."

Sidious' yellow eyes blazed brightly as he glowed at the three rebels. His lips curled into a snarl.

"The question for me right now," He started, "Is no longer who will be my apprentice? No… the question for me now, is which one of you do I kill first?"

Luke exhaled and kept his eyes trained on the Emperor. Erza gulped and let out a rasping breath as her vision began to get hazy. She didn't have much strength left. Soon she would fall unconscious. And Joshua stood protectively beside Erza, his own yellow eyes fixated on the Dark Lord of the Sith.

He could feel the dark side beginning to churn around the room. Unlike Vader's power, which felt like an overwhelming pressure that pounded against him like a powerful hammer. Sidious's power built up slowly, as if he hadn't accessed it in years.

It started off like a small drizzle of rain. Nothing to make Joshua nervous. He actually smirked a little and wondered if the oh so fearsome Emperor was really as powerful as he was made out to be. Then the drizzle became a shower. The shower became a thunderstorm. And soon, Joshua felt like the force had become a hurricane around him. He could barely stand on his own as his mind was assaulted by an unrelenting barrage of mental attacks from Sidious. Luke was in the same situation. The Jedi was holding onto the railing as he tried to keep himself upright. Vader stayed on the floor, riding out the raging storm as he had done so many times before.

Sidious trained his eyes on Joshua Scarlet. He had assaulted the boy's mind relentlessly. And he found something he greatly fear. His yellow eyes widened as he felt a presence within the boy that Sidious swore he killed decades ago. And it grinned at him. It licked it's lips with anticipation, waiting for him to make a move. His former master was waiting for him to attack Joshua Scarlet. To make a grievous mistake and allow him to finally have his revenge.

He had intended to attack Joshua Scarlet outright. Eliminate the rival before the traitor. Then destroy Luke Skywalker before finally punishing Lord Vader for his failure. But now, Sidious took a step back and reevaluated his plan of action. He could see Joshua's memories. In each one, the boy didn't care what happened to him. He threw himself into danger constantly, ever since he was just a child. All so he could save his friends.

 _His friends!_

Sidious glowered down at Erza and Luke.

There was no point in executing Erza Scarlet right now. She was fading fast. He felt it. She would no longer be conscious soon. The exhaustion and stress had taken it's toll on her body. The loss of her arm was not helping matters either. She would be on the floor soon enough. Easy prey for his fury. What he needed, was an effective attack. Sidious's eyes finally settled on Luke Skywalker.

He was the source of all of this. He destroyed the first Death Star. He planted the seeds of doubt in his most loyal servant, Darth Vader. He was the one who brought the Earthlanders, and subsequently Joshua Scarlet, out of the shadows and onto the galactic stage. All of these were unforgivable offenses in Sidious' eyes.

Yes… an attack on Luke Skywalker would be an effective move. If what he saw in Joshua Scarlet's mind was true, then the pretender would go out of his way to save his friend. And if not, then Luke Skywalker would be dead. He could figure out how to destroy Joshua Scarlet, and Darth Plagueis from there.

"Yes." Sidious croaked, causing the three rebels to stiffen. He felt an old friend fall from his sleeve into his left hand. He trained his eyes on Luke, "You!"

Sidious uttered a powerful force scream before leaping at Luke.

….

Luke took a step back. The scream from the Emperor reverberated in his ears. It pounded endlessly against his eardrums, bringing primal fear to the surface. It made him freeze. His sword arm refused to move. Terror held him in it's grip.

He had underestimated the Emperor. He had done exactly what Yoda warned him not to do. And now he was going to die for it. The blood red blade of Darth Sidious began to fill Luke's vision with its sinister glow. Luke squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for that brief moment of agony before it all ended.

A sickening hiss rang out. Like cold water being poured onto a hot skillet. And there was no pain for Luke. He kept his eyes closed and swallowed. Did he die?

Luke carefully opened his eyes. His heart jumped to his throat, keeping him from crying out. He could only manage a silent scream as Sidious' lightsaber punched through Joshua's back and out his chest. He saw his friend staring back at him, yellow eyes no longer blazing but growing dim. He coughed then smirked at Luke. Sidious yanked his lightsaber free from Joshua's body, allowing him to fall at Luke's feet.

Luke's hands shook. His knees trembled as he stared down at the gaping hole in Joshua's chest. His eyes were already closed. The breath barely going in and out of his body. And Luke could do nothing about it. The young Jedi felt nothing but terror as he stared at Sidious' cold, unrelenting gaze. Luke dropped to his knees beside his friend as Sidious raised his blade over his head, a gleeful smile on his wrinkled face.

"You will now join him, Skywalker." Sidious cackled.

Black armor rushed past Luke and Joshua. Luke's eyes widened as Vader plowed into Darth Sidious, knocking the wind out of the decrepit Sith Lord and jerking his lightsaber free from his wrinkled hands. The elegant silver hilt clattering to the floor in front of Joshua's fallen form.

As soon as the lightsaber left Sidious's grip, sheets of blue lightning erupted from his fingertips, raking Vader's armored body. The violent display of light nearly blinded Luke. He had to shield his eyes in order to properly see what was going on. Like an unnatural X-Ray image, he could see Vader's bones through the armor as lightning coursed through his father.

Any normal man would've fallen dead by now. Any normal body would've stopped functioning. Their heart would've burst. Their lungs would've been fried. Their muscles would've become paralyzed by the amount of electricity coursing through the body.

But Vader kept moving.

His powerful arms lifted Sidious high over his head. The Dark Lord of the Sith began to howl in fury. He struggled against Vader's grip, throwing more lightning down at the his apprentice. But to no avail. The grip on his body was firm. Vader took one shaky step towards the edge of the platform. Then another. And with the last of his strength, he heaved Sidious over the side before crumpling to the floor. Sparks of electricity dancing over his armor.

The last sounds Emperor Palpatine made, were screams of terror as he plummeted to his death.

….

The ride to the Death Star was one of the most harrowing experiences Zeref had ever encountered. If he wasn't certain of his own immortality, he would've probably curled up into a ball on the floor of his shuttle as it sped towards the one of the many hangar bays in the Death Star. It was only thanks to the will of the force that he wasn't shot out of the sky by one of the many rebel star fighters zipping through space towards the Death Star.

As the shuttle slipped through the shield that kept held back the vacuum of space, Zeref could see Imperial personnel frantically scrambling around the floor of the hangar. They were like ants within their hill. Every dark uniformed officer and white armored stormtrooper racing to their stations as an unknown, unidentified Imperial Lambda class shuttle came to rest inside of the hangar alongside one of its sister ships. And like ants, every single Imperial on this abomination on a structure was insignificant.

The ramp began to lower and Zeref stepped forward. A squad of stormtroopers trained their blasters on him as he stepped down the ramp. A young officer, barely twenty years old shuffled to the front of his squad and glared at Zeref.

"Who are you!?" he demanded, "State your business!"

Zeref glowered at the child pretending to be a soldier. He then eyed the stormtroopers.

"Where's my book?"

The officer looked puzzled, "Book?"

A strangle cry came from his lips before he exploded in blast of blood and guts, staining the white armor of the stormtroopers behind him. Without a second thought, they all opened fire on Zeref.

Red blaster bolts screamed towards him… then stopped mid-flight. The stormtroopers ceased firing and slowly lowered their blasters.

He could feel their fear. It was a delicacy to Zeref. It had been a very long time since he had been feared like this. At least four hundred years. The last time was at the Dragon King Festival, when he had the last of the dragons at his mercy. It was an intoxicating feeling that fed into his growing powers. Zeref closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The red blaster bolts shot back at the stormtroopers, not a single one missing their target.

"Are we in the clear my lord?" His pilot asked behind him.

Zeref opened his eyes, the irises fading back to onyx, "Yes… we are." he glanced back at his faithful pilot, "Wait here, I won't be long."

"Yes my lord."

Zeref strode away from his shuttle towards the blast doors. He could feel several battles raging nearby. One was above him. An ultimate clash between good and evil. Between Jedi and Sith. The force churned around that conflict. Zeref had to admit, he was tempted to go join. But it was the second conflict that immediately drew his attention.

As he stepped through the blast doors. He saw a shirtless man in boxers sprinting towards him. Zeref arched an eyebrow. Then he understood why such a peculiar sight was rushing towards him. Behind the half naked man was a cackling red head with a deadly lightsaber in one hand and-

Zeref's eyes focused on the red pyramid in the woman's hand.

"My holocron." He whispered before stepping towards the pair sprinting in his direction.

Indeed, fate seemed to be on his side today.

 **And chapter! The lightsaber duel had concluded. I did my absolute best to keep the integrity of ROTJ intact while also throwing in some new stuff in there. It was REALLY difficult. The lightsaber duel in ROTJ is one of the most (if not the most) emotionally charged duels in all of Star Wars. And that is a feeling that is incredibly difficult to replicate, especially when you can only use words to describe it. By no means did I expect to turn out something as spectacular as the original (even though it would've been cool if I did). I did my best though, and I hope it turned out well. As always, let me know what you guys think. I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	114. Chapter 114: Demonic Rampage

**Hello again everyone! I apologize for not updating sooner. It was a crazy busy weekend for me. But now I can relax and write. Here's a new chapter for you all. Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 114

He could smell it. He could taste it. The fear. With every kill his flaming claws made, the fear grew around him. It was like an ever spreading sickness in these drab corridors he prowled. Every time he encountered the men in white, they ran. Or, they tried to. But not one could out run his blazing black flames. They consumed everything and everyone. Men in the strange grey or black uniforms. Men in the white armor. Even metal men with artificial voices. They all fell before him as he stalked the halls of this strange space.

It had been centuries since he had been freed from the cage that was his spell book. He could feel the passing of time weighing on him as his feet dug into the molten metal caused by his footfalls. And that time, even though it was nothing to him in the grand scheme of things, was valuable to him nonetheless. He wished he had that time. That precious time he had lost, trapped in that infernal book. That was time wasted. That was time he wasn't attempting to kill Zeref. To kill his creator.

But now was the time. He couldn't ever remember a city in Earthland looking like this one, with it's gray, brightly lit halls and strange soldiers. But it mattered not. He would find Zeref either way. It was only a matter of time. And that was his main goal. All of these other insects, these bags of flesh and bone that stumbled around him, were his entertainment until the real show arrived.

His flaming face drew into a wide grin, showing razor sharp teeth. The real show was going to be a thrill.

He paused in his tracks and sniffed before glancing back. There it was again. That same scent as before. The blue cat that was cautiously following him. Fearfully following him. He couldn't quite understand why he hadn't burnt the animal to cinders yet. Maybe the cat's fearful whimpers were just that entertaining. Or maybe there was something else holding him back. The black flames that formed his shoulders lifted in a shrug. To him it didn't matter. The cat was no threat. And he doubted it was a creation of Zeref. If it was… it'd probably try to kill him. After all, each demon wanted the glory of slaying the master. It was only his enormous power that had originally kept them all in line.

A roar escaped his lips as he felt more red flashes of intense light slam into his body. The lights felt like fire. They had heat hotter than most flames. They had power. But they were different somehow. They didn't do much damage to him, but they still caused him some pain whenever they plowed into his body.

His dark eyes focused on the poor man in white who dared to fire his weapon at the demon marching towards him. With a terrifying roar, he pounced. Flames shredding the soldier's armor, making the jagged edges curl inward as the material melted to the body underneath. Another wide grin. That's another human in his quest for entertainment.

The grin faded as he realized something. He was getting bored. Painfully so. These insignificant white soldiers posed no challenge. They were no threat. He could flick them and they would fall to their knees in agony. It was times like this that END actually longed for the other demons in Zeref's books. He wished he could find Mard Geer and kill that arrogant bastard once again. That was always one of his favorite activities. At least, from what he could remember, that was one of his favorite activities. The memory was still a little fuzzy. But centuries of slumber can mess with the mind. He had no doubts about that.

Still, a bored END was a very, very dangerous END. And to curb said boredom, he attempted to devise new ways to bring about the death of these soldiers in white with his black flames. As he claws came crashing down upon them, he thought long and hard about how to snuff out their lives. Should he just crisp them? Roast them? Find a pot and boil them? Sear them? A giddy chuckled escaped his lips. He loved devising ways to cook humans.

At least, he thought he loved it. Did he? The memory of it all was a little fuzzy again.

The demon scratched the top of it's flaming head, puzzled by it's lack of information on what it liked and didn't like. And as he pondered it, he stopped striding through the brightly lit halls and he just stood still. Head tilting to the side like a young child discovering some amazing new thing that it doesn't quite understand.

His nose wrinkled again. The cat was still there, only it was inching ever more closer. The little creature seemed to be gaining some confidence. He glanced back at the little blue cat and licked his lips. The little creature jumped, hair standing on end before quickly backing away behind a fallen soldier.

 _There._ He thought, _That should teach him not to get any closer._ He raised an eyebrow, _Although,_ He glanced back at the cowering animal, _He's kinda funny! Maybe I should keep him._

The cat squealed in fear as END swooped over and towered over him. Its enormous eyes welled up with fearful tears as it stared up at END. But when the demon chuckled, the cat stopped tearing up and instead looked utterly confused. Still terrified of course, but also very confused.

The demon knelt down to the cat's eye level and grinned.

" _ **Funny."**_ He breathed, his hot breath singeing some of the cat's blue fur.

"Uh…" The cat blinked then stared up at him, as if it was amazed that he just spoke, "Natsu?"

Another blaster bolt zipped through the air and clipped END's back. The demon snarled, turned away from the funny cat and blasted the soldier into oblivion. He then returned his attention to the small animal and chuckled again as the cat stared horrified at the charred remains of a stormtrooper.

" _ **Funny."**_

"N-no! That's not funny!" The cat stammered.

END cocked his head to the side, grin gone. The cat quickly squeezed it's eye shut, waiting for what he thought was going to be swift retribution. After all, he just told the most powerful demon in the world that he was not funny. Instead, the blue cat felt a finger poke it's tummy. It jumped back at first, fearful of the black flames. Only then to realize, that the flames were cool. They didn't burn at all.

" _ **Funny."**_ The demon snarled again while pointing at the blue cat.

The cat's eyes widened, "No… not Funny." The cat pointed a paw at his chest, "Happy."

END's eyes narrowed, " _ **Happy?"**_

Happy's eyes shimmered with tears again, "Yeah, I'm Happy." His paw pointed at the demon, "And you are Natsu."

END frowned and shook his head.

" _ **Funny."**_ He pointed at Happy again. Then he pointed at himself, " _ **END."**_

 _ ****_"No! No!" Happy declared, "I'm Happy. You're Natsu!"

END raised a fiery eyebrow, " _ **You're Natsu? I'm Happy?"**_

 _ ****_"Oh my god. He's as dumb as Natsu is too."

A fiery hand gripped Happy's torso and tugged him up. At first, he flailed and kicked, attempting to escape the flaming hand. Then he tried to spread his wings, only to find that he couldn't. END's hand was gripping him too tightly. He squeezed his eye shut and began to scream.

"PLEASE DON'T EAT ME! PLEASE! I WON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT BURNT FISH EVER AGAIN!"

A low chortled made Happy's body rumbled. He carefully cracked an eye open to see that END had propped him up on a flaming shoulder. He even made especially sure to make the flames cold. Happy blinked his eyes fully open. Was this really happening? Was he reaching Natsu somehow? Or did END really like him that much?

" **Natsu,"** The demon smirked at Happy, " **We… move."**

"My name is not NatSUUUUUUU!"

Happy jerked back in his perch on END's shoulder as the demon began to zip through the Death Star's corridors, laughing madly as he whizzed by stormtroopers. And melting them as he went too. The entire time, Happy screamed in terror. But for the demon, he must've interpreted the screams as laughs, because his laughter only grew.

" **Natsu funny!"**

"No! Natsu- er- Happy is not fun-" Happy stopped talking and turned to an open blast door. His silence made END screech to a halt. "-ny."

Happy's mouth fell open as he stared through the blast door. Beyond it was the construction zone of the Death Star.

It was massive. Despite the raging battle occurring just outside of the space station, the wizards turned slaves were still working. They were chained together by chains of magic suppression stone. Stormtroopers with blasters and more of the debilitating stone were stationed nearby the various prisoners as they toiled at their work. All of them looked terrible. They were malnourished. So much so that Happy swore some were just skin and bones. They all looked terribly weak. Each barely able to lift the loads required of them. And in all of that, Happy could see a mess of long purple hair beside a mess of light brown hair.

"Macao… and Wakaba?" He whispered.

And beside them was a particularly tall and large figure with long, spiky white hair.

"Elfman?"

" **Heh… heh… More."** END growled.

"WHA!" Happy cried, "NO!"

His sudden cry caught the attention of the many stormtrooper guards in the construction zone. They all wheeled around and began to fire volleys of red blaster bolts. Happy screamed in fear before he suddenly felt END curl up over him.

" **END… Protect… Natsu."**

"It's Happy." Happy replied, "But… thanks Natsu."

The Demon's eyes glared evilly at the stormtroopers. Meanwhile the many slaves beyond the blast doors stared in disbelief at the terrifying figure crouching over the blue cat in the doorway. Taking blaster bolts like they were nothing more than pinpricks.

" **END… Kill."** The demon rose to it's full height in front of Happy, " **All."**

"NO! White soldiers only!" Happy declared forcefully.

END looked puzzled down at Happy. " **White only?"**

"YES! Finally he understands!" Happy cried before smirking deviously at the Stormtroopers, all of whom had stopped firing at the monster in the doorway. All of them stunned that it hadn't dropped to the ground, dead.

"Go get em buddy."

END uttered an ear splitting roar before bounding into the room. His fiery claws sank into a stormtroopers breastplate, tearing the soldier in half with one sweep of his hand. He then laughed loudly and lunged at the other stormtrooper guards. His fire continued to grow hotter. It melted the durasteel around him like ice on a warm summer day. Pools of liquid steel began to form around the area. And as he wildly attacked the stormtroopers, his flames licked up against the magic suppression stone chains of the many imprisoned wizards. And as soon as they were freed, they either joined END in his assault on the Imperials or fled to the hangar as fast as their weak bodies could carry them.

"REAL MEN JOIN THE FIGHT NOT RUN FROM IT!" Happy heard a thinner Elfman declare before he jerked a blaster out of a stormtrooper's hands and fired.

"Happy!"

The blue cat's gaze whipped to his right and he saw Macao and Wakaba rushing over. Their hair came down over their faces in greasy, unkempt strands. Like they hadn't had a shower in months. Which was probably the case.

"Happy." Macao gasped, "What. Is. That?" He asked as he pointed a trembling finger at the rampaging END.

"Oh him?" Happy replied casually, as if this was a normal occurrence. And that freaked out the two Fairy Tail wizards, "That's just Natsu."

"JUST NATSU!" They exclaimed in unison.

"Uh huh." Happy nodded, "But he thinks he's me. You see! He admires my power!"

Macao squinted at Happy, "That cat is still delusional."

"Or stupid." Macao replied.

"You're all so mean! And I came here to rescue you all."

"You're just standing there!" Elfman shouted before bashing a stormtrooper over the head and earning an unsettling chuckle from END.

"I'm supervising the rescue." Happy mumbled before quickly covering his ears as he heard the roar of star fighters just outside of the thin environmental shield that protected the construction zone from cold space.

His large eyes quickly looked out of the shield and he saw several X-wings and Y-wings following the Millennium Falcon as it circled around the Death Star. A pit formed in Happy's gut. One that told him it was time to get the hell out of here.

"We have to leave now." Happy commented.

"Why?" Wakaba asked.

"Cause this station is going to blow up soon."

Macao and Wakaba blinked, "Eh?"

Happy whistled at END. The demon's head jerked around to look at him as he gripped a squirming stormtrooper by the neck.

"C'mon buddy! Time to go!"

END tilted it's head back and uttered a long, unsatisfied groan.

"Don't give me that! Do you want to go boom!?" Happy shouted.

END tilted it's head to the side before simply shrugging.

"NO! You don't want to go boom! I don't wanna go boom! So c'mon!"

"You heard the cat, Natsu!" Elfman shouted as he stood beside END, "Let's get home!"

The demon's eyes widened, " _ **Home?"**_

Elfman grinned, "Yeah! Home! To Fairy Tail!"

END's face softened and he released his grip on the stormtrooper's crushed neck.

" _ **Fairy… Tail?"**_

Elfman nodded before Happy shouted at them to hurry up. Elfman then gave END a thumbs up.

"And when we get back, you gotta tell me how the hell you got this crazy strong. You gotta rival Gildarts at this point pal!"

The black flames began to grow hotter, " _ **TO HOME!"**_

"Aye!"

….

Gray ducked as yet another piece of steel torn from the walls behind him was chucked at his head.

 _Just my luck! I got the crazy bitch to deal with!_ Gray thought angrily as he skidded around a corner and continued sprinting towards the main hangar as quickly as his feet could carry him.

Behind him, he could hear the loud cackles of the Grand Inquisitor, Mara Jade. She had been hot on his heels for the past few miles as he sprinted down corridor after corridor and ducked into hallway after hallway. All the while, her lightsaber madly swung at him whenever she closed the distance. And when Gray managed to widen the gap, her force powers allowed her to rip the steel plating off of the walls around them and send the sheets of metal flying at Gray. Some of them had even managed to nick him just enough to wear he had gashes from when they slashed into his skin.

Mara Jade on the other hand was completely unharmed. Gray had not attempted to counter her. This was mostly because she was not giving him any time to strike back. She kept him constantly running from her. She prevented him from turning on his heel and attacking by just getting more aggressive with how she fought. She constantly kept him on the run. But Gray didn't mind too much. He wasn't expending any of his magic, which he had precious little of to begin with. And as long as she didn't get too close to him, he could manage to fend her off.

More sheets of metal were catapulted towards him. Gray's eyes widened and he swiftly jerked his head out of the way of a razor sharp shard of durasteel that just barely grazed his left shoulder.

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT!" Gray shouted back at Mara Jade, his frustration now finally boiling over.

"Oh cutie, do you not like it when I try to kill you?"

"NO!"

Mara Jade pouted, "I figured that you would be a little turned on that I cared so much about you that I had to kill you personally."

"That makes absolutely no sense!" Gray shouted back as he sprinted around a corner.

"You make no sense, Ice Boy!"

Gray planted his foot and cupped his right fist with his left palm, "No one ever calls me that! **Ice Make: Lance!"**

 ****Mara Jade's eyes widened as a dozen long ice lances sprouted from Gray's hands and rocketed towards her. Her expression went from surprised to thrill as she charged at the lances. The first last whizzed over her head as she slid underneath it. Just before the second to hit her, she dove over it. The third, fourth, and fifth zipped over her body as she tucked into a roll. When she got back to her feet, her lightsaber slashed through the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth. Finally, with a powerful force push, she sent the final three ice lances careening into the floor.

"Is that the best you can do!?" She taunted.

 _Holy shit! How'd she do that!?_ Gray gulped before seeing a large set of blast doors coming up on his left. _The hangar!_

 __Gray slid to a stop in front of the large blast doors before sprinting in. As he rushed into the hangar, he could see the ramp on a lone imperial shuttle docked inside. And at the foot of the shuttle's ramp were the mangled bodies of a squad of stormtroopers. In front of those stormtroopers, was a red puddle on the floor with some scraps of black fabric in it.

Finally, standing in front of the carnage with a small smile on his face, was a young man with dark hair. When Gray saw him he instantly screeched to a stop, his feet squeaking as they slid on the polished hangar floors. Gray's eyes widened as he felt a sensation rush over his skin. A sensation he almost never felt.

 _It's so… cold._

The man's gaze turned to look at him. It was an icy stare that made the ice make mage shiver. As the man turned, his black coat twirled and his hands stayed by his sides. Behind Gray, Mara Jade came bursting into the hangar.

As she entered, her own mad smile disappeared. She felt a cold presence creep up her spine, causing the skin on the back of her neck to crawl. Her breath hitched and she felt like she couldn't breath while this newcomer stared at her. She saw his dark eyes dart to her hand which tightly gripped her precious holocron. The man smirked evilly at her.

"My holocron." He muttered.

Mara Jade gulped. This man was clearly an Earthlander, judging by his attire and physique. So she shouldn't be afraid of him. The only Earthlander that ever struck fear into her was Joshua Scarlet. And even then, it was more anger than fear that she felt whenever she had the misfortune of running into him.

But this feeling she had now, was a feeling only her master ever gave her. The cold chill running down her spine. The sweat beginning to form in the cracks of her now clammy hands. The feeling of color rushing away from her face as she felt this Earthlander's stare. Her breathing quickened. Her chest rose and fell in heavy heaves as the man began to slowly approach her. He payed no mind to Gray Fullbuster. The Ice mage was insignificant to him. Her yellow eyes glanced down at the glowing red pyramid in her hand. What he wanted was her holocron. Her jaw clenched tightly. He wasn't going to get it without a fight.

"Don't try to fight me." the man warned, as if he had read her mind. Mara Jade's heart began to thump loudly, "It won't end well for you." He nodded to the pile of stormtroopers beside his shuttle, "They would know."

She gulped and raised her lightsaber out in front of her body while positioning herself so that the holocron was away from the man. He simply shook his head in disappointment.

"Very well then."

A black ball of energy formed in his right palm. Mara barely had time to take another breath before the ball came screaming at her. Right away, she knew this was going to hurt. She poured all her power into the force shield that she maintained around her body and braced for impact. Just before the ball hit her, she felt her hand jerk. The holocron was torn from her grasp by a powerful force pull.

"NO!" she snarled before being consumed by a black explosion.

Gray stared wide eyed as a dark column of energy devoured Mara Jade. As it roared around her, he could hear her screams of agony. He gulped and turned his gaze to his _savior._ But he was very hesitant to call him that right now.

He held his breath as the holocron drifted through the air towards the man's outstretched palm. He snagged it so gently. Like he was plucking a rose from a bush. His fingers brushed over the golden frame with a lover's tenderness. Gray could see a smile beginning to from on the man's face.

"Finally." he heard him breath. And with a snap of his fingers, the column of energy around Mara Jade disappeared.

She crumpled in a heap on the floor, eyes widen and mouth open in a silent scream. She was alive, but every bone, every muscle in her body felt completely destroyed. How she survived was a mystery to her, and perhaps it forever would be. Her lips began to quiver and she gulped in air. She had been defeated by a mere Earthland. How was that even possible?

"Who the hell are you?" Gray asked as he shifted into his battle stance. He carefully eyed the mystery man's movements. Right now he seemed to enthralled by the holocron's red glow to pay Gray any mind. So, the ice mage asked again. "HEY!"

The man's eyes glanced over at Gray. A look so deadly that it made the raven haired man silence himself. Then a small smirk formed on the man's face.

"You've done your job well, Gray Fullbuster." the man praised, "You have retrieved the holocron for me. Now all I need is my book."

Gray's eyes widened in realization. This wasn't just any random wizard. This was Emperor Spriggen. The Emperor of the Alvarez Empire. And if Gray wasn't respectful enough, he could very well decide not to help Fiore. He gulped. This was no time to be risky.

"What book?" Gray asked suddenly.

Emperor Spriggen paused as he strode away from his shuttle, "The book of END of course."

Gray's eyes widened and his blood ran cold. END. That was the name of Tartaros' guildmaster. The was the name of the demon that helped enslave his father. END was one of Zeref's demons. The pieces fit together in Gray's mind like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. Emperor Spriggen was the black wizard, Zeref.

Rage built up in Gray as he stared at the man. This was the man responsible for all of his life's suffering. He was the one who created Deliora, the demon that destroyed his home and killed his parents. The demon that killed his master, Ur. This was the same man whose legacy nearly destroyed his guild more than once. This was the same man who was worshiped by the guild that enslaved his father.

Gray's fist clenched tightly at his sides. He wanted nothing more than to kill Zeref where he stood. Or at least get one good hit in there. He had his father's devil slayer magic now. It was given to him after they fought at Tartaros. A parting gift from his old man. A way for him to get revenge for his father. But deep down, Gray knew that there was no way that would be good enough.

First, there was no where near enough magic for Gray to be able to use the intricate spells that made up Ice Devil Slayer magic. Second, this was Zeref. The Zeref. A man so terrible and powerful that not a single person in history was able to challenge him. And, he just made Mara Jade look like a complete weakling with his power.

Gray's fist grew tighter as he began to realize there would be no way he could win this fight. And if he did decide to attack Zeref, he would doom Fiore in the process. As much as he desired revenge for his life's misery, he cared too much for those below… on Earthland.

"Do you want to attack me?" Zeref suddenly asked, causing Gray's heart to stop for a moment.

"I-I," Gray's face twisted into a snarl, "I would like to. Yes."

Zeref smirked, "You can if you want." Gray's stared cautiously at him, "Just know that you will not survive, Gray Fullbuster son of Silver Fullbuster."

He was baiting him. Trying to get him to snap. By invoking his father's name like that, he was nearly successful. Gray took one step forward before hesitating.

"No?" Zeref continued while Gray clenched his teeth, "I thought so. You are much smarter than your father was. That is for certain."

"Watch your mouth." Gray growled.

Zeref chuckled, "When you grow more powerful than me, then you can order me around. Now to find my-"

A fiery explosion ripped through the hall beyond the blast doors. Stormtrooper bodies, dozens of them, came flying into the hangar. Their armor melted and charred. Gray saw Zeref stiffen a little as black flames flickered on the metal floors. Then both of their eyes widened at what came marching into the hangar.

It was a demon. No doubt about it. Evil black flames clung to the body like a dark clothing. The hands had human palms and long talons for fingers. And the eyes were black as midnight. But it was the figure as a whole that made Gray's heart stop in his chest. What he saw was confirmed by the white scaly scarf lazily hanging around the demon's neck, and the blue cat that comfortably sat on the demon's right shoulder.

"END." He heard Zeref whisper with a smile, "It has been a long time."

Gray felt like he was choking. He couldn't breath at all. The shock was too much. Natsu was END. His friend was the demon he had sworn to kill. The demon that he swore he would have revenge upon. For his father's enslavement, for his family's death, for Ur's death. He had been so zealous about it before. But to see that it was Natsu, it made Gray freeze in place.

END's eyes locked with Zeref's. The demon then plucked Happy off of his shoulder before gently setting him down on the metal floors.

"Natsu?" Happy muttered.

"Hey Natsu!" Gray's head snapped over to the blast doors as he saw several dozen Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Sabertooth, and Mermaid Heel wizards rush in.

"Natsu!" Elfman shouted again, "Wait… up."

END and Zeref were staring each other down. Neither blinking, neither showing any sign of weakness. The black flames around the demon grew more intense and it's breathing sounded like animistic growls. It's lips parted into a hideous snarl, revealing razor sharp teeth.

" _ **ZEREF!"**_ END roared before recklessly charging at his opponent.

Gray watched wide eyed as Zeref didn't move a muscle. When END was mere feet away, the black wizard raised his hand and hoisted the demon into the air. The demon's eyes bulged from his head, surprised by the sudden move.

"You are weak compared to me now, END." Zeref frowned, "I want a challenge when you finally face me. Not an easy victory."

END roared furiously and was conjuring a blast of fire in his hands when Zeref quickly snapped his fingers. END froze in place and the black flames instantly died away. The long talons that made up END's fingers disappeared and became blackened human fingers. The dark hue on the skin was replaced by red and black burns all over the once tan skin of Natsu Dragneel. As the flames faded away, they became black runes that Gray couldn't read, let alone comprehend. The runes swirled around Natsu's unconscious body before suddenly compiling at Natsu's feet. Within seconds, END was gone. Banished back into his book.

"Plus. I don't wish to fight you yet, END." Zeref calmly walked over to Natsu and caught him as he fell to the floor. The black wizard then gently laid the unconscious dragon slayer down, "I have much more important tasks to take care of."

Zeref reached out and pulled the book off of the floor. He wiped the leather cover before allowing requip magic to take it and store it away.

"HEY!" Elfman shouted, "What did you just do to Natsu!?"

"You better explain yourself pal!" Wakaba growled.

Zeref simply gave them an amused smirk. He turned to his pilot.

"Send a message on the rebel frequencies." He ordered to his pilot, who had been watching the entire ordeal from the ramp of Zeref's shuttle, "Tell them, that there are prisoners in need of rescuing in the Death Star's main hangar bay."

"Yes sir."

"And… do you know where the Emperor's spire is?"

"I've heard it mentioned several times over the comms sir." The pilot replied.

"Are you seriously going to ignore us!" Macao bellowed.

"You are a horrible man for not answering someone's questions!" Elfman declared.

Zeref indeed just ignored them, "Meet me at the spire."

The pilot blinked, "Um...what was that sir?"

"Hover the shuttle beside the spire." Zeref ordered again, "I'll meet you there."

"May I ask why sir?"

Zeref scowled, "Because I told you to. Now do it!"

The pilot gulped, "Yes sir!"

Zeref turned to look at Gray, "You and I will see each other again Gray Fullbuster. When we do, you will have your chance." He looked at Natsu, "And so will END. But… for now, we must focus on our common enemy. I sense the battle is winding down above us. And I also sense that the battle around us is drawing to a close. So… if you want to battle me someday, Gray Fullbuster. I suggest you either pray that the rebels send transports quickly. Or, you find a way to escape yourself."

The imperial shuttle thundered to life, blasting Gray with heat from it's powerful engines. The ice mage shielded himself from the sudden blast of energy as the shuttle lifted off of the hangar floor and raced out into space once again. Meanwhile, Zeref turned away from Gray and strode quickly past the other wizards that stared at him dumbstruck.

He entered a lift on the other side of the hall, beyond the blast doors. Zeref turned to look at the wizards.

"Home is just down below. And it will be free once again. But until then, may the force be with you."

As the lift doors closed, Zeref could see small Alliance shuttles racing towards the hangar.

 _That pilot continues to impress me._

He jabbed his thumb on the button that would take him to the Emperor's spire. The doors sealed shut and he let out a deep breath. He could feel it in the force. The tide of this battle had shifted permanently in the rebels favor. Victory was at hand. The Emperor would be defeated. Now, he just had to see if the Emperor was already defeated, or if Joshua Scarlet would need any sort of assistance.

Hopefully the former was the case. He could feel the Emperor's power leaking through the Death Star. And for the first time in a very long time, Zeref felt doubt creep into his mind.

….

"Bring me the wounded now!" Wendy shouted as she stooped over a violently shaking wizard suffering from multiple blaster wounds to the torso.

The battle for Magnolia had come to a close. Once Fairy Law had been cast, the majority of the stormtroopers surging into the city had been wiped out. The playing field had been leveled in one major stroke. And the Earthland wizards took full advantage. With a great rallying cry from both Jellal and Galen, the remaining wizards struck hard and fast. The lines of stormtroopers stood no chance as the two Crime Sorciere wizards led the way into the battle. Their swords hacking and slashing as they routed what remained of the captain less stormtroopers. A battle that they felt for certain they would lose, had turned into a resounding victory.

But even at the end of a victory, there was still the cries of the wounded. The moans of the dying. And it was Wendy's job to heal as much as she could. And to comfort where and when she could. She heard the last words of dozens of wizards as they lay broken in the stone streets beside Magnolias large main canal. She had seen horrific wounds inflicted by blaster fire, cannon fire, and thermal detonators. And with how low her magic now was, she need all the help she could get.

Thankfully, old Porlyusica had arrived with fresh help once word reached the hideout that the battle was over. Her old teacher brought with her sacks and sacks of potions and ingredients. She had anticipated a horrific scene. But while Wendy had grown used to the horrors of war, especially after the defeat on Mon Cala. Porlyusica and the others who had come to tend the wounded were stunned. They could form no words as Wendy frantically worked. It took the Sky Dragon Slayer shouting at them for the group of medics to finally begin working.

And as they worked, they heard Han and Leia call over. Their strike team had successfully destroyed the shield generator. And now, on the backs of some of their soldiers, were wounded rebel foot soldiers. More work for Wendy.

 _Good._ She thought.

She needed the distraction. It kept her from looking up at the hideous orb in the sky above them. It kept her from watching the hundreds of small fireballs falling to the surface as the battle raged around the Death Star. Most important of all, it kept her from wondering how the battle was raging on the inside of the Death Star. Everytime she paused in her work, her mind wandered to Joshua facing the Emperor and Vader. It wandered to Natsu and Gray trying to rescue their friends while also getting Zeref's book and holocron. And it wandered to Luke, fighting alongside Joshua against the Emperor. Every time she stopped working, fear crept into her heart.

So she poured herself into her work. While Galen, Jellal, and the other victorious warriors rested, Wendy was working on a young wizard from Lamia Scale. He had been caught by a thermal detonator blast. Thankfully, he was just far enough away to avoid serious injuries. But he was still riddled with burns and gashes. Wounds easily remedied with bacta.

"This will sting a little." Wendy warned as she applied the bacta patched while Romeo gave the wizard some water.

Suddenly, Wendy felt something snap inside of her. A connection that had been severed. Like a string being cut by scissors. Her heart began to ache and thump violently. She snapped her gaze up to the Death Star and took some shaky breaths.

"Wendy?" Romeo called.

But she didn't hear. Her brown eyes remained transfixed on the Death Star. More fireballs rained down into the atmosphere as Earthland's gravity sucked in all the debris in orbit. This horrible feeling in her heart only grew worse. The only other time she had ever felt like this, was when her mother Grandine had disappeared years ago. Her breaths became even more shallow as she focused on the Death Star.

"Wendy!?" Romeo called again.

This time, he got her attention.

"Wh-what?" Wendy stammered.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

Wendy took a shaky breath before nodding her head. This was just paranoia, nothing more. She glanced at the ring on her finger. It was his promise to her that he would come back. And she had faith he would. That's all she could do right now. Have faith.

"Yeah." She replied as she pressed another bacta patch onto a burn, "I'm fine. Just… very tired."

"If you need a break then I can do the bacta patches." Romeo offered, "Just show me how."

Wendy smiled a little, "It's ok Romeo. I'll be fine." She then patted the Lamia Scale wizard on his shoulder, "And so will you. Rest and water now. Go to Porlyusica in a couple hours. She will have a remedy for the pain."

"Th-thank you!" He said hoarsely.

"Your welcome." Wendy brushed the sweat from her forehead before waving at Han and Leia, who quickly hauled a wounded unconscious soldier over to her.

"What is it?" Wendy asked as she scanned her newest patient. Across from her, Romeo gulped. The wounds were horrific. The chest cavity had been practically ripped open. How the man was alive, Wendy could only guess.

"AT-AT." Han grimaced.

Wendy nodded and looked over the wounds more closely. Meanwhile, Romeo's face had gone ghost white. Wendy then closed her eyes and shook her head.

"If I had my magic, maybe." She said softly, "But… there's not enough ethernanos. I'd barely be able to start before I'd black out from the strain." She looked over Han who nodded grimly. Leia meanwhile sighed deeply, "I'm sorry."

"It's… the nature of war." Leia breathed before bowing her head.

Wendy looked at Romeo, "Take him to Porlyusica. She'll ease his pain before he goes."

Romeo gulped but nodded, "Aye."

As Romeo and another wizard gently lifted the fallen soldier. Wendy decided to take a quick breather. But just as she took a single, relaxed breath, a titanic boom echoed all around them. Everyone instantly dropped to the ground and covered their heads. Wendy clamped her hands over her ears and winced as the boom echoed over and over in her ears.

"By the force." She heard Leia gasp.

"I'll be damned." Han muttered.

"OH MY GOD! THEY DID IT!" One of the Blue Pegasus Trimens shouted.

Wendy's eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. Her head snapped up to look at where the Death Star was.

It was gone. A large, expanding fireball had taken it's place. Debris rained down in small streams of flames through the atmosphere. Wendy's jaw fell open as she stared up at the scene. The Death Star was gone. Completely gone. They had really won.

Cheers began to erupt around Magnolia. Jellal and Galen embraced each other before Galen broke away and kissed Meldy and his son, Kento. Azuma whooped, Romeo cheered and jumped up and down. Mirajane's reaction was a tad more subdued, along with Lissanna.

 _They're worried about Elfman and the others._ Wendy thought before glancing back up at the expanding explosion, _Joshua…_

"You don't think Luke and the others were still on that thing when-"

Wendy looked down at Leia as she shook her head at Han.

"I know he wasn't. I can feel it."

Wendy sucked in a breath as she saw a jealous look come across Han's face.

"Oh… um alright. Nah, it's ok. I understand." Han nodded with a slight frown.

Leia's eyes sparkled and she let out a cheerful laugh that puzzled both Han and Wendy.

"No, no. You got it all wrong, Han." Leia leaned closer to the scoundrel, "He's my brother."

Han's eyes widened, as did Wendy's.

"But you…" Wendy stared, "Didn't you kiss-"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Leia shouted as she cut off Wendy, "Besides, I've found someone much better to kiss." And she pressed her lips to Han's, "Happy We Defeated the Empire Day."

Han blinked, "Well…" He smirked, "I...I think you may have to come up with a better name than that."

Wendy smiled. Her grin only widened as she saw the celebrations breaking out through Magnolia. The entire galaxy would be like this today. The Empire was beginning to fall. Not only that, but thanks to Leia, Wendy knew that Joshua was ok.

Right?

But that feeling still remained in Wendy's heart, even as her face was covered in a wide smile and she embraced her friends. She couldn't help but feel that despite this great moment… something terrible had happened.

 **And chapter! Made this one extra long for you guys! I hope you all liked it! That part with END at the beginning had to be one of my favorite scenes to write in this entire story. I'm not kidding. That was a lot of fun. Anyways, we only have a couple more chapters to go. The story is winding down now. Don't worry, we will see the end of the Space battle as well as what happens to Luke, Joshua and the others on the Death Star. I just felt like wrapping up the other ends of this battle now so I wouldn't lose track of anything. Anyway, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	115. Chapter 115: Fall of the Sith

**Hello again everyone! So sorry for the long delay. My new job has me very busy during the week. But now I have weekends off! So that's awesome. Anyways, back with another chapter! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 115

Well, he could safely say that he had worse before. Joshua winced and squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he felt his chest and back burn. It felt like a hot brand was being pressed into his lungs. But still, he wasn't dead. Which meant that his battle with ole Sparky back home was still the most painful thing he had ever experienced.

However, a lightsaber wound to the chest was a very, very close second. He exhaled shakily before slowly attempting to sit himself up. Instant regret filled him as he flopped back down on his back. More pain erupted in him as he felt the hot lightsaber wound press down against the cold durasteel floors. His hiss of pain caught the attention of the Jedi kneeling by his side.

"Joshua!" Luke exclaimed as he was suddenly jerked out of his shock induced paralysis.

"Hey." Joshua muttered weakly as he glanced to his right at the young Jedi, "Would you believe me if I told you that this isn't the worst thing that had ever happened to me?"

A wry laugh escaped Luke's lips, "You know what, after everything I've seen and heard about you, I wouldn't doubt it for a second."

Joshua laughed with him before coughing dryly, "God, I could use some water right about now."

Luke nodded, suddenly made aware of his own parched throat. His tongue felt like sandpaper rubbing against his cracked lips. The sudden exhaustion that came with the end of the duel weighed him down. He could barely keep his head held upright. What he would give to be able to lie down and fall asleep right now.

"You hurt at all?" Joshua asked quietly as he lay still on the ground.

Luke shook his head.

"Good." Joshua nodded before taking a deep breath, "How's Erza?"

Luke looked at the unconscious redhead, who was lying several meters away.

"She's out."

"But alive?"

Luke nodded, "Yeah. She's alive."

"Good. I was afraid my senses were betraying me. She wasn't doing to good when I jumped towards you."

After a long struggle, Joshua managed to prop himself up onto his elbows. Sweat beaded down his face and his breathing was shallow as he held himself upright. More winces showed that the pain from his wound was only intensifying as he moved.

"You need to rest." Luke ordered.

"Can't. We gotta get out of here soon, remember?"

Luke nodded, "Trust me, I remember. But we all need a bit of a breather."

"I agree." Joshua gasped.

He sighed and glanced over at the railing beside the reactor shaft. His heart jumped a little in his chest when he saw Darth Vader crumpled against it, smoke rising in small swirls from his black armor. But he relaxed when he saw that the dark lord of the sith was no longer a threat. He could feel a change in the force. The cold oppressive presence of Darth Vader was mysteriously gone. In it's place was a warm presence, as warm as Tatooine's suns, that was completely unfamiliar to Joshua.

"He's alive." Joshua told Luke.

"I know." Luke mumbled.

"Go say hi to your old man already." Joshua sighed, "Don't let me stop you. I'll be fine for now."

"For now?"

Joshua grimaced, "We'll see what happens next. For all I know, Plagueis may be waking up real soon. And I don't exactly have the strength to hold him back very long."

Luke's face paled a little bit.

"You better make your reunion quick." Joshua warned.

"Definitely."

The spire suddenly trembled as a group of X-Wings zipped by the large, panoramic windows. A squad of TIE fighters was hot on their tails, firing volleys of green lasers at the rebel pilots.

"The shield is down." Joshua realized.

"No time for a reunion. Lando and the others are inside of the Death Star now, I guarantee it."

Joshua closed his eyes and took a calming breath. He reached out with the force, pushing his powers as much as he could without putting his body in any more danger than it already was in. Within a couple seconds, he sensed her. A small spark of Earthland magic racing through the Death Star's bowels. A smile appeared on his lips.

"Yup, they're inside alright." Joshua rolled onto his side and took a shaky breath before carefully pushing himself up to his feet.

He staggered at first and felt his legs give out under him. It Luke wasn't there to catch him, he would've fallen to the floor once again. And he probably wouldn't have been able to get back up again. He nodded his thanks before summoning what remained of his powers to the surface.

His old lessons from Tyrannus and Ventress were once again proving very useful. They may not have understood the true nature of the dark side of the force, as Revan and Traya did. But they certainly knew how to utilize it. Pain was fuel. It was one of Joshua's first lessons all of those years ago. Pain and hatred are the driving forces behind a Sith's power. And the physical pain Joshua was feeling at this moment was more than enough for him to readily draw upon the Dark Side's vast wells of power.

It took a moment for him to steady himself. The Dark Side of the force was a seductive killer. A black widow in the force. Lose focus for merely a second, and it could rip his mind to shred and render him a mindless monster. To tap into it without the ability to maintain all of his focus on controlling it was a dangerous thing for Joshua to do. But he had no choice. He did not plan on dying here. Not when he had a beautiful dragon slayer waiting for him at home. Not when he had finally been reunited with his sister after such a painful separation.

When he finally managed to gain his balance, Joshua removed his arm from around Luke's shoulders.

"I've got Erza. You get metal man."

"Do you have a bad nickname for every person you fight?"

"Not Erza."

"That's because you're scared of her." Luke called back as he strode over to his father.

"And you are soon going to learn why. I assure you." Joshua replied as he reached Erza.

The damage to Erza had to be just as bad as the damage to him. Her right arm had been severed at the elbow. Only the lightsaber's natural ability to cauterize wounds kept her from bleeding to death. Her face was a ghostly shade of white and her forehead was burning to the touch. Joshua closed his eyes before sliding an arm behind her knees and neck.

"Hang in there sis." Joshua grunted as he pulled her up off of the floor, "I'm gonna get you home."

Off to the side, he could see Luke struggling to carry Vader's massive frame. He eventually decided to sling Vader over his back. He wrapped the massive arms of Vader around his shoulders and grappled the large mechanical legs.

"I thought the dad was supposed to give the son the piggy back rides." Joshua smirked as the pair trudged towards the turbolift.

Luke shrugged, "Eh, I don't mind too much. It helps him save his energy." Luke's face fell as he recalled the punishment Vader had received from the Emperor, "He needs as much as he can get."

"What happened?" Joshua asked, "I wasn't exactly conscious for most of it."

"Vader saved us."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "So that's why he's doesn't feel like a Sith anymore?"

Luke nodded, "Vader is gone. Banished in a way. And my father has returned. But… Sidious, he shocked him." Joshua's face paled, "He shocked him relentlessly as he was thrown into the reactor core."

Joshua grimaced and closed his eyes, "Luke… I don't know what to tell you."

"I know already." Luke breathed as the lift opened. They quickly entered and hit the button that would take them straight to the hangar, "He's dying."

Joshua nodded, "That suit of his sealed his fate. Sidious's lightning…" he shook his head, "I can only imagine how powerful that stuff was."

Luke gulped, "It was… terrifying."

The rest of the lift ride was silent as the pair tried to conserve their own energy. Both were completely exhausted. But while Luke was just weary, Joshua was starting to feel the full effects of his grievous wound. The adrenaline that had been racing through his veins had started to subside and the force became more and more difficult to call upon. Black spots blinked in and out of his sight ,and for some reason, the world began to get a tad blurry. When the lift jerked to a stop at the hangar, Joshua collapsed as the doors opened.

"Joshua!" Luke exclaimed as he carefully set Vader down outside of the lift before pulling both Joshua and Erza out.

Joshua was now delirious. His eyes were open but he couldn't see anything. He couldn't even feel anything. But he could hear. He could just barely hear Luke talking to him. Trying to get him to respond.

"Luke, our ride should… be… here." He muttered, barely coherent of what he was saying.

He saw Luke glance over at the hangar entry as an old Firespray starship raced in and quickly settled onto the hangar floor. The ramp quickly descended and a mandalorian in mottled grey and green armor emerged.

"Come on!" Joshua heard Boba Fett shout.

But the shout sounded like a whisper. A different voice was distracting Joshua. Ripping his attention away from the present. He could hear him whispering in his mind. Conjuring up illusions and blocking Joshua's senses as his chains began to snap free. Joshua could no longer maintain Plagueis's prison. He was far too weak. Too injured to pour his power into restraining the powerful dark lord.

"Luke," Joshua mumbled as the Jedi leaned closer, "Find a shuttle."

"Why!?"

"I need to… get away… from here." Joshua breathed, "Plagueis is breaking free."

Luke's face paled.

"I can't hold him back. I won't be able to restrain him again. He's going to roam… free." Joshua gulped as he blindly looked in Luke's direction. The Sith Lord inside his mind viciously stealing his senses, "I can't allow him near Wendy and Erza!"

Luke grimly nodded.

"You… know what i'm about to do."

"Your leaving."

Joshua shakily nodded. Tears began to bubble in his eyes. He could already see the look on Wendy's face.

"For good this time." Joshua choked, "Luke… I died here." Luke's eyes widened, "I died on the Death Star. The Emperor killed me."

"Joshua-"

"I have to sever my connection to Wendy and the others. I need to… make it look like that. I must keep Plagueis from reaching my family." Joshua's face contorted in pain as he felt Plagueis beginning to stir. Add in the pain in his chest, and he felt like he was in utter agony. With the last of his magic power, Joshua opened his requip and called his lightsaber to him.

"Good… it came back." He whispered before holding it out to Luke, "Give this… to Wendy."

Luke's trembling hand gripped the T-shaped hilt tightly. He held it with Joshua for a moment.

"Protect them Luke." Joshua demanded, "Keep them all safe."

Luke nodded, "I will."

He knew there was no convincing Joshua out of this. And Luke had no desire to. He had heard of the powerful being that resided in Joshua's body like an evil parasite. If it caused him this much fear, then Luke would be foolish to disagree with Joshua's judgement on the situation. Plagueis was breaking free. The Sith Lord would come for those Joshua cared about. Just to spite his friend. This was Joshua's way of ensuring their safety. He was going to be gone for a long time. And Luke would most likely never see him again. The Jedi gulped as he saw Joshua's face go completely blank as he was sucked away into his own thoughts by the Lord Plagueis' power.

"May the force be with you." Luke muttered before shouldering Erza and gripping Vader's wrist with his hand, "Fett!" The bounty hunter came rushing up, "Get Joshua on your ship and fly as far away from Earthland as possible. Erase it's location from your nav computer. And avoid any Imperial worlds."

"What's going on?" Boba asked.

"A monster is breaking out of Joshua. And it wants blood." Luke glanced back at the bounty hunter as he struggled to move Erza and Vader towards the last Imperial shuttle docked inside of the hangar. "Can you handle this?"

"Pay me enough, and I can handle anything." Boba replied as he threw Joshua over his right shoulder, "Plus, if this is a monster coming out, then I know just the people to keep it contained."

Luke nodded, "Then do what you have to."

Boba Fett nodded quickly before boarding his ship with Joshua on his back. As the Slave I lifted off of the ground, Luke felt a sudden shake from the Death Star before a loud bam echoed around him. The Slave I jetted out of the Death Star while the lights in the hangar began to flicker.

Debris trickled down from the ceiling as the Death Star started to violently shake. Stormtroopers and Imperial personnel were frantically scrambling around the hangar. Desperately searching for an escape off of the station. Meanwhile, Luke dragged Erza and Vader up to an Imperial shuttle. He quickly strapped Erza into one of the seats. As he did so, he looked at her face.

Despite her wounds and fever, she seemed happy. A small smile decorated her pale face as Luke propped her up in a leather seat. He knew why she was so happy. She had been redeemed. And then she had been reunited with Joshua. Even if it was through horrific circumstance, she had her family returned to her. Luke gulped. Now that family was about to be ripped asunder once again. Only this time for good. Joshua made it sound like Plagueis was going to keep him from ever returning. Luke prayed that wasn't the case. But he also knew that it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Especially with him telling Luke, nearly begging him, to say he had been killed. It was safety through ignorance for Wendy and Erza. They couldn't know he was alive. They couldn't' afford to have any sort of connection to him once Plagueis burst forth. Joshua's number one priority was always the safety of those he loved. He'd been that way ever since the Millennium Falcon crash landed on Earthland. It was a trait Luke greatly admired. And he'd respect his decision on the matter.

"Don't worry Erza." He said to the unconscious red head, "He won't be gone forever. He's…" Luke pursed his lips, "He's with you in the Force."

He got back up to his feet and descended the ramp so he could haul his father aboard. As he kneeled down to pick him up. Vader's voice thrummed weakly through the air. Luke listened and gulped. He protested his father's request but the man was not moved. In the end, Luke nodded. He reached up to Vader's head and slowly began to remove the helmet, revealing the face of Anakin Skywalker one last time.

….

Joshua's eyes opened and he found himself standing on a plain of black soil. The sky above him was black with dark shades of red and purple lancing through it. The wind whipped around him, giving him a chill as it's cold arms embraced his robed form. There was no pain in his chest or mind. Here he was free of the physical injuries he had sustained. Here, in his mind, was freedom. At least for him. But just a few meters away, bound by fraying force chains, was a tall Muun. No longer shadowy in form, but now flesh and blood. His red eyes stared straight at Joshua, a piercing gaze that stabbed like sharp knives. Hate was in those large oval eyes. Deep, passionate hatred that couldn't be quenched by anything. Only Joshua's death would sate the anger of Lord Plagueis. He could feel that much. The turbulence alone in the world around Joshua was enough to indicate that the dark lord was royally pissed.

"Hello Plagueis." Joshua stated calmly, his robes drifting in the violent wind.

" _ **YOU!"**_ Plagueis growled, " _ **YOU ROBBED ME!"**_

 _ ****_Joshua scowled and crossed his arms within his robes, "Robbed you of what?"

" _ **MY REVENGE! You kept me from slaying Palpatine! Your infernal chains kept me from achieving my goal!"**_ Black sand began to drift into the air and swirl around the two Sith Lords. Plagueis' face twisted into a hideous snarl, " _ **For that, you shall suffer!"**_

"Killing me is a useless endeavor."

" _ **Who said anything about killing you?"**_ Plagueis replied, " _ **You are my host. Until I find a suitable replacement, I shall remain in your mind. Only now, I won't give you your free will. No, I will take over. Your mind is mine! You never owned it to begin with!"**_

 _ ****_Joshua's eyes narrowed dangerously, "You will not harm my family."

Plagueis laughed maniacally, " _ **Oh… I will. You will suffer by knowing you failed to protect them."**_ Joshua's anger rose as Plagueis continued, " _ **I won't just simply kill them either. No, I will torture them. I will make Erza my… practice dummy. Oh what fun would that be? She'd be perfect to experiment on. To learn how a single, solitary force user exists on Earthland. And why it was her? Of course, she won't survive the procedures."**_ He smirked evilly as Joshua began to seethe, " _ **Then there is your little dragonslayer. Your fiancee. You know, after seeing her at Jabba's Palace, I feel like that revolting slug had the right idea for her. Only… he didn't take it far enough."**_

Joshua's hand yanked his lightsaber from within his robes and he quickly ignited it. His rage only grew as he stared at the gray skinned Sith Lord in front of him.

He was not afraid of Plagueis. That fear had been conquered on Malachor. What he did fear was exactly what Plagueis threatened to do. He would not allow this monster near his family. When he drew his lightsaber, Plagueis blinked before chuckling. He was greatly amused.

" _ **You think this is wise, brat? Crossing blades with me? In what is now my realm!"**_

 _ ****_"If it is indeed your realm then why do I still exist?" Joshua retorted. Plagueis's amused smirk dropped as Joshua challenged him, "Let's finish this Plagueis. Right now. I've had enough of you living in my mind."

" _ **So… you plan on exorcising me?"**_ Plagueis' hands emerged from his shadowy robes, revealing long hands with lengthy, thin fingers. In one hand, lightning crackled while the other palmed a silver hilt, " _ **I'd love to see you try."**_

"Like your own student, your arrogance is your weakness."

Plagueis shouted a series of words in a grating language Joshua could not understand before he activated his own crimson blade and charged.

The speed of the elder Sith Lord was incredible. Joshua was caught wholly off guard by how quickly the dark lord snapped his last chain and closed the gap between him and his opponent. Plagueis's lightsaber cut red arcs of light through the dark air while Joshua carefully fell back into his defensive posture.

He needed to analyze Plagueis. Figure out how he fought, what style he used, what were the potential weaknesses? But the longer he dueled the Muun, the more Joshua realized that Plagueis was a true master. His skill with a blade was immense. Joshua could pick out almost every style of combat being used in Plagueis's lightning fast attacks. The vicious athleticism of Ataru, the elegance of Makashi, the brute strength of Djem So, and the tenacity of Juyo all blended together in an amalgamation of fencing perfection. Joshua was stunned that he was able to keep pace at all.

He blocked a violent overhanded attack by Plagueis. Their blades locked together, red sparks of lights flying around them. Burning patches of skin on their faces as they drew closer together. He grit his teeth together and strained his muscles and cybernetics against his clearly superior opponent.

" **Requip!"** Joshua shouted before focusing and launching an old friend at Plagueis's back.

The Dark Lord grunted and removed himself from the bladelock. Narrowly avoiding the small, steel rapier as he jerked away from Joshua. Then Joshua pressed the attack. Gripping a rapier in one hand and his lightsaber in the other. He furiously bombarded Plagueis's defenses, throwing the Sith Lord off balance. As the dark lord staggered backwards, he deftly parried Joshua's vicious counterattack. None of his strikes were coming anywhere close to making contact with Plagueis' form.

So, Joshua improvised. He swung high with both of his blades, bashing Plagueis's red blade to the side. Then he raised a foot and planted it in the Muun's thin chest. The Sith Lord flew backwards as he was hit head on by a force infused kick. He slid through the black soil around them. His feet digging deep trenches into the land as he skidded away from Joshua. The younger Sith Lord smirked. That was a good hit.

A warning in the force made Joshua duck. He felt the heat of a lightsaber pass just over his head.

 _HOW!?_ Joshua thought as he now saw Plagueis directly behind him.

He tucked his body tightly and somersaulted away from a flurry of slashes. When Joshua rolled to his feet he had to quickly slash behind him in order to parry Plagueis. Joshua's eyes widened in confusion.

 _He was just behind me! How did he move so fast!?_

The Dark Lord of the Sith chuckled.

" _ **Overwhelmed yet, boy?"**_ Plagueis taunted.

"Like hell I am you parasite." Joshua retorted before breaking away from Plagueis's blade and throwing some slashes and stabs at the Muun with his lightsaber and rapier.

But Plagueis was not there. He had moved behind Joshua again. Without the other Sith Lord even noticing. Lightning lanced through the air and crackled into Joshua's back. WIth a loud cry of pain, Joshua was flung through the air before landing roughly on the black dirt below.

 _Ouch... ok, how the hell is he doing that?"_ Joshua wondered as he rose to face off against Plagueis once again.

" _ **You seem hopelessly perplexed, Draconis."**_ Plagueis noted gleefully, " _ **You were always atrocious at the intellectual aspects of the force.**_

"I don't have to be proficient in illusions and trickery in order to defeat you!"

Plagueis chuckled, " _ **Your arrogance is once again impeding you. Good, it shall give me victory."**_

The black sand and sky were suddenly replaced by Magnolia. The city was completely quiet around him. There was no people, no shops open. The only sound coming from the city was the lapping of the canal waters as they sloshed against the stone streets.

 _What sort of trickery is this?_ Joshua thought as he sheathed the blade of his lightsaber and tightly gripped the hilt in his left hand. With cautious steps, he moved through the streets.

No one was there. Absolutely no one. It was as if the city was totally abandoned. The sound of wind whistling through the alleys made Joshua's hair stand on end. It was a cold wind. Terrifying in it's sudden outburst and subsequent silence.

He made a very familiar turn down one of Magnolia's main roads and stopped dead in his tracks. The guild hall, his home, was burnt to the ground. And in front of it was a mountain of bodies. Of all the people he had known throughout his life.

"N-no!" Joshua shouted, forgetting the strangeness of this situation as he rushed towards the pile.

But he didn't move forward. The fast he ran towards the guild hall, the farther away he moved. He felt like he was on a conveyor belt moving fast than his feet could carry him.

A piercing wail filled the air making Joshua's blood freeze. He saw Wendy getting thrown through the guild hall doors. Splinters of wood scraping her skin as she was flung through the air. Her body violently hit the ground before laying completely still. A small pool of her blood slowly building beneath her.

"WENDY!" Joshua screamed.

He could hear the madness of the dark side laughing. It's whispers tempting him, telling him to give in. Lose control, let it's rage come bursting out of him. He could hear Plagueis's amused chuckles. His deep voice making Joshua's blood boil as he stared at Wendy's lifeless figure. A cloak of freezing cold surrounded him as Plagueis appeared from a shadow behind him, lightsaber raised, ready to deliver the killing stroke.

Joshua wheeled around and blasted the Sith Lord with a powerful force push. Plagueis uttered a surprised yell as he was thrown back against a stone wall, his head snapping up against the rock with a sickening crack. The Muun struggled to lower his gaze so he could see the brat in front of him again.

He was different now. The yellow in his eyes burned with a fury unseen by Plagueis. The power coming from him was not natural. It couldn't be natural. There was no way the boy was this powerful. Not with how wounded he was. And his skill in the spiritual aspects of the force was that of a novice at best. Where was this power coming from!?

Plagueis grit his teeth and struggled forward. It was like trying to walk through a hurricane. The constant barrage of shoves from Joshua's powers forcing the tall alien to stumble and slide backwards multiple times. Then the Sith's pupiless eyes widened.

An orb had formed around Darth Draconis. A force shield. All around him, brick and stone from the buildings and streets began to rise up and encircle him. They rotated clockwise, picking up speed as more projectiles were gathered. The force was being whipped into a storm. Lightning crackled from Joshua's fingertips and joined the growing cloud of rock around him. And Plagueis couldn't move.

The force kept his hands bound to his sides, his feet rooted to the ground. His gaze remained fixed on Darth Draconis. And a feeling built up in Plagueis that he had not felt for decades. Not since he saw a vision of Anakin Skywalker. The fear of death grew for the Sith Lord as he saw the storm being conjured before his eyes.

" _ **Maelstrom.**_ " Plagueis whispered fearfully.

"You!" Joshua shouted as he raised his arms gathering the force in between his palms and concentrating it to the point where it began to glow white.

"WILL NOT!"

Plagueis felt himself being sucked towards the eye of the storm. He fought with all of his strength to escape. He couldn't lose his physical form. It was a sign of his power being nearly restored to its old strength. All he had to do was take over the brat's body and he would be within the realm of the living once again.

"TOUCH!"

The force ceased concentrating between his hands. The debris flew around Plagueis so quickly that it all looked like a blur to the Muun. But through the flying rocks and force winds, he could make out a figure observing from afar. A man in black and brown robes with an ancient Mandalorian mask. Revan.

He had miscalculated. He thought the brat was no longer under his wing. He thought that Revan had left him on Malachor. But no, the man had been watching the entire time. Of course he was. He was now an agent of the force. And the great Revan would see to it at the force's will was done. Joshua Scarlet was meant to live. To be his own person. And he was not about to see Plagueis endanger that destiny.

Now Darth Plagueis knew what he had to do. He knew when to cut his losses. The one power he had ever studied that could ever hope to match Revan was long dead. And with Revan set against him, his hopes of procuring the boy's body were dashed. He had only seconds to avoid annihilation now as Joshua pointed his hands at the frozen Sith.

"HER!"

Plagueis' eyes widened like saucers as the maelstrom rushed towards him. An all consuming storm of death conjured forth by only the most powerful of force wielders. A technique that he even he could not master. And now it was going to do the force's work. It would claim his soul. And the Sith hells awaited him.

" _ **NO!"**_ Plaguies roared as he shattered the illusion just as the storm hit him. But too late. He screamed in horrified agony as his physical form started being ripped to shreds. " _ **NOOOOOOOO!"**_

The Muun's body shattered and shadows flew away from the epicenter of the storm. One shadow rushed away from Joshua, the other directly towards him. As the storm reached its climax, the second shadow slammed into the boy, freezing him solid while the other disappeared from his mind.

His plans had been ruined. Destroyed. His dreams of immortality crushed yet again. And now, he was no longer whole.

The first shadow slipped out of Joshua's body and crept along the floor of the Slave I before hiding in the far corner of the cargo hold. It was purposeless, masterless, only a shell of the Sith it once was. It balled up in the cargo hold, quivering in fear as he felt Revan's gaze searching for him in the force, ready to drag him to hell. He wouldn't totally die if Revan found him. There was a part of him, a sliver of a shadow, that remained in Joshua Scarlet. A seed waiting to germinate and grow when the time was right. An insurance in case he was indeed taken by the force. Plagueis gulped and shrank as he felt a cold gaze hit him. He was certain it was Revan. Certain that it was the dreaded force wielder that had set its eyes upon him through the force.

"Plagueis."

The shadow unfurled quickly and coiled itself up like a snake readying to attack. That did not sound like Revan. It sounded far colder, more aristocratic. Much more sinister. It was a voice that didn't speak or suggest. It was a voice that commanded and demanded. And Plagueis, despite his own anger, felt compelled to obey and answer it's call.

"Come to me."

The shadow uncoiled and braced itself for the vacuum of space. It slipped through the cracks and into the engines of the Slave I before zipping out into the stars.

" _ **I need… a host. I need-"**_

 _ ****_It's shadowy form found a target and rushed towards it. A TIE pilot, swiftly guiding his damaged fighter back towards the fleet. The human suspected nothing as the shadow entered his mind and went dormant. It would use this weak vessel to answer the call. Then it would be disposed of. Just like any other.

….

This had to be the single most perilous, idiotic, most insane thing Levy had ever done in her entire life. That was including being one of the first people in the guild to give Gajeel a chance when he joined up. When she saw the Millennium Falcon jet into the Death Star, it was through what looked to be a wide hole in the surface of the space station. And when she entered the Death Star's superstructure, that's exactly what it was. A nice wide hole to fly into. More difficult to navigate than open space. But still simple to fly through.

Then the TIE's followed them in. Levy soon found that the tight confines of the tunnel they were racing through provided absolutely no room to evade any of the Imperial fire. One twitch in the wrong direction, and her X-wing could clip and overhanging pipe, get tangled in low hanging cables, or worse yet, just plow straight into the Death Star's superstructure. All three ended with her becoming a fireball inside of this death trap. It took all of her skill not to simply crash as the tunnel narrowed the further they flew into the massive space station.

Green blaster fire zipped by Levy and plowed into the tunnel roof above her, sending a shower of sparks and debris down onto her cockpit. A loud yelp escaped her before she quickly calmed herself. Her hands tightly gripped the controls. The amount of turbulence here was insane. She could feel her arms and legs straining against the various controls that kept her star fighter level. It didn't help that one of her wings was damaged from earlier in the battle.

More green fire zipped by her, coming dangerously close to striking her upper left wing. Through her comm, she could hear one of Gold Squadron's pilots scream before being replaced by static. A small shockwave jostled her ship around, pulling her dangerously close to some outstretched cables on her right.

" _We've lost Gold four!"_ Wedge called in his comm as his ship raced ahead of Levy.

" _Be ready to jerk on those controls everyone."_ Lando advised, " _We've got a fork in the road ahead."_

"A what!?" Levy exclaimed.

" _Don't lose your head Red Three."_ Wedge quickly counseled.

" _We're gonna even out our chances of reaching the reactor core."_ Lando started, " _Red leader, you're with me on the left. Red Three, Gold Five, go right. Copy?"_

"Aye." Levy said quickly, adjusting the instruments on her controls in order to handle the increasingly tight spaces inside of the Death Star.

" _Copy Gold Leader."_ Levy's wingman replied.

" _Fork coming up now! Be ready!"_

And by right now, they literally meant immediately. Levy's eyes bulged from her head as she saw a wall suddenly appear as soon as Wedge and Lando swerved left.

"PULL RIGHT!" Levy barked into her comm before she yanked hard on the yoke of her fighter. In the background, Chopper wailed a flurry of binary curses and insults. "Shut it Chop! Focus on keeping us stable."

Her fighter began to level out while Chopper chirped at her some more.

"Unless you want to become a permanent addition to the this hunk of metal then I suggest tightening the stabilizers! I don't wanna get jerky while we're in this mess."

" _There's still two on our tail!"_ Gold Five warned.

"I copy, Gold Five. Do your best to hold them off we-" Levy paused as she saw the gap suddenly narrow in front of her. With a grunt she twisted her controls, turning the ship on it's axis so that she could slip through the narrow space. Her wings barely avoided clipped the sides of the Death Star as she did so. Behind her, Gold Five was able to pull off the same maneuver. As soon as they both leveled off again, they could hear two dull booms before their ships were thrown about by several shockwaves.

" _That takes care of our tailers."_

Levy smiled, "Good!"

" _We're at the reactor!"_ She heard Wedge report suddenly.

"Affirmative, we're on our way out of this thing." Levy replied, "See you both on the other side. Chopper, give me a direction."

Her computer lit up in front of her, showing a detailed layout of the Death Star's superstructure. Without even realizing it, Levy and Gold Five had circumnavigated the massive space station and were already nearing their entry point.

" _Almost outta here."_ Gold Five chirped.

"Yeah." Levy grinned.

A thunderous explosion shook the Death Star and rattled Levy's cockpit. Chopper wailed before quickly reporting in binary words that made a pit of fear form in Levy's stomach. The reactor was collapsing. Lando and Wedge had done it. But they were all still trapped inside of the labyrinth that made up the Death Star's superstructure.

"Crap! CRAP!" Levy cried.

" _Go faster, Red three!"_

"I'm trying dammit!" Levy snapped back before making a sharp left turn, "Chopper, push this ship! We need to get out of here!"

Levy violently jerked back in her seat as more power was given to the engines. It was a risky move for her. Now if she did one thing wrong, she would definitely slam into the sides of the Death Star. And she would probably take Gold Five with her. She gulped and narrowed her focus on the tunnel around her.

" _We've got fire!"_

Levy's eyes widened as flames began to flicker inside of the pipes and along the cables of the Death Star.

"GO CHOPPER! GO!"

Levy sank further back into her seat as her X-wing accelerated.

"Where's the damn exit!" Levy shouted.

"Offshoot to the left, Red three!" Gold five barked.

Without another word, Levy twitched her controls to the left. The X-wing jerked in that direction, nearly clipping the sides of the tunnel as she made the sharp turn.

"C'mon! Level off!" Levy shouted before catching her breath.

There, just a few hundred meters away, was open space. She slammed down on the accelerator, pushing her X-wing as fast as it could go. Flames licked at her wings as she zoomed through the tunnel. The flames encompassed her entire vision as they slowly ate away at the Death Star around her. THen with a loud boom, she exited the Death Star with Gold Five right behind her.

"YEEEEEEEES!" Levy screamed happily while she heard Lando cheer loudly over the comm.

She kept the accelerator down as she raced away from the Death Star, trying to escape the coming blast. She held her breath and waited. One second… two seconds… three sec-

*KAKOOOOM*

Her X-wing jerked violently as the Death Star turned into fiery space dust.

….

Boba Fett quickly leaned back in his chair as the blue tunnel of light surrounded his ship, showing that he was well into hyperspace. He could rest now. Flying through the battle around the Death Star was one of the most difficult things the bounty hunter had ever done. Open combat like that had so many variables he could not account for. It nearly drove him crazy. And he counted himself very lucky he made it to the Death Star's hangar intact.

But, no more dwelling on the perils from several hours prior. He wanted rest. Needed rest. The kriffing Earthlanders and Rebels had him jetting all across the galaxy for them. It was good pay. But even the best bounty hunters needed time to recharge. His gauntleted hands reached up and twisted his helmet off, allowing his tanned skin and short dark hair a chance to breath. He glanced down at the visor of his helmet, seeing his own reflection staring back at him. And for a brief moment, he swore that he saw his father staring back at him.

What would he think? His son, assisting Jedi and Sith. Helping to topple an Empire. He would probably be both furious for helping a Jedi, and proud of the how rich his son had now become. The mandalorian could easily retire now at the ripe young age of thirty six. He blinked.

"I'm thirty six." He muttered, "Kriff… I feel older." He grumbled before placing his helmet by his feet and resting his head back against his seat's headrest.

Just as his eyelids began to finally close, he heard the boy next to him jerk awake. His breath leaving his injured body in dry, uncontrolled heaves. Boba lazily opened an eye and glanced at the boy. Sweat beaded down from his hair and coated his neck.

The bounty hunter was well aware of the kid's situation. There was a powerful monster trying to get free. Said powerful monster wanted revenge. Said powerful monster could easily kill him. Most would wet their pants at that prospect. But Boba just clenched his jaw and looked silently at the boy, waiting for any sign that it was not Joshua Scarlet in front of him. His hand quietly reached for the blaster at his hip.

"No… need," The boy gasped, "For that Fett." Joshua Scarlet flopped backwards in his seat and sighed, his lungs wheezing as he did so, "It's me."

"How do I know?"

"Fuck off!" Joshua growled.

Boba Fett smirked, "Ok… it's you."

Joshua nodded weakly. His entire body felt heavy like lead. Not a single muscle listened to his commands to move. But frankly, he didn't mind. It just meant he could sit still for a change. He needed the rest. God did he need the rest.

"I patched you up a little bit while you were out." Boba commented as he sat back upright, "You should live."

Joshua nodded, his eyes half open, "That's good to know." There was a pause of silence, "Where are we going?"

"The one place where people have trained to contain Jedi and Sith since ancient times." Boba Fett replied, "Also the one place the Empire would be idiotic to ever invade again."

"That being?"

Boba smirked, "Mandalore."

Joshua nodded, "Good."

Boba saw the kid's exhausted expression, "What exactly happened up here?" He asked as he jabbed the side of his head with a finger.

"I fought Plagueis. And…" Joshua narrowed his eyes, puzzled, "I'm not sure if I won… or if I lost. I… I think it was a draw."

"Then he isn't gone?"

Joshua frowned, "I'm not sure. Dammit… I hate not being sure."

Boba nodded, "Best to play it safe in my opinion."

"I agree." Joshua replied, "That's why I'm doing this." Joshua turned his head to look at Boba, "What's Mandalore like?"

The bounty hunter shrugged, "Depends. Sundari is a nice enough city I suppose. It has changed drastically since we had our last true ruler."

"Heavily populated?"

Boba nodded, "Some areas. Others, like the moon Concordia, are very remote."

"Then I hope I can live somewhere remote. Away from people." Joshua said, "The last thing I need to have happen is Plagueis breaking free when I'm in a crowded area."

"I agree." Boba replied, "I'm sure the one we will be meeting with will agree as well."

"And that would be?" Joshua asked.

"You'll like her. She's a real firecracker." Boba smirked, "And believe it or not, she's partnered up with a former Jedi Padawan."

"Oh." Joshua scowled, "Great."

"Key word being former, kid."

"Key word being Jedi, old man." Joshua grumbled before closing his eyes, "I've had enough of Jedi and the conflicts that come with them to last me a lifetime."

Boba laughed, "Me too." He glanced at the nav computer, sighed, then pulled back on the hyperdrive.

….

The shuttle gently settled onto the grassy plains that made up the center of Fiore. Far enough away that the Earthland wizards in Magnolia would not detect it. The ramp descended and the hatch opened allowing Zeref to exit the craft.

He was highly disappointed, frustrated even. He had hoped that he could reach the battle between Sidious and the others before it ended. But when he arrived, they were all gone. The throne room in the Emperor's spire was empty. The little detour was a colossal waste of time for him. And he had barely escaped intact. When he jumped aboard his shuttle once again as it hovered at the side of the spire, he felt the Death Star being consumed by fiery explosions around him. Thankfully he had an excellent pilot. The shuttle escaped the subsequent explosion as the Death Star evaporated out of existence.

He supposed that he shouldn't be too disappointed though. He did want to see if Sidious, Vader, or even Plagueis could actually manage to kill him, but in the end, it was not meant to be. Such was the way of his life. But what really offset the frustration was the red pyramid gripped in his right hand, and the book tucked underneath his left arm. His main objectives had been accomplished. That was all he could've asked for.

As he descended the ramp, he saw twelve others gathered just outside of his shuttle. His feet once again touched the soft grass of Earthland and he took a deep breath of the twilight air.

"Spriggan." he said quietly.

All twelve wizards bowed, "Emperor!" They all declared.

Zeref closed his eyes. They always bowed to him. For what? Just because he was that powerful? The subservience of his soldiers was always something that boggled his mind. But, that was a puzzle for another day. After all, he had a promise to keep. He turned to look at a very tall man with long white hair and a thick, long beard. His wrinkled, aged eyes looked right back at Zeref's youthful dark eyes.

"August." Zeref began, "Give the command."

The old man gripped his staff tightly and nodded crisply before glancing back at the other eleven Spriggan, "Take back Earthland." he ordered.

A roar erupted from the twelve wizards. Then from several miles away, horns blared as the armies of Alvarez began to march towards Magnolia. Ready to cast out the Empire from their world.

"Go join the fight everyone." Zeref stated, "And have fun."

Several of the younger spriggan wizards laughed with glee. The older ones remained stone faced, having already faced the trials of war. And the two youngest women just glared at each other, ready to defeat the other in a competition that they had already agreed to do. As they began to dash away from Zeref, the black wizard caught the wrist of Irene Belserion.

"You wait with me." Zeref stated, "I have other orders for you."

The red haired woman smiled, "Of course, my Emperor."

The pair walked away from the marching armies to a secluded spot in the plains. The sun was now just a sliver of orange light on the horizon. As the last rays peeked over the flat earth, Zeref held the holocron out in front of him.

Irene's eyes widened, "They actually managed to do it!?"

"Mostly." Zeref replied, "The fairies did need some assistance. But in the end, if it wasn't for them, I never would've come to possess this treasure." As he spoke, the book of END requiped away, "Now… I will learn the secrets of the one man in the entire history of the galaxy, who achieved immortality without the need for curses." He glanced at Irene, "Be ready to help me if I need it."

"Yes, my lord."

Zeref smiled. His excitement was enormous. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he stared at the holocron cradled in his hands. This was the key. This was how he would learn to be rid of immortality and finally be able to die. This holocron, the holocron of Darth Vitiate, was how he would finally obtain peace. His dark eyes closed and he poured the force into the holocron.

The pyramid lifted out of his hands. The corners twisted and unlocked, allowing the sides to fold away from it's original shape. He could feel the raw power coming from the holocron. He could sense the tremendous amount of knowledge that had been gathered into it. Thousands of years of knowledge in one place. The secrets of immortality were in his hands.

"L-lord Z-zeref!?" Irene stammered, forcing Zeref's eyes open.

His breath got stuck in his throat as a dark cloud began to swirl out of the holocron like a poisonous mist. The scarlet haired woman took a hesitant step back while Zeref remained rooted in place. He hadn't felt fear in centuries. Being immortal made you forget what fear was like. It made you comfortable, relaxed, careless in a way. But as the dark cloud began to take the shape of a person, Zeref for the first time in a very, very long time felt genuine fear build inside of him.

"Who opens my holocron?" The cloud hissed.

Zeref's eyes widened. This wasn't just a storage container for knowledge, was it? "I-I do." Zeref replied.

The cloud lowered to his eyes level, "You did? A boy?" A calm, even voice asked.

"I'm no boy." Zeref replied firmly.

The shadow hummed as Zeref felt a presence probing the edges of his mind, "Indeed… you are not a boy. You are ancient, just as I am." The shadow slithered around Zeref, "But what I want to know, is how did you become this way? What ritual did you perform to achieve eternal youth? How many souls did you sacrifice?"

 _Far too many._ Zeref thought as he recalled the actions of all of the cults he had destroyed, "I did not perform any rituals personally. I have been cursed."

"Cursed?"

"A curse of contradiction." Zeref elaborated, "The more I love life, the more I take it. The less I love life, the more I receive it. The curse has chained me to this mortal plain, and I want to be free of it."

The shadow drew back, "You want to be free?"

"Yes…" Zeref replied before dropping to his knees, "Master Vitiate, teach me how to die!"

The swirling cloud of darkness remained silent. Then without warning it pounced on Zeref. The black wizard barely had a chance to scream out as the black cloud rushed into his skull through his mouth and nose. As Zeref convulsed, Irene stepped forward, magic ready to dispel her Emperor's attacker. Just as she reached Zeref, a massive blast of the force sent her flying away. She landed several meters from Zeref's kneeling body.

Without missing a beat, Irene scrambled back to her feet and pointed her staff defensively at Zeref. Her emperor remained motionless on the ground. Eyes glazed over and mouth hanging open. She slowly approached him and jabbed his side with staff.

"Emperor?"

His dark eyes blinked then turned a fiery yellow color.

"Yes?"

Irene's breath hitched. That was not the voice of Zeref. She jumped back and gathered up her magic, ready to enchant the monster that had possessed her Emperor into oblivion.

"Calm yourself, Irene Belserion." The man in front of her said, his voice slipping into her ears softly, like silk.

It touched her mind, commanding her to still herself. To relax. It reassured her that everything was going to be ok. There would be no harm done to her. As much as her mind screamed at her to disregard these sweet whispers, she couldn't say no. She felt compelled to obey. And so she did. Her shoulders sagged and her arms lowed to her sides. The tremendous magic power she had built up faded away, back into her magical container that was inside of her body.

The man smiled sweetly at her, "Was that so hard, dearest?"

Irene gulped, "N-no." She then shook her head, trying to fight off the fog invading her mind, "Wh-who are you? You are not Zeref-"

"A correct observation. Indeed, I am not Zeref." The man replied as he rose to his full height and folded his hands behind his back, "I am someone who has given him what he wished for." Irene's eyes widened, "I freed him of this prison of a body. And then… I took it for myself. Now, Zeref exist only as a fragment of my own consciousness. Subdued and bound only to me."

Irene's eyes widened, "Y-you, overpowered Zeref's mind?" _That's not possible!_

"It is very possible, Irene." The man replied, as if he read her thoughts, "It just takes the right amount of skill to do it. And, if I were to be honest, Zeref was a very difficult mind to dominate. But now, his consciousness is in eternal bliss. My thank you to him for delivering me this blessed body."

"That body is cursed!"

"No!" The man said sharply, "Immortality is a blessing. One that should not be squandered. And this particular version of it…" he took a deep breath, "I can smell the air once again." He grinned widely, "I wonder...what modern food tastes like. Yes… Zeref will be forever in bliss because he delivered me the perfect body."

Irene glared at the man as he smiled at her, "You still haven't answered my entire question." Her hand tightened around her staff, "Who are you?"

The man smiled sweetly at her before confidently approaching. She raised her staff until the point was touching his chest. His grin only grew wider as his hand gently reached up and lowered the magical weapon. All the while, Irene could hear the whispers in her mind once again. Soothing her suspicion. Calming her nerves. Filling her with comfort.

"I am your new Master, Irene Belserion." He strode up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I am your new Emperor."

He then slid his hand off her shoulder and began to stride away, towards the shuttle that would take him far from Earthland. As he walked away, Irene heard one last whisper.

"I am Vitiate."

 **And chapter! I apologize for the long delay you guys! Work kept me very busy but I wrote a little bit every day so I could get this out to you guys this weekend! And I hope it was amazing!**

 **Now… we have one more chapter to go! I'll have it out as soon as possible.**

 **As for what happened in this chapter! I had to think a long time about what direction to go in. In the end, I really liked this one. I think it works really well. It fits the character of Joshua. Ever since the beginning of this story, he had worried about controlling his powers and keeping those he cares about safe. And now, he feels like exiling himself is his only option. It's sad really. As for what happened to Zeref, I had that planned out for a long time. To have an immortal character like that run into Vitiate was just too good of an idea and opportunity to pass up.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	116. Chapter 116: Return of the Jedi

**This is it everyone… the final chapter of this story. Wow! What a journey! What a time! I had so much fun writing this story for you guys. And I'm so happy to see you all enjoyed it! Let's make this last chapter count! Enjoy!**

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 116

That sick feeling in her stomach had not left her. She could still feel it churning. Wendy gulped and sat down on some debris just after she exited the makeshift medical tent constructed by the Alliance soldiers. Everyone was getting checked out. Just in case. She had just finished examining Jellal, who had taken several nasty hits from nearby explosions. The conversation they had together only made them worry even more. Both feared for Erza and Joshua. They both saw the Death Star explode high above them. And both were not sure if they made it out alive.

Now the anxiety and the stress had finally gotten the better of her. Her hands were shaking and her skin was pale as she sat on her impromptu bench. She took deep breaths. Doing everything in her power to try and calm down. Joshua was going to be fine. Her fingers brushed against the small silver ring on her left hand. It was his promise to her that he'd make it back. Every time he left for something dangerous like this, he always promised he'd come back. And no matter how long it took, he always kept that promise.

 _Then why am I so scared?_ Wendy thought to herself.

She jumped as loud pops filled the night air. Flashes of blue, red, and green light filled the black sky as fireworks rained down around her. The celebrations had begun already. For a moment, Wendy felt her worry recede as she thought of how insane this party was going to be. Han thought he had been to some parties. She chuckled to herself. That scoundrel was in for a treat tonight.

"Wendy!"

The bluenette glanced to her right to see Carla, Lucy, Meldy, and an already drunk Cana trudging towards her. All four looked exhausted. But despite their weariness, they all were very happy. Smiles lit up their dirty faces as they rushed up to the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"WE DID IT!" Meldy shouted loudly as she embraced Wendy.

"DRINKS ALL AROUND!" Cana declared.

"Not for Wendy." Carla muttered as she folded her arms.

"Tell you the truth, I definitely could use a drink." Lucy smiled while Meldy and Wendy separated, "And a nap. A very, very long nap."

"Me too." Wendy replied, a forced smile on her face.

Meldy instantly noticed Wendy's nervousness, "What's up?"

Wendy sighed, "I… I don't know. I think it's just nerves but-" She pursed her lips, "What if… what if he didn't make it back?"

"Don't talk like that Wendy!" Meldy scolded sharply, "This is Joshua Scarlet we're talking about. The guy was fighting Sith Lords when he was ten years old, right?" Wendy nodded, "He's fine. And he had Luke, Natsu, and Gray with him as backup. Natsu and Gray made it back ok."

Wendy glanced into the medical tent where Natsu was sleeping. His body covered in bandages and bacta patches.

"Mostly ok." Meldy cringed. She shook her head and gripped Wendy's shoulders, "The point is, don't worry. He's fine. I know it!"

Wendy nodded then sighed, "Then why do I have such a bad feeling about all of this?"

"Could just be you need to Re-" Cana took a swig from the bottle in her hand, "Lax." Before holding it out to Wendy.

"Oh no! Not happening!" Carla barked as her paw smacked the bottle away, "Wendy still had to work anyways. She won't leave her patients unattended."

"You got that right!" Wendy smiled weakly before rising to her feet, "I better get back to it. Porlyusica can't handle it all without help. Besides, it's a good distraction."

"That's the spirit, I think?" Meldy replied.

Just as Wendy moved towards the tent an Imperial shuttle lumbered overhead and gently settled down on the other end of the street. Alliance soldiers who weren't celebrating were immediately on guard as they gripped their blaster rifles tightly. Wendy gulped and readied herself for any ambush that may come out of the shuttle. And for some reason, the feeling in her gut got worse.

The ramp lowered and the lights on the shuttle dimmed. Wendy held her breath as she waited to see who would be coming down that ramp. She saw a pair of black boots and her heart leaped in her chest. Then she saw a skinny young man with blonde hair attached to those boots. And her heart froze a little.

There was no joyful look on Luke Skywalker's face. There was no expression of victory. His face was a mask of sorrow and melancholy. As he shuffled down the ramp he paused halfway and looked at the Alliance soldiers.

"Erza Scarlet it on board! She needs medical attention."

Wendy bolted towards the shuttle. Ready to lend her own aid to the soldiers as they boarded the shuttle to grab Erza. Just as she reached Luke though, he stopped her with his hand.

"Hey! I got to help Erza." Wendy cried.

"Wendy…" Luke said so quietly that only she could hear it.

What happened next barely registered in her mind. She saw Luke reach to his belt and un-clipped a T-shaped hilt from it. Her brown eyes stared in stunned silence as he took her right hand and gently placed the hilt in it. A shaky breath left Luke's lips. She saw him try to say something before giving up and just shaking his head.

The emotions burst to the surface for Wendy. She didn't cry out. She didn't scream or wail. She crumbled to the ground, Luke catching her as her legs gave out. She had no strength. The Jedi held the Dragon Slayer tightly as she began to sob into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Wendy." Luke gulped, his own tears forming in his eyes, "I'm so sorry."

Meldy stared with the others in complete silence. She couldn't believe it either. This had to be some sort of joke. Some sick prank being pulled by Joshua. But as the minutes dragged on, she slowly realized that this wasn't some prank. This wasn't a joke. This was actually happening.

Joshua Scarlet had died.

"Oh god, no." Lucy breathed as she covered her mouth, "Wendy…"

Carla zipped over to her friend and quickly wrapped her small arms around the sobbing dragon slayer. Meanwhile, Meldy and Lucy quietly watched as Erza was carried from the shuttle towards the medical tent. Cana felt her bottle slip from her fingers and shatter against the ground.

"Where's the kid?" She asked, her drunken demeanor suddenly disappearing.

Meldy gulped and bowed her head before slowly shaking it, "I'll…" She rubbed her eyes, "I'll inform J-Jellal."

"Where is he!?" Cana shouted as Meldy turned and slowly walked towards the celebrations.

"He's gone Cana!" Lucy snapped, "He's… He's gone."

"Gone!? Like gone gone."

Lucy nodded grimly. Cana took a shaky breath and stared at the broken Dragon Slayer that was now being carried towards the medical tent by Luke. The little kid who fought tooth and nail for those he loved. That crazy kid who made her pay up on the craziest bet of her life. That kid who always made the guild an even more lively place…. was gone.

She heard several footsteps sprinting towards the shuttle. The card mage turned around to see Jellal, Galen, Meldy, Mira, and Jura skidding to a stop in front of her. While Jellal, Galen, Mira, and Jura were silent. Meldy was already beginning to cry. She did her best to keep it together. Her hands constantly went up to her eyes as she tried to rub the tears away. Jellal opened his mouth. But before he could speak, Cana just shook her head. The blue haired bastard's mouth closed and he nodded silently.

Mira's eyes bubbled with tears as choked back her own cries. So much had been lost today. They had lost friends on the Death Star. Friends that had been taken prisoner and couldn't find a way to escape. They had lost Master Makarov, who now stood as a permanent stone statue in the waters of Magnolia's main canal. And now, they had lost one more. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for her. Joshua Scarlet had always seemed almost invincible. Impervious to pain. He would suffer some of the most deadly wounds Mira had ever seen. And somehow, he would get back up again and keep fighting on. But now, he was gone. Taken from them far too soon. Behind her she could hear Wendy's loud sobs inside of the Medical tent as well as Carla and Porlyusica attempting to comfort her. The cries of the young dragon slayer only served to make Mira realize that this was all real. This had actually happened.

"Too much has been lost today for us to celebrate." Jellal whispered, "Galen…"

"On it." Galen replied quietly before going to stop the celebrations.

The leader of the Fiore rebellion glanced at Jura, "Tonight, we mourn. We need to mourn. To accept what has happened and what we have lost." Jellal took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "We must remember those who gave it all."

"Erza was unconscious for this." Cana realized.

Jellal closed his eyes, "She… she won't take this well."

"None of us are Jellal." Lucy reminded.

"I know. But it's worse for her and Wendy. They were his family after all." Jellal gulped, "Let's go see if there's anything we can do for them."

"A-aye." Meldy sniffled before all of them turned to the tent.

Above them, the sky darkened. No more fireworks were launched into the night sky. No more cheers rang out through the city. All was quiet.

….

 **Two days after the destruction of the Death Star…**

Luke silently sat in his designated seat at the round table. All around him was the Alliance council, with Chancellor Mon Mothma sitting directly across from him. And as he stared at the older woman, he scowled.

This week had been one of the worst of his life. He had been involved in the most deadly fight of his life. A duel that very nearly killed him. Then he lost his father. He had silently given Anakin Skywalker a proper service. Worthy of a Jedi Knight. No one knew about it. No one else attended his funeral pyre. It gave the Jedi a chance to reflect. To ponder what had occurred. And it only made him angrier.

First his father had died. Then Joshua had left. Forced him to tell the others he had died in order to protect them all. That was the most difficult thing Luke had ever done in his life. It had taken everything in him to not grab Wendy and tell her that Joshua was alive. That he had simply left for her safety and would someday come back, hopefully. But he made Joshua a promise. To protect Wendy at any and all costs. Joshua was possibly his best friend. And he wasn't about to go back on that promise. Still, it made him angry to have to do this to those Joshua loved. If he ever saw that Sith again, he'd thrash him.

Luke's anger only increased when he heard about what the Alliance council was planning to do with Erza Scarlet, aka, the First Sister. And so, he had called this meeting to settle the matter. Needless to say, it had gotten off to a horrendous start.

Chancellor Mon Mothma was at her core, a good woman. Luke knew that to be true. But she was also very zealous about justice. And that frustrated Luke to no end.

"Master Skywalker." Mon Mothma stated calmly, dragging Luke away from his thoughts, "You haven't said a word throughout these deliberations. Princess Leia and Representative Heartfilia have done most of the talking. We would like your opinion."

"You already know my opinion, Chancellor." Luke said sharply, "You just don't like it, so you want another one."

Mon Mothma frowned, "Master Skywalker, we are a republic of laws. Despite your personal feelings on this matter, the law must be upheld if we are to have justice and order."

"Erza Scarlet was not the one who committed those atrocities." Luke argued.

"And as much as your explanation does and doesn't make sense." Mon Mothma replied, "The rest of galaxy will not see this situation the way you and I do. We need to establish credibility. Trustworthiness. In order to do that, we must uphold our own laws. Regardless of who it is."

Luke shook his head, "You clearly do not understand why Erza and the First Sister are separate entities."

"No, I do not understand." Mon Mothma replied, her voice remaining even despite her growing irritation with the Jedi Knight, "But what I do understand is the rest of the galaxy. Unlike a farm boy who-"

"Stop right there!" Leia snapped, "You have no right to personally attack Luke."

"I was merely saying that he does not understand the rest of the galaxy. Just as the rest of the galaxy does not understand the force."

"And you do?" Lucy growled.

"Better than most."

Luke shook his head. God he hated politics. HATED IT. He knew a Jedi was not supposed to hate. Hate led to the dark side after all. But if he was allowed to hate one thing in this life, politics would be that thing.

"Erza Scarlet will be tried according to the law and sentenced according to the law." Mon Mothma said firmly.

"That sentencing will be execution! You know that!" Lucy exclaimed.

"If that is how the law deems it, then that is how it shall be."

"You can't do this!" Leia snapped, "Erza has already lost her closest family member. And now you want to have her executed!?"

"If I could avoid that scenario I would, Leia."

"Then pardon her!" Lucy cried.

"That I cannot do."

"ARRGH!" Lucy threw her hands in the air and laid her head down on the desk, "She's…" She started softly, "She's the only family that Wendy has left besides Carla."

Mon Mothma grimaced and closed her eyes, "I understand the personal motivations for you all. Erza is the sister of your good friend. But she still caused much death and suffering in the galaxy. We cannot allow that to slide. Even if I pardoned her, from Master Skywalker's explanation, the First Sister isn't gone. Just dormant in a way. We'd have to keep her imprisoned still in order to prevent that monster from rising to prominence again."

"Imprisoned!?" Lucy gasped, "Good luck keeping Erza in a jail cell!"

"Then you may leave the courts no other choice."

"There is another option." Luke said quietly as he rubbed his chin.

The three women glanced over at the Jedi Knight.

"I take her."

"The Jedi cannot shelter a war criminal from the Republic that they serve!" A council member declared.

"The Jedi do not serve the Republic." Luke growled angrily. An expression that made Leia shift uneasily in her seat, "That was what caused the Jedi's downfall before. And I will not allow that to happen again. The Jedi Order, my Jedi Order, is an independent body. We shall serve no government. We shall serve only the force. So if I want to keep a war criminal in my care then I will." Luke glared at Mon Mothma, "And good luck trying to take her from me. I promised Joshua I'd keep her safe. I'm not about to break that promise." He leaned back in his seat, "Besides, this way, I may be able to train her to keep the First Sister dormant."

"Make her a Jedi you mean?" Mon Mothma inquired.

Luke nodded, "It's possible. It's a way for her to redeem herself in the eyes of the people."

"That could tarnish the Jedi's reputation once again." A council member warned Luke.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. I could care less what the galaxy thinks of the order. I follow the will of the force. And this is the will of the force. I will take Erza Scarlet with me. If she wants to of course."

"And what if Erza says no?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

Luke sighed, "Then… I don't know." He stabbed a finger at Mon Mothma, "But you will not be executing her. Ever! That is final!"

Without another word. Luke rose from his seat and stormed out of Kardia Cathedral. As the massive doors slammed shut behind him, Luke breathed the crisp fall air deeply before striding towards a large construction site down the road.

It had taken no time at all for Fairy Tail, under the new leadership of Master Mirajane Strauss, to begin rebuilding their guildhall. It was a way for them all to put the past horrifying year behind them all and to finally have a chance at peace. Rebuilding their guildhall was a way for them all to lose themselves in work. To forget about the pain they all had suffered. The resiliency they displayed stunned Luke. And it made him admire the Fairy Tail wizards even more. He smiled a little as he saw the hulking form of Elfman Strauss arguing angrily with Gajeel while Levy nervously watched nearby.

 _That's a brawl waiting to happen._

As he approached the construction zone, he saw the white haired Guild Master smile and wave at him.

"Hey Luke!" Mirajane smiled.

"Hello, Master Strauss." Luke replied.

"Don't be so formal, please." Mira replied, "You're one of us after all."

"Really?" Luke replied, "I thought I had to be accepted into the guild to become a member?"

"Consider yourself an unofficial part of the family." Mira replied as she set down the hammer she was using and dusted off her clothes, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see Erza." Luke said quietly.

Mira's smile faded a little, "Right, follow me. She's in our temporary infirmary."

"Under guard?"

"If you mean Alliance guard, then yes." Mira frowned, "They won't let any of us near her."

"I'll fix that."

"Thank you."

They silently walked through the construction site. Luke nodded and smiled to many of the wizards there. Some didn't' recognize him. Others remembered him from the night before the final battle.

"Luke."

"Yeah Mira?"

The white haired woman gulped, "What do they want with Erza?"

"Hm?"

"That's why you're here right? To deliver her to the Alliance?" Mira stopped walking and turned to face Luke, "What are they going to do with her?"

Luke cast his eyes to the ground, "They want to put her on trial. And if they do, then most likely she will be executed."

Mira's eyes widened.

"But I won't let that happen. I made a promise to a friend Mira. I won't go back on it."

"Then… then why are you here?"

"I'm going to try and convince her to come with me."

Mira gulped, "Away from Earthland?"

Luke nodded, "I couldn't think of any other solution to this mess. This way, she'll be under the protection of the Jedi Order. She'll be under my direct protection. They won't be able to touch her."

Mira nodded and wiped a tear from her eye, "That's… fantastic, Luke." She rushed up and hugged him, "Thank you! I know if he was here right now, Joshua would thank you too."

Luke quickly hugged Mira back before walking towards the temporary infirmary. It was a simple tent with several small cots and tables inside. Porlyusica, the old woman who was known as Fairy Tail's top doctor, had set up a small hut for herself just outside of the tent. Apparently that was an incredible thing to see since the doctor hated humans. Luke found that very strange. A doctor that hated being around humans. He figured it wouldn't be that way with any doctor. But the damage to Magnolia and her people must've been enough to force the old woman to put aside her hatred and help in any way she could.

In front of the tent's entrance were two Alliance guards, rifles slung over their shoulders as they casually chatted to each other. When they saw Luke approaching, both snapped to attention.

"General!" They both barked in unison.

Luke nodded to them and they both relaxed.

"What can we do for you sir?"

"I need to speak to Erza Scarlet."

The first guard, a stocky, robust man with dark stubble and graying hair glanced uneasily at his companion.

"I'm afraid we cannot allow that sir. Direct orders from the chancell-"

"I don't care." Luke replied sharply, "Move or answer to me. Your choice."

The second guard, a much more lanky man with a large adam's apple and short blonde hair tapped his companion on the chest.

"You know, I could go for some lunch before the next watch arrives." He said nervously.

"Yeah," The first guard nodded, "Me too. Have a good day General."

"You as well." Luke replied as the two guards quickly strode away from the tent.

The infirmary had one, lone occupant. In a sense, it was more of a temporary jail cell than an infirmary. And it's lone occupant lay in the furthest bed away from the entrance. Her long red hair drawn back in a ponytail while what remained of her right arm was covered in bandages and bacta. As Luke ducked into the tent, the woman's head turned to look at him briefly. She then turned away.

"I knew you'd come." She said quietly as Luke sat down beside her, "The guards kept talking about how I would receive judgement soon." She looked back at Luke, "I suppose they would send a Jedi to escort someone as dangerous as me to my trial."

Luke remained silent as she took a breath and continued.

"What will happen to me?" She asked, "Because I know they will find me guilty."

Luke grimaced, "They would most likely execute you."

"How?"

He shrugged, "I… don't know."

Erza nodded, "I can accept that I suppose. After all, I-" She choked a little as some water brimmed in her eyes, "I did terrible things. I-I helped kill him!"

"Erza don't say that!" Luke exclaimed, "It is not your fault."

Erza was bawling now. Her lips quivered as she spoke. "I-if I hadn't l-lashed out a-at V-Vader. He wouldn't have had to w-w-worry a-bout protecting m-me." Her chest heaved up and down as sobs escaped her throat. She then took a deep breath, doing her best to regain her composure, "I-I saw W-wendy the other day. Sh-she was there when I w-woke up." Her eyes squeezed shut, "She was the one who told me! Of all people! IT WAS HER! A-and I s-saw the ring on her f-finger and-" Erza gulped again, "I deserve what is coming to me, Luke. I deserve it."

To her surprise, Luke smacked her across the face.

"If Joshua heard you say that, I'm sure he would've done the exact same thing." Luke scolded while Erza stared at him dumbstruck, "None of this is your fault Erza. None of it! You don't deserve punishment over something you could not control."

Erza gulped and choked back more tears, "Regardless… I'm st-still guilty. I'm still dangerous." She stared at Luke, fear filling her face, "I can still hear him Luke. Sidious… he is whispering to me every day, every hour, every damn minute and second. He keeps tempting me. Trying to coax the First Sister back out. And-and I know he's dead but… I just-" She shook her head, "I'm corrupted Luke. I'm a danger to everyone here."

Luke bowed his head and nodded, "That may be the case. But, you are still Joshua's sister. And I made him a promise that I would protect you and Wendy." he rubbed his thighs nervously, "I am going to give you a choice Erza." The redhead stared puzzled back at him, "Come with me. Help me rebuild the Jedi order. And I will help you restrain the First Sister." Her brown eyes widened, "Or, stay and go before a tribunal."

Erza was silent as she stared dumbfounded at Luke.

"It's your choice Erza." Luke said as he rose to his feet, "I can't make it for you. But what I can do is help give you a fresh start. It's the least I can do for Joshua. After all he-" Luke sucked in a breath, "He saved my life." Erza's squeezed her eyes shut and felt tears trickled down her cheeks, "I'll give you some time to think it over."

Luke turned away from Erza and quietly left the tent. As he exited, Erza stared at his back.

 _A chance for a new life?_ She thought as her hands tightened around the white sheets that covered her body. _A fresh start?_ She closed her eyes and turned over, facing the wall of the tent, _Why do I deserve such a fresh start? Why do I deserve redemption?_

She clenched her jaw tightly before quickly relaxing as the tent opened again.

"Turn over child. I need to change your bandages." The elderly voice of Porlyusica softly commanded.

Erza reluctantly obliged. She then lifted her right stump for Porlyusica. The old woman's wrinkled fingers danced over her bandages, easily unwinding the soft strips of cloths so that she could see the wound.

It was still grotesque to look at. Black burns covered the area where Vader's lightsaber had severed her arm. The joint of her elbow had been sliced in half, leaving a knobbly protrusion sticking out the end of her arm. The skin around it was black and blue, badly bruised. Erza gulped as the pain from the wound re-entered her mind. When she felt Porlyusica's finger touch it she instinctively jerked back, only for Porlyusica's quick hands to snag her arm once again.

"Let me see it." The old woman scolded as she carefully examined her arm, "It's healing up nicely. Slowly… but nicely." She then pulled out a new roll of gauze from the leather pouch slung over her arm and began to gently wrap the white cloth around Erza's arm.

"You didn't just come in here to change my bandages did you?" Erza mumbled as she lay still in the cot.

"Nothing slips by you, does it?" Porlyusica replied as she tightened the wrapping, "No… I came in to talk to you about your conversation with Luke."

Erza frowned, "Nothing slips by you either it seems."

"Indeed." The old woman replied, "I make a point of learning what my patients are thinking. Many times, the deepest and most painful wounds are here." Her knobbly finger pointed at Erza's heart, "And here." She then pointed at Erza's forehead.

"I'll be fine."

Porlyusica shook her head, "You practically told that young man that you wanted to die. That you were prepared to do so."

"Of course I am!" Erza shouted, "I-I helped kill my brother! I-" She bit her lip and took a quick breath, "Have you seen Wendy?"

"Not recently no."

"No… I mean… have you _seen_ Wendy." Porlyusica frowned as Erza spoke, "She's broken," Erza whispered, "Heartbroken. Sorrowful. When I looked at her she was filled with… despair." Erza gulped, "And I helped cause that. I hurt my own family."

"Erza-"

"Joshua gave her a ring! He proposed to her! That makes her my family and I hurt her in the worst way possible."

"You didn't though, child." Porlyusica replied quietly, "Sidious did. Sidious did this. And now, Sidious is gone. But even though he is gone, this war is only beginning. Luke came to you. He needs help. And in seeking help, he is offering you a chance to redeem yourself. If that is what you desire for yourself. I think you would be foolish not to take it." Porlyusica knotted the bandage, finishing her work. "After all, Joshua's sacrifice would be for nothing if you simply decided to die in end."

Erza remained dead silent.

"I'll be back in a couple hours to check on you."

She didn't respond. And as soon as Porlyusica left the tent, Erza turned over once again and became lost in her own thoughts.

….

 **Three days after the destruction of the Death Star…**

The rain had come from seemingly nowhere. It wasn't a heavy rain. Not one that could force people indoors. Just drops of water lazily drizzling down from the dark clouds overhead. As the cold water tapped against her blue hair she simply sighed. She didn't care if she got wet. She didn't care if she caught cold. The trees around her kept most of the rain from touching her anyways. All she cared about was what was in front of her.

It was a small tombstone. Barely visible through all of the brush and thicket surrounding the bright clearing. And on it was a single name.

 _Joshua Scarlet_

 _Beloved guildmate, friend, and brother_

 _X775- X794_

 _May the Force be forever with you._

It was a good spot for it. His final resting place sat in the area of the forest outside of Magnolia that Joshua visited the most. Ever since he was a kid, he would come to this clearing to meditate, to train, or just to be alone for a while. In a way, Wendy figured it may have been one of his favorite places in the world. Quiet, peaceful, far away from any prying eyes, yet close enough for him to come running to Fairy Tail if they needed him. She would constantly find him here when they were younger. Before Tenrou Island. Even when they grew older, during the peaceful time before the Empire's invasion, she would stop by here and hang out with him. Just to talk and be alone for a while.

"We always had the best conversations, didn't we?" Wendy mumbled.

A strong, bandaged hand placed itself on her shoulder. Wrinkling up the thick black dress she had on.

"We should go back Wendy." Natsu said quietly as he leaned on a crutch, "Before this storm gets any worse." Natsu sniffed the air, "Yeah… it's gonna get worse."

"Just a few more moments Natsu." Wendy whispered.

Natsu opened his mouth to protest but then decided against it. The storm may be approaching and night may be coming soon, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Wendy no. Not at this time. When he had heard the news of Joshua's fate. He had refused to believe it. He had burned all of the bandages that covered his battered body away in a rage as he attempted to throttle Gray for telling him such lies. But when he saw Wendy that night. When he saw her tear stained eyes and heard her dry, hoarse voice. He knew it was true.

He blamed himself a little bit. Maybe if he had gotten his job done instead of getting caught in an explosion (and getting his ass saved by Gray), he could've gotten to the spire and helped. He could've burnt the Emperor and Vader to ashes before they could've killed Joshua. But then he would shake his head. In the end, there was nothing he could've done. He messed up on his mission and thankfully Gray saved him. He was in no condition to help Joshua. He kept having to remind himself that just to shake the guilt away.

His ears twitched as he heard the leaves that blanketed the forest floor rustle. Natsu calmly turned his head to see Luke approaching. His body clothed in fresh robes and a hooded cloak drawn over his shoulders and head.

"Hey." Natsu said.

"Hey." Luke replied as he drew himself up beside him. Wendy did not turn to acknowledge the Jedi. She just stayed standing in front of them. Silently gazing at the gravestone that sat in the forest clearing.

"I um… I came to say goodbye." Luke said.

"Goodbye?" Natsu asked, "You're leaving already?"

"The war isn't over. Thrawn is unaccounted for. And the Empire is still alive and kicking. It's just been severely crippled, not defeated." Luke said as he folded his arms within his dark cloak, "I have to help with the fight. And… I have the difficult task of rebuilding the Jedi order with Ahsoka. I want to get started on that right away."

Natsu nodded, "That's cool I guess." he scratched his bandaged face, "Damn things are so itchy. Never thought in my life I would get injured in an explosion."

"That's how it happened?"

Natsu nodded, "That's what Gray and the others told me at least."

Luke nodded as well, "Well… I wish you the best of luck in life Natsu."

"Thanks. And don't worry. I'll help keep an eye on things here for ya."

"You don't have to do that Natsu."

"I know-" Natsu caught himself, "Knew him. I know he made you promise to look out for her." He glanced over at Wendy, who seemingly didn't hear them. And if she did, she seemingly didn't care, "But I also know you can't take her with. So, I'll keep an eye on her for ya."

Luke smiled and grasped Natsu's hand, "Thanks you pyro."

"Anytime." Natsu grinned back before breaking away from Luke and gently grabbing Wendy's hand, "C'mon, I can hear thunder coming."

Wendy bowed her head and silently nodded. Before she left with Natsu, she turned to face Luke.

"I know you did everything you could." She said softly, "And for that… I am grateful, Luke." She then hugged the Jedi Knight, "Be safe out there."

"I will."

"And don't forget to visit." Natsu reminded.

Luke chuckled as Wendy broke away, "I'll do my best."

Luke waited beside the grave as the two dragon slayers dissapeared down the trail that would take them back to Magnolia. When he was certain they were gone, he glanced at the tombstone.

"I hope this was all worth it, my friend." He then tapped the stone lightly before walking towards another trail. Waiting beside a tall oak, was a woman with red hair. She wore a white blouse with a blue skirt and a dark hooded cloak over her shoulders and head as well.

"You ready?" Luke asked as he approached her.

Erza nodded, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Just before they walked down the trail, Luke stopped her.

"You should've talked to them."

Erza shook her head and began striding down the trail, Luke right beside her.

"Why not?"

"I couldn't bring myself to do it, Luke." Erza replied, "I couldn't bring myself to face Wendy."

"Erza-"

"Look, no matter what anyone says. I still blame myself. He was my brother, and I failed to protect him when he needed me the most." Erza said firmly, "I just want to...I want to get away from here."

Luke nodded, "The Falcon should be just up ahead."

"Good." Erza replied as they walked through the damp brush.

The wind and rain began to pick up around them. Soon the drizzle turned into sheets of rain. Thunder rumbled high overhead. Great branches of bright lightning lanced over the dark skies as they walked through the forest.

"Natsu said an explosion caused his wounds?" Erza asked as she strode alongside Luke.

The Jedi nodded, "Yeah. Must've been one hell of an explosion if it injured him that badly."

Erza frowned, "It wasn't an explosion." She glanced at Luke, "Gray is hiding something. So are the others that escaped the Death Star. And I really want to find out what." She pursed her lips, "But… now is not the time. I need a fresh start. And thankfully, you have given me a chance."

The Millennium Falcon came into view. It rested in a large clearing in the forest. Large streams of water cascaded down it's sides while Chewbacca and Han waited on her ramp.

"Hurry up you two!" Han called, "Chewie's hair is getting frizzy!"

The Wookie barked at them and nodded briskly.

"I don't plan on getting rid of the knots for him!" He glance at the wookie as it whined at him, "I'm not reliving that nightmare again."

Luke chuckled while Erza cracked her first smile in days.

"They seem like a lively bunch."

"Oh," Luke laughed as Han and Chewie disappeared into the Millennium Falcon, "You have no idea."

They boarded the ship. Once they were safely inside, the ramp lifted up and sealed tightly behind them. Both Luke and Erza tossed their soaked hoods back and removed their cloaks before hanging them up on small pegs near the doorway.

"You like that?" Han asked as he munched on a bag of his new favorite snack. An Earthland delicacy called potato chips, "I figured we might class the old girl up a little bit."

"So you added a coat hanger?" Erza asked with a raised eyebrow.

"And snack drawer." Han pointed out before walking to the cockpit with Erza and Luke in tow.

When the entered, they found Lando chatting with Leia while Chewie settled into the copilot's seat. R2-D2 chirped happily when he saw Luke while C-3PO cheerfully greeted his master. Luke smiled and laughed with the others as Han tossed Lando out of the pilot's seat.

"My ship remember!"

"It was mine first." Lando replied as he took a seat in the navigator's chair.

"Not anymore though." Han smirked before igniting the Falcon's engines. Erza jerked and latched her hands to the door frame of the cockpit. Han glanced back and chuckled, "You think that was scary, wait until I put the old girl through her paces."

"Amazingly, he is not exaggerating." Leia remarked, "Come on you two." she waved at Luke and Erza, "Let's go relax in the lounge."

"Yes, let the real men do their work." Lando commented wrly while Chewie chuckled.

"You hung out with Elfman way too much." Erza replied before slipping down the hall with Leia.

As she walked alongside the princess of Alderaan, she heard Luke say that their destination was a moon called Yavin 4. A woman named Ahsoka Tano was waiting for them there. A joke rang out from Han which made everyone laugh loudly, including the melancholy red head. She down in the lounge beside the holotable and watched cheerfully as Threepio challenged Artoo to a game. Some form of space chess that she could not hope to fully grasp. Meanwhile, Luke and Leia chatted happily to each other. Warm smiles were all around her. And for the first time in a long time, Erza felt her own lips spread into a cheerful smile as well.

She had lost much to the war. She had lost her family. She had lost her brother. She had even lost her free will for a time. But now, as she sat in the lounge of the Millennium Falcon and laughed as Luke marveled at the taste of Han's potato chips, she couldn't help but feel the sorrow and guilt lift away. Even if it was just for a little bit. She had a new chance at life now. A gift given to her by the force. By her brother. She imagined him sitting beside her and laughing with her at Luke and Leia's antics. And that thought didn't make her sad. It made her laugh even more.

As the Millennium Falcon blasted off into hyperspace, Erza knew she had found another family. She had found a new home. And while her true family would always be at Fairy Tail. She knew her time with them had come to a close. Now was the time for her to experience a new adventure.

In a galaxy that at one time seemed so far, far away...

 **And… story!** **Thus ends The Dark Fairy. It was a real pleasure to write this for you all! And I'm so glad you guys enjoyed!**

 **The first chapter for the sequel story has already been posted for you all, just so you can check it out if you want to! It's titled The Eternal Empire. I hope to see you all there!**

 **Again, thank you so much for reading this story. Without you guys, this wouldn't have been possible. You all made it such a joy to write this story and to continue to write any other stories to come. And I am so grateful. Until next time you guys!**

 **Have a nice day!**


	117. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hello Everybody!

Important announcement (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have updated a completed story).

I have been doing a lot of thinking, editing, rereading, researching, and critiquing of my own work. And after several months of doing that, I got to thinking.

I can do so much better.

This story was quite literally the second story I had ever written pretty much in my life. And the only one that I have ever written to completion. During the process of writing this story, I learned a lot about constructing a story, creating a plot, writing characters, even proper grammar and structure. With that being said, i made some mistakes. Some big mistakes. And I especially notice these mistakes after getting in contact with someone who was able to offer a very in depth critique of my work. Some character motivations (now that I look back at this story) make no sense. The story is riddled with plot holes. And overall, I feel like my biggest mistake is that I failed to understand the Fairy Tail characters and their abilities properly.

So with that being said, I am doing a rewrite! And the first chapter has been posted under a new story name!

 ** _The Fairies of the Force_**

Go check it out you guys! And before I go, I do want to thank you all for both the support and criticism while writing this story. If this story had not gotten the readers it did, the reviews it did, and the criticisms I probably wouldn't be writing today. this story helped cultivate my love for writing to a point where I want to do this for a living (I'm actually working on chapter 3 of an original novel and I have completed the plot outline for it too! SO EXCITED!) But during those moments where I just need a break from the original stuff, I'm going to work on this and my other stories!

I hope to see you guys at the rewrite! Have a nice day!


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